'The Who has been a lifeless rehash since 1982. However much we know this, the members of the HO are the only guys doing something about it...and more than a note by note rendition, the mission of the Ho is to recapture the notorious swagger and sweat of the Who during its Live at Leeds '70s high point'
Willamette Weekly, Portland Oregon
BUT, The HO is not a tribute band. First off, The HO are not perfectionists. It is the spirit of The Who, when they were arguably the best live band on the planet, that the we attempt to channel. Further more, The HO are not restrained in song selection either. If we feel like like playing an outtake from Sell Out, a classic from Who's Next, or something obscure from Who by Numbers , we simply reverse engineer it. Easy.
Every member of the HO is a creative, original artist and musician. Dave Mello plays a fine clarinet and was the drummer and a founding member of punk legends Operation Ivy and Schlong. He probably has as much in common with the lovable muppet character 'Animal' as he does Keith Moon. SF, CA based guitarist Lucio Menegon has of late been doing alot of experimental music and has performed in the bands Ramona the Pest and Zebu. The intensity of his playing and profile bear more than a passing resemblance to Pete Townshend. Singer Joey Schaaf is a veritable jack of all trades – he’s played keyboards in the Dance Hall Crashers and drums in Zebu. His ability to invoke the persona of Roger Daltrey - and all the conundrums that brings up - is uncanny. Bassist Tim Romain is very active in the Seattle, WA music scene and the fact that Tim is one styling dude and his dad is Trinidadian allows him to morph into the persona John 'Shaft' Entwistle rather easily. Unlike old Thunderfingers, Tim doesn’t have to wear tight pants to make good with the ladies. Cue Barry White voice 'Yeah.'
The HO performs very sporadically in order to keep it special and the drums sloppy. The rule of thumb has been, when The Who tours, the HO tours. So just like The Who, the HO just won’t go away.
