[Band Sponsor Feature: A Chat With History Of Painters]

(image via)

The other day I had a chance to have a little chat with one of my June band sponsors History Of Painters!  These guys are just great and their music is even better!  I asked them 5 little questions, so that you could all get to know them better and they came up with some pretty awesome answers.  Well, here goes...

Me: "How long have you two know each other and how long have you been playing music together?"

The Answer: "Josh Cody and I (Justin Hooper) have been friends for more years than we have been bandmates. We met in Choir at San Luis Obispo High our Senior year, and we bonded over the fact that we were both baritones who couldn't read music. After High School we formed a 5 piece band and started playing primarily in basements and living rooms, and after 2 years and a good number of band names later Josh and I decided to split off and create our own band. We are both self-taught musicians with different writing styles (both lyrically and musically), and for the past few years we have worked on combining our styles to create our own unique sound. Over the last couple of years we have also started working with our string players who have become a very important part of our sound."

Me: "Where did you come up with the name "History Of Painters"?"

The Answer: "We decided on the name History of Painters because at one point Josh and I had the wonderful job of being door-to-door paint salesmen. The 5 1/2 month long job built up our immunity toward rejection and hostile dogs, but it also helped Josh and I grow as friends and gave us some good stories. Also, the songs we write are very autobiographical, and every once and a while we like to throw a history song into the mix, hence the full band name History of Painters."

Me: "Was your sound pre thought out, or is what we hear organic?"

The Answer: "That is an interesting question. Josh and I are both the songwriters, and we both constantly strive for originality in our music. The birth of a song is initially created by either Josh or I. A song is then brought to the table for the other to help with the collaboration process, and that is usually where we get our “ah ha!” moments. After that, we bring the song to our string players, and that is when the song reaches its full potential and is ready for the world to hear it Basically, our songwriting process is a very shared experience."

Me: "You feature multiple guest musicians on your recordings and in your videos, are they usually the same group of musicians?"

The Answer: "Yes! We are very blessed to have the chance to play music with our violinists Raelene Larson and Melissa Newby, our Cellist Danielle Morrison, and we occasionally have Kayla Hooper (my lovely wife) accompany us as a vocalist."

Me: "Who are your musical influences?"

The Answer: "We definitely have many musical influences. We are particularly struck by the unique musical arrangements of Sigur Ros and the beautiful vocal blending and lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel, but we also love the music of Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, Coldplay, Sea Wolf, Andrew Bird, The Beatles, Arcade Fire, and Counting Crows, just to name a few." 

So there you have it!  An insider look into The History Of Painters!  Remember to click on their sponsor button and check out more tunes!  You can also buy their music via iTunes and Amazon!