Blackberry Way Records

The Fontanas

Review by Pat Missin

The harmonica has had a long history with rock and pop music, being featured by artists from The Beatles to King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, but unlike blues and to some extant country music, it has never been a core part of the instrumentation of those genres. Off the top of my head, I can only think of two big name bands with full time members whose primary role was to play the harmonica - the J. Geils Band (who of course started out as a blues band) and WAR. Perhaps if things had worked out a little differently 30+ years ago, there would have been a third name on that list. 

I will state upfront that Clint Hoover is one of my favorite harmonica players. Whether riding shotgun for folk blues legend Papa John Kolstad, blowing early blues and hokum with The Sugar Kings, country with Bill Geezy and the Promise Breakers, jazz standards and originals with East Side and with his own trio, his playing on both diatonic and chromatic is always eloquent and lyrical, not to mention technically masterful. He first got my attention in the late 90s with "Dream of the Serpent Dog", an album of highly original acoustic jazz, but this was not his first visit to a recording studio. About a decade earlier, he recorded with a band called The Fontanas, as their non-singing harmonica player. Unlike Magic Dick and Lee Oskar with the aforementioned J. Geils and WAR, Clint's main instrument with this band was chromatic (a CBH-2016, to be exact), although he also played some diatonic, as well as alto sax. He wasn't simply standing around waiting to take the occasional solo, either - although there were plenty of tasty solos, his harmonica was tightly woven into all the band's arrangements, helping to create an extremely distinctive sound. Unfortunately, shortly after finishing what would have been their debut album, financial problems set in, the band broke up and the master tapes got lost. Not at all an uncommon story, but thankfully, the story did not end there... 

Fast forward more than 30 years and better late than never, we are finally treated to an official release of The Fontanas' album. Eleven tracks, ten of them written by singer/guitarist Brian Drake (currently fronting The April Fools), plus a solitary cover - and if you didn't know the original, you'd probably assume it was one of theirs too. The strong melodies, sharp lyrics, crisp guitars and tight, propulsive rhythm section would have held their own against bands such as The Replacements, Gin Blossoms and The BoDeans, not to mention that the harmonica solos would have given John Popper a serious run for his money. So... given that that this was recorded in the late 80s, does it sound dated? Well, I don't think that anyone hearing it would be surprised to learn when it was recorded, but I think the uniqueness of the harmonica-driven melodic hooks would make it still sound fresh to today's ears. 

"Unique" is a word that comes to mind a lot of as I listen to this album, particularly with regard to the harmonica. I probably don't need to say that I've heard a lot of harmonica over the years, but I've never heard anything quite like the playing on this album and I'm pretty sure that unless you were lucky enough to catch one of their live shows back on the day, you haven't heard anything quite like this either. Not just the unique (there's that word again) way the harmonica is integrated into the band's overall sound, but also in the incredible solos Clint throws into these songs. From the sweet acoustic harmonica on "I Don't Want to See the Sun Today", to the totally in your face amped up tones on "When She's Gone" and "If You Would Just Be Mine", this is some of the most impressive harmonica playing I have ever heard. Of course, it's fun to speculate about what might have happened if The Fontanas had got some serious airplay back in 1990. I'm not sure they would have inspired all the up and coming bands to start auditioning harmonica players, but I can't help but think that Clint's playing would have sparked the imagination of any open minded harp players who happened to be listening to the radio back then. Maybe this release might go some way to doing that. 

Anyway, I really can't recommend this album highly enough, whether you are looking for inspiration on how to incorporate a harmonica into a rock or pop ensemble, or you're a Clint Hoover fan curious about his earlier work, or just someone who likes great music. 

To download or purchase a CD, visit Blackberry Way Records. 

To learn more about Clint Hoover and his other projects, visit his website. 

To hear the man himself talk about his music, check out his recent interview with the Harmonica Happy Hour Podcast