Meet Hot New Duo Spit Hot Fire: "We're Darth Vader"
By Peter Davis
I normally only like
live music when I know the band's songs very well and thus exactly who
the crowd will be (and look like). But after two shows, I am now a huge
fan of Spit Hot Fire --
I even follow them on Twitter, a true sign of devotion on my part. The
band is only two people, Bryce Alvord the lead singer and main
songwriter and Ben Altman, who plays a wicked lead guitar and is a master
producer and musical engineer. Their
sound is perfect for anyone who likes ska, reggae, The Clash
and hi- hop. The band is cutting an album now but you can see them live
all around town and download their tunes on their website. I talked to
lead singer Bryce Alvord after their recent show at Hotel Chantelle. What's it like being in a duo?
I consider Spit Hot Fire just as much a studio project as I do a band. I don't think the whole 'band' thing is cool anymore. The t-shirts, the van... When we create a song, we have an endless amount of sounds and effects to choose from, so why would we limit ourselves to guitar, bass, and keys? It would take 12 guys to play live all the parts we lay in a track. Of course you have to sound live too. Hip-Hop and pop shows can never match a rock show because a DJ just can't pack the punch live musicians do. That's why we have the best of both worlds; man and machine. We're Darth Vader. And there's also less cooks in the kitchen creatively.
Where can people score your music?
We have two EP's and one full-length album on iTunes, from
when we were a four and five piece. For the last year we have been
recording and remixing tracks that will be on our next album as a duo.
They are available for free download now on our site/blog. We are trying to go the mixtape route to get more fans, inspired by
artists like Drake and Mike Posner. That's how I got into them, through
free music.
So how did you come up with the name Spit Hot Fire?
I came up with the name after seeing that Dave Chapelle skit where he was making fun of the P. Diddy's Making the Band. "Who are the best five rappers of all time? Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, Dylan and Dylan. I Spit Hot Fire!" Everyone knows that skit; it was one of the best of the series. And I just thought it sounded like our music too. I got the .com and a hot logo that shit is mine!
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