Fort Collins based Hog Magundy recently released their debut album and Grateful Web sat down to talk about the album, some of their favorite festivals and their recent additon to the Nimbleslick Entertainment Agency.
GW: Thanks a lot for chatting with us. You guys recently dropped a new album, can you tell us a bit about making the album and what can you fans expect from this release?
HM: The album is a mix of old and new and the takes a lot of influence from my move to Colorado from Illinois. The song Footprints was inspired from my first hike in the Poudre Canyon. It was the Summer of 2012 and the scars from the High Park fire were fresh. I stopped to catch my breath in the remnants of an Aspen grove and in stark contrast to the blackened trees and scorched ground I noticed life already returning in the form of wildflowers. Thus the line “Deep within the aspen grove, where the fires burned a flower grows, Pushing up through the Ashes, Out between the stone.”
GW: For those who do not know, can you talk a little bit about the recent change in agency to Nimbleslick?
HM: Yes! We are very excited to be a part of the Nimbleslick family, and the move represents a huge step forward for us in terms of our ability to play more shows for more people all across the country.
GW: What do you guys do to prepare for tour? Any travel tips for other bands or fans heading out for the summer?
HM: Personally, I like to do a little research on the “can’t miss” food of any given city or town we may go through. I love getting to know new places and have always felt that food (as well as music) are a great way to get to the heart of a place. My only real tip would be to stay open to the experience. Things will go wrong, absolutely, but as Yvon Chouinard once said “, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts”
GW: Would you say that being based in Colorado affects how you approach writing material or is touring a bigger influence?
HM: It’s hard to say which has a bigger influence on our approach to creating our music. Colorado has a huge influence on our material. The Rocky Mountain environment we call home offers an unparalleled and seemingly unending source of creative inspiration. Travel is also a consistent theme in our songs. We are all drawn to the allure of the road, and the surprising new experiences it offers.
GW: Is there any place you've been on tour that you absoutely have to go back to? Like a home away from home?
HM: It has to be Summercamp Music Festival. I grew up in Illinois just over an hour from the festival and it became an annual pilgrimage and reunion for myself and an ever growing family of friends. We had the honor of playing there last year and it was quite the homecoming! The support from everyone I met there and the inspiration of countless mind-blowing shows gave me the strength and ambition to pursue my own musical dreams.
GW: What was the last show you went to as an audience member?
HM: We stayed after our set at Beanstalk to make sure I caught The Main Squeeze and Orgone. I love how much of a comeback funk has been making lately and these guys do it as good as anyone in the business.
GW: What up and coming bands you guys digging right now?
HM: Man, there are so many! I’ve really been digging on Liver Down the River (also newly added to Nimbleslick) since we played with them in Durango back in April to celebrate the release of their album Life You Love. Our friends in Good Touch (out of Denver) have also been seriously killing it lately. I highly recommend checking these cats out!
GW: Cool, guys - thanks for your time.
HM: You got it, thank you!
Check out Hog Magunday on tour this summer.
