Indiana folk rock band Houndmouth hit the road for the next leg of their Good For You Tour before they join Greta Van Fleet for twelve shows on the Dreams in Gold Tour this fall. In November of 2021, the band released their newest album, Good For You, as well as a 5 month long headlining tour in support of the album. A few weeks ago, they brought the show to Florida. Accompanied by Sam Filiatreau pulling doubles as both the opening act and the bass player for the band, Houndmouth made magic in the intimate and lively venues in Sanford, St. Petersburg, and Ponte Vedra.
I was lucky enough to attend all three of Houndmouth’s Florida shows earlier this month and had some of the most fun I’ve ever had at a concert. To start, Sam Filiatreau was a pleasant surprise. He played with just an acoustic guitar and a voice so soft yet soulful that caught my attention from the very first word. His poetic storytelling and lyrics make you want to grow old with the one you love in the Kentucky countryside stuck with me as I realized I just found one of my new favorite artists. He writes the kind of music that leaves you with a yearning in your heart for a feeling that you cannot describe.
Towards the end of his set, he played a song called “Fine By Me”. The song recounts a lifetime of love shared between two people and won the hearts of everyone in the crowd that night. He confessed he does not normally play that song but I’m grateful he decided to that night in Sanford because it was a pleasure to hear. To everyone’s surprise, the other members of Houndmouth joined him on stage for his last two songs. There was something so indescribably mesmerizing about his voice that pulled you in and held on to you even after the song was done. He was both grateful and humble, and thanked everyone after every song he played and even thanked the crowd for not talking over his set. For me, it was hard to imagine doing that. Something about his music was so easy to listen to and become completely wrapped up in.
After a quick set change, Houndmouth took the stage with an explosive energy. They opened with “Las Vegas”, a single from their newest album, and set the energy for the rest of the show. The crowd fed off the band’s energy and vice versa. The set list was a perfect mix of hits from Good For You and fan favorites from their previous albums, Little Neon Limelight and From the Hills Below the City, as well as an unreleased track, “Sun in the Valley”. The band had an undeniable chemistry. I’ve been to more shows than I can count at this point and I have never seen a band have more fun playing than Houndmouth. You can tell the band does not take themselves too seriously and that created a sort of care free and fun energy from start to finish. Singer Matt Myers and drummer Shane Cody cracked jokes and shared personal stories about some of their songs and it gave them a new meaning to me. As far as I knew, “Palmyra” was a song about a girl he was hung up on, not, as Myers put it, “a shithole in Indiana”. Towards the middle of the show, they played “Goodbye” and “Honey Slider, personal favorites of mine, and you could feel the raw emotion behind the songs from both Matt and Shane. Caleb Hickman, (or “Fishbone” when he’s in Florida according to Shane) played in a way that added so much emotion to each song, particularly during “Goodbye”. My favorite part of the show was how they shared instruments and each member got an opportunity to spotlight their talents. Matt played drums while Shane played bass, Sam moved over to the guitar, and they all took turns singing. They closed out the initial set with “Darlin” that was almost drowned out by how enthusiastic the crowd was.
Matt Myers returned to the stage by himself for the first of a three song encore and gave us a beautiful performance of “For No One”. The venue was quiet and his vocals echoed beautifully around the room. To close out the show, they played the highly anticipated “Sedona”. The entire show was amazing, but this moment in particular held some kind of indescribable importance to me. The amount of times I have screamed every word to this song in the car by myself, and then to finally be able to scream “so bright and pink” with the band themselves. It felt like a dream and it was a moment I will never forget.
I could not have asked for a better show. The chemistry between the four guys was incredible and Sam was a perfect fit, blending seamlessly into the band. It felt like watching a group of longtime friends turned brothers do exactly what they were meant to do. It was truly a pleasure to see them play and I cannot recommend it enough that you go to one of their shows if you get the opportunity.
Make sure to catch Houndmouth as they continue their tour up the east coast in the coming weeks and with Greta Van Fleet this fall! Details HERE.