Hollis Brown: 2019

Sons of Queens County, Hollis Brown proudly wear their roots in music and New York on their new album, Ozone Park.

Neighborhood boys Mike Montali and Jon Bonilla formed the band to bash and pop in local bars and the robust road of touring life followed. A few albums down the road, they've broadened their sound with producer Adam Landry to integrate synth, dance beats, and new vocal textures. In fact, Montali is totally comfortable grabbing a bullhorn for "Go For It," the album closer that serves as a credo for the band's reinvention.

Bob Dylan's "The Ballad of Hollis Brown" is the source of the band's name, but the homage extends to "Christmas In Hollis" and their newfound friend, Run DMC. Fellow Queens native Jesse Malin is a champion of the band, who have played his clubs and themed shows. Touring with Deer Tick, the Zombies, Lucero, Citizen Cope, and Heartless Bastards has broadened Hollis Brown's reach.

With the catchy single "Do Me Right," Hollis Brown is squarely set to headline and push their classic-grounded act into a bright future, but fortunately we had a chance to capture the band's sound in this moment in Studio A.

[Recorded: 7/23/19; Engineer: Jim O'Hara; Producer: Sarah Wardrop]