Step by step

We spend a lot of time talking about “the next big thing.” But while many people are busy debating what it takes to be successful, the Holy White Hounds have quietly set out to do the damn thing.

The most direct path to success is one that involves three steps. Do not, however, mistake “short” for “easy.” Each of the three steps is difficult, and ultimate glory is far from guaranteed. But if you can hit all three notes, your odds increase exponentially.

Step One is to prove that your sound is worth a damn. The Hounds have done that in spades, rocking out festival-stealing sets at last summer’s 80/35 and this spring’s Lazerfest. In between, they spent their time opening for just about any touring act that came through Wooly’s or Seven Flags.

Step Two is to catch the eye of people who know what they’re doing. This is the step that requires the biggest balance of talent and luck. The Hounds have had both. The band’s last EP, “Oh Mama,” was produced by Envy Corps’ guitarist/producer Brandon Darner. Tobi Parks, director at Sony Music and boss of the new Station 1 Records, had eyeballed the band as one of her first potential signings to the label. The Hounds are also currently managed by former Roadrunner Records Marketing Director Elias Chios, and current Roadrunner VP of West Coast Promotion, Jason Martin, and the group just made an agreement with a booking agent as well. This all frees the band from worrying about things like staying on some kind of message or finding a place in Tulsa to play.

Which leads to Step Three: continually reaffirming Step One. For as popular as the band’s biggest single, “Switchblade,” is, it needs to become the band’s floor as opposed to its high-water mark. To that end, the band’s component pieces — frontman Brenton Dean, bassist Ambrose Lupercal, guitarist James Manson and drummer Seth Luloff — have become a more cohesive unit during the past year, turning songwriting into a more dynamic process that ensures the band’s sound is nuanced, since it isn’t all coming from the same pen.

The path to regional and national success is still a difficult one, but the Hounds have found all the right steps.

“People say the grass is always greener on the other side,” Dean said. “I disagree. The grass is definitely greener where I am right now. All we have to do is write songs.” CV