Cover art for Dogtown Hollow's 'Watch Your Step' album.
James Travis (JT) Spartz describes his band Dogtown Hollow as a roots rock group that encourages listeners to consider the true concept of home.
Some might remember Spartz from his previous group, the folkier Jim James & the Damn Shames, which played around Madison at the High Noon Saloon, the Crystal Corner Bar and other venues from the early 2000s to 2014.
Dogtown Hollow offers a jammier, fresher take on Americana than Jim James & the Damn Shames, Spartz says, with bassist Mason Aumanstal adopting influences from bands like Phish and The Grateful Dead.
Spartz is the band’s songwriter, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist. He’s joined by Brian Bentley (drums), Tim Haub (lead guitar) and Aumanstal. “Mason and Tim both sing harmony vocals really well,” Spartz says. “We like to explore three-part harmony stuff.”
Drummer Bentley, also a former member of Jim James & the Damn Shames, thinks Dogtown Hollow is “more well-rounded musically” than the previous band.
Dogtown Hollow just released its second six-song EP, Watch Your Step, a mix of country, blues, honky tonk and Americana. The album features the song “Stumble in the Street,” a cheeky but sincere love song. It’s one of his favorites. It’s an almost silly country song with a honky tonk vibe, slide guitar and a three-part harmony. “Seven Sisters” has a similar country sound, and “Long Gone” is a nice blend of blues and country. “If You’re Going to Austin” even features some ragtime elements.
Another Spartz favorite,“Rattlesnake Hills,” revels in that jammy character brought by Aumanstal. The song’s lyrics encourage listeners to consider the history of where they reside in the Midwest, particularly the presence of Indigenous cultures that lived on the land before the continent was colonized. In it Spartz reflects on place names that “went through the wringer” of being translated from English to French and back to English again.
Watch Your Step follows 2024’s Rivers, Roads & Bridges EP. Prior to that, it had been more than 20 years since Spartz released any music.
During that time, he worked as a professor of environmental communication at a small eco-college in Maine, relocating back to Madison in 2021. He formed Dogtown Hollow shortly after, playing with Aumanstal and working on songs he’d been tinkering with over the years.
Last year, the band was nominated as Americana Artist of the Year by the Midwest Country Music Organization. They didn’t win, but it was the proverbial an-honor-just-to-be nominated situation.
Dogtown Hollow most recently played at AtwoodFest. Up next, a gig at the Bur Oak on Aug. 22. “I feel good about the trajectory we are on,” says Spartz.
