'Hot Rock’n Your Socks Off Rock’n Roll', that's our Music - The Hot Rocks

When did you guys begin? Tell us about your journey so far.
Chad: I moved to Tennessee from Houston, Texas so that I could attend the recording program at Middle Tennessee State University. I met Eric, who had just moved here from East Africa to attend the same school, at a local recording studio. In between cleaning floors and taking out the trash, we would play each other our demos that we had been working on. We instantly became fans of each other’s work, and decided to start collaborating. We began writing songs together and performing at open mic nights around town.

So how did your band come together? You mentioned that Chad and Eric met while working in a local recording studio. Tell us more about that. How did you meet Topher and Jason?
We met Topher through a flyer we had posted around campus. I think he liked the fact that we had listed Weezer as an influence. I don’t think he said a single word to us at the audition. He was very quiet and reserved. But we later found out that he’s and absolute wild man! It’s always the quiet ones you have to worry about. We met Jason through a friend at the recording studio. He was loud and obnoxious at his audition, yet instantly likable. He was playing with about 10 other bands at the time, no joke. It took some coaxing, but we finally got him to commit to just playing with us. I guess that old joke is true…”What do you call the guy who hangs out with the band?…The Drummer!”

Your philosophy is "We want every song to sound different". "Energy" and "Variety" are your key words and they are obvious from your range of music. How do you create variety? What inspires you?
I think the variety comes from being such big fans of all types of music. Jason listens to classic rock and country, Eric is a big fan of techno and rock, Chad and Topher both love choral music, power pop and rock. I (Chad) grew up singing in classical choirs and variety shows. Eric spent most of his life in East Africa taking in all of the local music around there, and Jason has played in numerous country bands. So I think it was inevitable that the variety in styles would come through when you put us all together in the same room.
I think lots of things inspire us. I would say Eric is the ”spiritual” Hot Rock. I think he gets a lot of inspiration from the books he reads, his travels, and just life in general. I (Chad) usually get my songwriting inspiration from other songs. I’ll focus in on a song I like and draw from the vibe it conveys.

How would you describe your music?
“Hot Rock’n Your Socks Off Rock’nRoll” is how Jason likes to describe it.

How do you distinguish yourselves from other bands?
I don’t think we try to distinguish ourselves from anyone. We are what we are. We’re not trying to be anything other than ourselves. I hate it when bands try to act like they’re “harder”, or “better”, or “hipper” than other bands. There shouldn’t be any competition to being in a band. If people like your music, that should be enough. I hate bands that put on fronts. If you think about it, all of the greatest bands have always just done their thing, and have done it well.

Your greatest influences are "Bezepwho" :-) In what ways?
Bezepwho is a word we made up to describe our greatest influences. It’s a combination of “The Beatles”, “Led Zeppelin”, and “The Who”. We admire all of those bands for their songwriting, their energy, and their contributions to the world of Rock’n’Roll. In our opinion, they might be the three greatest rock bands of all time. Topher might disagree and throw “Queen” in there too. Then it would be “Bezepquwho”.

Who writes the songs you play?
Chad: Eric and I write all of the material. Topher is beginning to make some contributions to the song writing process. He’s been writing some great stuff.

Tell us about your album "The Intrinsic Energy".
That was our first album, and it was a pretty good effort on our part considering we had no idea what we were doing. The latest CD we released, was the “Rock’n’Roll ep”. We actually went into the studio and recorded with a real engineer and producer on this one. On the prior albums, we did everything ourselves at home. We were going for a “retro, power pop” vibe, similar to the “Bezepwho” recordings we all love.

Are you working on a new album right now?
We’ve got some new material we’ve been working on. Right now it’s hard to get together as a group. Eric has gone back to Africa for a time, and I’m (Chad) expecting a baby any day now. So right now, things are warming up on the back burner.

Which is your favorite song from your albums? What is the story behind it?
One of my favorite songs is AOK from “The Hot Rocks” album. “Hey Ya” by Outkast had just come out, and that song really inspired me. The melody of the chorus in “AOK” is heavily influenced by “Hey Ya”. Eric and I had written some crumby words for the verses, and then we heard “Drop it Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg, and decided to rewrite the verses with some “gangster street slang” instead. It was actually supposed to be a joke song, but I just love it.

Any parting shot for your fans?
Thanks for all of the support and encouragement throughout the years. We couldn’t keep doing this without you. See you on the flip side….