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Dave Houghton

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Fancy Trash works the line between rock and folk, blending a non-traditional sensibility with the tradition of acoustic instruments to make something unique. Folk-tinged indie rock. Don’t let the acoustic instruments fool you, Fancy Trash is a rock band.

Dave Houghton (vocals, guitars), Paul Kochanski (upright bass) and Jason Smith (drums) explore new ways to bring out the folk for the anti-folk in their November release, ‘For the Kids’.

Reviews

“It isn’t easy to be Fancy Trash. It’s not supposed to be. The twang-rock band based here has chosen to take on two of rock’s most difficult challenges: performing as a trio and playing energetic, often edgy music on acoustic instruments… Most bands would wisely avoid this combination of hurdles. Fancy Trash embraces it. With its semicountrified, punk-influenced music that recalls Neil Young, Clem Snide, the Flaming Lips, and an assortment of ’90s alternarock bands (from Nirvana to early Radiohead), the group doesn’t simply pull off acoustic trio rock, it makes it seem natural. The band’s live sets drip with energy. Its songs turn on delicate guitar picking and furious strumming.”
- The Boston Globe April 30, 2004 by Sean Glennon

“Trash’s latest, the November release ‘For the Kids,’ features a new lineup and a sophisticated, well-paced collection of songs that offers everything you could ask for from a 21st-century singer-songwriter.” -Hartford Courant January 15, 2010 by Brian Lee

“Acoustic rock with a punk aesthetic has certainly been done, but it retains an ironic charm, especially when tackled with the sloppy idealism of a band like Fancy Trash. Frontman Dave Houghton’s raw warble and his band’s welcome embrace of dissonant beauty recall bands like Clem Snide or the Violent Femmes.”
- Nashville Scene Critics Pick October 19, 2006

Without settling too comfortably into any one particular niché of the contemporary folk-rock scene — they’re not weird enough for Devendra Banhart fans, nor country enough for the children of Uncle Tupelo… – All Music Guide by Stewart Mason

Musical Highlights 2011

“In September the venue had Valley musicians playing Buddy Holly songs – and stealing the show (or at least kicking it into higher gear) was Fancy Trash, who took the giddy pitter-patter of “Peggy Sue” and wound it tighter and faster, with edge-of-your-creaky-wooden-seat results. The manic drive of the band, led by singer/guitarist Dave Houghton, seemed to change the very atoms in the room. The more chaotic their gallop, the more the crowd shouted its approval. An exhilarating performance.” -Gazette Contributing Writer January 5, 2012 by KEN MAIURI

“Their self-titled debut CD showcases tuneful melodies sung over aggressive acoustic strumming, doghouse bass, and dashes of dobro, harmonica and synthesizer.”
- The Village Voice.

The vocals pine earnestly yet civilly in the vein of Neil Young or Michael Stipe, but occasionally clamber onto that wrenchingly visceral plane of emotion that’s typically only trodden by desperate, plaintive ghosts like Nick Drake or Elliot Smith. They’re timid, but increasingly insistent on their need to be heard, like a dog who’s been left alone for days. Verdict: disturbingly intimate and genuine.
-The Valley Advocate October 29, 2009 by Tom Sturm

Editor’s Pick 2010

“…the last album we reviewed, For The Kids, approached (to steal a title from a popular book) a heartbreaking work of staggering genius.“
- The Valley Advocate

“The crowd’s excitement came to a head as the lights dimmed, and Fancy Trash launched into a fantastically strong set. Lead-singer and guitarist, Dave Houghton’s energy could be felt in every beam of the Iron Horse. He alternately waled and crooned.”
- Performer Magazine November 2007 by Melina Moore

“Featuring mostly guitar, upright bass, drums, and a smattering of slide guitar and mandolin, Fancy Trash has taken on an underrepresented genre in contemporary independent music and made something truly unique.”
- Northeast Performer