Photo by Shervin Lainez.
Ellen Kempner and Palehound are going places, including Reno.
The pop-punk trio from Boston will headline a show on Tuesday at the Holland Project, an all-ages music and cultural venue.
“I love all-ages shows,” Kempner told Tahoe Onstage. “Teenagers are so excited to come to shows and they have such good energy. I love it.”
It wasn’t that long ago when Kempner, 24, was a teenager. Palehound burst into the scene in 2015 with the album “Dry Food” and it received a Boston Music Award for New Artist of the Year. The follow-up record, “A Place I’ll Always Go,” released in June, has been critically acclaimed for its visceral delivery and personal storytelling. The band tours nonstop.
“I love performing because I preform with two of my favorite people, who I’m with in the car right now,” Kempner said, referring to drummer Jesse Weiss and bassist Larz Brogan. The bandmates were en route to Salt Lake City. “It’s fun. We spend all day in the car or on the ground killing time basically and then we finally get these 45 minutes to just let loose. It’s awesome.
“I’ve learned that I really do love this lifestyle. It forces you to be the broad person that you are. I kind of need that. Touring and performing is therapeutic for me.”
Palehound is employing the blue-collar musicians’ method of building a fan base: Playing new venues often before smaller audiences, which increase when the band returns. It was Palehound’s second time in Salt Lake City and it will be in Reno for the first time.
“We’ve had solid shows,” Kempner said. “It’s great to see people come out who are obsessive about music. That’s what matters to us. We’ve been touring for a while but this is the first time we’ve had these kinds of turnouts.”
Fans tend to be obsessive when they discover a new artist, especially when they can relate to the content.
“On this record, I got more vulnerable lyrically and I can definitely see how people are responding to it,” Kempner said. “We play a lot of songs from the new album and we do play them kind of differently. We don’t really tend to sound a lot like the recordings because we’re a three piece – bass, drums, guitar – so it’s more of a raw sound.
“We tend to make the songs a little louder. It’s more energetic. That’s more fun for us and more fun for the audience.”
- Palehound
Openers: Fine Motor, Stirr Lightly
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17
Where: The Holland Project, 140 Vesta Street, Reno
Tickets: $8.50
For: all ages
