Hank & Cupcakes
The Buzzworthy Drum & Bass Duo
If there were one word to describe Hank & Cupcakes, it would be Fucking Cool. And yes, these are actually two words, but just cool doesn’t do justice to what these two can do. So a little bit of kick is in order.
Hank & Cupcakes’ most unique qualities can be found in their presentation, sound and chemistry. In a time of solo acts or four- and five-piece bands, this group is two members strong. I’m not talking Sugarland style, where you have the two main artists backed by a full band. No, think more Rodrigo y Gabriela or the Ting Tings; just two artists, on stage by themselves, with their instruments. Sonically speaking, this is very difficult to do. But Hank & Cupcakes manage to provide a surprisingly full Electro-Pop sound, with not only up-tempo tracks, but with a ballad or two thrown in as well.
One will immediately notice that Cupcakes, the lead and only singer, is also the drummer. On its own, this is probably one of the (f-ing!) coolest things ever. But she raises the bar even further, by standing up. If you haven’t seen this before, trust me, its awesome. Cupcakes is full of energy, her voice is powerful and the drumming is sick. On more than one occasion I could swear she was doing body rolls while drumming, and that was when she wasn’t singing and dancing on top of her kick drum.
The other half of Hank & Cupcakes is, of course, Hank. His bass playing provides the foundation for their sound. By combining various effects and loop pedals, melodic bass riffs and various strumming patterns more akin to a guitarist (he plays the bass with a pick as opposed to his fingers), your ears are not left yearning for additional musical instruments or elements.
Last but not least, Hank & Cupcakes have been married for five years (and together for eleven). When you watch them play, their union is very apparent. They’re so in sync and you can tell they are having fun. It’s a sight to see and brings credence to the phrase, “those that play together, stay together.”
When did you first start playing together?
We started playing together when we were about 19, we had a cover band called ‘Night Vision’ and played Tori Amos, Susanne Vega, Paul Simon and Beatles covers.
How long have you too been together — married, and as a couple?
We’ve been together as long as we’ve been playing together. Hank & Cupcakes is our newest project which we started just before coming to NYC.
What made you want to get into the Electro Pop music scene?
We are not exactly an Electro Pop act, we try to combine Pop music with a raw Rock’n Roll attitude and are very drawn to the dancey side of Electro Pop. We really love it when people dance and let go as a result of our music, We had a much heavier and more serious project before starting Hank & Cupcakes and felt we needed a change and a shot of tequila.
How did you guys come up with the name Hank & Cupcakes?
We’re both big Charles Bukowski fans, Bukowski calls himself ‘Hank’ in his books and one of his lover’s names was Cupcakes. We got inspired..
Most band sells Cd’s and T-shirst, but you sell Lipstick and Vinyl Art, where do these ideas come from?
We’re always thinking of new ideas to stay creative and be different. Collaborating with different artists (not necessarily musicians), is one of our pleasures. The vinyl idea for example, came from an artist called Tony Thompson whom we met at the Utica Music Festival. He was printing on vinyls using silk screens and Cupcakes ordered a custom made one, after that, we thought why not make some H&C vinyls? We’re still working on this idea…
You both have a cool look, where did this come from?
We pay a lot of attention to it, we like to reinvent our look all the time. Fans who have been coming to our recent shows have been exposed to a very interesting new angle we’re going for. We’re losing the clothes and painting/sticking things on ourselves..it’s very liberating.
What do you think of brooklyn Indie music scene?
We think it’s amazing, inspiring, beautiful.
You guys have a number of music videos, would you say this has been an important part of building your brand?
It’s definitely been a good opportunity to reveal our natural selves. We love shooting videos and have been very lucky to have worked with amazing directors. We feel very much at ease when shooting, so rather than building a brand (which might be the side effect), these videos are very ‘us’ and people can get to know us through them.
Intro and interview by Jamall Oluokun.
