Black Houses

From the same city that birthed such raucous, mold-breaking bands like TAD, Nirvana, and Soundgarden, comes Black Houses, a pounding, guitar-driven hard rock trio looking to revive the unpredictable, passionate genre that was tainted in the infamous downfall of Seattle’s best known music era. Because, as we all know, after bands like Nirvana and Mudhoney shattered trends, they also, inadvertently, ended up creating one. “Grunge” became a Seventeen magazine fashion spread (literally), and in the city of Seattle, where it all began, the term was quickly greeted with an eye roll. Sadly, nearly everything remotely representing hard and heavy rock went down with it. Black Houses—comprised of Christiaan Morris on guitar and vocals, Sage Gatzke on bass, and Patrick Taylor on drums—know as well as anyone what kind of assumptions can be made about a band boasting a big-riff sound. Especially one who cites such legendary and notorious Northwest acts as inspiration. “If you’re a ‘rock band,’ you’re considered a Nascar fan,” singer Morris says with a laugh. “But we came from a more punk and indie background—listening to stuff like Cursive and Fugazi. We... more...