A CD release party will be held from 2:30 until 9 p.m. July 3 at O’Malley’s in Sylva. Raif Holister will open with newgrass rock. Hoss should take the stage around 4 p.m. To learn more about Hoss visit www.hossrocks.com.

What do a real estate agent, a mortgage broker, a plumber and a dump truck driver have in common? Hard rock and the band named Hoss.

Hoss — Dustin Demos, vocals, Rick Balliot, guitar, Ron Orr, bass and Jody Cooper, drums — formed two year ago from a smattering of Sylva-based friends and musicians. Each came from a long-standing musical history with other local bands — Balliot and Orr from Roho, Cooper from Tripod, Demos from Warcry.

“Our bass player (Orr) and guitarist (Balliot) have played together a long time, most recently in a band called Roho,” Demos said. “I had seen and liked them in Bryson City about a year or so pre-Hoss. When Roho broke up I believe Ron and Rick already had Jody Cooper in mind for a drummer. Jody had been the original drummer of Tripod and was not really looking to join a band but, had just built a garage and had his drums set up next to his Harley. Jody and I have been friends a long time. I gave him a hard time about his drums collecting dust, but we only joked about forming a band.”

It was a running joke however, and when Cooper, Orr and Balliot started holding loose jam sessions at Cooper’s house, Cooper threw out the idea of bringing Demos in to take on the role of vocalist.

“I had been in Asheville bands for seven or eight years but my last band, Warcry broke up almost a decade before Hoss. I sat in from time to time with friends’ bands, but for personal reasons thought I had lost the heart to ever write songs or commit to a band again,” Demos said. “Jody in his own casual way mentioned to me one night on my front porch that I ought to come over and sing with he and Rick and Ron. They were already calling themselves Hoss and I figured if Jody liked it I would too.”

As naturally as Hoss came together, so did the music.

“We never talked about direction or influences or goals. We just did what we do and we all felt that musically it was the best thing we ever did,” Demos said. “That was two years ago this October.”

The band garnered local support in bars and clubs from The Grapevine in Sylva to Asheville’s Stella Blue and on to shows in Hickory and Spartanburg, S.C.

Late last year — proving that old friends can turn into great connections — the band passed a demo album on to Sylva-Webster High School graduate turned music producer Rogers Masson. Masson, who’s worked with the likes of Eric Clapton, Marylin Manson and Emmylou Harris, liked what he heard and signed on to produce Hoss’ newest album.

“What attracted me to the band was their unique sound and honest approach to their influences,” Masson said. “When I heard them, I heard their influences, but it was in their own way.”

The band gathered in Michael Youngwood’s recording studio just outside Maggie Valley to lay down the tracks that would eventually become Backwoods Boogie.

“The hardest thing about making the album was the time it took,” Demos said. “It was nobody’s fault, but it took forever due to just everything that could slow us down did. We had the material and it was tight but there were just schedule, health, tuning, electronic etcetera etcetera etcetera delays.”

Now, unsigned and still shopping for a label — Sony and Columbia are said to be among those interested — the band is celebrating the 11-track album’s release.

“We plan to target college radio this fall and, depending on how quick things happen we plan to record a third CD. We already have the material,” Demos said.