by Erika Waddell
Originally from Victoria, British Columbia, indie-rock band Hot Hot Heat had their major label debut in 2002 with "Make Up the Breakdown." After touring nonstop for almost two years, the Vancouver-based quartet released their follow-up album, "Elevator," in the spring of 2005 and have already achieved great success with singles "Goodnight Goodnight" and "Middle of Nowhere." Lead singer Steve Bays describes the essence of the band as "catchy, fun, danceable, Friday-night music with some dark undertones to keep it interesting." And although Hot Hot Heat has a sound all their own, the band has been cited as a major catalyst in the success of other current favorites like The Killers. Courttv.com's Erika Waddell spoke with bassist Dustin Hawthorne while the band was on tour in Santa Cruz, CA about their new album, life on the road, and more.
Q: When was the first time you decided you wanted to be a musician?
A: I decided I wanted to be a musician when I was fourteen years old, when I saw my first punk-rock show. Seeing the kids on stage and them being not that much older than I was, I realized that it wouldn't be that difficult to do. As far as being a musician as a career, that's something that didn't really even dawn on me until it pretty much happened. I never thought I'd pursue it and actually be able to make a living doing it.
Q: What had you thought about going into?
A: Well, I was working in a drugstore, and I was kind of starting to go to school, but not really. I was only going to go because I knew that I had to do something like that if I wanted to better my life.
Q: Why did you name the new album "Elevator"?
A: The main reason is because we wanted to highlight the track "Elevator" on the record. It's kind of a slower song, and we were hoping that people would pay more attention to it.
Q: So how has the "Elevator" experience been as compared the experience of your first album, "Make Up The Breakdown"? You had a lot of success with the first record, but with this latest one you're more established.
A: It's been good. People react to both records well, and there hasn't been any negative publicity whatsoever for either album.
Q: Why did Dante [DeCaro, the band's former guitarist] leave the band?
A: He basically didn't like touring.
Q: So what inspires you?
A: Nice long walks. Haha. Really quirky, weird, obscure music inspires me.
Q: What are you listening to these days? Are there any up-and-coming bands out there that you think are just groundbreaking?
A: Maximo Park. They're a band from the UK, and they sound kind of like the Talking Heads, and they're just fantastic. I really, really like them.
Q: What else are you listening to?
A: Obscure, random hip-hop. The new Quasimodo record is good. I really dig that.
Q: You have a very original sound and have had a lot of success so far, but do you think other bands have ripped off your sound, your look, or your style?
A: I wouldn't necessarily say "ripped off," but there is a certain style of music going on right now that's popular, and I think we certainly had something to do with those bands actually being played on the radio. I would be an idiot to say we didn't help out with that.
Q: What do you think about bands that don't recognize you when they're asked about your influence?
A: I just don't care. I'm not looking for a pat on the back.
Q: What's the ring tone on your cell phone right now?
A: Right now it's 50 Cent, "P.I.M.P."
Q: Which city has the best groupies?
A: Umm... not going to answer that one. Pass. Haha.
Q: Which city has the best fans?
A: Probably Los Angeles.
Q: What do you do right before you go onstage?
A: Right before I go onstage, I usually take a pee in the bathroom about 20 times!
Q: Because you're nervous?
A: It might be partly that, but I've got a really small bladder and it's terrible when you're on stage and halfway through the set you have to go to the bathroom.
Q: Do you watch reality TV?
A: No. I haven't had television for about 10 years now.
Q: Is it hard to keep up with the news when you're on the road?
A: Yeah. When I'm at home, and not on tour, I read the newspaper every day, and go to BBC.com and I listen to BBC on the radio. But when I'm on tour, I don't know what newspapers to read or anything like that, so I'm kind of lost.
(Published on CourtTV.com Sept. 1, 2005)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment