In the upstairs of a St. Louis duplex apartment 16 years ago, The Hooten Hallers began to discover their distinctive sound in the form of an old Beatles song—but heck if anybody can remember which song it was.
“We’ve had a lot of great role models in music over the years, including the Beatles,” drummer and vocalist Andy Rehm says with a laugh. “There’s a lot of stuff that you learn just by playing together over and over again that nobody can really teach you. That’s a really cool aspect of this band—that we all three have learned to play together and, at the same time, have learned to let those little magic moments happen.”
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Sonically armed with a signature mix of blues, rock, punk, and country, The Hooten Hallers have become a gem of the Missouri music scene since they formed in Columbia in 2007, first touring as a group across the country and, since 2011, around the world. With their new album, Back in Business Again, out September 9, the eclectic trio continues to build upon its legacy.
“The record was essentially complete as the pandemic began, but it was already our most ambitious recording process ever,” Rehm says of the album, which was recorded in St. Louis at Native Sound. “And then, you know, the plague hit.”
But ambition wasn’t all that made this one different. “We did a lot more collaborative songwriting on this album,” says saxophonist/vocalist Kellie Everett, who had a hand in writing standout track “Show Me,” which pledges allegiance to the band’s home state. “All three of us actually worked together on these songs, from inception to the final product.”
“We also road-tested these songs more than we ever had before,” adds guitarist/vocalist John Randall. “There have been times when we would write songs and then immediately record them. But with this one, I feel like we had the opportunity to let several of the songs on the record really settle into their final form before we recorded.”
And while a couple transformational years passed between the album’s inception and its release, The Hooten Hallers say there isn’t much they were craving to change.
“We did some mixing stuff, and we added some guest players, but that was about it,” says Rehm. “We were essentially happy with it.”
The album also had the trio pushing their creative borders, even sweeping into a pop sound with the track “Heal It.”
“I feel like a lot of people can identify with the mantra of the song: that you got to start helping yourself, otherwise nothing’s ever going to change in your life,” says Randall. “It’s sort of a self-empowerment kind of song. I think people need to hear things like that every once in a while. At least I do.”
The Hooten Hallers will celebrate the release of Back in Business Again with a show at The Golden Record on September 8.
Road Warriors
When the band hits the highway in their tour van, they listen to the music that inspires them. Here are a few of their favorites. Find the full playlist of “Van Jams,” curated by The Hooten Hallers, on SLM’s Spotify.
Blues-country band Joe’s Truck Stop and “newgrass” group The Tillers, both from Cincinnati
“They’re all excellent songwriters and musicians, and they bring a lot of energy to the stage,” says Kellie Everett.
Left Lane Cruiser, blues-rock from Fort Wayne, Indiana
“We encounter them pretty frequently out on the road and at festivals,” says John Randall. “It’s a huge honor when that happens.”
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, psychedelic rock from Australia
“I just love how interesting and weird [they are] and how much music they have,” says Andy Rehm. “It seems to be so effortlessly cool and interesting—insanely complex, but very natural at the same time.”
Black Diamond Heavies, rock and blues from Nashville
“They are one of my favorite bands of all time,” says Rehm. “They were one of the first shows John and I saw together, and it was at that show that we were like, ‘Wow, this is the kind of thing that I want to be a part of.’ Just the raw energy on stage and the incredible performance…they had this fusion of dirty rock and roll and blues music in the very best way. They’ve been an influence on the band since the beginning.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed the name of The Hooten Hallers’ song “Heal It.” SLM regrets the error.
