Music
Press
The Hotwalls (Detroit)
Power/Pop
There's a lot of "Pop" in this year's MidPoint, but this Detroit quartet might just be the poppermost of the toppermost. Drawing on a wellspring of classic '60s Pop, The Hotwalls' music is loaded with harmonies, "ba ba ba's," handclaps and tambourines. It's enough to make Phil Spector kill someone (ooops, sorry, bad choice of words). The band's eponymous debut came out early this year.
Dig It: The Posies, The Raspberries, Jellyfish. (MB) - City Beat Magazine (Cincinatti, OH)
The Hotwalls are now... and then. While not retro spawn, their power-pop attack nonetheless loads the single-coil ammo of the British Invasion into an American AM-radio pop-gun, firing a suction-cup dart that’ll stick right between your ears. Their eponymous recording debut sounds a bit like Alex Chilton and the Kaiser Chiefs shooting pool with Pete Townsend and Dave Davies as they groove on the Nuggets boxed set. These guys demonstrably have a load of smart, high-energy fun. Their boisterous live shows are fueled by Gabe Doman’s propulsive trap-set groove and Oliver Calhoun’s riff-happy guitar swirls. This record picks up where the live show leaves off, with vocalist Ryan Milligan’s lush tenor soaring gracefully, punctuating eight rock-solid gems. Milligan’s post-modern poetry and inventive melodies make these songs endlessly satisfying and worthy of repeated listening. Stand out tracks include the opener, “Broken Windows,” with its clanging, syncopated riff setting the stage for the rest of the record. “Mechanical” picks up the angular motif, while now-former bassist Bill Zech channels John Entwistle and Gabe Doman echoes Keith Moon. These tunes sit comfortably in a playlist alongside the likes of the Strokes, Squeeze, Arctic Monkeys, XTC, Big Star, Kaiser Chiefs, and the Knack (yeah, I said that). Savor this collection now and look forward to their next offering. Hopefully some indie success will afford a beefier production budget for the next effort. Pay attention - these cats have something to say. Are you listening, mobsters? Yeah, I betchu are. - CDBaby.com album review by Blind Bisha
Detroit's Hotwalls aren't interested in broken noses or power chords. Like a crop of notable local groups (the Silent Years and Prime Ministers included), the quartet makes straightforward pop that acknowledges contemporary indie rock but thinks music should mostly be about, you know, having a good time. Appropriately, their new album is full of jangling guitar chords and rich harmonies, but they can also tear it up when they want to. - Metro Times (Feb.7-13, 2007)
The Hotwalls are a killer indie pop band. The energy of their live shows can illuminate any dark lounge, especially a dimly lit joint like Northern Lights. This Saturday The Hotwalls are slated to do just that, as they head the bill at Northern Lights Lounge with special guest Ancourage.
The band brings fast, fun beats that make you want to shake something fierce. With elements of bouncy pop, infectious rhythmical patterns, and an alluring stage presence, The Hotwalls are a band you immediately form a crush on. - The South End [2/20/08]
Discography
The Hotwalls "4-song Demo" EP (2005)
The Hotwalls "(s/t)" CD (2007)
V/A "This Round's On Us" [Hell City Records (2007)] CD
V/A "International Pop Overthrow Vol.11" [Not Lame Records (2008)] CD
The Hotwalls "(Fizzkicks Download card w/Acoustic Radio performance)" (2008)
The Hotwalls "Everybody Here" CD (2009)
The Hotwalls "Loosies" CD (TBD 2012)
The Hotwalls "$3 Bill/Dig" 7"Single (TBD 2012)
Photos
Bio
The Hotwalls owe their continued relevance to their adoration for song and a genuine work ethic. During 2005, in a dank mid-western basement, Gabriel Doman, Oliver Calhoun, and William Zech were crafting atmospheric indie rock, when Ryan Milligan filled a vacancy to lyrically round out the songs on vocals. Their music closely resembled a mutant power-pop variation of their influences combined, but it all hit a bit faster...and a hell of a lot harder. Within months, they’d become The Hotwalls, recorded a demo, and started performing to receptive audiences in their native Detroit.
Doman recorded the band’s self-titled debut, released on his start-up indie label, Detroit’s Finest Records, in February 2007. In the meantime, Zech left the band and Nathan Miller joined, with a welcomed tonal wallop gleaned from his years in Detroit’s celebrated hardcore/punk scene. Shortly after the release of The Hotwalls’ 2007 debut, Calhoun left the band, while Doman and Jarrod Champion simultaneously filled vacancies. Miller had spotted Champion, traditionally a man of steel and ivory, behind the kit at an after-hours’ jam session, and invited him to try out for The Hotwalls. In a fantastic display of aptitude, Doman relinquished the kit for lead guitar, and Champion emerged as a natural behind the kit. The Hotwalls continued performing throughout 2008-2009, including their legendary February 2008 acoustic performance on Detroit’s WDET.
Whereas their self-titled debut was recorded entirely DIY, the band opted for a professional studio recording experience for their second album. The Hotwalls’ December 2009 release, Everybody Here, captures the band in its essence, as a true collaborative, where each member’s sense and sensibility is represented part and parcel to the whole.
Cut to 2012: Loosies finds the band exploring new arrangement/recording techniques at Doman's studio (dubbed "The PharmHouse"). This 9-song teaser, which includes the much lauded 2008 radio performance (on wdet 101.9 fm), is just there to whet the listener's appetite. And to further slake the listeners thirst for new material, The Hotwalls went back to a professional environment to record the $3 Bill/Dig single (to be released on 7" vinyl). These 2 songs find the band's sense of fun and spontaneity fully in tact. dates for both releases are yet to be determined.
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