Hollingsworth quickly gels into the right atmosphere

Hollingsworth, from left, Matt Ramsland, Tim Ramsland and Andrea Haney, recorded its upcoming 'Benefit for Budapest' in a church sanctuary.

Hollingsworth, from left, Matt Ramsland, Tim Ramsland and Andrea Haney, recorded its upcoming 'Benefit for Budapest' in a church sanctuary.

Local rock trio Hollingsworth has performed just shy of six months but is already preparing to unveil a release before adding an international gig to the band’s resume. Avid philanthropists, the group is never short on inspiration through the plethora of charitable causes it plays to benefit.

Hollingsworth’s minimal instrumentation is comprised of the classically trained vocals of Andrea Haney and guitar and drums provided by brothers Matt and Tim Ramsland, respectively. Describing its style as ambient indie rock, the band’s vocal-centric tracks are accompanied by atmospheric washes of reverberating guitar riffs and resonant cymbals. Despite having performed extensively in past individual efforts, the experience of playing Hollingsworth’s staple style is a first for its members.

“I was classically trained and have a degree in vocal performance, so those experiences from college have translated into a better appreciation of vocals and lyrics in rock music,” Haney says. “I write lyrics for some of our songs and some of them have come from older poetry written years ago. It is nice to have an outlet for that passion. I have never played with a rock band, and it varies greatly from the experiences I have had in classical training.”

“I played drums for a long time and then started playing guitar and writing music a few years ago,” adds Matt Ramsland. “It is nice to be involved in the songwriting process instead of just playing drums this time. Hollingsworth has a lot more high-energy, punk-influenced songs than some of my previous bands, which is a lot of fun.”

On Hollingsworth’s upcoming EP “Benefit for Budapest,” the trio capitalized on its spacious sound by recording in a church sanctuary. Money made from this release will aid the trio in funding an upcoming mission trip to Budapest. While there, the band intends to play its first international show at one of the city’s many café-style venues.

“Our upcoming EP is titled ‘Benefit for Budapest’ and will be released at our VCafe show,” says Matt Ramsland. “The proceeds from the sales of this EP will help to fund our mission trip to Budapest. All three members of Hollingsworth are going to Budapest with the young adult ministry of our church. It might be nice to use a studio next time we record, but we are happy with the way this EP has turned out. We plan to record five or six additional songs and release a full-length album sometime this summer. We hope this EP will bring our music to more people and perhaps open some doors for future shows.”

The band’s Budapest trip is but one of its many causes. Among others is the band’s personal favorite Black Band Campaign for which the band members routinely don black bracelets.

“We are always happy to play local venues like VCafe, and at this show we are excited to help them raise awareness for the needs of our community by encouraging those who attend to bring canned food items to donate,” explains Haney. “VCafe’s program for meeting these needs is called ‘Taking It to the Streets.’”

“We support a number of nonprofit organizations, but the one we work with the most closely is the Black Band Campaign,” adds Matt Ramsland. “This is a local organization which raises awareness of depression and suicide and works to eliminate it through an international support system. Thousands of people worldwide wear the black bracelets to show their support.”

Tonight Hollingsworth performs at VCafe (6716 Central Avenue Pike). Ralph Jeffers kicks the show off at 7:30 p.m. with Hollingsworth to follow at 9. Admission is free, however optional donations are accepted. The show will mark the official release of Hollingsworth’s “Benefit for Budapest” EP.

n SATURDAY FEATURE: Nashville’s The Features visit Knoxville, playing The World Grotto Saturday night. Tickets are available through www.worldgrotto.com. Admission is $8 for legal drinkers and $10 for ages 18 to 20. The show starts at 9:30 p.m.

n STATE OF THE ART: Sunday night Pilot Light hosts Fugue State and The Art Department. The show is slated for 10 p.m. and costs $5.

© 2009 Knoxville.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.