A local band had the opportunity to open for David Ramirez at Monk’s September 21. David Ramirez has opened for The Civil Wars and was described as.
“Soulful, stirring, and heartbreaking.”
Ramirez asked the Fox and the Hounds to open for him.
The band consists of Andrew Tate, sophomore biology major from Abilene, his cousin Logan Pringle and Jessalyn Massingil.
They did not plan on forming a group, but once they started playing together, found they had a unique sound and meshed well together. The Fox and the Hounds performed at Jam Fest last year.
Their YouTube channel, “aswehaveheard,” has more than 140,000 views, and their popularity in Abilene is continuing to grow.
Pringle said their goal is to, “be an outlet for what God is doing and let people know what we’re doing because of what the Lord has done in our lives.”
The band plays mostly covers, although they have recently started writing their own songs.
“I like to find music that has the presence of our beliefs in God outside of Christian writing,” Massingil said.
They describe their sound as a mix between blue grass and folk and enjoy using instruments in creative ways to create an unexpected sound.
As they turn their focus toward writing their own songs, Pringle said their music attempts are a “conscious expression of what God is doing and what he has done.”
“I like playing music because it moves people emotionally,” Tate said.
The band has several upcoming shows and is planning to release a demo in the next year.
The Fox and The Hounds recently attended Zambia Medical Mission Joyful Noise benefit, held at The Paramount. The sole purpose was to inform the audience about what is going on in Zambia and also to raise money for the missions.
The Fox and the Hounds provided entertainment that night as they played a couple of live songs at the benefit; including their new song “Can You Hear It?”
The new song is written for the documentary that Massingil filmed this summer and was screened at the Zambia Medical Missions Joyful Noise benefit.
The film that Massingil created focuses on the Namwianga Zonal Health Clinic located in Kalomo, Zambia, a health care center that brings otherwise unattainable health care to the people of rural Zambia and saves lives.
Massingil says her goal in this film and as a filmaker is to express, not explicitly the suffering that exists, but the hope that is already in place.
She said she wants to steal your heart, not with statistics or images of suffering that guilt you into helping, but with artful images that draw you intimately close to the needs of the people as those needs are being met so that as they are being given cause to celebrate- you are also given cause to celebrate.
Massangil’s goal is to make the joy personal. The Joyful Noise benefit was a success and the total amount of money raised to benefit Zambia was $51,000 dollars.
Despite their success they remain humble and surprised by their growing popularity.
“We never expected this, it’s really bizarre,” Massingil said.
The Fox and the Hounds will be headlining at Jam Fest during Homecoming on October 19,2012.
