Hoochie Coochie Men

I freely admit I am a fan of the Hoochie Coochie Men (HCM). When recently introduced to a variety of new artists, HCM was the EP that grabbed my attention and had me humming along. “I’d Rather Go Blind/Don’t Let Me Down” became a personal favorite. Catching the HCM live at The Bitter End a few Saturday nights ago, was something I was completely looking forward too.

Hoochie Coochie Men lack any form of pretense, which makes them even more enjoyable to watch and listen to. The young men are experimenting, challenging themselves, and having a great time jamming together. The band (Zach Gold on vocal and guitar, Joey Tumulty on vocal and keyboard, Alex Musso on slide and lead guitar, Grant Kempski on bass and Brian Duke on drums) played a combination of blues, rock, and folk music. They played seven songs, blending genres to create danceable sing-a-long songs that spoke to the audience.

Slated between Memo and Que Lunel & the Mosaic Movement, the night spent enjoying the HCM gave off an overall country, '60s vibe that brought to mind Peter, Paul &Mary, Bob Dylan, Pete Seger, and even The Doors, during the folk choruses. Filled with a mix of groupies, a wide age range, and people who originally stopped in for a drink, the Bitter End had an audience captivated with Musso's guitar solos, Tumulty’s voice, and the harmonies of Gold and Duke.

Although Gold and Tumulty’s voices could not be more diverse, they complement each other, switching the mood from fast, dancing music to a slower, story-telling vibe. The harmonies between Gold and Kempski were tight. Gold has a voice that is radio-ready and marvels in its own uniqueness -- the Bob Dylan inspiration is is obvious. There's nothing overly processed -- the music is very organic. The keyboard brought the audience vibe up a notch every time Tumulty fronted a song.

The last song of the night truly echoed another era. Closing your eyes, the passion was there. The wisdom of the lyrics would have seemed to come from older men, but HCM were able to grasp a variety of subjects. The lives and heartaches they sang about became completely believable.

I was able to catch up with band members after The Bitter End performance to learn about the creative process, mashing songs and the most challenging parts of being in a band.

Americana Lady: Can you tell me how the band was formed? Did you plan to sing blues, rock?

Alex Musso for HCM: Zach and I have been playing together since 2011. We met in college and were playing in separate bands at the time that had more of an alt-rock feel to them, but we really just wanted to play the blues. We met up with Joey and the three of us began playing blues covers at the local bars around our college. As our sound got bigger, we added bass and drums. We’ve had a few different bass players and drummers along the road, but found the right match with Grant and Brian. We always planned to be a band rooted in the blues, it’s just what we know. But all of us have other musical influences outside the blues like folk, soul, and jam band type stuff. It’s nice to see how that has affected our music and has been incorporated into our own sound.

Some of you are still in school, how do you balance your time with traveling and performing?

It’s really difficult, with Grant and Brian still in school, but we make it work. During the school year, we try and stick to doing one weekend of practice and about 4 shows a month.

Do any of you have formal music training?

Joey Tumulty: I have taken piano lessons and been in choirs and such. Grant, Brian, and I have all participated in the music program at Lafayette in some capacity or another, whether it be music courses, jazz band, or lessons. I think the most growing I have done, though, has been playing and singing with groups on campus that are run by students. That of course includes our band. It was usually pretty casual but it also allowed us to approach the music we wanted, as opposed to the structure of a music course.

You debuted your song "In the Water" on Saturday. What emotions do you feel right before you debut new songs? How do you decide when the song is ready to debut? Does the venue or crowd size matter?

Musso: It is always exciting to perform new songs for the first time. It was a refreshing experience for us and especially for those fans we see coming out to see us show after show.

Tumulty: We like to debut songs as soon as they are ready rather than wait for the “right time.” Songs really mature the more that we play them, and playing them live gives us a new perspective on the songs. We are also not afraid to make big changes to songs as we continue to play them. As a band, we are pretty focused on our live sound, so I think it is more interesting to have songs that can change concert to concert. One thing I hate hearing at a concert: “They didn’t play the song exactly like the record! Unacceptable!”

How do you decide your set list?

Musso: [laughs] Oh man, first let me say that writing the set list is always a nightmare for us. We usually start about an hour before our set and it’s usually written on a napkin or blank receipt from the bar. Usually one or two of us will get together and write the set then pass it around to the rest of the guys. Songs usually get mixed around until we all are cool with the order. We try and keep a nice mix of high and low energy songs in our sets and break up the high energy ones with the more mellow ones scattered in between.

How would you describe HCM?

Tumulty: Five white dudes getting all their angst out with the blues. Also, we desperately want to be the Allman Brothers. Too real?

One of my personal favorites on the EP is “I’d Rather Go Blind/Don’t Let Me Down.” How did you decide to mash those songs and how does a song have to speak to you before you decide to cover it?

Tumulty: Mashing songs together is one of those things that just happens in the endless hours of jamming we do together. We originally wanted to cover “I’d Rather Go Blind” because it is such a great song, and there are some awesome versions of it out there. I guess Don’t “Let Me Down” just popped into someone’s head because it’s the same chord progression and it made sense lyrically. When we choose covers, it’s because we love the song and think it could fit in our sound. This doesn’t mean the original artist has to sound anything like us. It’s much cooler to change up a a cover and throw your own spin on it. I think that unless you are in a tribute band or playing weddings, you should always try and do something interesting with the songs you cover.

Can you talk about the writing process? Are you all involved?

Tumulty: We are all involved in some capacity. For the most part, everyone writes what they play or sing. There are plenty of exceptions, especially with initial song ideas. Song ideas seem to come from a different place every time and Alex, Zach, and I do a lot of workshopping of songs as they develop. Lyrics come from different places as well, but I usually find it easiest to sing the lyrics I have written and I think Zach feels the same. When we are all together we discuss the form and feel of the songs as a group which can get a little crazy. It’s definitely easier to write in small groups. It’s a big mess of contributions and changes to a song.

What other artists inspire you? How does performing with artists like Memo and Qew Lunel & The Mosaic Movement influence your music? You seemed to feed off each other Saturday night!

Tumulty: I am most inspired by the bluesy artists who are doing well now like The Black Keys, Ray Lamontagne, Tedeschi Trucks Band and The London Souls. Blues doesn’t let you use the “I was born in the wrong generation” excuse. There are a lot of young people who want to hear guitars, drums and an organ rock out on stage, despite what other people may think. Playing with great bands definitely makes us play better. The energy is higher and if the audience is feeling it, then we are too. It’s also great to have the bands watch and appreciate each other.

Do you have a favorite venue?

Tumulty: I love Rockwood Music Hall. The sound is always great despite the crowded rooms and they have pianos. We’ve put in our work there and recently graduated our shows from Stage 1 to Stage 2. So we’ve got that going for us, which is cool.

Musso: We’ve played some cool venues in the city like B.B. King’s in Times Square and Stage 48. But if you’re talking about favorite recurring venue it’s definitely Rockwood Music Hall or The Bitter End. Great sound, great crowd, every time. Just awesome. -

Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?

Hey Vents! It’s a pleasure to be here, thanks for having us.

Can you talk to us more about the story behind ̈Big Blue Tree”?

Joey: The song initially came out of a slide riff that our guitarist Alex wrote. It turned into a few different things throughout the writing process but most of all we were striving to find that big soulful sound. The imagery is a little strange and might come off as a little drug-influenced but as always people can read into it however they want.

Zach: We wrote Big Blue Tree at our dear friends house in rural Connecticut where we spent some days writing and working on their land. That experience seemed to sink into the song a bit. The song ended up personifying the land and the parts of our home that sit and watch us live and struggle day to day.

Let ́s talk about your new EP – Any title in mind?

Joey: It was tough considering the variety of styles on there but we wound up naming it after Big Blue Tree because that song really seemed to bring everything together. It has a bluesy rock feel and the writing aligns itself pretty well with our more mellow folk stuff. It also seems to come together as an image for me in that song. It pulls in ideas from the other songs like Living Alone and Things I Know but does it in the context of a powerful kicking song.

Can you talk to us more about the recording and writing process?

Alex: For this EP, almost all of the writing process was done together as a band. We were on tour for the majority of the summer and spent most of our downtime together working and writing these new songs. Sometimes a song started from a riff someone really dug, sometimes from a lyrical idea that had been simmering in someone for a while.

Joey: In the studio, we wanted everything to be as live as possible. We really pride ourselves on our live show and musicianship and we wanted that energy and soul to come through in our recordings. All of the music on this album was done almost completely in live takes which is something we’ve wanted to do with our music for a while now.

Zach: The B 52. Man that organ sounds sweet. Every time we thought about including it on a track we fell more in love with it. I think that instrument helped tie the EP together.

Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics in this album?

Joey: It came from different places in our own lives but I think being on the road together gave it a lot of cohesiveness. We began most of the songs in the early summer from ideas one of us had but as the summer progressed the songs became much more connected with our experiences on the road.

Zach: When we were writing this album, I was sort of a jumble of conflicting experiences and relationships. My influence on the collaborative writing process, I think, expressed my desire to return to the simplest, most meaningful aspects of the relationship I was in, but I think, in the end, the songs may have revealed the sadness that had seeped into that relationship.

What was it like to work with Brendan Muldowney and how has that relationship developed?

Alex: Brendan is the best guy and it was a very humbling experienced to have worked with him at the Carriage House. He’s worked with everyone from Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, two big musical influences of mine, to Paul Simon and Dr. John. Several times he had the vision to suggest additional parts for songs that transformed them, and in retrospect, were the exact pieces needed to bring the song to where it needed to be. It was a real honor to have had his musical knowledge and influence on this EP and we couldn’t be happier with the work he put into making these recordings something special.

How did you guys come up with the idea of blending folk, blues and rock together?

Joey: Part of what drew us together was the great sounds we reached through the exploration of each others musical passions. Alex can’t get enough of the blues, Zach was raised on folk, and I guess I would claim some of the rock/jam band influence because of other groups I’ve been in, but that’s also pretty much a shared influence among us. Overtime our influences meshed together to the point where each of our songs now has elements of all three genres.

Will you be hitting the road this year?

Alex: Yeah, definitely. We’ve already got stops lined up in Manhattan, Philly, D.C., Boston, and Burlington. We plan on making multiple stops at all of these cities this year as well as hitting the festival circuit. We had the honor to play at a few festivals last summer including one opening for blues legend, B.B. King. The goal is to do it all over again real soon.


What else is happening next in Hoochie Coochie Men ́s world?
Alex: Writing, writing, and more writing. While we’ll still be gigging, we spent so much of the last 4 months touring that we’d really like to take some time to work on new music. We’re hoping to be back in the studio for our first full length album come May 2015. -

You’ve never heard Etta James or the Beatles like this. I have to give credit where it is due, and the Hoochie Coochie Men drop the mic with finality on this magnificent mash-up of Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” and John Lennon’s “Don’t Let Me Down” which manages to build upon both without sacrificing what made both songs classics in their own right. This is what keeps me writing about music, listening to music, dreaming about music. And it’s going to keep you up late tonight, I guarantee! -