Not quite folk or alt-country, but more than just a rock group, Philadelphia's Hoots and Hellmouth crafts fiery, cathartic roots-rock that the band describes as "new music for old souls."
Formed in 2005 around the acoustic guitars of Sean Hoots and Andrew "Hellmouth" Gray, the two began creating a body of work that was vastly different from what either had created in the past. Often fleshing out their arrangements with organ, upright bass, drums and mandolin, Hoots and Gray saw their star begin to rise after appearances at the 2006 Philadelphia Folk Festival and last year's WXPN All About the Music festival. Blending soul, folk, country, gospel and rock with the sounds of classic Americana, Hoots and Hellmouth has, on record, lived up to the promise of its revival-like live shows — which is saying a lot.
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