Five Questions with Mike Montali of Hollis Brown:

What is the inspiration of the group name Hollis Brown?

We saw that the Rolling Stones took their name from a Muddy Waters song, so we used that same idea and found a Bob Dylan song called “The Ballad of Hollis Brown.” It had a ring to it!

How has the pandemic affected your music?

I think the pandemic has given us a little more edge in our sound. We have been writing tunes that rock a bit more.  There is a little bit of a faster tempo to things and some more blues in there.

Who inspires you musically?

I have been inspired by so many people in my life and career, of course I could name the Beatles and Tom Petty like everyone else but lately I am inspired by anyone who is taking an honest and real approach to what they do artistically. Even if it’s not my cup of tea, if it feels real to me that is the most inspiring.

What can someone expect at a Hollis Brown concert?

A band leaving it all onstage. We try and give everything we can musically. Connection with the audience is very important, and creating an energy that will leave everyone leaving with a good feeling.

What’s the one thing you can’t wait to do once things return to “normal”? 

I can’t wait to go to The U.S. Open in Flushing Meadow Park. I gave gone every year since I was a kid. It’s such an amazing atmosphere and an awesome day to walk the grounds and see the level of competition literally all over the place. You can see Serena Williams on a court and then find someone you have never heard of in a tense match a few yards away. There’s no event like it.

Hollis Brown is a band from Queens, formed by singer-guitarist Mike Montali and lead guitarist Jonathan Bonilla. Rounding out the rest of the band are Andrew Zehnal (drums), Adam Bock (keys), and Chris Urriola (bass). The band has been releasing music since 2013, during which they released an EP and two albums along with a Record Store Day tribute to the Velvet Underground’s LOADED album. The group has toured extensively in the U.S. and Europe, both on their own and supporting the likes of Citizen Cope, Counting Crows, Jackie Greene, Jesse Malin, the Zombies, and many more. And you’ve heard their music in films such as “Bad Country” and on TV series such as Showtime’s “Shameless,” DirecTV’s “Kingdom” and MTV’s “Real World.” Also their music has been featured in the worldwide trailer for “The Founder” starring Michael Keaton along with the Winter 2018 John Varvatos runway show and online campaign.

“We really feel like the last of the great American rock bands,” Montali explains. “When you play rock music it’s always kind of a hurdle to not be considered a retro band or a throwback band because somebody is always trying to put you in a box or define you. You’re always compared to another artist, another band — who are great, sometimes, but they’re…old. I think we want to make a statement that rock music can still be done in a modern way that is still as good as some of those acts from the past.”

“Growing up in Queens I fell in love with all different types of music,” he recalls. “we had hip-hop, we had funk music, we had rock ‘n’ roll music, we had singer-songwriters. Everybody in the band loves all those things, so it’s nice to try and incorporate all those things. We’re really open.

Making Ozone Park with producer Adam Landry (Deer Tick, Rayland Baxter, Nikki Lane, Vanessa Carlton) in Fort Myers, Fla., Hollis Brown enjoyed plenty of opportunity for rewarding musical adventures. Some of it had to do with the recording process itself, mixing analog and digital technologies as well as the sound of four musicians — Montali, Bonilla, keyboardist Adam Bock and drummer Andrew Zehnal — playing together in one room. “We did a lot of pre-production and did the album pretty quick — eight days, recorded and mixed,” Montali says. “We did some sampling, some 808 digital drums on some of the songs and synth stuff we weren’t doing before, just to make the sound current. But if it’s a great song it’s always a great song, no matter how you dress them up.”

PRESS

“Ozone Park is definitely diverse and contemporary, blending smooth pop touches into Hollis Brown’s Americana stock in trade — and ranging from the fuzzy hard rock of “Bad Mistakes” to the funky groove of “Go For It.” – Billboard

“Possessed by the same blue-collar rock & roll spirit that haunts fellow New Englanders like Bruce Springsteen and Jesse Malin, Hollis Brown gets sinewy and sinister with the dark, driving “Do Me Right.” This is the soundtrack for a late-night drive through the American heartland.” – Rolling Stone 10 Best Americana Songs To Hear Now

“an unapologetically bold sound that aims for timelessness. .. soul-kissed rock that sounds like it could have been made at any point in the past 40 years and feels just right pumping out of the speakers of a car moving at a steady clip down a sun-drenched road.” – Paste Magazine

“The record starts with a solid four-pack of songs that perfectly illustrate all that makes Hollis Brown a superb rock band – smart lyrics, top musicianship, and rhythms that make you want to move.” – Pop Matters

“a solid step forward – an ideal mix of melodic savvy and rock-steady resolve” – Relix Magazine​

“it should be apparent to anybody, there’s something special going on with Ozone Park. ****” – Goldmine