Hot Hot Heat

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Hot Hot Heat
Background information
Origin	Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Genre(s)	Indie rock Dance-punk New Wave[1] Post-punk revival
Years active	1999–present
Label(s)	Sire, Warner Bros.
Website	HotHotHeat.com
Members
Steve Bays Paul Hawley Dustin Hawthorne Luke Paquin
Former members
Matthew Marnik Dante DeCaro

Hot Hot Heat is a rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The band is currently comprised of Steve Bays (vocals and keyboards), Paul Hawley (drums), Dustin Hawthorne (bass) and Luke Paquin (guitar).

[edit] Biography

Hawthorne and Bays had been in many different bands together since 1995 and met Hawley in 1998. In 1999, Hawley bought a Juno 6 keyboard and asked Bays to try playing it, as no one else knew how. Hawley took over the drums from Bays and Hawthorne played bass. Matthew Marnik, who was a friend of the band, sang vocals. The band's original sound can be considered synthpunk.

The band soon changed direction to a more melodic, pop-influenced style, losing Marnik and adding guitarist Dante DeCaro. Strongly influenced by the New Wave sound of 1980s bands XTC, The Clash, and Elvis Costello and the Attractions, the new lineup, with Steve on vocals, quickly released a series of 7" singles and toured extensively in Canada and the American Pacific Northwest, joining up with similarly-styled indie rock bands such as Les Savy Fav, The French Kicks, Radio 4, Ima Robot, and Pretty Girls Make Graves, and opening for established Canadian rockers Sloan on a national tour.

The band's touring exposure attracted the interest of Seattle record label Sub Pop, who signed Hot Hot Heat in 2001, leading to the early 2002 release of EP Knock Knock Knock, produced in part by Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie. Although Hot Hot Heat got its start as a hardcore band, by the time it made contact with Sub Pop, its sound had mutated into what would soon be known as dance-punk. The band stood at the forefront of a movement that would explode on the indie rock scene within another year.^[2] That release was followed up quickly by the band's first full-length release, Make Up the Breakdown, produced by Nirvana and Soundgarden producer Jack Endino.

That album quickly found critical acclaim, and its singles "Bandages" and "Talk to Me, Dance With Me" received regular airplay on MTV and radio, including influential Los Angeles, California station KROQ, on whose charts both reached No. 1.

However, their track "Bandages" was removed from radio in the UK, from the playlist at BBC Radio 1, in the light of the war in the Middle East. This was thought to have hindered its position at #25 in the UK charts. The track had been on the B list on the station, guaranteeing 15 plays a week and a potential audience of millions. It was removed because of a "prevalence of the word 'bandages' in the song", a spokesperson said.[1]

In 2003 the band re-released the 2001 album of tracks recorded prior to their Sub Pop recordings, Scenes One Through Thirteen, on the OHEV Records label. Reflecting the band's transition period between their original sound and the present, and thus very much unlike what fans had heard on Knock Knock Knock and Make Up the Breakdown.

In 2004 Make Up the Breakdown won "Favorite Album" at the Canadian Independent Music Awards by popular vote. Guitarist Dante DeCaro announced his departure from the band in October 2004, but stayed to complete their next album. That album Elevator, the band's major label debut, was released commercially by Warner Bros. in April 2005. Dante handed over to replacement guitarist Luke Paquin when the band started their 2005 tour.

Hot Hot Heat played an opening set for American synth rock group The Killers at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on May 17th, 2007. However, The Killers were forced to pull out after three songs because lead singer Brandon Flowers was suffering from bronchitis. It is not known yet if Hot Hot Heat will return with The Killers for the make-up concert in September.

The follow up to Elevator, Happiness Ltd., was released on September 11, 2007. In late March 2007, the band posted the song "Give Up?" on their MySpace page as a sample of the album, and it was released on iTunes as a single on May 15th. A second single entitled "Let Me In" was released on July 16th.

Hot Hot Heat recently wrapped up a tour with Snow Patrol as their opening act on the U.S. leg of their summer tour. Their headlining tour of Germany, Canada and USA started September 3rd, 2007.

"Let Me In" debuted on KROQ at number 8. On August 8, 2007, the music video for "Let Me In" premiered on Myspace Music. Also, on September 6, 2007, Hot Hot Heat posted their new album on their MySpace.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

• Hot Hot Heat Split the Red Light Sting (2000)
• Scenes One Through Thirteen (2002)
• Make Up the Breakdown (2002) #146 US, #35 UK
• Elevator (2005) #34 US, #34 UK
• Happiness Ltd. (2007) #86 US #133 UK

[edit] EPs

• Hot Hot Heat (1999), four song 7"
• Hot Hot Heat (2001), three song 7"
• Knock Knock Knock (2002)

[edit] Singles

[edit] Appearance in the media

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

 Music sample:

[[Image:Hot Hot Heat - Rehab.ogg|"Rehab" cover excerpt]]

An Amy Winehouse cover for download on their MySpace page. The song features a sparser arrangement than the original, with heavier percussion and rock vocals.

Problems listening to the file? See media help.

• Their song "You Owe Me an IOU" appears on the soundtrack to the video game EA Sports MVP Baseball 2005, and "Pickin' It Up" appears in the video games Madden NFL 06 and SSX on Tour. Also, "Talk to me, Dance With Me" is on NHL 2K7. And "Island of the Honest Man" is on Project Gotham Racing 3.
• Their song "No, Not Now" was on the soundtrack of the snowboard-movie, the Shaun White Album. This is a biography snow and skate film of the famous snowboarder, Shaun White.
• Hot Hot Heat is the mystery band in the Vancouver Molson Canadian Rocks "Revealed" contest.
• The song "Bandages" was featured on the National Lacrosse League's video, "War on the Floor"
• The song "Elevator" was featured on an Absolut Vodka television commercial.
• The song "Goodnight Goodnight" was in the movie John Tucker Must Die.
• The song "Elevator" was featured on the BBC's television coverage of the Winter Olympics in Torino.
• The song "Give Up?" is featured on the soundtrack for the video game Burnout Dominator.
• Hot Hot Heat appeared on The Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno on Wednesday, August 8, 2007. They performed "Let Me In", the new single from their forthcoming album "Happiness LTD".
• September 7, 2007 Hot Hot Heat appeared as the musical guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien performing "Let Me In".
• The song "Let Me In" was featured on an episode of House.
• In the show What I Like About You, Holly has a Hot Hot Heat poster in her bedroom
• The song "My Best Fiend" is featured in the video game MLB 08 The Show.
• The song "Middle of Nowhere" is played in an episode of One Tree Hill (TV series)

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.myspace.com/hothotheat
2. ^ Hot Hot Heat finds "Happiness" on major label. Retrieved on August 27, 2007.

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Hot Hot Heat on MySpace
• Hot Hot Heat on Facebook
• Hot Hot Heat on PureVolume
• Hot Hot Heat on You Tube
• Hot Hot Heat on Twitter
• Le Le Low - The Unofficial Hot Hot Heat Fansite
• Live pictures of HHH in Edmonton
• Hot Hot Heat at New Music Canada
• Ache Records
• Hot Hot Heat at Last.fm
• "Fanning the Fame: Hot Hot Heat Sets the World on Fire" CBC Radio 3 session
• Hot Hot Heat videos on IndexTube
• Map of the 2007 Tour
• Online wiki for Hot Hot Heat concerts and setlists

[edit] See also

• List of bands from British Columbia
• List of bands from Canada