Houston is a power trio of loud fast music from Lane Soderberg, Jeff Halland and Ian Prince. They put out four albums but stopped playing together in 2004. We’ve had the honor of talking with drummer Ian Prince in the past and it seemed like there was always a soft spot there and it seems like Land and Jeff felt it too. They are back with their first album in 20 years and it’s pretty amazing. Fun to get a chance to learn more before the release of The Biggest Shove in Space out September 22. You can catch them on September 15 at the IceHouse or September 16 at Pizza Luce in Duluth. And get a sneak preview in the video below:
What have you each been doing since 2004?
Jeff: as far as music goes I’ve been recording, mixing and producing other bands pretty much the whole time. Also been working on a solo thing that’s ballooned out of control. But no bands, no live shows, mostly just hanging with my family.
Lane: Well I’ve got a 19 yr old son who is now in the US Marine Corps, and a 12 yr old daughter. Both of them are hockey players, so I’ve spent a lot of time at almost every hockey rink in Minnesota. Other than that I’ve dabbled in a few other bands, made a couple one man Black Metal/Crust records. I have another band I sing and play guitar in. I’ve never stopped creating, whether it’s music or art/design.
Ian: The two primary bands have been Story of the Sea and Porcupine, which I’ve recorded a bunch of records with and toured extensively. I’ve also recorded and/or toured with Kid Dakota, Communist Daughter, Tape n Tapes, Cloud Cult and Soul Asylum. I currently have a 2 piece project called BirdHands with my good friend Allen Epley of Shiner and The Life and Times as well.
What brought you back together again after nearly 20 years?
Jeff: Ian saw me at ikea and we got to talking, then we got to talking with lane about a couple songs we never recorded, and said “let’s do it.” If it sucks, oh well. We started practicing and it didn’t suck at all.
Lane: I don’t know, I think as we got older and wiser we realized that the three of us had something pretty cool, something that a lot of bands will never experience. And it’s not like any of us had “retired” or anything so why not? We’ve come to really appreciate and value the roles we play in this band and how we complement each other.
Ian: IKEA
What’s easier about playing together in 2023 and what was easier the first time around?
Jeff: We fell back into clicking together pretty quickly. It took work and we’re still working, but so much of the machine we made was still there. The first time – once we figured out how work together, playing live was like a bulldozer. We were young and had that endless energy, but we had also learned how to control it and let the machine do the work.
Lane: Technology has obviously made it easier to write and record remotely. We’ve always been adventurous with our sounds and effects, so it’s easier to experiment with that. But on the other hand, it’s the opposite that made it easier the first time ’round. You were limited to whatever gear you could afford at the local shops. Everything was just wilder and more organic. Going on tour was always a wild adventure. It was chaotic but fun, and I prefer that to “ease”.
Ian: I would say the easier thing now is that the communication is a lot better. Things used to be fairly contentious back in the day and now we can speak our minds without it getting very dramatic….usually. The easier thing when we were originally a band was time. We all had waaayyy more of it and would practice all the time. Now, not so much.
I love the general drive and power throughout the album (that’s what I want on the dancefloor!) but there’s something about Static and Cicadas that catches me in the patience of the beat, the slower pace, the dirge-like vibe and the lyrics. How did that song come about? The personification of the cicadas is genius.
Jeff: First thank you. The whole album (with the exception of “San Diego”) was done by sending ideas or demos to each other after covid started because we couldn’t play in the same room anymore. We started slowly working on ideas and not working on others, and that one kind of fell through the cracks. Months later, I found Lane’s original demo and kind of reworked it, Ian redid the drums, and I sent it to Lane to replay the bass – he had no idea the song had come from him and played a completely different bass part – so I started layering all the parts from the original version and the new version. Ian’s part just kind of pushes and pulls and holds it all together.
Lane: I had recorded a demo of the basic guitar/bass parts over a simple drum loop. I’m a huge John Frusciante fan and was kinda trying to cop his style, but must have been in a dark mood at the time, ha. I could immediately hear Jeff and Ian doing their thing with it, which they certainly did. Jeff wrote the melody and lyrics and Ian’s beats are way better than the original demo of course.
Ian: That was one of Lanes ideas that both Jeff and I were drawn too, probably for the same reasons you mentioned. The demo had this cool electronic beat that inspired what I ended putting down and Jeff Jeffed all over it and it became a Houston song.
Please tell us where folks can see you play and when the new album (The Biggest Shove in Space) will be released.
Our new album The Biggest Shove In Space will be out worldwide on CD, vinyl, cassette, and digital September 22 on Init Records and can be pre-ordered here.
Upcoming shows:
- 9/10 Minneapolis, MN @ Falling Knife Brewing (ALBUM LISTENING PARTY)
- 9/13 La Crosse, WI @ Popcorn Tavern w/ The Reach Outs
- 9/15 Minneapolis, MN @ Ice House w/ The Dames
- 9/16 Duluth, MN @ Pizza Luce w/The Dames
Mostly Minnesota 