hotplug interview

I picked the brains of hotplug: A sacramento-based and born band

If you type in the word hotplug into Google it corrects it to “hot swapping”, which sounds a bit like a kitschy way of saying swingers. But hotplugging is essentially adding a new component to a computer system without turning it off or shutting it down, i.e. a computer mouse or external hard drive. The humble Sacramento-based band, Hotplug, has hot-swapped the music scene by sneaking by and releasing an array of indie/rock jams you should already be listening to.

HOW TO HOTPLUG?

My interview with Hotplug was a “How do you guys band?” conversation with three of the six members. Their backstory is filled with childhood memories, relatable music hurdles, and no information on why they are called Hotplug–- it’s “open to your interpretation” (hence my googling). The three members I met with, Matteo Delucchi, Anthony Juarez, and Luke McClain, met in elementary school. We can thank dads who listen to Led Zeppelin while working out in their underwear and Green Day’s American Idiot for concocting the musically talented brains in this project. From school talent shows to Sac community theatre, their music identities are engrained in their wholesome childhood hobbies. In addition to the three friends the project also includes Karsten Kim, Alex Kaplow, and Wyatt Cermak, who were all raised in Sacramento. The members of this DIY project wear several hats (hat-swapping if you will).

Anthony Juarez serves as guitar + bass-man, creating demos for the project to be further elaborated. Anthony also is the director and creator of all the Hotplug music videos (the Simple Things video being a personal favorite). Matteo Delucchi contributes guitar and vocals and will write lyrics/ a sweet tune or two to be tweaked once brought to the band. Luke McClain contributes guitar and vocals in recordings but slays the keyboard live. Karsten Kim contributes majorly to the lyrics and offers some guitar and keyboard help where needed. Also, Hotplug wouldn’t sound the same without, Alex Kaplow, who is the sound engineer and producer. Finally of course Hotplug’s drummer Wyatt Cermak, the newest collaborator in the band! See what I mean about hat-swapping? Lice would be no joke to these 6.

HOTPLUG MUSIC HISTORY

Anthony was the first to take up an instrument, in 4th grade he started playing bass and formed a small band with close friends. The small band in 6th grade included Hotplug’s singer, Matteo who initially joined as a second singer. At a 6th-grade talent show, Matteo explained, “I felt dumb standing up there sharing a microphone and not playing an instrument”, this was his motivation to start learning guitar. Luke was involved in musical theatre and choir as a kid, making his favorite aspect of being in Hotplug, playing live shows. The three music backgrounds of the contributors show vast examples of music becoming ingrained into our adolescent identities. From an outsider’s perspective, the project is a way to harness and own their childhood creativity.

pictured front to back (how we should all do it) Everyone in the project minus Wyatt :(

Kartsten Kim, Luke McClain, Anthony Juarez, Matteo Delucchi, and Alex Kaplow

The project has been together since 2020 when they all moved in together at the start of the pandemic. Their sound and members have shifted greatly since the start and the band feels the most confident in what they have more recently released, but Matteo offered “It’s still new, and we don’t have a defined sound yet… we just know it’s not going to be rap.” The 10 released songs express they don’t have the most defined sound yet, but I would argue their 2 newest releases, Simple Things and All my thoughts offer a more cohesive indie rock sound. A shimmy-ing across your kitchen on a sunny day type of sound.

Their #1 song, Simple Things, came about via a jam sesh they couldn’t get out of their head. Their initial “writer’s block” lead them to use every chord on a Google “chord diagram”. Every chord combined with some mandatory white-boarding, created their song that currently has 102,739 plays on Spotify. Anthony offered “that’s how you become a one-hit-wonder band, you use every chord on the chord diagram.” I disagree that Hotplug is/ will be a one-hit-wonder. Especially considering, Simple Things seems to have been born from the thin air of a jam sesh, there will be more hits to come.

Making simple things

As for 2023, the band is yet to release any new songs. But the band assured me that by the end of summer they will be releasing some singles and another EP. And what can we expect from the new music? A little bit of everything (but rap). The band said it is “heavier at times and lighter at times” which they plan on leaning into whether it’s with their cover art or EP title. And since some band members “don’t tell anyone” they’re in a band because they don’t want people to think they are a “cocky piece of shit”, I am telling you to go listen to this band! There will be more groovy tunes to come this summer.