I loving getting to know such a wide range of artists! I have met some really talented and intelligent people through this little blog, and I can’t help but embarrassingly thank social media for the help. Before I started networking and having artists introduce me to other artists, I used my trusty (and aggravating) Facebook to find new people to interview. I had my interview with the band Flight Mongoose a few months back and was researching their related artists and I stumbled upon Cardboard Houses: 3 extremely close friends Jake Hall on vocals and lead guitar, Blake Eital on bass, and Ryan (Unknown Last Name) on Drums. They are an Indie Rock trio originated from Sacramento, California in 2013, “…He [Blake] texted me [Jake] saying he was coming to my house to jam and I didn’t know he knew where I lived…Eventually we made a band where I would come to Blake’s house and record him playing guitar into Garageband and we made a 5 song CD that we gave out and sold to like five people. If they happen to listen to them again, they’ll hear the worst blend of every type of butt-rock there is.” They have evolved tremendously from that point in time, but that statement shows they truly started out just having fun, but orchestrated a well-rounded and self-sufficient band.
When listening to Cardboard Houses, they sound very chill but there is a sense of organization and precision without sounding overproduced. In my humble opinion, they sound reminiscent of Vampire Weekend or Young the Giant but definitely have harder roots and some grittier guitar. According to Jake, “…Me and Blake started listening to more Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine so we began to want to be a lot louder, fuzzier, and hazier.” He went on to list the classic rock artists every band stems from ranging from Pink Floyd to AC/DC to Little Richard. However, Jake went on to specifically say ”Right now though, we’re just trying to sound like ourselves, which I see as a quite-loud sort of band through a psychedelic lens”. This is very important to becoming a living, breathing, original band. It can be a challenge for bands who are just starting out to learn the difference between being influenced by a rockstar and becoming an accidental cover band. Each of their tracks can put Pink Floyd vibes straight into your ear but it isn’t Cardbourd Houses AS Pink Floyd; It’s Cardboard Houses USING Pink Floyd elements in an creative way.
My favorite track of theirs is Garden of the Pines. The guitar solo just stops me in my tracks and gives me a little bit of time to just sit and feel the music I’m listening to. I was amazed to hear Jake wrote it at 13 years old “…[I] found [out] about Neutral Milk Hotel, and I was really inspired to try and recreate their crazy fuzz sound, and I recorded my acoustic guitar through a fuzz pedal on Garageband. The lyrics are about the digital age and how we are covering up a lot of nature with concrete”. I can definitely hear the haziness they are trying to convey in this song but I think it’s important to note they’ve done an incredible job at making Garden of the Pines very fuzzy without losing the structure. Some artists have a difficult time with attempting to warp the sound of their music and lose the ability to keep it somewhat cohesive. Cardboard Houses isn’t afraid to be exploratory but always remembers to keep the roots of a song that make it interesting to listen to.
One aspect of Cardboard Houses that piqued my interest was their vocals. Jake Hall has a way of going between pitches in a precise way but isn’t afraid to add some rasp and make some songs grittier. It’s a nice contrast from other elements in each of their songs, “I’ve been singing quietly in my head and been playing music since I was like seven, and I got the courage to start singing out loud at talent shows, and then I recorded some videos of me singing and that encouraged me to write songs that would actually project my voice.” I believe if one wants to accomplish a goal, they need to initiate a leap and do it. I think it’s incredibly inspiring to hear Jake purposely pushed himself vocally with this band. He wasn’t afraid to put himself out there and I think that is one of the necessary steps to creating a great band; you can’t be afraid to take risks.
With that being said, being a local band in the city of Sacramento can have its challenges. Jake explained marketing a band in the area can be extremely difficult, “It’d be nice if all you had to do in a band is play instruments and not worry about anything else…” I think this statement really holds a lot of weight. Most tend to think that is really all there is to being successful. There are so many different umbrellas of work that goes into being in a band; especially marketing. Because of this, Jake doesn’t necessarily see Sacramento as a city with the ability to do this as strongly as others, “It’s kind of hard to get heard out here. But I definitely think being from Sacramento is kind of cool, because of how unique the scene is out here…For bands to get popular in Sacramento I think they really have to push the boundaries of music to be heard”. This is not the first time I was told this. I ask every artist I interview this question and almost all of them feel like this area has its upsides to making music but ultimately, it’s an obstacle to get noticed. It’s a barrier I hope will be broken in the future as bands like Cardboard Houses put an immense amount of energy and time into their projects and the outcome is truly grand.
These three friends have created a band that can truly appeal to everyone. Their alternative style allows them to have a stand out effect while still having a vibe that can connect just about anyone together. In their free time, you can find Blake hiking, Jake outside and drawing, and Ryan taking courses about music recording and production. This band plays quite a few shows around the Sacramento area and not only do they seem like chill dudes, they also make an effort to support other artists. They find it incredibly important to get to know the other artists and their sounds at each of their shows which is something I very much respect about them. I have added quite a few of their tracks to my daily playlist I listen to and I am really looking forward to what Cardboard Houses has to offer in the future. They are driven, funny, and have an obvious passion towards their project.
If you would like more information about Cardboard Houses, you can find their website at: www.cardboardhouses.org
To connect/keep up to date with Cardboard Houses, you can find their social medias at: Instagram @cardboardhouses and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cardboardhousesband/
I do not own/did not take any of the videos or photos on this post.