Party Hat
Music Interview with Party Hat
By: Isaac Davis Jr., BGS, MBA
What I am enjoying about this next band is that Party Hat makes music that is fun, entertaining, and exciting to listen to especially when many bands are sounding the same these days. Also, the originality of their music is easily appealing to music lovers wanting to hear something new, unique, and fresh. Recently, we had the pleasure to speak with the members of the band in this ultra chic spotlight that is sure to delight. Here is what formulated from this online meeting. Enjoy!!
Isaac: What’s the name of your band? What’s the origin of that name? Have you changed the band’s name before?
Party Hat: We’re called Party Hat. Aaron (our guitarist) just came into practice one day and dropped the name on us. Everyone just nodded and said “Okay”. It was pretty funny in retrospect because I think lots of bands agonize over their name and ours just kind of happened. We were, for a while, called Interrobang. But, we discovered another band in the Boston area already had dibs on it so we decided to switch to Party Hat.
Isaac: What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
Party Hat: We loosely define ourselves as alternative rock. We definitely draw influences from Incubus, Head Automatica, and Journey/the general shiny veneer of the 1980s.
Isaac: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?
Party Hat: Well Aaron and Alex (guitarist and drummer respectively) went to high school together. The rest of us met at Tufts either through mutual friends or flyers.
Isaac: When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?
Party Hat: The band really started in high school with Aaron and Alex playing together. It really started going, though, a few years later when we solidified the line-up. And who needs real inspiration to make music together? We’re all about rocking hard and rocking now. That’s all the inspiration we ever needed.
Isaac: Do you have a record label? Are you a member of any music organizations?
Party Hat: We do not currently have a record label but are open to the idea of working with one.
Isaac: What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever’s available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?
Party Hat: We aren’t subject to brand loyalty at all. Everyone has played Party Hat sets with a multitude of different equipment. I’d say the instrument set up we have now really allows us to explore different ground that not a whole lot of bands are digging on now. Aaron uses a rack with an infinite amount of effects so his sound is really versatile. Ben, the keyboardist, has 2 keyboards, a keytar, and a melodica, which allows for some interesting interplay between him and Aaron.
Isaac: Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
Party Hat: We’ve performed at various venues throughout Boston and New York. We loved playing at Fat Baby in the East Village in Manhattan. It was a tiny little rock club that we packed full of people. Just sweaty and awesome, ya know? We have a show on November 6th at Tufts University. We’re playing at 11 PM. Check our MySpace for details!
Isaac: Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list?
Party Hat: We play our original material most often but love covering some songs too. We have recently been throwing in Africa by Toto and Separate Ways by Journey into our set.
People really go crazy for those songs. And our set list is always changing and morphing around. We like to keep our shows fresh for fans that come to every one.
Isaac: Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?
Party Hat: We all contribute to the songwriting for the band which really gives us a boundary-pushing sound. We have a few songs about the apocalypse now but we also have love songs. We really don’t pigeon hole ourselves into writing one kind of song. That’s boring. And Party Hat ain’t boring.
Isaac: Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
Party Hat: Sure. We take a jackhammer and put it into a blender. Then once we blend it, we sprinkle the jackhammer dust on top of a double bacon cheeseburger. Everyone in the band takes a bite and then we play the first thing that comes to our head. That’s how every single song of ours has been written. If you think I’m making that up on the spot you’re wrong.
Isaac: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
Party Hat: Our rehearsals are a lot of fun. We tend to have band ADD where we’ll be trying to write a song or tighten up some section of a tune and then someone starts playing a random 80s song and everyone else gets really excited about it. We’ll jam on it for about 10 minutes. And we rehearse twice a week.
Isaac: How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
Party Hat: We’ve really brought it to a new level. The music started out with some good greasy and crunchy roots but I think the place where we are sitting now has a lot more mass appeal. We’re really killing our live shows. There’s this bottle-rocket energy that we have onstage that is just impossible to contain.
Isaac: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Party Hat: I’d say that now, with Casey (our singer), living in New York and the rest of us still in Boston; we have the strain of a long-distance relationship. We’re staying committed to Casey and aren’t seeing any other singers; we all Skype a few days a week just to show that we’re still emotionally attached. It’s pretty cute. But, doing the “distance thing” is always difficult, but we’re putting every effort forward to make it work and it’s paying off! We’re still rocking hard.
Isaac: What’s your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?
Party Hat: I’d say the ultimate direction for Party Hat is to actually have a Surgeon General warning on our album. Also, fans should be required to have a general physical before our shows to be sure that they can sustain a high heart rate/sexual arousal. And those Viagra ads that talk about the possibility of erections lasting for over four hours? Yeah. That too!!
Isaac: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Party Hat: Find some kids that you can play video games and watch Futurama with. If, at that point, you also all happen to play instruments and want to melt faces across the galaxy, I’d so go for making a band. However, the people that you make music with are more important than the actual skill of the musicians. As a band, Party Hat has five members. But, when we play, everyone is existing in this sixth element that we can all only get to using each other. You gotta trust each other because making music is deeply personal. Make a band of brothers and you’re off to a good start.
Isaac: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
Party Hat: Yes! You can find us on MySpace.
http://www.myspace.com/partyhatband.
Or just type “Party Hat” into FaceBook and we’ll pop up there. Become a fan to hear info about shows, merch, new tracks and more!
Isaac: Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
Party Hat: We’d all like to thank the Internet for being our biggest musical inspiration. Seriously, YouTube videos influence our set more than we’d comfortably admit.
Isaac: Any last words?
Party Hat: Astronaut. Jalopy. Sprinkler. Easel.
By: Isaac Davis Jr., BGS, MBA
What I am enjoying about this next band is that Party Hat makes music that is fun, entertaining, and exciting to listen to especially when many bands are sounding the same these days. Also, the originality of their music is easily appealing to music lovers wanting to hear something new, unique, and fresh. Recently, we had the pleasure to speak with the members of the band in this ultra chic spotlight that is sure to delight. Here is what formulated from this online meeting. Enjoy!!
Isaac: What’s the name of your band? What’s the origin of that name? Have you changed the band’s name before?
Party Hat: We’re called Party Hat. Aaron (our guitarist) just came into practice one day and dropped the name on us. Everyone just nodded and said “Okay”. It was pretty funny in retrospect because I think lots of bands agonize over their name and ours just kind of happened. We were, for a while, called Interrobang. But, we discovered another band in the Boston area already had dibs on it so we decided to switch to Party Hat.
Isaac: What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
Party Hat: We loosely define ourselves as alternative rock. We definitely draw influences from Incubus, Head Automatica, and Journey/the general shiny veneer of the 1980s.
Isaac: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?
Party Hat: Well Aaron and Alex (guitarist and drummer respectively) went to high school together. The rest of us met at Tufts either through mutual friends or flyers.
Isaac: When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?
Party Hat: The band really started in high school with Aaron and Alex playing together. It really started going, though, a few years later when we solidified the line-up. And who needs real inspiration to make music together? We’re all about rocking hard and rocking now. That’s all the inspiration we ever needed.
Isaac: Do you have a record label? Are you a member of any music organizations?
Party Hat: We do not currently have a record label but are open to the idea of working with one.
Isaac: What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever’s available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?
Party Hat: We aren’t subject to brand loyalty at all. Everyone has played Party Hat sets with a multitude of different equipment. I’d say the instrument set up we have now really allows us to explore different ground that not a whole lot of bands are digging on now. Aaron uses a rack with an infinite amount of effects so his sound is really versatile. Ben, the keyboardist, has 2 keyboards, a keytar, and a melodica, which allows for some interesting interplay between him and Aaron.
Isaac: Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
Party Hat: We’ve performed at various venues throughout Boston and New York. We loved playing at Fat Baby in the East Village in Manhattan. It was a tiny little rock club that we packed full of people. Just sweaty and awesome, ya know? We have a show on November 6th at Tufts University. We’re playing at 11 PM. Check our MySpace for details!
Isaac: Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list?
Party Hat: We play our original material most often but love covering some songs too. We have recently been throwing in Africa by Toto and Separate Ways by Journey into our set.
People really go crazy for those songs. And our set list is always changing and morphing around. We like to keep our shows fresh for fans that come to every one.
Isaac: Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?
Party Hat: We all contribute to the songwriting for the band which really gives us a boundary-pushing sound. We have a few songs about the apocalypse now but we also have love songs. We really don’t pigeon hole ourselves into writing one kind of song. That’s boring. And Party Hat ain’t boring.
Isaac: Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
Party Hat: Sure. We take a jackhammer and put it into a blender. Then once we blend it, we sprinkle the jackhammer dust on top of a double bacon cheeseburger. Everyone in the band takes a bite and then we play the first thing that comes to our head. That’s how every single song of ours has been written. If you think I’m making that up on the spot you’re wrong.
Isaac: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
Party Hat: Our rehearsals are a lot of fun. We tend to have band ADD where we’ll be trying to write a song or tighten up some section of a tune and then someone starts playing a random 80s song and everyone else gets really excited about it. We’ll jam on it for about 10 minutes. And we rehearse twice a week.
Isaac: How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
Party Hat: We’ve really brought it to a new level. The music started out with some good greasy and crunchy roots but I think the place where we are sitting now has a lot more mass appeal. We’re really killing our live shows. There’s this bottle-rocket energy that we have onstage that is just impossible to contain.
Isaac: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Party Hat: I’d say that now, with Casey (our singer), living in New York and the rest of us still in Boston; we have the strain of a long-distance relationship. We’re staying committed to Casey and aren’t seeing any other singers; we all Skype a few days a week just to show that we’re still emotionally attached. It’s pretty cute. But, doing the “distance thing” is always difficult, but we’re putting every effort forward to make it work and it’s paying off! We’re still rocking hard.
Isaac: What’s your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?
Party Hat: I’d say the ultimate direction for Party Hat is to actually have a Surgeon General warning on our album. Also, fans should be required to have a general physical before our shows to be sure that they can sustain a high heart rate/sexual arousal. And those Viagra ads that talk about the possibility of erections lasting for over four hours? Yeah. That too!!
Isaac: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Party Hat: Find some kids that you can play video games and watch Futurama with. If, at that point, you also all happen to play instruments and want to melt faces across the galaxy, I’d so go for making a band. However, the people that you make music with are more important than the actual skill of the musicians. As a band, Party Hat has five members. But, when we play, everyone is existing in this sixth element that we can all only get to using each other. You gotta trust each other because making music is deeply personal. Make a band of brothers and you’re off to a good start.
Isaac: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
Party Hat: Yes! You can find us on MySpace.
http://www.myspace.com/partyhatband.
Or just type “Party Hat” into FaceBook and we’ll pop up there. Become a fan to hear info about shows, merch, new tracks and more!
Isaac: Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
Party Hat: We’d all like to thank the Internet for being our biggest musical inspiration. Seriously, YouTube videos influence our set more than we’d comfortably admit.
Isaac: Any last words?
Party Hat: Astronaut. Jalopy. Sprinkler. Easel.
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