In this new series, we’ll be highlighting a favorite show of ours, once every two weeks or so
Japanese Breakfast, Jay Som, Hand Habits
“Jay Som and Japanese Breakfast were fresh off the release of two of our favorite albums of 2017; “Everybody Works” and “Soft Sounds from Another Planet”. Needless to say, we were so incredibly excited. The night opened with a breathtaking set from Hand Habits, another favorite of ours. Jay Som’s set was unforgettable, and Japanese Breakfast finished the night off swinging from the rafters.”
Uniform, Solterona, Young Deathwish
“Uniform were here all the way from New York. Maybe 10 minutes into their soundcheck, Holland’s trusty PA speakers that gotten us this far, began glowing red, then completely fried. Ben and Michael from Uniform helped us haul some spare speakers from the back, makeshift a new PA, and we were back in business. Short lived doomgaze project Young Deathwish opened the night up, followed by an incredible Solterona set. By the time Uniform were about to go on, the snow outside had gotten so gnarly, no one was quite sure how they were getting home. Uniform proceeded to put on one of the most intense and abrasive sets any of us had seen. 20ish minutes of nonstop drum machine and distorted guitar; it was perfect. Everyone made a pilgrimage to Gold n Silver to wait out the storm, and we all crossed our fingers Uniform would make it to Oakland the next day.”
SALES w/ Nicotine
“Theres usually a bit of an innate familiarity when a band returns to Holland. It was SALES 2nd time in Reno, and they had gained a reputation for being incredibly sweet. The show was sold out, and It was the first sunny warm day in a sec. The stars aligned, and everyone was ready. Nicotine opened the night up with a set of soulful R&B, followed by SALES. They played a flawless set, sounding so close to their recordings it made ya stop and pause for a sec. Lauren got down into the crowd for White Jeans, making for one of our all time favorite live shots at Holland, and cementing this as one of our favorite Holland shows”.
Jonathan Richman
From Clark Demerrit, “During my tenure as Music Director of the Holland Project I had three booking white whales; The Melvins (failure), Thee Oh Sees (happened just before my time!), and Jonathan Richman (success!). Mr. Richman had been a long time musical favorite and in regular rotation when I was a newly christened driver. I remember the actual booking, while a little nerve racking, being relatively painless. As the show approached expectations grew and tickets were selling. I remember when he arrived – just him and drummer Tommy Larkins – I felt both nervous and very excited. He was very nice and extremely professional! We moved sound proofing around to get the acoustics of the room perfect and I’ll never forget what he said to me when we were discussing the schedule for the night “I’ll go on whenever you want me to Clark, cause I’m a professional.” Jonathan Richman didn’t care about getting his rider filled, he only cared about putting on the best show possible and he absolutely did! The sold out crowd hung on every move he made and every syllable he sang! There’s was haze or a glow (a glaze!) of total enjoyment beaming from every body watching him. He swung his guitar, sang with conviction, and somehow made eye contact with everyone in the room. It felt like he was just singing to you. He was every bit of Proto punk legend Jonathan Richman as you expected him to be.”
The Marias, Katsu Oso, Stirr Lightly
From Chris Monzon, “Last year, I had the privilege to handle booking the Marias on their way through Reno. This show would become one of the most important and validating shows for me, especially in terms of representation. Having two bands (the second being Katsu Oso) rocking the stage with a distinctly latinx sound was amazing. Seeing a million kids of color who I’d never seen at Holland pour into the venue was even better. And to top it all off, of course, was Stirr Lightly which, in my opinion, remains one of the best bands in Reno with some of the most talented musicians in Reno.
Despite how intimidating it all was to start, it all came together in the end. And I’m grateful to have had even some small part in helping to make it happen.”
Wreckless Eric, Jake Painter, Isabella
From Ilya Arbatman, “We were so lucky to get hit up by early English punk rocker/new waver Wreckless Eric and host him for a night on his solo tour. He rolled up in his low-key tour vehicle – a black sedan, filled to the brim with a couple guitars, pedals, his amp, and a bunch of records. He asked to play with other solo artists, so we put together a special night of singer/songwritery stuff. Isabella opened up with a set of brand new material in her unique, loose style. Edward and You (our very own Jake Painter) played second and we all swooned to his inimitable falsetto and intricate, pretty guitar licks. Wreckless Eric’s set was a really rad experience. He took his time, talked about his songs, his past and the strange reality of 2018. His songs were sometimes so simple – just one or two chords – that you almost forgot he was playing guitar and heard only his timeless voice. He was really stoked to play at Holland – he mentioned, more than once, that he had seen and played a lot of venues all around the world, and he could tell that Holland was a special place.”
Beach Fossils, Slow Hollows, Video World
“Oct. 11th 2016 with Beach Fossils, Slow Hollows, and Video World. There was a kind of buzz all around Reno all day. Couldn’t grab coffee or food without hearing Beach Fossils over the speakers. Come time for doors to open, there was a line of peeps wrapped all around the building, and we squeezed in as many as we could fit. Video World and Slow Hollows were incredible. Slow Hollows had just dropped “Again”, and had a trumpet player to boot. It was Beach Fossils first tour in a while, and they played an absolutely insane set. Absolutely one for the books.”