The Hollowbodies Celebrate Their Debut at The Drake Underground

Date of show: May 5, 2012

The Hollowbodies celebrated the release of their debut album, Town Without A Name, at The Drake Hotel Underground. The Toronto-based 4-piece is comprised of Andrew Ioi (vocals, guitar), James Gadon (guitar, vocals), Aaron Puppi (bass, vocals) and Steve Rice (drums). Prior to the release, the band hadn’t played many shows, so it was a real pleasure to see that the venue was quite full. While the band can certainly benefit from gaining more experience by playing more live shows together as a complete unit, the crowd loved them and the awkward stage banter made the night even more enjoyable. Highlights of the set include their dedication to Levon Helm, as well as their cover of Jackson Browne’s “Running On Empty”.

As the set continued, the crowd moved closer to the stage and some were even dancing to the country-tinged folk rock tunes. By the time the band reached the end of their set (with encore), nearly an hour and a half had passed, yet the crowd kept yelling for more songs. However, the band played all of their rehearsed material, including all of their covers, so friends and fans alike will have to wait until The Hollowbodies play their next show. In the meantime, they’ll have to just keep playing their CD over and over. And for those who didn’t make it to the release show to pick up a CD, you can sample some of their tunes through their website. Check ‘em out.