Quiet Hounds Curate Music & History Experience at Atlanta's Swan House
On Oct. 4, Quiet Hounds and the Atlanta History Center will present Swans & Embers, a performance in three movements celebrating the rise of the city of Atlanta from ashes to its present day glory. Purchase tickets here.
Quiet Hounds disguise themselves with masks while playing cryptic music that meditates on the past, particularly those historical events that still reverberate in the region. Think of this creature collective as the South’s own Sphinx, with rhythms to the riddles.
Georgia has not produced such quirky ombudsmen since R.E.M., and while the Hounds will not reveal names or hometowns—even prisoners of war will pony up name, rank and serial number—they are proudly Southern with an enlightened nostalgia about “historical relevance,” one of their favorite phrases. Band members say they'd rather "let the music speak for us."
In that regard, the old-timers say, these dogs can hunt. Their sound is distinguished by vocals with supplicating harmonies; chimes, keys, and other birdsong effects; cathedral-worthy chord structures; and an air of spooky, heady romanticism that lingers like sacred incense. The band essentially gives away all of its music but conceptualizes unconventional concert experiences that merge music and storytelling. (Download free music here).
On Oct. 4, Quiet Hounds joins with the Atlanta History Center to present Swans & Embers, a live music performance set in three movements on the grounds of the Swan House. Imagined as the story of a weary traveler finding her way back home, the extravaganza of Old Atlanta and the New South will be set against a backdrop styled from the 1920s, when the Swan House was completed for Edward and Emily Inman.
“The Inmans’ previous home in Ansley Park had just burned to the ground, so their story of rebuilding at this site is symbolic of the city’s historic rise from the ashes like the Phoenix,” the drummer says. “We want to raise awareness of the bountiful resources and rich history in Georgia.”
The QH sensibility dovetails neatly with the Atlanta History Center’s “Party with the Past” series, designed to reach a younger demographic. “This band has such an intriguing way of integrating past and present and connecting people of all age groups,” says center spokeswoman Lee Massey. “What got our attention was their video that prominently featured Andersonville. It was such an unusual but respectful approach.”
She is referring to last year’s video for the song “Beacon Sun,” filmed at the site of the notorious Andersonville Civil War Prison and used as the centerpiece of a spectacular event at The Goat Farm.
“Our concerts are more like mini-festivals that we curate down to the last, minute detail so that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime, aesthetic experience,” says the QH guitar player. Chef Hugh Acheson and designer Billy Reid are frequent co-conspirators, contributing locavore food and artisanal merchandise. Swans and Embers will feature food trucks, libations and a coffee bar for general admission tickets ($30 in advance) and a limited number of VIP tickets ($150) will feature complimentary beer, wine and BBQ by Adam Evans of the Optimist, access to a private garden courtyard, parking and a handmade gift by the band.
The music industry is buzzing the anthropomorphic artists. As usual, the Hounds stay quiet on the subject.