Band To Know: The Haves Have It

Download: The Haves Have It - "Dark Dark"
Download: The Haves Have It - "The Proverbial Her"

With the plethora of great local bands sprinkled throughout Twin Cities, I feel it’s my duty to shed some light on a fabulous trio known as The Haves Have It. Formed in 2005, the witty members of this group state exactly how they came to be on their MySpace blog:

"At first The Haves Have It was little more than two girls, cheap guitars, and a shitty practice space that smelled like drunk boys and cigarettes.

Kelly joined the band the following winter. We met for drinks and it was settled before midnight. He had a van, a free practice space, and fabulous hair. Little did we know he could also play drums. Then we got awesome. Traded the high heels and colorful guitars for big hair, cut offs, and wife beaters. That's cuz we roll hard.”

This act has been spreading their infectious alt-rock sound to venues of all shapes and sizes on a consistent basis. After seeing THHI for the third time at the 7th Street Entry (they played with Digitata at that concert, which took place in June 2006), I was sold on two things: first, they played with conviction but didn’t take themselves too seriously (witty banter and goofy tales between songs); second, that THHI wouldn’t remain an opening act for long.

Portia Richardson’s vocals and guitar bring a brutal fierceness to their sound; her voice echoes Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker and her siren-like howls, splashed with the sass and spitfire of Le Tigre’s Kathleen Hanna. Jenn Gallup owns the bass by giving the band’s tunes a deep, throaty sound while Kelly Pollack throttles the drums, giving this group a coarse edge, cradled with rhapsodic harmonies. THHI are all about the element of auditory surprise: Just when you think a song is treading on mellow territory, they yank the wheel and explode into a maddening frenzy.

THHI offer a lot in terms of live shows, with each member wailing on their instrument of choice like it’s the last song they’ll ever get to play. Across the stage there’s sweat glistening, veins popping and heads heaving. Their audience feeds off this vibe, and the floor is full of hopping bodies with raised beer bottles; fans and first-timers eagerly thrash along to addictive bass-drunk beats. Songs like "Dark Dark" really showcase the bands’ ability to create variety in their sound by balancing intense jams with reverberating bass notes and haunting, fervent vocals.

The Haves Have It are currently in the studio working on their first full-length album. Anticipated release date is February 2008.

MySpace Page

(Tara Rogan)