We were recently introduced to Indianapolis’s own pop, synth, gloom-rock amalgamation WE ARE HEX. This female-fronted quartet pulls influences from across the board, spanning decades of musical contributions. We Are Hex‘s sound has been compared to popular acts PJ Harvey, The Cure, and even Gang of Four although, the band’s approach and velocity is more explosive and reminiscent of live steamrollers Iggy Pop and the Stooges. We Are Hex shifts gears at will, with lots of twists and turns to perk you eardrums that will keep even the ADHD listeners tuned in. We Are Hex is currently embarking on a US tour where they will be stopping at some of the best underground venues of DIY scene. Blow The Scene’s Joshua T. Cohen recently caught up We Are Hex on the opening week of the current tour for an exclusive interview.
Joshua BTS: Good day mates! Tell us, what is We Are Hex? Introduce yourselves by declaring your musical weapon of choice!
Jilly – Vox
Brandon – Drums
Trevor – Bass & Keys
Matt – Guitar & Keys
Jilly: If we had to define what We Are Hex “is” – it is a music writing project with no music genre definition nor limitations. Our goal is to never put out the same record twice.
Joshua BTS:Your music incorporates a wide range of influences. You’ve been compared to The Cure and even Peaches. Tell us how you define the band.
Jilly: We all come from different musical backgrounds and we don’t all like the same kinds of music. We aren’t all influenced by the same kinds of music. We don’t have a set sound in mind…we just bring what we bring. We don’t limit or censor each other at all. We just go into our practice space and things come out…we never really go in saying we want to sound like “this.”
It is exciting because we never know what is going to happen next, sonically. This new LP, Hail The Goer, being released through Roaring Colonel Records sounds nothing like our previous record.
Joshua BTS: Who were some of your early influences?
Jilly: I grew up listening to punk rock…Brandon did too. I liked the whole punk scene. It instilled that DIY work ethic…we’ve applied that to all efforts. We self-record. We do our own art work. The Queers influenced me at a pretty young age.
Brandon: The early Dischord stuff. Early Touch-N-Go stuff.
Joshua BTS: Any current artists or projects that are really exciting you right now?
Liars – we really look up to them. Each record is radically different. They don’t seem to fear losing fans. They are doing exactly what they want and it’s great.
Joshua BTS: Tell us about your forthcoming release “Hail The Goer.” What should listeners expect and where can fans find samples? Set a release date yet?
Jilly: It is dark and gloomy like some things we’ve done, but it is punchy and poppier…it is more straight ahead rock at times. More hooks, more stick in your head tracks. It is more accessible than our previous work probably.
Samples can be found at Roaring Colonel Records
National release date is August 10th – you’ll find it at iTunes and most all digital outlets.
You have just begun a US tour. What should we expect from the tour and are there any groups that will be joining you that you are really looking forward to playing with?
Jilly: We are looking forward to playing with Hot Cha Cha from Cleveland…we’ve been working with them a lot lately.
We don’t have any expectations right now. There may be 10 people…there may be 100+. We are just glad to be touring and playing. We plan to work hard, be humble, and raise hell.
Joshua BTS: What do the band’s future plans look like? Any surprises in store for fans? Any tours being planned for Europe and abroad?
Jilly: We are always writing and recording. We already have a handful of new songs ready for the next album. We just self-released a split cassette that we’ll be selling on this tour as well. We plan to tour most of the Fall…we’re going to stay in the van as much as we can. We’re just four best friends so it is really easy to be cooped up in a van with these three guys all time.
TOUR DATES:
Jul 13 2010 9:30P Club Diablo Buffalo, NY
Jul 14 2010 8:30P The Bell House Brooklyn, NY
Jul 15 2010 9:00P PA’s lounge Somerville, MA
Jul 16 2010 1:30P TBA New York/Brooklyn, NY
Jul 17 2010 9:00P Danger Danger Gallery Philadelphia, Pennsylvan
Jul 18 2010 8:30P Velvet Lounge Washington, DC
Jul 19 2010 8:30P Wind-Up Space Baltimore, MD
Jul 20 2010 8:30P Nightlight Chapel Hill, NC
Jul 21 2010 9:00P Longbranch Saloon Knoxville, TN
Jul 23 2010 9:00P Zanzabar Louisville, KY
Jul 24 2010 9:00P Radio Radio Indianapolis, IN
Jul 25 2010 9:00P Doc’s Music Hall Muncie, Indiana
Jul 29 2010 9:00P Way Out Club St. Louis, MO
Jul 30 2010 9:00P Stack Hall Kansas City, MO
Jul 31 2010 8:00P The Hole (DIY FEST) Omaha, NE
Photo Courtesy of We Are Hex Official Website and Gregthemayor.
For Free Steaming Samples go to We Are Hex Official Myspace.
