Hot Hot Heat

Butch Walker Works With Avril, Hot Hot Heat, Says Solo LP Won't Be 'Emo-Tastic'

27 Jun 2006 06:00:00 EDT

He'll also produce for Supernova, Tommy Lee's made-for-reality-TV band.
By Gil Kaufman

If you want a peek at Butch Walker's speed dial, the most recent copy of Billboard might do the trick.

The former Marvelous 3 frontman is beginning to rival Linda Perry for the title of go-to producer, thanks to his recent work with everyone from singer/songwriter types (Pete Yorn) to the cream of the pop-punk scene (Hot Hot Heat, the All-American Rejects, the Academy Is ... ). And somehow, between all that and producing the next Avril Lavigne record (see "Butch Walker Prefers Avril's Friendly Fans To The Punks Who Booed Him"), Walker found time to write and record his third solo album, The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites! due July 11.

"It really has everything from Springsteen to Dylan, the Stones and T. Rex," Walker, 36, said of the album, which veers from tongue-in-cheek country twang ("Rich People Die Unhappy") to Kinks-like guitar pop ("Paid to Get Excited"), Lennon-esque ballads ("We're All Going Down") and the kind of high-gloss arena rock he's built his reputation on ("Hot Girls in Good Moods"). "[The title] is kind of my nod to David Bowie, in that everyone has [ripped] him off and they all became bigger because of it."

Unlike Walker's introspective 2004 breakup album, Letters, the new disc is a mostly upbeat collection of high-energy party anthems about having the kind of high times not seen since late-1980s videos for bands like Mötley Crüe and Poison.

"I had an amazing year last year, so there's no reason to be sappy and emo-tastic on people," Walker said of anthems like the hand-clapping first single, "Bethamphetamine (Pretty Pretty)." "The last record I did when I was in a dark, dim place, and I love it, but half the songs are gut-wrenching. On this new one, I couldn't fake that. I couldn't be insincere and write about heartbreak."

With everything from pedal steel to trumpets, the seven-member Let's Go Out Tonites band provides hearty backing for Walker, who has to laugh when describing the late-night inspiration behind "Bethamphetamine." The party-girl anthem is a tribute to "all the girls I've known in L.A. and New York who I can't keep up with and who know every door guy in every club and can't stay out of the bathrooms or in a conversation for more than five minutes," Walker said. "Yet I still hang out with them."

In addition to rehearsing with his band for an upcoming U.S. tour and some European dates, Walker has been busier than ever on the production front. A sampling of some recent studio sessions:

Walker said the material he's working on for Lavigne's next record has been "really fun, crazy, cool and pretty rockin'." Writing with Lavigne and her former guitarist, Evan Taubenfeld, Walker said he's finished half the record, and so far, it's a testament to the singer's maturity. "She's growing up and maturing gracefully," he said. "It's gonna be a lot of fun."

He recently flew into Las Vegas for a quick one-night session with the All-American Rejects for an upcoming single from their next album, a cover of the Beach Boys' "I Can Hear Music."

The producer's recorded 10 songs for the next Hot Hot Heat record so far, which he thinks will really surprise people. "It's way more adventurous than the last couple of records," he said. "We went back to the studio where they made their first album in five days, and we made this one in 10. It's not just guitar, bass, drums and keyboards, because I didn't want them tagged as a quirky Canadian keyboard band."

Walker also worked on songs for the next record from the Academy Is ... ; produced a single from the upcoming Pete Yorn album, Nightcrawler; and will produce the album for "Rock Star" band Supernova, featuring Tommy Lee, ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke and a singer to be chosen on the reality series (see "Jason Newsted Says Frantic Pace Of 'Rock Star: Supernova' Is 'Asking For Miracles' ").

He re-teamed with pal Pink to record a cover of the Rufus and Chaka Khan song "Tell Me Something Good" for the upcoming animated movie "Happy Feet."

Upcoming Butch Walker tour dates, according to his spokesperson:

7/18 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
7/19 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
7/20 - Nashville, TN @ City Hall
7/22 - Raleigh, NC @ Moore Square Park
7/24 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
7/25 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
7/26 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
7/28 - Boston, MA @ Axis
7/30 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
7/31 - Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
8/1 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
2/2 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
8/4 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
9/9 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
9/12 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
9/13 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
9/14 - Hollywood, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre

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Hot Hot Heat Too Tipsy To Shoot Video In Spain, May Shoot It In Space Instead

29 Dec 2005 17:31:00 EST

Band says shooting 'You Owe Me an IOU' clip underwater might be cheapest, though.
By Corey Moss

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — Last we heard from Hot Hot Heat, the Canadian dance-rockers were about to head to Spain to shoot a pirate-themed video for "You Owe Me an IOU." That was in August.

"We probably shouldn't have told you that 'cause we changed our mind," singer Steve Bays said backstage at KROQ's recent Almost Acoustic Christmas (see "Coldplay Salute System, Stripes, SoCal Torsos At Radio Fest").

"We ended up going [overseas] and just getting too wasted to make a video," drummer Paul Hawley added.

So the band really made it to Spain? "Yeah, that's the weird thing," Bays confirmed.

"We should've just filmed that Spain trip and made that the video, because we had some pretty exciting times," guitarist Luke Paquin said. "And then we had this other idea to shoot the video in space, but the logistics were pretty much impossible."

"Yeah, it wasn't in the budget," Bays added. "I think we still might shoot it underwater though, it's what we're talking about. Apparently that's cheaper than space."

So Hot Hot Heat are still planning to release the track, it's just been pushed a back a bit — much like the band's tour schedule.

"We're kind of staggering the touring a bit at this point just to write more songs for our next record," Bays said. "We've got a month booked to just go write, which I think we're all excited about. And then maybe test 'em out just on tour, maybe in February, and then hopefully be in the studio for the spring."

Actually the band has already written enough material for another record, using its soundchecks to flesh them out on the road (see "Hot Hot Heat Join Foos, Fear Warm Drinks And Turkish Prisons On Tour").

"Every record, you want it to be different, and you write differently in different cities," Bays explained. "We wrote a song in Spain, we wrote a song in Chicago ... and when you write lyrics on the road they tend to be more psychedelic."

"There's one song that we started at the beginning of this tour and I think we've jammed it every day. It's been played all around the world in many, many different places and I think that's kind of a cool thing," Hanley added.

Hot Hot Heat have yet to decide on a producer for their Elevator follow-up, but Bays said the band is intent on doing something different for these sessions.

"Just how, we're not sure though," Hanley added.

"We could consider recording in space," Paquin suggested. "If the video thing doesn't pan out."

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For The Record: Quick News On Fantasia, Gwen Stefani, Usher, Dead Boys, Thrice, Hot Hot Heat & More

18 Oct 2005 19:12:00 EDT

'Idol' winner upsets former neighbors; No Doubt singer on 'Tears in Heaven' charity single; Mr. Entertainment salutes BET.
By

A couple from Fantasia Barrino's hometown have a bone to pick with how the "American Idol" winner describes High Point, North Carolina, in her autobiography, "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale." Kyle Sandler and Jennifer English have launched a Web site (www.FantasiasLies.com) in protest of Barrino's claim in the book that she couldn't read after attending local schools and that she and her friends used to call High Point the "land of the dead," according to an Associated Press report. The pair wants signs promoting Barrino at the city's entrances taken down because they think her book portrays the city negatively. A city council member said the signs are not permanent, but there is no plan to take them down. ...

The star-studded charity cover of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven," originally recorded to benefit tsunami victims but now benefiting hurricane victims as well, has finally been released — on iTunes. The single features Gwen Stefani, Scott Weiland, Pink, Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Kelly Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Steven Tyler, Robert Downey Jr. and Gavin Rossdale, among others. Proceeds will be disturbed to those in need by Save the Children. "The magnitude of these natural disasters surpasses anything we've seen in our lifetime," said Sharon Osbourne, who executive produced the song. "With this single and other relief efforts, our intent is to keep these tragedies in the forefront of everyone's minds. We must not forget and do all we can to help these people rebuild their lives." ... Usher has been added to the list of performers for a concert next week in Los Angeles celebrating the 25-year anniversary of BET. Alicia Keys, R. Kelly and Mary J. Blige will also perform on "25 Strong: The BET Silver Anniversary Celebration," airing November 1 on BET. ...

Punk legends the Dead Boys will reunite for an October 31 concert in Cleveland to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band's formation. The concert will feature the remaining members of the Boys' original lineup: drummer Johnny Blitz, guitarist Cheetah Chrome, bassist Jeff Magnum and guitarist Jimmy Zero. Frontman Stiv Bators was hit by a car in 1990 and died from resulting injuries. ... Thrice's Vheissu hasn't even been in stores for 24 hours, and already the California rockers are calling on fans to remake the disc's first single, "Image of the Invisible." To the winner goes "a sick prize package" of $4,000 in home recording equipment. The band posted all the tracks and guitar tabs from the song online. "You or your band can do a remix or a cover of the song in any style you want, with no restrictions," instructs the band's Web site. Submissions are due November 1. ...

Elton John is slated to perform a charity benefit for the New York Restoration Project, which is conducting an online auction in which bidders can win the chance to go backstage at a Dave Matthews Band concert, record with Faith Hill in her studio, watch Robert De Niro direct his latest movie, hang with Hugh Jackman on the set of "Prestige," race with Jeff Gordon, spend time with Martha Stewart in her private gardens or get advice from Dr. Ruth over lunch. The auction (at www.CharityBuzz.com) coincides with the NYRP's Hulaween gala on October 31, in which Sting will be honored for his environmental work. Bidding concludes November 8. ...

Patti LaBelle is being honored with a televised all-star salute to celebrate her 45 years as a recording artist. The show, taped in the Bahamas, is hosted by Eve and features performances by Nelly, Kelly Rowland, Mario, Ashanti, Big Boi, Boyz II Men and Gerald Levert as well as a reunion of LaBelle for "Lady Marmalade." "An All-Star Salute to Patti LaBelle: Live From Atlantis" airs November 8 at 9 p.m. on UPN. ... Meanwhile, LaBelle will pop up on the small screen on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" when she performs at a candlelight vigil in front of a house in Capitol Heights, Maryland, that's been rebuilt for a single mother and her eight children. The episode airs October 30 at 8 p.m. on ABC. ...

Do the chilly temperatures outside have you feeling frozen inside? Sounds like you could benefit from some Hot Hot Heat. And you're in luck, because the Canadian synth-poppers have just announced a string of headlining dates in support of their major-label debut, Elevator. The tour kicks off November 6 in Louisville, Kentucky, and runs until early December. ... Recurring back problems have sidelined Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, who will not be traveling with the band overseas for the Taste of Chaos international trek, which kicks off Saturday in Australia. "It has now become apparent that Adam will need back surgery," a message posted on Killswitch's Web site reads. "As a result, the rest of the guys have decided that Adam should not do the upcoming Taste of Chaos [dates] and risk further back problems." The five-piece will perform as a foursome with roadies filling in on second guitar for a few of the songs. ...

Nine Inch Nails, who were originally scheduled to play the Voodoo Music Experience just on October 29 in New Orleans will now also perform at the festival's second night, October 30 in Memphis. A few other bands are also following suit, including the Secret Machines, the New York Dolls and HIM. ... Brothers Senen and Ulpiano Reyes, better known as Cypress Hill's Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace, are collaborating on an album called Ghetto Therapy, to be released under the Reyes Brothers name in February on their own label, Latin Thug Records. B-Real, Warren G and Archbishop Don "Magic" Juan guest star. ...

10.17.2005

Lindsay Lohan has picked a title for her upcoming second album, due November 22. Like the LP's first single, "Confessions of a Broken Heart," suggests, this album is going to be A Little More Personal. Her video for "Confessions" is slated to premiere on MTV's "Making the Video: Lindsay Lohan" on October 24 at 6 p.m. ET ...

"Come Together Now," the new benefit single for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita featuring the Game, John Legend, Wyclef Jean, Joss Stone and others, will be featured on an all-star double album called Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now, due in mid-November. Coldplay, John Mayer and Dave Matthews Band are among the other acts that are contributing live or unreleased tracks to the LP. ... Irv Gotti's been waiting since January for his day in court, and on Monday (October 17), he got it — kind of. Jury selection began in a Brooklyn, New York, courtroom in the drugs-and-money-laundering case against the Murder Inc. record mogul and his brother, Chris Gotti, who are both facing 20 years on the federal charges. The next phase of jury selection is expected to continue on October 24, with opening arguments slated for November 14. ...

LL Cool J, Fat Joe, Swizz Beatz, Chaka Khan, Ice-T and the Reverend Al Sharpton were among the celebs who came out Sunday night in New York to be in the presence of royalty. Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige performed a career-retrospective concert at Lincoln Center's intimate Rose Hall, singing such tracks as "My Life" and "Family Affair" and debuting her new single, "Can't Hide From Love," to close out the set. ... Jamie Foxx is nearly finished with his forthcoming album, Unpredictable, due December 6. The first single will be the title track, featuring Ludacris, and it hits radio November 7. Other guests on the LP include Kanye West on "Extravaganza," Mary J. Blige on a remake of "Love Changes," Pharrell Williams on "Still Here" (which he also produced), Twista on "DJ Play a Love Song" and Timbaland on "Can I Take You Home." ...

Slipknot guitarist Jim Root isn't on the band's current road trip, Subliminal Verses Tour: The Final Volume, because he broke his wrist the day before the tour's Friday night kickoff in Cincinnati. Root did the damage when he crashed while mountain biking. He'll be in a cast for at least six weeks and it's unknown if he'll be able to join the band on any of the dates. ... After doctors in the U.K. advised him to rest his voice, Disturbed frontman David Draiman returned to Los Angeles to see a throat specialist Tuesday morning. The band has postponed the remaining dates of its European tour. Initial reports suggested Draiman was suffering from vocal-cord inflammation, but the band's management said it won't know the full status of his condition until after his doctors have had a chance to examine him. ...

David Reilly, a founding member of techno-rock outfit God Lives Underwater, died Sunday of complications stemming from longstanding stomach problems. Reilly was the band's vocalist and chief programmer; he also played guitar and synthesizer on God Lives Underwater's four LPs, the most recent being 2004's Up Off the Floor. Corporate Punishment Records, which released Reilly's solo album Inside that same year, said in a statement he'd recently inked a solo deal with Universal and was working on material for his second album. ... Guitarist Nick Hawkins, known for his work with Big Audio Dynamite, died of a heart attack on October 10 in his Las Vegas home. He was 40. Hawkins joined the band in 1990, and helped craft the group's two largest hits, "The Globe" and "Rush." He remained with B.A.D. thr

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Hot Hot Heat Join Foos, Fear Warm Drinks And Turkish Prisons On Tour

23 Aug 2005 13:52:00 EDT

Band writing songs on tour, planning video for 'You Owe Me an I.O.U.'
By Corey Moss, with additional reporting by James Montgomery

For a band in the midst of a European tour that includes a stop in Turkey, Hot Hot Heat have the wrong movie in rotation on their bus.

"We just watched 'Midnight Express,' and I don't know if you're familiar with it, but it definitely gets you excited to go to Turkey, that's for sure," guitarist Luke Paquin said with a sarcastic smile, referring to the 1978 movie about an American drug smuggler brutalized in a foreign prison.

"I think we're scared of getting thrown into a Turkish prison, honestly," singer Steve Bays said.

And that's on top of the band's other great fear of traveling across the pond: "I've never seen an ice cube in Europe," drummer Paul Hawley noted. "So I'm a bit freaked."

For a band called Hot Hot Heat, that might be a legitimate concern, especially since the Canadian rockers will be working overtime while hitting this weekend's Reading and Leeds fests plus awesomely named events like the Monsters of Spex Festival in Germany or Scotland's the Liquid Rooms.

"We're trying to write the next album while we're on the road, kind of like Led Zeppelin did it in their early days," Bays explained. "I know some of my favorite ideas come at like 8 in the morning, so I've just been an insomniac the last little while, like literally just up till 10 a.m. and I'll sleep for like three or four hours. And some of the best stuff comes out of that."

Bays then takes those ideas to the band during soundcheck, which doubles as a two-hour rehearsal.

"The last record, when we were on tour, we were so busy just living life and exploiting all the wonderful things about touring, but this time we really want to write the next record," Bays said. "We want the next record to just come out as soon as it can. ... Well, maybe not as soon as it can."

Bays said the new tunes are definitely taking on a different vibe than tracks on Elevator or Make Up the Breakdown, but it's too early to describe the sound exactly. "I love it, but I always love new stuff," Bays said.

And he'll have plenty of time to make even more of that new stuff, because it looks like Hot Hot Heat's tour schedule just got a bit longer. On Tuesday (August 23), a spokesperson for the band's label confirmed that they've been tapped to open a handful of dates on this fall's big-ticket Foo Fighters/ Weezer co-headlining jaunt (see "Foo Fighters/ Weezer Tour Confirmed — But The Suspense Continues ..."). The Heat will join up on October 13 in Philadelphia and will play through October 15 in Worcester, Massachusetts, with more dates expected to be announced shortly.

But all that touring has done them a world of good. Aside from giving them endless time to work on a new album, life on the road has also inspired their choice for the third single off Elevator, "You Owe Me an I.O.U."

"Since we've been touring the last four months or so, the crowd always jumps to it like it's a single or something, even though it never was a single," Bays said. "So it seemed like the obvious choice."

Bays was reluctant to explain the lyrics, but the track seems to deal with relationship issues judging by lines such as, "And the only thing constant was the constant reminder she'd never change."

"It's got the best bridge on the album," Bays offered. "If there's any bridge connoisseurs out there, it's got a good bridge."

"It's kind of like Hot Hot Heat's 'Bulls on Parade,' really," Paquin joked, drawing a parallel to Rage Against the Machine's angry anthem.

For the "I.O.U." video, the band will again work with Mark Webb, who directed their Italian-noir inspired "Middle of Nowhere" clip (see "Hot Hot Heat Lament Road Life, Prepare To Hit U.S. Highways").

"We're going to shoot the video in Spain, and there'll be water involved — and I'm going to leave it at that," Hawley said.

"We haven't decided on everything yet, but ... I just wanted a scene where I'm holding up my own head and cutting it off at the neck and there's just blood dripping down," Bays added.

Now that's a man who's watched too much "Midnight Express."

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Lens Recap: Hot Hot Heat's 'Goodnight' Results In Chafing

03 May 2005 21:07:00 EDT

Band dons 4,000 T-shirts for time-lapse video.
By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by James Montgomery

Some videos are complicated, some are stressful, some make you break out and some don't make any sense until you see the final cut. If you're lucky, all those things don't happen all at once.

Hot Hot Heat? Not so lucky.

When the band got together with director Olivier Gondry — who has directed clips for the Vines and is also the brother of music video/ film director Michel Gondry (White Stripes, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") — they thought his concept for "Goodnight Goodnight" was great.

"This is an idea I had a few years ago," said expat Frenchman Gondry in his heavily accented English. The concept arose out of a video he shot with his brother for the group Lacquer that was a stop-motion trip from Los Angeles to New York.

The brothers intended to shoot a second video for Lacquer, but when it didn't happen, Gondry kept the concept he'd developed for the clip in the back of his mind.

"I wanted to have a guy standing there who has nothing to do with the music, but he is animated on a T-shirt that goes along with the song," Gondry, 40, explained. "The contrast would be between his face in real life and the face singing on the T-shirt. Then [the band] wanted me to shoot the album cover, and I wanted to take a picture of [the singer] wearing a T-shirt with a picture of him on it."

Even as he casually describes his vision, as if he's explaining how to make something as simple as a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, the idea is a bit hard to wrap your head around. But when Gondry heard the frantic Hot Hot Heat single, he said he could immediately picture the oddball T-shirt gag working.

The first step involved an all-day shoot on December 28 in which Gondry filmed the band playing the song in a performance space in Los Angeles. Gondry — after testing the idea out on himself first — edited the footage into four separate videos and used still images of the footage for 4,000 T-shirts.

Each bandmember had 1,000 numbered T-shirts assigned to them, an organizational nightmare that kept the production assistants insanely busy. Gondry then had the band walk around downtown Los Angeles for two 12- to 14-hour days, taking the shirts on and off at a rate of 2-3 per minute. He used this method to achieve the time-lapse effect in which the story would be told on their chests in an animated, flipbook fashion. But it quickly became evident that that was going to be, well, painful.

"We went back to L.A. and did all this time-lapse photography, taking T-shirts on and off for days," frontman Steve Bays recalled. "It was a really long process, and after a while we were starting to get extremely red from taking T-shirts on and off. It was hard work."

Gondry said the shirts had never been washed, so the gritty material chafed the band's faces over the course of the shoot, making them uncomfortable. The band persevered, though, and Gondry got enough footage to create the Charlie Chaplin-esque sequence of them shuffling down the street as their performance plays out on their shirts.

In an homage to the rough finish on the shirts, Gondry then treated the film of the performance in post-production so that it had the feel of a wrinkled T-shirt. When Gondry was asked to shoot more live performance footage of the band after he turned in the first cut, instead of making them go through the whole difficult process again, he had them put on white shirts and digitally inserted old footage.

Given what he knows now, when asked if he would change anything about how he shot the challenging video, Gondry paused for a moment and laughed, "Because nothing happened the way I wanted?" Well, at least he got a few thousand souvenir T-shirts out of the deal.

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Hot Hot Heat Lament Road Life, Prepare To Hit U.S. Highways

20 Apr 2005 14:01:00 EDT

Dance-rockers ready tour, release single about the rigors of life on the road.
By Abbey Goodman, with additional reporting by Rodrigo Perez and Sasha Hamrogue

Listen closely to Hot Hot Heat, and you may be surprised to learn that for their latest single, the dance-rockers have cribbed a page from the playbook of America's heartland rocker, Bog Seger.

But while the Vancouver, British Columbia, quartet isn't exactly shilling for Chevy, it is fitting that Hot Hot Heat's next single, "Middle of Nowhere," laments losing love to the rigors of the road just as they prepare to hit American highways for a new tour.

"I haven't slept a single night in over a month/ And not even once did you start to make sense to me," singer Steve Bays howls on the track, whose sentiment is reminiscent of Seger's on-the-road classic "Turn the Page."

"I was putting my cards on the table and got to be more honest," Bays said of the group's new record, Elevator. "['Middle of Nowhere'] deals with feelings of emptiness and loneliness ... so it definitely highlights that attempt to be honest. It's a love story, a true love story."

To go along with that story, Hot Hot Heat just finished shooting the video for the song, which gets its inspiration from a classic '60s film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and was created using vintage film equipment. "The whole thing is based on the movie 'Blow Up,' "drummer Paul Hawley said. "It has this feel of an old film, and it's being edited like a film, not [with] fast, flashy rock video cuts. It's mod without being too mod."

The stylish video also attempts to have some visual heart and soul to it, something Seger might be proud of. "We had to connect with people on this emotional song," Bays explained. "So we said, 'Let's have the video connect with people.' So the video tries to actually have a bit of an impact emotionally, which is hard to do in three and a half minutes."

In fact, much like the whole recording process of Elevator, the anticipated follow-up to the breakthrough Make Up the Breakdown (see "Hot Hot Heat's Ups And Downs Inspire Elevator"), the band said they felt pressure to make the "Middle of Nowhere" clip live up to the song.

"To say that we're totally secure people would be a lie," Hawley said. "I'd like to think that everyone has a bit of 'What the hell am I going through right now? What does my life mean?' I mean, I think that's just what happens when you're in your mid-twenties."

Still, just talking about the apprehension and worry that often surrounds the difficult second-album hump can make it communicable.

"We never started feeling pressure until people started asking us, 'Did you feel pressure?' and [by then] the record was already done!" Hawley said. "I'm going to start campaigning to have the word 'pressure' removed from the English language."

Still in the midst of a Canadian tour with Louis XIV and the Futureheads, Hot Hot Heat will launch an American leg of the trek on May 20 in New York. According to a representative for the band, the excursion will be supported by Robbers on High Street.

Hot Hot Heat tour dates, according to a band spokesperson:

5/20 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
5/22 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero/ Balcony Bar
5/23 - Boston, MA @ Avalon
5/26 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
5/27 - Columbus, OH @ PromoWest Pavilion
5/28 - Cleveland, OH @ Scene Pavilion
5/30 - Detroit, MI @ 89X Festival
5/31 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
6/1 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Quest

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New Releases: Faith Evans, Hot Hot Heat, Lisa Marie Presley, Fischerspooner, Crystal Method, A Static Lullaby & More

04 Apr 2005 20:46:00 EDT

Music From the O.C.: Mix 4 also hitting shelves, along with LPs by Reel Big Fish, Adema.
By Alyssa Rashbaum

The temperature is about to rise in record stores across the country as Canadian rock outfit Hot Hot Heat release their new album.

The Victoria, British Columbia-bred band are back after 2002's Make Up the Breakdown with Elevator, an album packed full of energetic pop-rock. While recording this LP, the band bid "Goodnight, Goodnight" to original guitarist Dante DeCaro and replaced him with Luke Paquin.

Expect to see some "O.C." junkies rushing the record store on Tuesday as the fourth installment of "The O.C." mix series drops. This time around, the album's creators make the most underground-friendly mix yet, with tracks by Imogen Heap, Pinback, the Reindeer Section and Flunk, among others. More mainstream names like Beck and Modest Mouse are thrown in for good measure.

Four years after Faith Evans released Faithfully, the R&B songstress is back to crown herself The First Lady. For her return, Evans was supported by producers the Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, Chucky Thompson, Mario Winans and Bryan Michael-Cox.

The Crystal Method release their Community Service, Vol. 2 this week. The album features remixes of the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues," New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" and Smashing Pumpkins' "1979," as well as nine of the Crystal Method's original tracks.

Elvis' little girl, Lisa Marie Presley, is back with her own brand of hip-swaying swagger on Now What, her follow-up to 2003's To Whom It May Concern.

Also out this week are albums by Fischerspooner (Odyssey), British Sea Power (Open Season), Reel Big Fish (We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy) and Adema (Planets).

Out Tuesday, April 5:

Absurd Minds - The Focus (Dancing Ferret)
Adema - Planets (Earache Records)
Beelow - Presents Louisiana's Sickest (Bungalo)
Benevento/ Russo Duo - Best Reason to Buy the Sun (Ropeadope)
Bludshot - Another Day (Bludshot)
Brainstorm - Liquid Monster (Metal Blade)
British Sea Power - Open Season (Rough Trade)
Armin Van Buren - State of Trance 2005 (Ultra Records)
Kristin Chenoweth - As I Am (Sony)
The Long Defeat - Choose Your Own Adventure (Sit-n-Spin)
Alex Cortiz - Magnifico (Varese Sarabande)
The Crystal Method - Community Service II (3AM/Ultra)
Buy Now: Community Service II (3AM/Ultra)
Dirty Projectors - The Getty Address (Western Vinyl)
Eligh - Enigma (Legendary)
Faith Evans - First Lady (Capitol)
Buy Now: First Lady (Capitol)
Eyeball Skeleton - #1 (My Pal God)
Fantômas - Suspended Animation (Ipecac)
Far from Finished - East Side of Nowhere (Victory)
Fischerspooner - Odyssey (Capitol)
Buy Now: Odyssey (Capitol)
Fripp and Eno - The Equatorial Stars (Discipline Global Media)
Graveworm - (N)utopia (Nuclear Blast)
The Gun Shys - The Gun Shys (Aeronaut)
Tord Gustavsen Trio - The Ground (ECM)
Scott Hamilton & the Bill Charlap Trio - Back in New York (Concord)
Hammerfall - Chapter 5 (Nuclear Blast)
Fareed Haque Group - Cosmic Hug (Magna Carta)
Hot Hot Heat - Elevator (Sire)
Read: "Hot Hot Heat's Ups And Downs Inspire Elevator"
Buy Now: Elevator (Sire)
Issam Houshan - Wassan Pharaon (Ark 21)
Illanotix - Killa Products (EV Productions)
Brandon Jenkins - Down in Flames (Western Soul)
Charles Lloyd - Jumping the Creek (ECM)
Longshot - Open Mouths Fed (EV Productions)
Lost City Angels - Broken World (Universal Motown)
Magnolia Electric Co. - What Comes After the Blues (Secretly Canadian)
Keiko Matsui - Walls of Akendora (Narada)
Irvin Mayfield - Strange Fruit (Basin Street)
Donnie McClurkin - Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs (Jive)
Kate McGarry - Mercy Streets (Palmetto)
OCS - 3 & 4 (Narnack)
Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy (Secretly Canadian)
Ellis Paul - American Jukebox Fables (Rounder)
Pepper's Ghost - Shake the Hand That Shook the World (Hybrid)
Lisa Marie Presley - Now What (Capitol)
Buy Now: Now What (Capitol)
Pretendo - Pretendo (54º40' or Fight!)
Reel Big Fish - We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy (Jive)
Buy Now: We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy (Jive)
Serena Ryder - Unlikely Emergency (Isadora)
Diane Schuur with the Caribbean Jazz Project - Schuur Fire (Concord)
A Static Lullaby - Faso Latido (Columbia)
Strength in Numbers - The Veil (Victory)
Supersuckers - Devil's Food (Mid-Fi)
Buy Now: Devil's Food (Mid-Fi)
Todd - Purity Pledge (Southern)
Vast Aire & DJ Mighty Mi - The Best Damn Rap Show (Eastern Conference)
Ben Watt - Buzzin' Fly Vol. 2 (Astralwerks)
Aaron Watson - Live at the Texas Hall of Fame (RED)
White Circle Crime Club - Written in Black (54º40' or Fight!)
Yellow #5 - Demon Crossing (Scat)
Eli Young Band - Level (Carnival/RED)
Various artists - Bonnaroo 2004 (Sanctuary)
Various artists - Electro Bossa (Varese Sarabande)
Various artists - Everything Comes and Goes: A Tribute to Black Sabbath (Temporary Residence)
Various artists - Verve Remixed 3 (Verve)
Various artists - Soundtrack to "Millions" (Milan)
Various artists - Music From the O.C.: Mix 4 (Warner Bros.)
DVD: "Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways" (Image)

April 12:

Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi (Island)
Garbage - Bleed Like Me (Interscope)
Read: "Garbage Breakup Ends With New LP — If They Did Actually Break Up"
Mudvayne - Lost and Found (Sony)
Read: "Mudvayne Lose The Makeup, Find Inspiration In Isolation"

April 19:

Mike Jones - Who Is Mike Jones? (Atlantic)
Flaming Lips - Latenight Tales (Another Late Night)
Rob Thomas - Something to Be (Atlantic)
Read: "Rob Thomas Ready For The Gravy After Testing Himself With Solo LP"

May 3:

Amerie - Touch (Sony)
New Order - Waiting for the Sirens' Call (Warner Bros.)
Bruce Springsteen - Devils & Dust (Sony)

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Hot Hot Heat's Ups And Downs Inspire Elevator

08 Mar 2005 21:38:00 EST

Band scraps dark recordings in favor of 'obnoxious pop' for new LP.
By James Montgomery

For the past year, Hot Hot Heat frontman Steve Bays' life has been an endless stream of numbers: one departed guitarist, two epiphanies, 30 scrapped songs, 42 hectic studio days, 168 hours of tape, 365 nights between shows and 4,000 used T-shirts.

And out of all that came one herky-jerky new record called Elevator, which, according to Bays, is about as appropriate a handle as any.

"There were so many ups and downs that went into making this record. It was a manic period, and it was extremely stressful," he said. "It was a year of tripping hard, a year of asking yourself 'Who are you? What's your scene? Does anyone even give a sh--?' And it was a year of dealing with your inner critic."

The Hot Hots started writing material for Elevator while they were wrapping up a whirlwind world tour in support of their breakout debut, 2002's Make Up the Breakdown (see "Hot Hot Heat Hit The Fast Track With 'No, Not Now' "). The songs Bays and company penned were darker and more expansive than the concise synth-pop ditties that made up Make Up, and the band wasn't happy with the results. Hot Hot Heat ended up tossing all the material and starting from scratch back at their homes in Victoria, British Columbia. But the new stuff they began churning out was even darker.

"It was a big comedown emotionally for us when you finish a tour and come back to reality. And the new songs reflected that. Then we began to worry that we were falling into the trap every band falls into when they make their second album," Bays said. "They either change and become self-indulgent and boring, or they just repeat their first album, but it feels watered down because the novelty and danger is gone. So we wanted it to be different enough that it was still a bit of a risk, but we still wanted to hold on to the things that worked — that childlike energy. Combine that with it being the second record, and there's more pressure added."

And in the midst of his self-imposed pressure-cooker, Bays had those aforementioned epiphanies. First, he realized that he had to stop listening to that inner critic and stop thinking so hard about the songs he was writing. And second, if the stuff he was coming up with was darker, then so be it. He had to go with what he had.

"After that, it was seemed pretty simple," he said. "We decided to make a really bold pop album. An obnoxious pop album."

They took that obnoxious pop to Los Angeles' Larabee Studios, where they would spend the next six weeks hammering out details, picking out stray ends, and, as it turns out, kicking out a founding member of the band: guitarist Dante DeCaro.

"We were working 14-hour days, and it was getting hard," Bays said. "When Dante left, [drummer] Paul Hawley and I were thinking that he would stay in the band and write and record, and we would get someone else to tour.

"But then we realized that Paul and I were doing all the writing anyway, and on the album, Paul played about half the guitar parts," Bays continued. "So we told Dante that if we found someone we clicked with, then they would be the new guitarist of the band. And then we found Luke, and that was it.

Energized by Luke Paquin's arrival, Hot Hot Heat ripped through the remainder of the songs on Elevator, mastered it and hit the road to test out the new material ... the first time the band had played live in more than a year. But their hard work wasn't over just yet. In fact, it was just beginning: They still had to make the video for the album's first single, "Goodnight Goodnight."

"We did the video with Olivier Gondry [who's helmed clips for Loretta Lynn and the Vines]. Basically, we shot a live performance video, and he edited it into four separate videos, and then they were printed on 4,000 T-shirts to do flipbook animation," Bays sighed. "And then we went back to L.A. and did all this time-lapse photography, taking T-shirts on and off for days. It was a really long process, and after a while we were starting to get extremely red from taking T-shirts on and off. It was hard work. But we're kind of used to that by now."

The track list for Hot Hot Heat's Elevator, according to Sire Records:

"Running Out of Time"
"Goodnight Goodnight"
"Ladies and Gentleman"
"You Owe Me and IOU"
"No Jokes — Fact"
"Jingle Jangle"
"Pickin' It Up"
"Island of the Honest Man"
"Middle of Nowhere"
"Dirty Mouth"
"Soldier in a Box"
"Shame on You"
"Elevator"

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Hot Hot Heat

Hot Hot Heat Hit The Fast Track With 'No, Not Now'

10 Jul 2003 07:56:00 EDT

Canadian rockers following up 'Bandages' with 'dancier' new single.
By Corey Moss

IRVINE, California — Hot Hot Heat don't like to reveal what their songs are about, but they will share other details about their second single, "No, Not Now" — solicited or not.

"It's got a [beats-per-minute rate] of 174," bassist Dustin Hawthorne threw out during a recent interview, surprising even his bandmates.

"That's, like, insanely fast," singer and pianist Steve Bays commented.

"I think the Sex Pistols hovered at about 150," Hawthorne added.

Not that the Victoria, British Columbia, rock band wants you to care. They just want you to boogie. "It's kind of like one of our dancier songs," Bays said of the tune, which follows the breakthrough "Bandages." "It's the type of song you play early in the set, 'cause it usually gets people in a good mood, whereas 'Bandages' is more, like, late into the set, more of a song that you kind of rock out to."

For the video, Hot Hot Heat hired Kansas City-based animation experts MK12 after seeing some of their psychedelic videos and commercials.

"We like the Faint's video [for 'Agenda Suicide'] and we just said, 'Go nuts with it,' " Bays said. "And we've been on tour so much that schedulewise it kind of worked, because they just filmed us in front of a green screen — kind of like a green bowl — for like, an entire day and then they just went nuts with it."

Since Make Up the Breakdown was released last fall (see "Hot Hot Heat Achieve Coolness By Writing Good Muzak"), Hot Hot Heat have toured constantly and have no plans to cool off. The group is touring American clubs with the Moving Units and the Fever through July, after which they will hit Australia with the Kills and then take on Europe.

"It just seems like every month there's a new reason why we should be on the road," Bays explained. "Like, 'We haven't done Australia. OK, we've got to do that. Well, there is this cool festival in Japan. OK, we should do that. What about the KROQ Weenie Roast? Well, we can't not do that.' You know, those kind of things that just kind of pop up, but there's always less going on in the winter."

That's when Hot Hot Heat plan to return to the studio to record their next album. They have "one and two halves of a song" written, according to guitarist Dante DeCaro, but will write most of the new material in the studio.

"You can't really write songs on the road," drummer Paul Hawley said. "I mean, you can strum a guitar and stuff, but it's hard to get all of us together and concentrate. We work really well when it's just the four of us."

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Hot Hot Heat

Iggy, Beasties, White Stripes Lead Three-Pronged Invasion At Coachella

28 Apr 2003 19:39:00 EDT

Though event took place in California, it was all about England, New York and Detroit.
By Ryan J. Downey and Corey Moss

INDIO, California — If not for the palm trees and smoldering temperatures, it would've been easy to forget that the Coachella festival was in the Southern California desert.

This past weekend, Queens of the Stone Age and Ben Harper gave homecoming performances of sorts (both are from nearby towns) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack Johnson and Black Eyed Peas made the two-hour drive from Los Angeles, but for the most part it was all about England, New York and Detroit. (Click to see photos from the festival.)

From England came Blur, Johnny Marr and Primal Scream, along with the bubbling-under Libertines, the Music, South, Badly Drawn Boy, Gomez, Groove Armada and countless DJs. New York brought Saturday's headliner, a standout show from the Beastie Boys, and fellow icons Sonic Youth, along with Interpol, Fischerspooner, the Rapture and the Mooney Suzuki. There's only two of them, but the White Stripes had no problem representing Detroit's garage scene, while the Von Bondies and Whirlwind Heat were two of the most talked about breakthrough bands on the bill.

Coachella featured more than 75 acts playing on five stages over two days. Here's a rundown on some of the more memorable performances:

The Beastie Boys took the stage Saturday without their instruments, but DJ Mix Master Mike more than made up for it with his own ill communication, tweaking every track and mixing in beats from Missy Elliott's "Work It" and Erik Sermon's "React." The trio rapped parts of at least three new tracks, all of which had the hip-hop simplicity of their latest single, the anti-war anthem "In a World Gone Mad." Mostly, though, the set was heavy on party starters — "Root Down," "Body Movin'," "So What'cha Want," "Intergalactic" and even a bit of the old gem "Brass Monkey" — a sharp contrast to Adam "MCA" Yauch's political banter between songs. "At the next election, vote anyone but Bush," he said at one point.
Like the Beasties, the Chili Peppers focused their headlining slot on keeping the sun-drenched festival-goers on their feet. Though the band mellowed some on last year's By the Way, their hit-filled live show Sunday was as energetic as ever. Short of sporting only socks, the guys were their old selves, jumping around like caged animals, spouting random dialogue and giving it away now.
N.E.R.D.'s one-hour set on Saturday was a bit misleading, as the first half was all Spymob, the Minneapolis rock group that doubles as N.E.R.D.'s live band, performing Police-inspired songs from their upcoming debut. When Pharrell Williams and company finally came out, they played three songs before taking a break so friend Kenna could sing his new single. For a finale, Williams brought out Kelly Osbourne and Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am for "Rock Star," though Osbourne proved hardly that, running offstage midway through.
"Who here doesn't like the Hives?" singer Pelle Almqvist asked, silencing the crowd. "Who here came for the Hives?" he followed to a deafening roar. "Point taken." Obnoxious confidence is part of their shtick, but he did make a point. Both the Hives Saturday and the White Stripes Sunday drew enormous crowds curious to hear two of last year's breakthrough bands.
In their sharp formalwear, Interpol easily rivaled the Hives for best dressed. The NYC band conjured its swanky interpretation of Joy Division, combining bleak atmosphere with pop hooks, and delivered nearly flawless renditions of songs from Turn on the Bright Light. Despite going up against the Chili Peppers, Interpol generated a large crowd that even lingered for a good while in hopes of an encore that never came.
While "Song 2" and "Girls and Boys" generated the loudest response, Saturday's crowd was quite receptive to the moody and eclectic tracks a retooled Blur previewed from their forthcoming Think Tank. Frontman Damon Albarn dedicated a song to the late Joe Strummer during a set that mixed Think Tank tunes like the infectious "Crazy Beat" with Britpop classics like "Beetlebum."
"Scottish people and the desert don't mix very well," Idlewild singer Roddy Woomble joked Saturday afternoon. The floppy-haired lads struggled against the sweltering heat as they began "Little Discourage" from 2000's 100 Broken Windows, but they'd found their places by the song's chorus, easing smoothly into several of the driving and emotive tunes from this year's The Remote Part and earlier tracks like "I'm a Message" and "Roseability."
Damon Gough was dressed even more poorly for the weather, sporting the cap, beard and thick denim that have become synonymous with his Badly Drawn Boy persona. Gough, more than willing to show off his prowess with a guitar, harmonica and piano, even sang about playing Coachella. "I was told I was headlining the show," he crooned with his typical combination of wit, self-effacement and mock arrogance. "And I am, 'cause that's how I feel."
Despite sound problems, Hot Hot Heat gave a blistering performance that brought over a herd of VIPs, including Tony Hawk and Kelly Osbourne, who were singing the catchy "Bandages" like everyone else when the show was over. The problems escalated as the night went on, and ended with the Libertines playing only two songs — not good for their first U.S. performance. Organizers squeezed them back in on Sunday so Stateside tastemakers could see the band British journalists are calling the next Strokes.
Anyone expecting an explosion similar to their former band's musical bombast may have been disappointed by ex-At the Drive-In members Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez's set with the Mars Volta on Sunday. Latin rhythms and long percussive jams were the name of the game as Bixler's nearly Whitesnake-like falsetto soared over every hacky sack and Frisbee game on the far reaches of the field while Rodriquez split his time between barely distorted picking (with scarcely a metallic palm mute to be found) and effects-drenched noise.
Ben Folds played only the keys in his largely improvisational set, which ended with the singer/songwriter bringing "Song for the Dumped" to a crawl and ad-libbing vulgar yet hilarious lyrics. In a similarly fun set Saturday, Ben Kweller played a little piano, too, spewing out some of the poppiest songs of the weekend.
On Sunday, Jack White and Juliette Lewis took in an early show from bare-bones rockers the Von Bondies in the Mojave Tent. Later, Los Angeles' Rooney finally gave that stage something that sounded local, blending Beach Boys-like harmonies with Phantom Planet-like tunes (singer Robert Carmine is Jason Schwartzman's brother). And finally, Fischerspooner treated a packed tent to a theatrical show complete with choreographed routines from dancers in feather hair extensions and fishnet bodysuits. The only group that could compete with that kind of spectacle was the Blue Man Group, who closed out their visual orgy with a cover of the Who's "Baba O'Reilly."
A legion of Smiths fans gathered to catch a glimpse of former guitarist Johnny Marr and his backup band the Healers on Sunday, with so many of them proudly rocking vintage Morrissey T-shirts and tattoos that it almost seemed as if Marr's post-Smiths work with Electronic and other artists had never happened. Despite being cut short by organizers, Marr delivered a laid-back but potent performance of swirling tunes punctuated by his smooth croon. Much-buzzed-about English upstarts the Music were even more psychedelic the night before, invoking the spirit of the Stone Roses and basking in the glow of an impressive light show.
While a majority of the rock bands at Coachella pounded out fierce odes to the Velvet Underground and the Clash, there were a few who offered a soundtrack for enjoying the tranquil atmosphere of the venue. Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and G. Love & Special Sauce all gathered huge audiences who toasted warm beers to their blends of blues and folk.
In the group's first performance in more than 25 years, the Stooges (with Mike Watt on bass) treated Sunday's crowd to classics like "TV Eye" and "Fun House." Even those who had no idea who the group was ("Iggy who?" a security guard near the stage asked a friend) were able to enjoy Iggy Pop's erratic stage demeanor.
Though Ian MacKaye has been notoriously particular about when, where and how he'll be interviewed during the two decades he's run Dischord Records and played in bands like the Teen Idles, Embrace and Fugazi, the two question-and-answer sessions he submitted to at Coachella were total free-for-alls, with kids asking him about everything from straight edge to music, politics, tour stories and the time he was kicked out of Disneyland. One member of the crowd asked the 41-year-old punk icon why he was willing to appear at an expensive festival while Fugazi refuse to play shows with high door prices. "My friend Patti Smith was saying that anyone who has a chance to get in front of a microphone right now and say they're against war should do so," he replied.
Is Dallas the next Detroit? Two of the most talked about Coachella performances came from that city's Polyphonic Spree, whose 23 members offered a truly original orchestral pop sound, and Eisley, the female-fronted rock quintet handpicked for Coldplay's summer tour.
Coachella would not be complete without surprises, and while Radiohead rumors proved untrue, Perry Farrell did pop into the tiny Gobi Tent for a surprise DJ set that mixed house music with the kind of tropicalia he explored on his solo album. Farrell's appearance makes him the only artist to play every Coachella.