1. Tell us your name and the band you play for
My name is Brendan Parrish, and I am the guitarist and a founding member of Horehound.
2. Who made you want to pick up the guitar?
Hard to say really. I always loved guitar parts in songs, even before I understood that guitar was what I was hearing. The first guitar parts that stand out are the solos in Hotel California by the Eagles (Don Felder and Joe Walsh), and 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago (Terry Kath).
3. Are you self-taught or did you take lessons?
I am fortunate that a close friend of mine is an excellent guitarist and guitar teacher. I started playing guitar and taking lessons from him when I was 18 and continued for 6 years or so. I still take lessons with him when I want to work on something I’m not familiar with.
4. Can you read music, Can you read tab?
I cannot read music, though I understand some of the basics. I can read tab, but I never really took interest in learning other people’s songs, unless there was a specific concept in a song that I wanted to play.
5. Do you feel like you have your own sound / tone?
That’s a tough question. I think people that have played with me would say so, but I don’t think I’ve reached that level where people hear it and instantly know it’s me. I hope to get there one day.
6. Tell us about your guitar (brand, model. year, color)
I have two guitars I play live, due to different tunings:
ESP LTD EC-256 in Vintage Black
Squier Master Series Thinline Telecaster in Candy Apple Red
7. What about pickups? Passive or active? Tell us about them
I’ve never used active pickups. All mine are passive, and they are as follows:
ESP LTD EC-256 Bridge – Seymour Duncan JB
ESP LTD EC-256 Neck – Seymour Duncan Jazz
Squier Master Series Thinline Telecaster Bridge – Railhammer Chisel
Squier Master Series Thinline Telecaster Neck – Seymour Duncan Jazz
8. Let’s get into amplification: same drill – brand, model, speakers, etc.
For my live rig, I run a Lee Jackson designed Crate Stealth 50 Watt Tube Head through a Fender Straight 4x12 Cab loaded with Peavey Sheffield Model 1200 speakers.
9. Do you have a pedal board? Tell us about that badboy
I have a Pharaoh Cabs custom built pedalboard, with integrated Input/Output and Power. I use a Joyo PXL Pro Loop switcher for my effect patches, with the following pedals: Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah, Kliq Mini Tuner, Allman Pedals 11 Clean Boost, Black Arts Toneworks Pharaoh Fuzz, Fulltone OCD v2 Overdrive, Vox DelayLab, and Digitech Hardwire Supernatural Ambient Reverb.
10. Now tell us your Dream Rig in detail…..
I’m actually pretty pleased with my setup currently, but I have been looking at getting a Peavey 5150 or EVH amp. Maybe someday, I’ll upgrade to a stereo setup and take full advantage of my Delay and Reverb capabilities. My dream guitar is a Gibson ’61 Reissue SG.
11. What guitarist can you not stand?
I’m personally not a fan of Joe Bonamassa.
12. Is tone more important or is technique?
Technique. No one will give a shit how your tone sounds if you can’t put notes together.
13. Name your top 5 guitarists
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Jimi Hendrix
John Mayer
David Gilmour
Jerry Cantrell
14. Who is the most overrated guitarist?
Like I mentioned above, I’m not a big fan of Joe Bonamassa or the hype surrounding him. I know he’s a competent blues player, but I don’t find his style interesting.
15. Who would you like a one hour private sit down lessons with anyone dead or alive?
There are so many to choose from, but probably Jerry Cantrell. I love how he can get as heavy as he needs to be, but still keeps his parts interesting, and puts effort into melody and his solos. He writes his solos as a fixed part of the song, and that’s something I’ve been working on myself. He’s the perfect blend of heavy and pretty for me.
Horehound had become a Pittsburgh, PA hometown heavy underground favorite quite soon after forming in early 2015, performing with both local legends and well-known touring acts. In one year, Horehound released their self-titled debut album (both digital and CD) in April 2016, via Blackseed Records. The album immediately coiled around the heavy music media world, appearing for two consecutive months on the Doom Charts collaborative, and cemented their standing as more than just local favorites.
Recently Horehound has engaged that debut album for a 2018 re-release with Hellmistress Records, the new East Coast label of veteran Melanie Streko (All That Is Heavy, Meteor City Records). The re-release is anticipated in early spring and will be re-mixed/mastered for both CD and vinyl pressing, including a bonus cover song, Mysterons originally written and performed by Portishead.
Fans have described Horehound as, “fucking heavy, doomy, catchy, and downright amazing.” Horehound would not disagree, citing their inspirations as Kyuss, (the) Melvins, and Alice in Chains, but you can hear a heavier sludge inspiration dwelling in the grinding guitar, haze-laden bass, bruising drums, and ethereally demanding vocals.
Horehound has made it quite evident in recent performances that their current lineup – including founding members Shy Kennedy (vocals) and Brendan Parrish (guitar) – have found their true sound with drummer JD Dauer and bassist Nick Kopco. The quartet is fiercer and impassioned to demonstrate it in sharing their next recording, currently being mixed and mastered for a 2018 release. The six track, Holocene, maintains the original Horehound-heavy, but has driven into deeper depths of dark, hardened post-doom metal. More information on the release and the band to come.
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