Sean Hood — 27 February 2019 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour

“If inspiration hits you, make sure you grab it every time.” -Sean Hood

Sean Hood of Eastern Mountain Time joined host Tom Proctor on ‘Rocket Shop‘, Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9FM The Radiator. Catch up with him at facebook.com/EasternMountainTime

On Wednesday, February 27th, country singer Sean Hood of Eastern Mountain Time joined Big Heavy World for an hour of fantastic live music on our Rocket Shop. Hood was an absolute pleasure to have in the studio. He is an A+ conversationalist with a very positive and introspective outlook on life. Plus, he really did embody the “eastern mountain” aesthetic with his flannel shirt, beard, work boots, and overall warmth.

Now, when Eastern Mountain Time calls themselves a country band, they aren’t talking about the beer drinking, truck driving country you hear on the radio. Rather, EMT’s sound is inspired by gut-wrenching country music from the 1970s. Hood mentioned that if there’s ever a song from the Top 40 of country music that he truly enjoys, it has to be something that’s sad. It’s the heart-wrenching aspect of older country songs that draws Hood to it; he loves music that really “packs a punch.” Like the old-time singers, Hood is not afraid to pour his deepest feelings out for the world to hear and to resonate with. In fact, sharing his emotional music with the world is rather therapeutic for his, and has been an important outlet for him for much of his life. This is one of the reasons why Hood prefers country music to folk music. Although Folk music was what initially turned Hood on to a melancholy sound, he had a hard time fully understanding it. The appeal of sad, country music for Hood is the blunt honesty-- the type of raw, emotional lyrics without too many layers to unfold.

Even though Hood surely does know how to get a room to sit back, unwind, and ponder life as we know it, he also enjoys “playing louder and rocking out a bit,” especially with the rest of the band members. There is a stark difference between the mood of the upbeat songs and the slower ones, but the lyrics in both styles remain profound and tender. Hood laughed at the fact that sometimes he will be singing about something that’s emotional for him while the audience dances exuberantly.

While Hood has had some of the coolest opportunities any Vermont musician could ask for (such as playing Grandpoint North Music Festival, playing Waking Windows Music Festival for every year of its existence, and playing numerous Higher Ground gigs, there is something about his small, intimate gigs that will always have his heart. He truly “love[s] it more than anything when people are engaged,” and quaint little settings are sometimes the best for that.

Text by Marisa Iannitto

Upcoming gigs:

March 17 at Light Club Lamp Shop

May [3-5, TBA] at Waking Windows

Check out their release ‘Different Tomorrow Night’ on Bandcamp, Apple Music, or Spotify.

Photo by James Lockridge.