Hotfox band finds its new den in Bloomington

Hotfox has a new den, and fans said they were in favor of the move.

The young Indianapolis-based band was welcomed Friday at Rhino’s for their first show in Bloomington.

“When you’re new to a place, you have to find your spot, and you have to realize you’re at the bottom of the food chain,” Hotfox bassist and freshman Marcus Tedesco said.

However, the band members, who built quite a reputation for themselves after being on the cover of NUVO Newsweekly for winning the Record Store Day High School Battle of the Bands this past spring, said they do not plan to stay at the lower end of Bloomington’s musical hierarchy for long.

“It’s exciting to see what’s down here. I mean you always hear about Bloomington in Indy, and now we’re here,” lead vocalist and freshman Oliver Hopkins said.
“We had a lot of good relationships back home, and now we want to build that here. It’s like sharing our music is an interesting way of shaking people’s hand musically. ”

The recent release of their new album titled “You, Me, and the Monster,” which was recorded at Queensize Twin Air studios with Tyler Watkins of Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, is gathering quite a following of curious listeners.

However, unlike most bands, demos and flyers are not being circulated by the masses
around campus.

“Promotion down here is a whole new ball game. There are so many great musicians down here. It’s like proving you’re the diamond in the rough,” said drummer and freshman Michael Preuschl. “We’re just trying to make good music for
good people.”

When it all comes down to the music, Hotfox is a plethora of influence and experience. Each of the four members comes from a different musical background, and it is evident in the composition of their music.

“I think it brings our music to a different technicality,” Tedesco said. “We’re more precise about not only what we do, but the way we do it.”

While Hopkins and Tedesco are currently studying at the Jacobs School of Music, Preuschl and fourth member Duncan Kissinger come from musical backgrounds as well.

They are the band that listens to rock but also has classical music streaming out of their headphones.

“They’re unique because in most respects they’re classically trained. It’s not often you get people who are classical guitarist and electric,” manager and freshman Chris Kauffman said.

“When you see these guys live, it’s really cool to see the chemistry. It reminds you of why you like them, why you want to be a part of them and why you’re a fan. There’s just that element of honesty in their music.“

When the band took the stage, their strong presence filled the room with contagious rhythms, and everyone seemed to be in tune.

“The singer’s antics, his entire mannerism was just fun to watch,” freshman Sam Pruett said. “I think they gained quite a bit of fans tonight.”

Hotfox has just started to integrate into Bloomington’s music scene, but the band’s presence is already starting to make an impact.

“They have an original kind of sound, and I think it would be hard to place them in a genre,” sophomore Maria Konermann said. ”But their presence is just so natural that when they are playing, everybody seems to be moving.”

Kissinger said the band has many influences across the board.

“We take a little from a lot, instead of a lot from a little and sounding a lot like one person,” Kissinger said. “If anything, I’d have to call it abstract expressionism.”  

However, a style label has little significance in the larger scheme of things. Hotfox is all about how people relate to what they hear.

“It’s not a product. I mean you don’t manufacture music,” Hopkins said. “But when you achieve something that not only speaks to you but then has the potential to cross oceans to hit someone in the basement of some house miles and miles away from where you are, that’s just real.”

As for aspirations, the band members said they remain grounded to their initial
passion: music.

“Long term goals are like catching smoke. You can’t really do it. I just want to keep making records,” Hopkins said.

Meanwhile, Hotfox continues to strive to share their music with as many people as possible.

On Oct. 16 the band will headline a performance at 7 p.m. at Indy CD & Vinyl for the Broad Ripple Music Fest . 

After that, Hotfox will be back in Bloomington to play a Halloween show Oct. 30 at The Cheer Place as well as a second show at Rhino’s.

Kissinger said it’s all about finding a niche.

“We’re in Bloomington now, and this is where we want to be,” Kissinger said. “We’re really starting fresh. We have to build back up from the bottom, and we’d love for people to be a part of that journey. We’re simply little foxes in a new den.”