A Stevens Square Companion

To close out the last installment of Cinema and Civics, Stevens Square Community hit a Prairie-Home-Run with the band Skunk Hollow and a compilation of local short films. The turnout was a little sparse compared to the three preceding events but that didn’t stop Skunk Hollow from turning out some great classics like “I’ll Fly Away,” originals like “Better Days,” and “Hit Me Baby One More Time” for a more modern twist.

Left to right: Zac Bates, Summer Hagen, CJ Houston, Tom McNellis, and Chris Mathews

Tom McNellis (banjo and vocals) started performing with Summer Hagen (ukulele and vocals) in New York 3 years ago. About a year and a half ago the duo added Tom’s old St John’s college mates Zac Bates (lead guitar vocals), CJ Houston (drummer), and Chris Mathews (upright bass and vocals).

Skunk Hollow is very approachable, down to earth, and family orientated. Summer’s mother and sister were in attendance taking photos and handing out home-made skunk tails to people in the audience.^[1] Summer also elicited some audience participation in “Trouble Done Got Me Down.” As a finale, Skunk Hollow showed their love of their home state with “Minnesota.”

The only criticism I would offer is that they could have done more songs in minor keys. Aside from “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” Levon Helms’ “When I Go Away” was their only other minor-key song. That combination of Folk, Blue Grass, and Southern Gospel is really where Summer and Tom best harmonize. Tom’s voice provides what they lack in a fiddle and it would have been nice to see them exploit that sound more.

That being said, Skunk Hollow does not make a living off of playing music. Summer Hagen is a legit actress in both film and theatre making regular appearances at the Guthrie Theater. The rest of the band members hold down regular jobs and I had the pleasure in randomly running into Tom in the elevator where I work a day after the performance. I identify with this band because they are striving for something while holding down a 9 – 5.

I highly recommend catching Skunk Hollow if you want to be inspired by a sweet, home-town sound. To find out about their future gigs, you can follow Skunk Hollow on either their Facebook page or their Twitter account @skunkhollowband. Let’s hope we hear more from these talented, hard-working, artists.

behzad
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