The NAMM Show 2017 Interviews – Electric Hound

The NAMM Show 2017 Interviews – Electric Hound

Electric Hound is an up-and-coming hard rock band from Hesperia, CA., – a remarkable power trio who all happen to be brothers.  Included within the ranks of Electric Hound are William Cendejas on drums, Ted Cendejas on bass and lead vocals. and George Cendejas on guitar.  Last year Electric Hound won a coveted spot on the Hair Nation Festival at Irvine Meadows, sharing a stage with such genre greats as L.A. Guns. Bang Tango, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Odin.  We caught up with the Cendejas Brothers at this year’s edition of The NAMM Show in Anaheim to discuss their instrumental weapons of choice, performing at the Hair Nation Festival, what to expect from a live Electric Hound show, and a whole lot more!  Read on…

Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Electric Hound.
Billy:  My name is Billy and I play drums.
Ted:  My name is Ted. I play bass guitar and I am lead vocals.
George: This is George. I do guitar and backing vocals.

What are you guys looking forward to most about this year at NAAM?
George: Looking at new gear, meeting a bunch of people, seeing familiar faces and seeing Ken.  Basically seeing a lot of new faces, making connections with some of the big companies.
Ted: Not to get anything free out of anybody, but just to show my face and what we have to offer. Just hanging around and seeing our good friends around Hollywood and everybody.
Billy: Meeting all of our friends here and everyone who is affiliated with all of the companies that are here. Seeing new product being released and meeting inspirations here. They are walking next to you like no big deal.

What are your weapons of choice on stage and why?
Billy: I think it would have to be Sabian AA 24″ bash ride. You just wail into it and it overpowers the guitar volume. I like that.
Ted: My weapon of choice for performance wise would be anything Explorer basses, my main one of choice is Epiphone, the amps that I use are Gallien Krueger 2001RB’s and Ampeg 8/10 SVT Heritage Cab and the one pedal I use is an EBS Billy Sheehan Overdrive Signature. Just to get all of that clean and dirty sound make it sound fantastic and fill the void.
George: My weapon would probably be a Gibson Les Paul through Marshall. I just recently got endorsed through Zemaitis Guitars, so looking forward to using one of theirs in the future.

Electric Hound at Hair Nation – Photo by Joe Schaeffer

What was the experience like the Hair Nation Festival at Irvine Meadows last year?
George: That was pretty crazy to have won that and then to share the stage and festival with all the bands that we looked up to and just listened to. It was a great experience and looking forward to doing that in the future possibly.
Ted: It opened up so many more doors for us, like music wise and getting people’s attention just because we played there. It gives us a lot of recognition which I am really proud of to be a part of, especially with all of our idols.
Billy: It opened up more of a thing to be respected as. People take you more serious now that they see that you have played on a bill like that with other artists. I just enjoyed the backstage treatment, sitting side stage. I really enjoyed it. It was fun.

You are at the Whiskey. You guys are playing Battle for Hair Nation and you hear your name announced as one of the winners. How did that feel?
George: It was pretty crazy. I am going to say I think that we had it from the beginning but just to have your name be called by Eddie Trunk and being hand picked through Lita Ford, Tracii Guns and Jay Ruston – Producer, all of those big people. It was a great experience.
Ted: It was really just surreal more or less. It was just an unbelievable feeling that came over you when you hear the actual band name being called and recognized as something that you deserve. It is still unbelievable to this day.
Billy: It is almost like a big breath of air. We already knew our friends The Aviators were going to take first. They put on an explosive set. But it is a feeling you have to experience to know.

For someone who hasn’t seen your band yet what could one expect from a live Electric Hound show?
George: I would say we are more of a cross between straight forward, classic heavy rock like AC/DC, recent comparison Airborne and a bunch of 80’s influence like guitar skills. Everything. High Energy.
Ted: Our show consists of a ton of live energy, lots of moving around, lots of in your face, straight-forward rock and roll.
Billy: Expect to see the old rock and roll that you miss but in a younger version. Something more powerful than what most people are putting out now.

If your band could open for any band from now or from the past who would it be and why? You may have already done it at Hair Nation but lets say if you could tour support them- who would it be and why?
George: That’s a tough question. There are so many to name but going off of my main influences I would have to say ’78 Van Halen, right at the beginning.
Ted: I am at a cross between old school AC/DC and Shotgun Messiah when they came out with the Second Coming album. That was such an incredible album and I would love to open up for them during that same time.
Billy: Most likely AC/DC or early Black Sabbath. I feel like even now Black Sabbath to be able to direct support that even though they are ending, that would have been a good experience to do.

Electric Hound at Hair Nation – Photo by Joe Schaeffer

What was the experience like opening for Jack Russell’s Great White and did you get to meet anyone in the band?
George: Opening for Jack Russell was pretty cool because about two years back we met him at the M3 Festival out in Maryland. He was in the airport and it was funny to see him like a normal person then all of the sudden two years later you are pretty much opening right for him. It’s just a cool experience that we are getting to the point where we are getting to share stage with a bunch of idols that we grew up on.
Ted: Jack was actually a really great guy. They are all such great incredible guys, they take the time to to talk to everybody. They aren’t full of themselves. They are just real genuine people. They are just great guys to play with too, incredible musicians.

What is up next for Electric Hound after NAAM?
Ted: I think that we are going to keep writing. We have a second song Pick your Poison, that is going to come out sometime this Spring. We got a lot of positive reviews after Shoot to Thrill. The producer we worked with, Adam Hamilton, great guy. Bass player for LA Guns, produced Counting Crows, and with Devon and Mycah.  He is such great guy, he helped us with Shoot To Thrill and everyone is saying that it is such a good song. That just makes you feel like that second one has to be even higher, keep going. Don’t dive down. It has to have that maintain or go higher.

If anybody wants hear your music or contact you, where would they go?
George: I would say you could go to www.electrichoundband.com and then from through there you can see our YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reverb nation. All of that is on there.
Billy: We posted a little behind the scenes clip of how we made the single Shoot To Thrill. It is mostly just us recording the tracks in the studio but it is pretty cool. Just look it up on You tube. Type in Electric Hound and you will find our channel.
Ted: To sum everything up check out our music. Be on the look out for us. Share, share everything that we do. We are a new and upcoming band. We are not lousy, we are incredible musicians, we have a ton of energy on stage and we give it everything we got in every single show. Thank you to everybody who supports us from the beginning. It’s been a great ride so far and I continue to love everything we do.

(Interview and NAMM Photo by Ken Morton)

Electric Hound on Facebook