HN-88

For many bands, the love of music is what holds them together. For local Santa Fe band HN-88, what unites them is the hyphen between the "N" and the "88."

They are a group of local teens from Capital High School with big dreams and two albums under their belt.

HN-88's name was inspired by lyrics on Blink 182's live album,The Mark, Tom and Travis Show. Although Blink 182 is an important influence on the band, the members chose to make the name their own. HN-88 is an affectionate reminder of Nate King, their vocalist and bassist, whom they've been "hating" since 1988.

Hating Nate since 1988 — from which the band gets its HN-88 acronym — has practice space in Santa Fe in a RV park owned by family of the band's drummer, Tim Brown. HN-88 rehearses in a 65-year-old fixed-up room decorated with posters.

King and Brown laughed as they reminisced about starting out as a band called Jerk, and eventually meeting members from another local band, Some Kind of Dumb. That's how they gained guitarist and vocalist Kyle Tapia, and keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist Bobby Strait. The members have been friends since attending Capital High School.

"Me and Kyle were inseparable. We hung out every day [at school]," King said.

In addition to attending the same high school, they were all in the school's theater program, then known as the Capital Academy of Performing Arts.

Since then, the band has continued to work hard on its music and has gained an impressive fan base. Three years after their formation in 2006, they were offered a chance to have one song recorded, receiving $600 from Medical Records for it. Although the band members were unsure what would come of the trip to the recording studio in Dallas, they look back on the recording as a success.

"From that day forward, we [did] not play the same, we [did] not write the same. We risked our everything. But overall, we came together and came up with something better," King said.

The first song compiled by the four, titled "The Case of the Robbery, and the Innocence of the Robber," was later featured on the album ...This is Not the End.

Soon after, HN-88 set April 2010 recording dates for ...This is Not the End. They wrote and composed songs for the album in less than one year.

The band was comfortable with its new sound and direction, so it fixed up the band space on the family-owned RV Park and focused on performances, the members said.

The band was offered a contract with Medical Records this month and is currently working on its new album. This time around, the modern-rock band is again planning to write an album in less than one year. The project will include 10 new tracks, highlighting sounds ranging from punk to pop.

Since 2006, the band has produced two albums. The first album, 2008's Revolution In Progress, includes a three-person version of HN-88. The band's second album, ...This is Not the End, released in 2010, features the band's new member, Bobby Strait, who completes the four-member lineup.

The band has played 38 shows at various venues since its formation. The group agrees that the energy it receives from performances is its favorite part about playing live.

"I love that at the end of the show, we are as exhausted as our audience," Brown said.

Though HN-88 members are moving forward with their music, they haven't forgotten the past. They are a group of young artists looking to expand into the music world at full throttle. The band mates lead and follow one another and have built a trusting relationship.

"As far as leaders go, I'd say it's a democracy," Tapia said.

"We have front men, but no leaders," King interjected in the stuffy rehearsing room.

HN-88 also shared some advice for other bands. "If this is what you want to do, take absolute control and treat it as though it comes first; eventually, you will accomplish something great," King said.

When talking about the future of HN-88, Strait said the members have "huge ambitions" for the band.

King has a clear picture of what those might look like: "Years from now, we see ourselves being supported through our music, writing songs, touring, not taking showers for days, meeting tons of new people and going new places — doing what we love," King said.

And it might happen soon.

HN-88 is preparing for an upcoming two-week trip to Atlanta to record with Medical Records, with its latest album set to release in early 2012 via Amazon and iTunes. After that, they plan a two-week tour along the East Coast.

Charine Gonzales is a junior at Santa Fe Secondary School. Contact her at charinepgonzales@gmail.com. - santafenewmexican

"Artists represented by Illumina Records have pulled together to help put an end to drunk driving. The performers have created a prevention campaign that incorporates singing to save lives." - The Michigan Journal

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