Holding Mercury... Inside the band with Matt Hoffer
By Stephanie D. Jimenez
(SugarBuzz Los Angeles)
Images by Patti FarFan
SugarBuzz Magazine
Turn down the lights and turn up the desire. It is time to give into temptation and surrender your soul into the fires of uncontrollable passion. Let it reach past the brink of sanity... rocking your body hard and long all through the night. Are you ready? Do you think you can handle it? Then let me introduce you to Matt Hoffer and all that is ‘Holding Mercury’.
If Matt’s name sounds familiar then you probably recall him as a contestant on the CBS show Rockstar: Supernova. He was unfortunately cut from the lineup of the show before he was able demonstrate what a dynamic artist he is. However, that doesn’t seem to be an issue as Matt is completely dedicated himself to his band.
Taking the opportunity to interview Matt Hoffer for an inside look at his band Holding Mercury, all I can say is that charm, professionalism, and class are not things of the past.
Did you always want a solo career?
Matt Hoffer: “ No, it was kind of by default. After Holding Mercury broke up the first time, I was a bit burnt out and just played solo acoustic shows for a couple years and focused on other aspects of my life. I don't regret the time off because I was recharged and got the rest of my life in order.”
Where would you hope to see your career as a solo artist go?
Matt Hoffer: “I'm all about Holding Mercury and not much else. Occasionally, I'll write a song that doesn't fit, and I just shelve it or record an acoustic version.
I hope Holding Mercury is successful and I don't have to go solo again. I love the dynamic of a band. I think we've got the right chemistry, and it's tough to get that dynamic when you're paying side men who aren't as invested in the project.
What differences are there between your works, as a solo artist, versus that of the lead vocalist for Holding Mercury?
Matt Hoffer: “There's a "one for all and all for one" mentality with the band. I love that dynamic. It's like a relationship. When you have someone you respect that makes you a better person, it's one of the strongest and most productive bonds you can have, and when it's bad, a lot of the time you'd rather be alone. We've got great chemistry, and, hopefully we can reach a point where we can make an honest living out of it.”
Without a doubt, Holding Mercury will be a band that will succeed well beyond any and all expectations.
Holding Mercury (Chicago based) was named one of the ‘Hot 100 Unsigned Bands and Artists of 2008’ within Music Connection Magazine December 2008 issue.
With the November 4, 2008 release of their album entitled ‘Downfall of an Empire’, playing all the major Chicago venues in Chicago and selling out show after show throughout the Midwest; this bands fan base is rapidly growing and their success continues to climb.
How long has the band been together? And how did you come together as a group?
Matt Hoffer: “Our current lineup has been together for about 9 months. Andy, our bassist, and I have been friends forever, and have been in and out of bands since we were 13. Andy and I joined up again in 2005 to support me as a solo artist, and throughout the making of "Downfall of an Empire" in 2006 and 2007 got more and more involved until it started to feel like a band. Hence, Holding Mercury was born.
A brilliant drummer and producer named Garret Hammond, formerly of Kill Hannah, produced our record and would play live with us here locally when we had some gigs. He is a family man and more of a hired gun, so we knew we would eventually have to find someone to replace him when it came time to promote the record. We delayed that process probably longer than we should have because he's a hell of a drummer and we loved playing with him. Finally, in late 2007, we began the process of placing ads on Craigslist and started to audition drummers.
Our old guitar player, Larry Schroeder, played with our current drummer, Jason Batchko in his band Regal Standard a few years ago. Andy and I had known and loved Jason's old band, Caviar, which was signed to Island and had a great deal of success in the scene, but never quite "made it". We probably auditioned at least 15 drummers and talked to many more, and only one, Ashok Warrier, seemed as capable as Jason in filling Garret's shoes. It was a tough choice, but we ultimately chose Jason over Ashok, despite developing a good friendship with Ashok through the whole process.
In March of 2008, Larry decided he wanted to revive Regal Standard and bid us adieux.... Andy and I were really not too stoked about going through another audition process, but we pressed on and repeated the painful Craigslist process. I had not talked to Ashok in quite a while, but ran into him one morning on his way to work after being freshly ousted from a woman's bed. I had remembered that Ashok had played every instrument on his last project, and because he fit so wonderfully into the group personally, I suggested to Andy that we have him in to audition on guitar. When he came in and played "Let it Go" with us, we all knew we had found our replacement. His guitar tone was massive and he laid in all of Larry's parts perfectly. It's been a long road to get four guys on the same page, but finally in April 2008, we finally got it all together.”
How did you come up with the name for the band?
Matt Hoffer: “I had read that in the 19th century, hat makers would use mercury when turning fur into felt, and the workers would slowly go insane over time. We all know of the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, but I didn't figure out the reasoning for the character's insanity until reading about it. I knew I wanted "mercury" in the name, but then figured out that "holding" in front of it sounded the best. Andy and I both grew up listening to heavy metal, and we liked Eddie from Iron Maiden. I'm not aware of any pop bands that have a so called mascot, so we had an illustrator draw up our own mad hatter, and now we've got something iconic to represent the band.
At the risk of sounding sentimental, the name also is representative of the ill-effects you can have if you hold on to or focus too much on one thing in your life...especially the past.”
What are some of the bands musical influences?
Matt Hoffer: “Anything and everything from the 50s to modern music. Andy and I grew up on metal as teenagers, but we both love the Beatles, The Who, The Cars, Cheap Trick, etc. etc. We all love vinyl and tend to believe, or at least hope music will head back to more of an organic approach to songwriting and production. Downfall is fairly slick, but the newer stuff we've demoed is actually straight to analog tape, and there's no comparison to the sound quality.”
How does each band member add into the dynamic of the group as a whole?
Matt Hoffer: “Andy is a right-brained, crazy, passionate dude who is like the "aesthetic police" for the band. Besides being an outstanding bassist, he's the most stylish and thinks outside the box about ways to make Holding Mercury different from every other band. He's a great performer, huge music fan, and lives and dies for his art. I love music, too, but I don't think I'll ever quite feel other people's music quite like he does.
Ashok is the proverbial "Swiss army knife" of the band. He sings, he plays guitar, he plays bass and he drums, so having someone that can look at all aspects of songwriting is very valuable. I play a little bit of drums, but I can't quite communicate what I am hearing in my head like Ashok can, and it's great when he can articulate a drum part that we all hear in our heads but can't describe to Jason. He has also improved some of our old songs by rearranging/rewriting parts that make them considerably better.
Jason is light-hearted and positive and has an offbeat sense of humor that makes him a pleasure to be around on tour. He plays with a lot of fire and is a lot of fun to watch on stage. He also plays a number of different instruments, and, like most seasoned musicians, doesn't have to overplay to justify his existence. He listens to a lot of older music, as we all do now, and I think it's helped us craft more honest, organic tunes.
I am the primary writer and leader of the group. I usually bring in the skeleton of a chorus or complete song, then all of us bang away at it, try 100 different things, then we come up with the best solution, often rewriting or adding entire parts. I am also the guy doing a lot of the admin work and networking and all that and tend to be the one to crack the whip. I think my greatest strength is as a melody writer, lyricist and arranger as well as being a very solid singer and guitar player.”
All these strengths are clearly evident within ‘Downfall of an Empire’. Receiving rave reviews from fans all around, the album has some catchy songs that can appeal to a very large audience.
The 10 track release includes, ‘Stuck in a Box’, ‘I’m Not Well’, ‘Unrequited Love’, Standing Eight Count’, ‘Anchor’s Away’, ‘Let it Go’, Glad You’re Gone’, ‘No One Around’, ‘Do You?’ and ‘Smile & Wave’.
What is the creative process of your song writing?
Matt Hoffer: “ I usually come up with lyrical ideas from places other than music. I was watching/reading a lot about natural disasters and the apocalypse as well as political satire of the Bush administration during the writing of "Downfall of an Empire". I guess we felt like we knew something terrible was going to happen, and, in sense, with the economic collapse it has. Downfall is a worst-case scenario where I envisioned a huge natural disaster and/or nuclear war in addition to a complete break down of the economy and nation-states. From the wreckage we would reinvent a new society and re-prioritize what was important to us so we wouldn't destroy ourselves again. Happy stuff.
I guess the timing for the release couldn't be more appropriate. I think if you listen to the music, though, it sounds happy for the most part, but the lyrics are either tongue in cheek, or downright dark. I like that dichotomy.”
Darkness is the light? In theory, this may appear to be the formula for chaos in a house of sanity ... yet, this refreshing take on creating music somehow generates unity. This is a breathe of fresh air within a world often overrun in simulacrum.
It is this bands unique blend, as well as, their genuine dedication to their following; that has generated such a dedicated fan base for the band. And, Holding Mercury does encompass a devoted and unwavering fan base.
Tell me something about your fan base, and how important you believe that their support has been to the band.
Matt Hoffer: “Our fan base is mostly women, which I'm not complaining about one bit. We have a few ladies that go above and beyond spreading the word, and sometimes know things we have going on before we do. Spreading the word on a grass roots level is absolutely critical to an indie band, so we greatly appreciate anyone who listens and spreads the word.”
For anyone that has not attended one of your shows, can you tell them what they can expect?
Matt Hoffer: “Rock 'n' roll. We don't take ourselves too seriously on stage. We believe people go to rock shows to be entertained and forget about their day-to-day life. If that means hamming it up at the risk of looking ridiculous, so be it. I think our songs are very different from one another so people won't be dragged through a set of songs that sound the same. We like to change speeds and moods. We're all very competent players, and we take pride in finding the best sounds and tone out of our instruments and try to lock in as tight as we can. We've been told many times that we sound exactly like the record. I take that as a compliment because it's a drag seeing a band with a great record that can't deliver live.”
Looking toward the future, it is clear that Holding Mercury does have a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished, in order to reach their goals within the music industry.
Can you tell me what 2009 has in store for the band? Tours? Future goals?
Matt Hoffer: “We have a prominent radio promoter in L.A. that just started shopping our stuff to major labels, larger indies, manager, booking agents, etc. We have enough money with Bad Nero Records to tour and promote ourselves for a while, but we'd certainly like a larger platform to jump through the ranks a bit quicker. We've been told many times in reviews, even by folks who didn't like the record, that our songs are radio-ready and have lots of hit potential, so hopefully we can find a good match with a bigger label.
Otherwise, we are going to tour regionally, and try and increase our following in a few targeted Midwest cities. St. Louis, Green Bay, and Detroit have been good markets for us, so we will just continue to go to those markets every couple of months and build
our story until we graduate up to a bigger platform.”
Building and graduating into a larger platform may take time, but Holding Mercury should have no difficulties doing that. This band appears to be on a mission, with no option other than to succeed.
Do you or the band have a final message for all your fans out there, or anyone that wants to check out the band?
Matt Hoffer: “ Please go to www.holdingmercury.com or www.myspace.com/holdingmercury and check us out. "Downfall of an Empire" is also on iTunes, Rhapsody and Napster, so please download the record and check out a show if we tour near you. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this article and listen to our tunes!!!!”
Holding Mercury
Jason Batchko: Drums
Matt Hoffer: Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Synths
Andrew Titchenal: Bass Guitar
Ashok Warier: Guitar and Backing Vocals