The Hourly Radio is a Dallas based band consisting of Aaron Closson (vocals and guitar), Ryan Short (guitar), Adam Vanderkolk (drums) and Tim Jansen (bass).
The early success of The Hourly Radio can only be attributed to a clear, articulate sense of direction and purpose. Neither of the band’s founding members, guitarist Ryan Short and vocalist Aaron Closson, cite their musical abilities among the reasons the band has captured so much attention. In fact, when the two met and began writing songs they had just one electric guitar (but no amp) and neither had any previous musical training or experience. All they had was a common sense of direction and a clear idea of what they didn’t want to sound like. With what some may call naive or simply blind ambition, Closson and Short forged on with complete confidence. From the inception of the band things have moved very quickly and these early limitations never proved an obstacle.
After a few months they managed to borrow the requisite gear from friends and recruited the rest of the line up including one of Short’s old high school friends Adam Vanderkolk on drums and Tim Jansen on bass. Like many young bands they weren’t good enough to copy other bands and this proved to be a blessing as they were able to develop their sound and approach songwriting organically eliminating the chances of the band sounding routine.
This unique sound comes from a driving, pulsing and often frantic rhythm section layered with thoughtful, textured guitar work, where the two guitars seamlessly weave together creating the perfect marriage of melody and atmosphere. Closson’s soaring vocals tie everything together and set The Hourly Radio’s sound apart from anyone.
In January of 2005 the band self-released Lure of the Underground a six song EP. The EP release show was held before a sold-out hometown crowd and became one of the most talked about and blogged about shows Dallas had seen in sometime. Word of the band’s intense live performances soon spread across the Internet creating quite a buzz. Live, the bands songs come to life with amazing intensity, showcasing both the bands appealing immediacy and depth.
After the release of their EP the band hit the road bringing their intense live show to audiences outside of their hometown. These included performances at SXSW, dates with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and touring as main support with stellastarr* on a leg of their recent US tour. In the winter of 2005 the band signed to indie label Kirtland Records and headed into the studio to record their full-length debut, which is set for release later this year.
2006 proved to be a massive year for The Hourly Radio as the band returned from a sold out UK tour supporting stellastarr*, played several SXSW shows, New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, and headed out for a nationwide tour in the summer. They released a limited edition double A-side 7” featuring the tracks “Deaf Ears” + “Crime Does Pay” which is available for download on iTunes, and released their debut full-length album, History Will Never Hold Me, on the internet on June the 27th and in stores September the 5th.
