Unique Hillstomp duo plays Eichardt’s

By Reader Staff

Some bands are so unique that mere words fail to describe the cacophany of sound they produce. Hillstomp is one of those bands.

Photo by
Julia Varga.

The eclectic duo will play Eichardt’s Pub at 9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17. There is a $10 cover for this show.

The two-man-band featuring Henry Hill Kammerer and John Johnson is almost as entertaining to watch as it is to listen to. Kammerer plays the banjo like a hurricane and Johnson beats mercilessly on the drums like a demon loose from hell, creating a sound that has been described as a “boom box blasting from a shopping cart.”

The band uses megaphones, a washboard and a kick drum. They play guitars, buckets, car parts and anything else that makes a funky sound. Hillstomp is folk music in its purest, most stripped-down form. It’s loud and gritty, it’s intricate and poignant and, most importantly, it’s always heartfelt and true.

The last time Hillstomp played Eichardt’s it was one of those “Pull all the tables out to the sidewalk in a hurry” kind of parties. You have been warned.