The Hourglass Cats, or THC, are a high energy seven piece Desert Rock and Sonoran Reggae collective based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Originally formed in 2011 as a two-piece band with Drummer “Hot Karl” Maier & Frontman Cori Rios, THC quickly grew to the seven-piece band it is known as today. The band currently consists of Chaz Fertal (saxophone), Cori Rios (gtr/vox,) Cristian Ritchie, (bass) Enrique Naranjo (drums)Henri Benard (percussion) Jesse Morrison (keyboards) Josh Montag (percussion).
In 2013, The Hourglass Cats released 432, their debut EP, which included “Yoga Butt” and “Sense.” 432 was named after THC’s use of 432hz for all of their tunings. Following the release of their debut EP, THC hit the west coast, parts of Mexico and headlined two Arizona showcases at SxSW (’14 & ’15).
2016 saw the release of Portraits of Cats, THC’s second and most diverse album to date which was recorded and produced by their very own Jesse Morrison of Studio at The Farm.
Glide is thrilled to online premiere the video (below) for “Esta Bien” filmed and produced by Phoenix-based acclaimed filmmaker Matty Steinkamp. The music video debuted in front of thousands of people at the Phoenix iNdie Film Fest the first week of February and contains shades of a Tarantino spaghetti western and the southwest adventures of Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul.  The Hourglass Cats bring a roots accessibility along with a favorable alternative rock potion that spells a hearty mix of Dirty Heads, Sublime and Chicano Batman.
The Stories of El Guapo Y Los Gatos are widely known around the dusty southwest but not nearly as much as the tales of the heroic and beautiful three Amigas, the most notorious bounty hunters west of the Mississippi. Esta Bien is the story of two unpredictable and unstoppable forces set on a head-on collision of fate and justice set in the unforgiving Sonoran Desert.
“Esta Bien is about a rocky relationship ending and the feeling of thinking you knew someone so well but realizing that in the end you only knew what they allowed you to,” says the band. “For Esta Bien, we wanted to show the story of two unstoppable forces coming into each other lives and the dance that happens when those two forces meet. We really wanted to bring the Sonoran vibe to this video and there was no better way to do that then with outlaws, horses, Banditas, and gun battles. We had an absolute blast coming up with these characters and filming this project, Matty Steinkamp did an amazing job of bringing this all together and keeping us boys in line.”
Since 2016, The Hourglass Cats has put out multiple singles in preparation for their first full-length album due in the summer of 2019. The Hourglass Cats have quickly become known as Arizona’s Premier party band. THC has performed at McDowell Mountain Music Festival, SXSW, Apache Lake Music Festival, House of Blues Reggae Fest and have shared stages with the likes of Passion Pit, Portugal The Man, Thievery Corporation, Slightly Stoopid, KONGOS, STRFKR, Allen Stone, Dispatch, Tribal Seeds, Rebelution and more! THC has regular radio play and repeat appearances on various radio stations around the valley including ALT-AZ 93.3, KUKQ Phoenix, KWSS 93.9 FM, Delux Radio, Melange Cafe Online Radio and KJZZ Phoenix 91.5 FM.
One Response
Wow! Awesome video!