Hoots and Hellmouth

Hoots & Hellmouth is an americana/roots band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The band was formed in 2005 by Sean Hoots and Andrew Gray. Both Hoots and Gray (aka Hellmouth) were already veterans of the Pennsylvania alternative rock scene by the time they began playing together in 2005, having been involved in Philadelphia-area bands Pilot Round The Sun and Midiron Blast Shaft. They initially started the group as a duo, playing roots music intended to evoke the feeling of revival shows. They eventually expanded to four members, adding Rob Berliner on mandolin and John Branigan on upright bass (both former members of Pilot Round The Sun along with Hoots). They play without a live drummer, instead stomping and using hand percussion such as tambourines. After a breakout performance at the Philadelphia Folk Festival in 2006 and several successful tours through the southern United States, Hoots & Hellmouth began to develop a loyal fan following. The group's self-titled debut album appeared in 2007 on Mad Dragon Records, distributed by Warner; the follow-up, The Holy Open Secret, arrived in 2009. www.hootsandhellmouth.com