Press

Music from the Soundtrack of Red Hawk Films »
Hollis Brown is “NYC Rock N’ Roll,” to it's finest. An apt four-piece band formed in 2003 out of the wreckage of several local outfits. Cutting their teeth at legendary NYC venues, CBGB’s, Don Hill’s and The Continental, the band crafted their unique sound, live chemistry and mission to achieve nothing less than: full restoration of the NYC music scene..

Ear Candy Magazine Review »
Hollis Brown is a NYC quartet whose convincing Southwestern twang and spaghetti western cowboy rock via the garage displays tinges of Neil Young, Pearl Jam, The Supersuckers, Stevie Ray Vaughn and The Mars Volta on its five-track offering. From the dominating Santana-esque fretwork on “Don’t Mean No Harm” to the impassioned falsetto vocal which fuels the melancholic “Portrait” and the moody shuffle of “Nothing and the Famous No One”, the way which this unit fuses the sounds of the desert with a punk rock backbeat is what makes Hollis Brown such the captivating entity..

Hollis Brown Strikes a Chord in the Local Scene »
In the New York City local scene, bands are always trying to stand out. However, with so many sounding alike, the scene begins to feel oversaturated. What makes Hollis Brown so different is the fact that they are making music that is not defined by what is popular in the scene at the moment. Primarily made up of the song writing team of Silvano Montali (vocals) and Jon Bonilla (guitar) Hollis Brown is bringing pop music back to the local stage. The music found on their first EP, Without Your Love, has all the fun of garage rock without the stuck-up attitude. After one listen, it is easy to become hooked to the easy sing-along vibe. This EP has come out just in time for the warm weather with tracks like “She Might Be Lonely and the Latin-tinged “Have to Find” adding the perfect background. In a recent interview, lead singer Silvano Montali was happy to talk about the band’s beginnings and where it finds inspiration..

Debonaire Magazine- A Sit Down with Hollis Brown »
With only a few weeks before the release of Hollis Brown’s latest EP, we invited the band to the Casa Debonair. Amidst their antics, we were able to get Silvano Montali(lead singer/guitarist) to sit down with us for an interview. DM: So what is the inspiration behind the music? Silvano: We all bring a different spice to the group. Bands like the Beatles are a huge inspiration. In terms of sound, we’re a mixture of folk, blues, gospel, country, and funk. We got it all. DM: What were some of the early obstacles? Silvano: In the beginning, a song sounds different in each of our heads. When a member of the band first introduces a new song, we all like to approach it differently, but ultimately, we decide as a group. No one member has more pull. Everyone has a say. DM: So there is no “leader” of the group. Silvano: The leader is a limitation of where things can develop; an idea can come from anywhere and anyone. Plus I just don’t like the way the word sounds. Leader is too much of a dictatorship. .