Draft:Fool Hour (band)

Fool Hour was a rap collective from Yoncalla, Oregon. Founded in the fall of 2021, the original members consisted of Caleb Holst, Gino Gray, and Aaron McGrath.

The trio first began creating music in the wood shop of their high school, Yoncalla High School, covering popular songs by The Beach Boys, Supertramp, and even Michael Jackson. Shortly after, the trio recorded their first single, "Bag of Pretzels", which would gain minor attention on YouTube with the accompanying music video. On June 1st, 2021, Fool Hour would release their first EP, titled "Waiting on the Bell". This EP featured 9 short tracks, including some of the covers mentioned above. This EP received several thousand streams in the first month it was released, gaining the attention of local artist "Lil $kinny". Fool Hour would create their own record label at this time as well, called "Fool Hour Records".

The summer of 2021 was busy for Fool Hour, as they began working on their first album. The project would span over 4 months and go through many name changes, such as "Nature Valley", "Fool Hour-The Finest Hour", and "Only Natural". The trio decided "Only Natural" would be the title for their first full-length album, and singles began to be released. The first of these singles, titled "Nature Valley," was released on September 7th, 2021, with an accompanying music video. The music video gained thousands of views quickly. The second single, titled "Cuddle Bug", was released on September 29, 2021. The following day, "Only Natural" was released. Originally 10 tracks, the track "At the end of a gun" was cut due to an uncleared sample. The album was released on all streaming platforms and has gained over 10 thousand streams. The album featured multiple local artists such as T-Money, Lil $kinny, and LEO.

Following the release of their debut album, Fool Hour continued to release singles. A Christmas album was nearly completed, but never released. A Christmas single, titled "SANTICLAWS," was released that December. A collection of songs was recorded in early 2022, but never received an official release until years later. In March of 2022, McGrath would step away from Fool Hour. Holst and Gray would continue to make music up until June of 2022, when Holst graduated. Following Holst's departure from Yoncalla High School, Fool Hour went on a hiatus. Holst continued to produce music independently, but Fool Hour never collectively recorded again. In early 2024, Holst and Gray would begin writing music for their third album, titled "The Final Hour". This album would never have an official release, nor were any singles released under Fool Hour's name. Holst would take 3 of these tracks and put them on his debut album "First Words", released in October of 2024. Holst and McGrath also reconnected during this time, recording several tracks that would also never be released.

On April 27th, 2024, Fool Hour reunited for a live show at YCC in Yoncalla, Oregon. This would be the only live performance of Fool Hour, and the final time the 3 founding members would reconnect. Holst had a DJ set that evening and brought out Gray and McGrath at the end to perform "Nature Valley". Notable people in attendance include both T-Money and Lil $kinny. A photoshoot also occurred that evening, containing the final photos of Fool Hour. Again, McGrath would depart the group, and Fool Hour officially disbanded after that performance.

Since the ending of Fool Hour, Caleb Holst has been independently releasing music under his label "Holst Record Emporeum". Holst has been working closely with Benjamin Valentine, a local indie artist. Holst is also a nationally certified Emergency Medical Technician and Firefighter. Gino works in the timber industry now, and also recently had a son. McGrath was pursuing construction. Throughout recent years, Gino and Caleb have considered reviving Fool Hour, or reuniting for their final album, which is still incomplete. As it stands now, and maybe for forever, Fool Hour is no more.