…out on tour from Austin in support of their latest release, TransAudioStasis, garage enthusiasts The Hi-Tones are making their way through the Midwest back home in time to showcase at SXSW. With core members Johnny Flores and Gary Delgado having spent nearly a decade playing together, the recent additions of drummer Kurt Lammers, guitarist Kyle Abrams, and keyboardist Alyson Beaujon have rounded out their sound and further fueled their explosive live show, which makes an appearance in Dayton at South Park Tavern tonight. We were able to speak with Flores recently about the band’s roots, their ties to Austin, and the ongoing degradation of the old music industry. Have a listen and read on….
MP3: The Hi-Tones “Way Out”
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The Buddha Den: While you’re all Texan natives and each have spent several years as musicians individually, how did you all decide to come together with the Hi-Tones? What sort of musical interests caused you to join forces?
Johnny Flores: The Hi-Tones began as a music collaboration between founding members bassist Gary Delgado, vocalist Johnny Flores, and former guitar player Steven Reyes. The band formed was called Dans La Lune, and a couple of the songs written during that era managed to end up on The Hi-Tones debut EP and are still performed today. After parting with Steven Reyes, Delgado and Flores continued to write songs and although shuffling through various members continued to move the group forward. The name “The Hi-Tones” was officially adopted in the Summer of ‘09. Over the past couple years, Kurt Lammers has settled in as The Hi-Tones drummer. Introduced to Flores and Delgado through a mutual friend, Kurt’s extensive knowledge of rhythm and music theory has been crucial in the writing and recording of the new TransAudioStasis EP, and his back up vocals add that much more to the live show. Kurt solidified his chops on the drumline at the University of Arkansas. Kyle Abrams has been in the group for the past eight months and has quickly established himself as the new guitar sound for the group. Kyle’s gritty, experimental style, has been a much welcomed breath of fresh air to the group. His ability to cover a wide range of tone from, slashing, futuristic grunge, to psychedelic vibrato and delay adds an element of dynamic that the group had been in desperate need of. He played a huge role in sculpting the overall feel of TransAudioStasis and the future of the group itself. More recently, the The Hi-Tones have added keyboard/synth player Alyson Beaujon. She has brought a irresistible charm to the band and is a key factor in the re-creating of the sounds and moods of the new album for the live show. So I guess we came together by chance, if you believe in it. It just feels natural to us. We couldn’t be more happy and confident than we are right now.
TBD: With the band’s roots in such a musical city as Austin, how informed are you by your experiences there? How supportive is the music scene? What kind of unique opportunities do you feel you’ve had as a result of being in such a vibrant musical community?
JF: Austin is our home. There countless things to do in Austin every night. It is truly a magical place, we are surrounded by music, art, fashion, film. Endless inspiration and influence. The music scene is very grass roots and very supportive. Very DIY. The scene is very real! The band has had the pleasure of working with great promoters, great venues and motivated individuals that make the Austin the unique scene that it is. We feel fortunate to be apart of it, but, then again, that’s why we moved there! With the number of venues in Austin and it’s surrounding towns, there is always a place to play even for the more obscure artist. If you play your cards right and you know someone who knows someone you can find yourself playing early support for a Neon Indian or a Dresden Dolls. Bands of that caliber are touring through Austin every day. Austin is a great place to be right now. We have been mostly DIY with our booking and have seen hefty rewards from our efforts. We’ve made great contacts, not only in Austin but all over the state of Texas. We get notified about shows on a daily basis online. There are definitely more opportunities in Austin, but an opportunity is only that if you don’t take advantage of it.
TBD: During your formative years you worked with Oscar Houchins who you claim helped you to learn the difference between “writing and crafting a song.” What types of techniques did he show you that helped you along these lines? How important do you feel that difference is in connecting with listeners? Why?
JF: Well, it’s not necessarily a technique more it’s like an approach. Oscar is a professional, and he pushed us to be more professional. To take ourselves seriously. As we mentioned the founding members have been writing songs since before the days of Oscar. Songwriting is a process. There are many variations to that process. We can’t give away any secrets but he did introduce us to some of those variations. The listening audience is always something that we take into consideration. For years we kept telling ourselves “yeah, we’re gonna blow everybody’s mind”. But it wasn’t until we actually tried to create something that people can identify with or relate to that we started to understand the true craft of songwriting and storytelling. That is kinda what it is all about. Finding something in yourself that can be found in everybody, and then sharing it.
TBD: How did the new disc TransAudioStasis come to fruition? Where did you record? How was the songwriting process for the new album? How did you decide to put it out on Lucy The Poodle records?
JF: TransAudioStasis came together in a short amount of time. We were booked to record with Frenchie Smith and were forced to kinda rush the process. In the end it worked out. The studio was a great experience. We took a step in a direction that was a bit more explosively real. We took a step away from the retro thing and it gave us a path to follow. Well, Johnny Flores being the former CEO of Lucy The Poodle Records, I wanted to release it ourselves with Lucy. Essentially, the Hi-Tones will be releasing this from their network. Get Hip Records will however be releasing a 7 inch this Spring. This will include two tracks from AudioStasis. With the digital music age upon us, the ability for a band to tour the world and release their art is at their fingertips. So we plan to keep doing everything ourselves at the same time work with various indie labels music persons.
TBD: As you tour out in advance of SXSW, how do you feel about returning home from tour for a festival of this magnitude? How do you feel about being an indie touring band at this point in time with the “music industry” allegedly on its last legs? How do you feel about the current state of music in the US?
JF: Well, we are very thrilled to finally be playing SXSW. The thought of coming off of a long tour and right into a showcase makes me relieved because we know the band will be in a zone. We actually are not quite concerned about the industry as a whole. The industry that is on it’s last legs is not the same industry that is popular nowadays. Across the board larger tours are suffering because of the outlandish ticket prices. The indie circuit is thriving however. Smaller tours and indie festivals are the way to go with the younger Facebook generation. College radio is still the best venue for indie bands to be heard on the airwaves. We feel the current state of music is shifting. The larger markets which have been in decline for several years are obviously suffering because people no longer have to spend $20 on an album if they want to hear their favorite band. They simply can download or hear anything they want sometimes for free. I think getting your music on a video game or TV series seems to be very popular for indie bands these days.
TBD: How do you strike a balance between an obvious love for the traditions of rock n’ roll and modern trends in music? Why do you continue to draw on the music of a generation ago?
JF: It is hard not to sound like your influences. Some of us have been listening to older music since we could crawl. So these sounds are always going to come out in some form or another in our music. At the same time you have to be aware of where music is going. The best thing to do is to try to guess what might be popular in 2 years time as opposed to music of the past five years. It is fun to try to add modern elements likes synthesizers and sequencers to garage licks. We don’t look at ourselves as a straight rock and roll band that you might hear on the radio. We try to take from all forms of music including electronic, soul, and even punk.
TBD: Is there anything else you would like people to know about The Hi-Tones coming to play at South Park Tavern?
JF: We are a hard working band with an explosive live show that is the very essence of what we do. Our music is best enjoyed with friends so bring yours. The band will be recording a new EP this Summer and touring again this coming fall. Friend us on Facebook or Follow Us @TheHiTones . Thanks!
…you can catch The Hi-Tones tonight at South Park Tavern along with locals Dirty Socialites and The Northwest Ordinance. See you there…
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