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The formation of the LA based quintet, holloys, has a storied past that began as a dream now come to fruition. They’ve recently released their second disc, No Where Now Here, on Memory Bulldozer records and have returned to their Echo Park home from a springtime trek through Europe.

Though they’ve had many incarnations over the years, they’ve had a diverse line up of members – a veritable “Who’s Who” of the LA music scene, their sound has maintained a continuity reminiscent of new wave synth pop melded with afro-beat rhythms and, dare I say, a touch of electric period Miles Davis. I think an accurate descriptive term for holloys’ sound would be expansive; taking their influences at face value then expanding upon them to create something former member (and who knows, maybe one day he’ll return) guitarist, Jon Gonelli, dubbed “Dance Power.” Yet they also have their roots in rock, punk and jazz. It’s everywhere and nowhere; difficult to pin down, which is how singer, Jim Brown, likes it.

I’ve had lots and lots of conversations with Jim. If you let him he will spiral into philosophical tangents that circle back to practical applications and the starting point of whatever it was you were first discussing. It’s quite a feat to keep up with him. Yet he isn’t a mental masturbator – like you’d take most philosophers to be, nor does he jabber gibberish. If you listen closely you’ll hear some pretty awesome gems of truth or obviousness. Either is good.

In this conversation he tells of the impetus of holloys, their evolution and current state, a creation story if you will, and lots of other fun and sundry topics to do with music, hipsterism, doing stuff for yourself – the stuff of life.

They’re about to play some SoCal gigs with Zach de la Rocha and Jon Theodore’s (another former holloys member) new project One Day As A Lion and then they will make their east coast debut in the fall. So if you get the chance go see them live. If you can’t just yet, check out this video of them playing at Amoeba Records in LA.

The holloys on the Web:

Official Site | Facebook | Myspace

Photo Courtesy: Jim Brown