Hank & Cupcakes

Fresh new artist - MTV

Don't be deceived. Just because the word cupcake is part of their band name does NOT mean that Hank &Cupcakes are a kiddie band and/or a band that makes music like Eiffel Blue (Da Ba De). Nope, the Israeli duo is vocalist/drummer Cupcakes and pedal board player/bassist Hank, and the band name is a hat tip to literary legend Charles Bukowski and one of his real-life lovers:Cupcakes. And if you haven't heard the band's infectious blend of electro-pop goodness, then look no further than their latest video, Aint No Love, from the EP of the same name. Oh, and one more CRUCIAL factoid about these guys: THEY'RE MARRIED! Like, an IRL married, rocking duo. Mazel tov, guys. We're getting some serious Mates Of State and Matt & Kim vibes here.

Watch Hank &Cupcakes Aint No Love video after the jump.

In the trippy performance video, the duo jam out to their new record while decked in super sick outfits (P.S. Imma need those sequin shorts ASAP). As colorful lights flash and fill the space, Cupcakes bangs on a freestanding drum, Hank does his thing on the bass, and the pair truly dance like no one's watching #BestLife. And yes, like you, we've always thought that phrase was kinda cheesy, but just watch this video and TRY to tell us that line doesn't directly apply. - MTV Buzzworthy

Williamsburg duo Hank & Cupcakes pumps out tight, funky indie pop with impressively sturdy hooks - Time Out New York

Getting to Know: Hank & Cupcakes
BY CATHERINE PREWITT

Hometown: Williamsburg, N.Y.; Tel Aviv, Israel
Members: Sagit Shir, Ariel Scherbacovsky
For fans of: Lykke Li, Regina Spektor, Justice

Two years ago, Israeli duo Hank & Cupcakes left Tel Aviv, where they were making a living as musicians. Hoping to become part of a larger music scene, they moved to New York. Since Manhattan was too expensive, they ended up in a little studio apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, not knowing it was the indie music capital of America. And with the irresistibly danceable live show they bring to the bars of their new neighborhood, the two are poised to grab some of that Williamsburg attention for themselves.

Hank & Cupcakes are Ariel Scherbacovsky, whose funky bass riffs and effects pedalboard sound like a full band, and his wife Sagit Shir, a powerhouse vocalist and drummer. Their infectiously poppy self-titled EP is a four-track teaser to their frenetic live shows, where Cupcakes, clad in Chuck Taylors and spandex dresses, stands to bang her drum kit and puts down her sticks to catalyze dance parties in front of the stage.

Paste caught up with the couple after one such live show at a riverside festival in Harrisburg, Penn., and chatted about teen angst, Brooklyn street art, and the 13-person marching band that played at their wedding.

Paste: Have you been traveling much abroad this year?
Hank: We played in Israel, a few shows.

Paste: In your hometown?
Hank: Well, the whole place is pretty much as big as… New York has as many cities as all of Israel.
Cupcakes: Last time we were in Israel we were there for a very big festival. We were opening for the band Placebo. That was very, very exiting.
Hank: Like a huge festival. We’ve never played on such a big stage.
Cupcakes: There were thousands of people. It was very exciting. So we were flown to Israel, and we got to visit our family, which was very convenient. And we played in London, a few shows. But we haven’t played a lot outside of the States.

Paste: Do both of your families live in the same town?
Hank: No. My family is from Jerusalem.
Cupcakes: And my family is from the Tel Aviv area. But it’s only an hour and a half.
Hank: Israel is about the size of New Jersey.
Cupcakes: To go from north to south in Israel is like six hours’ drive, and from east to west is like two hours. It’s really small.

Paste: Was it good to be home?
Cupcakes: We were only there for a week. We try not to visit for too long because it gets us out of the groove and gets us out of the fast, New York electric mode. You know, when you’re with your family and in another country, you start relaxing too much…
Hank: …and it all gets psychological and heavy and all of your past comes back to you. And the good things, too, by the way, not only bad things.
Cupcakes: Mom…

Paste: Do you think that for this season of your lives you’re meant to just stay in that going-going-going, fast pace?
Cupcakes: I think we should’ve been going much before this season, but we only got to New York two years ago, so we’re making up for lost time. We love it. I mean, we were walking here before the show, and both of us felt like everyone was on sedatives because we weren’t used to people walking so slowly. We’re used to New York where everyone’s running down and running around. We love that fast pace, so it was very weird for us to get used to this slow pace. Hank said, “It’s so slow. Why is everyone so slow?” and I said, “Wait, it’s not. It’s normal. These are normal people.”

Paste: Do you guys call one another “Hank” and “Cupcakes”?
Hank: Nooo.
Cupcakes: Sometimes.
Hank: Yeah? Maybe as a joke.
Cupcakes: No, I call him Ariel.

Paste: Tell me what you love about Williamsburg, besides the pace?
Cupcakes: Besides the pace? We love the artistic vibe. Everyone’s an artist in Williamsburg. We feel very much at home and part of the landscape there. We feel inspired by everything that’s going on. There’s always street stuff going on and art. We get a lot of inspiration for our music from things that aren’t necessarily musical, so it’s a good environment.
Hank: You can just walk in the street and see graffiti or things that random artists did on the wall. It’s beautiful. It’s amazing.
Cupcakes: We love it. I have a collection on my phone of photos of street art.
Hank: Yeah, we can show you. And there are maybe 20 venues in the neighborhood. You can pass between them and see great shows. Every evening someone amazing is playing somewhere. That’s very inspiring.
Cupcakes: But honestly, though, the reason we live in Williamsburg is because it’s cheaper than Manhattan. If we could afford it, maybe we would live in Manhattan.
Hank: I wouldn’t live anywhere else. I’ll tell you the truth.
Cupcakes: You wouldn’t live in Manhattan?
Hank: I think we live in the best place in the moment in New York.

Paste: Did you know that going in? Did y - Paste Magazine

Funky fresh sound
Hank & Cupcakes heat up Williamsburg with new EP and sizzling live shows

Hank & Cupcakes have been making music for over a decade, but it took moving to Brooklyn to put them on the map.

Formed in Israel more than a decade ago, the Williamsburg-based boy-girl bass and drums duo decided that in order to do what they love right, they needed to leave.

“The music industry where we come from is more challenging, less diverse and less open-minded,” said Sagit Shir, better known as Cupcakes.

Shir’s husband, Ariel Scherbacovsky, the “Hank” of the outfit, added, “We wanted to leave Israel and go to a new place to do new things. We figured New York would be amazing for that.”

The two chose correctly. Since moving here nearly two years ago, the duo have attracted attention for their infectious dance music, heard on their self-titled EP, released last month, and in their energetic live show.

It’s been easy to catch them live, too; when not touring the globe, the two play here almost constantly, with at least one show a week if they can swing it (they achieve that next week, with a show outside the Lovin’ Cup Cafe in Williamsburg on June 21 and then again in the neighborhood on June 23 at Brooklyn Bowl).

“The shows are the center of excitement in our lives,” said Cupcakes, who handles the drums and vocals, while Hank’s on the bass.

Cupcakes also is responsible for the lyrics, which pull from her everyday experiences in Brooklyn. The New Wave dance track, “Ain’t No Love,” for instance, was the first song Cupcakes wrote upon moving to New York, inspired by the “experience of weird alienation here, riding the subway and people not making eye contact, which was weird or me to get used to,” said Cupcakes. “Now, I’ve learned to be part of the crowd.”

On stage, at least, she can’t help but stand out, with her explosive, commanding voice and overt sexuality (despite her cutesy nickname, this is a woman who penned the track “Pleasure Town,” a funk-disco enthused “Love Shack”).

When they play Brooklyn Bowl this month, they look to “rock the stage really hard and hopefully burn the place down,” said Cupcakes. Don’t be surprised if they do.

Hank & Cupcakes outside Lovin’ Cup Cafe [93 N. Sixth St. between Wythe Avenue and Berry streets in Williamsburg, (718) 302-1180], June 21 at 2 pm, free, and Brooklyn Bowl [61 Wythe Ave. between N. 11th and N. 12th streets in Williamsburg, (718) 963-3369], June 23 at 9 pm, free. For info, visit www.hankandcupcakes.com. - New York Post

Hank and Cupcakes: The most fun you will have listening to any band in the new year -- guaranteed! The Israel via Brooklyn husband and wife duo are a two person Gogol Bordello and they will have you stomping across the aisles. - Huffington Post

The distinctive edgy sound and overall attitude of this minimalist but successful duo is reminiscent of New York City' energy and restlessness combined with bits of soulfulness and youthful spirit. - The Deli Magazine

Hard and fast yet so electro-disco, Hank & Cupcakes spin vicious pop that is just as good for rocking out as it is for dancing. They sound insanely polished, they have boundless energy…either we're getting punked somehow or this duo is looking at quick big things. - Metromix New York

Hank and Cupcakes, Brooklyn’s buzz worthy drum and bass duo, rock out on their new self-titled EP with four rhythmically dense tracks and one video that showcase their innovative sound. When Hank & Cupcakes take the stage, their infectious energy dominates the room, generating a fierce groove that immediately has the crowd up and moving. First time fans may find themselves scrutinizing the stage, looking in vain for the guitar player that seems to be filling out the band's sound, but it's just Hank & Cupcakes. - Flavorpill New York

Remember Matt and Kim's video for Yea Yeah? Hank & Cupcakes video for Aint No Love is kind of like that, except the band gets bedazzled with sequins and furry pompoms--not pelted with cream pies and spaghetti. And the song is more of a blues-pop-rock-rap concoction than a prog-synth-pop confection. So, really, the two videos have very little in common. But I think you'll like them both a whole lot.
MELISSA GIANNINI - NYLON Magazine