It sounds like a recipe for disaster — or at least the plot for one of those movies that airs late at night on Cinemax: Take four young rock musicians who've just formed a band and send them to Maui for two months. Amazingly, the guys in American Hi-Fi were focused enough to record an album without falling prey to surf addiction, drunk-in-public citations or paternity suits.
Perhaps their professionalism comes from experience. Singer/guitarist Stacy Jones played drums for Letters to Cleo, Aimee Mann and Veruca Salt; bassist Drew Parsons has played with Tracy Bonham; and drummer Brian Nolan was a member of Chicago rockers Figdish. Along with guitarist Jamie Arentzen, the band hit the studio armed with cheap leis, pineapple cocktails and producer Bob Rock.
After settling on 13 tracks — and perfecting their tans — the guys released American Hi-Fi on, appropriately enough, Island Records, and the album's first single, "Flavor of the Weak" is at #12 on the Radio & Records Alternative radio airplay chart.
Jeff Cornell sat down with American Hi-Fi recently to discuss their grueling recording session, the video spoof of "Heavy Metal Parking Lot," the fine art of generating working titles and their love of journalists.
