Bothering the Band - Amos Housworth of The Last Bison
by RYAN BUYNAK
Cellist, string composer, and sometimes bassist for The Last Bison, Amos Housworth, a man of many talents. Based out of Nashville, where he lives with his wife and their daughter, Amos’ cello playing is heavily influenced by his classical upbringing and later on by his love of classic rock. He has since then recorded with artists such as Kishi Bashi, Adam Agin, Rob Sweitzer of MAE, among others. More recently Amos has spent his time scoring short films and visual advertisements.
The Last Bison, formerly known as Bison, is an indie folk band that originally dubbed their sound "mountain-top chamber music" combining elements of alternative indie-folk with classical sensibilities. This band, and particularly their song “Switzerland” hold a special place in my heart, a gift given to me by Pandora a lifetime ago, thus making this jam session of Bothering the Band that much more special.
How spicy do you like your buffalo wings?
I’m a middle of the road kinda guy. I’ll try the crazy Hot ones but I probably won’t truly enjoy them.
What’s the hardest thing you've laughed at with Benjamin Hardesty?
Hahahah, it was probably the first time I heard Ben curse. We were exploring an old barn in Virginia one night and Ben opened a cabinet and a tinny bat flew out at him, Ben then basically reenacted the scene from “Signs” when Mel Gibson runs around the house yelling like a wild man. After Ben regained his composure he ask me “did you see that MASSIVE bat?!?!”
Do you have a hiding spot in your house?
Yes. But I can’t tell you as that would defeat the purpose...
What’s more difficult, being a parent or telling your parents you wanted to be a musician?
My parents were thrilled when I told them I wanted to make music. So that’s an easy one.
If you bought a boat, what would you name it?
The Black Pearl
Honestly, how do you feel about bachelorette parties in Nashville?
Funny story...when we first moved to Nashville, Annah and I were broke, so I started driving Lyft after work. On my 3rd or 4th drive ever, I picked up what seemed to be a bachelorette party. After 5 mins of driving I thought I smelled liquor, so I made a quick turn and looked in the back seats of my VW wagon to find that the girls in the back had opened a massive bottle of flavored vodka. Being new to Tennessee, I didn’t know if it was legal or not so I just didn’t say anything (I also really needed the tips). After thinking about it for a minute it so I realized there was 3 girls in the back...there was 4! And one in the front seat! So not only were these crazies drinking in my car but they also weren’t wearing seatbelts and they had squeezed into my tiny wagon to avoid paying for a oversized car. I was kind of pissed when at the end of the ride they not only didn’t tip me, they left their half drunk bottle of vodka and pepper spray in my car.
Is there such a thing as too deep for a deep V-neck t-shirt?
No, people just need to accept the fact that it is not a right. It’s a responsibility.
Swiss cheese or Swiss chocolate or Swiss Army knives?
No and yes, yes.
Have you ever seen a ghost?
Just the one time a tinny bat that made Ben nearly poop himself.
Every string player has a story of breaking a string (or having a bow explode) right before a performance, what’s yours?
It was in Blackford Virginia at Virginia Tech. First song in, I broke a bow and shortly after my A string. I think Ben went through all our strings that night. Good times!