New and upcoming band Hechael released their debut single this past Friday, with really great reviews. This weekend, I sat down to talk to Hector and Michael, the members of the band.
Me: Since Hechael is fairly new, what information can you give us about the band? (ie: how it was formed, genre, etc)
Hector: We’ve known one another for years; we became acquainted with each other’s creative endeavors — even before meeting in person. Michael Klave has his own project, Something Missing, in which he takes on the role of a frontman. In the summer, I traveled to Michigan — all the way from Puerto Rico — and stayed with him for approximately two to three weeks, during which we recorded some covers. We felt comfortable with each other’s workflow; we began writing stuff of our own some time after. That’s when we wrote “Never Meant By American Football” — which wasn’t known as that at the time, but rather another untitled draft or idea. After that, we sarcastically said “what if we took this to studio?”, and next thing we knew, we had reserved two days at Raydon Studios in Keego Harbor, MI with Mark Stewart — who Michael Klave knew already, as he had produced Something Missing’s “Space to Breathe, Time to Grow”. As far as genre, we dwell between Indie and Emo — which came naturally during the writing and recording process of the song.
Me: You just released your debut single! How does it feel?
Michael — I’ve already released music with Something Missing; so, I already knew what to anticipate, but it’s always a rush. What I didn’t expect was all the hype behind the release on Twitter. We had the idea to sarcastically tease February 28th for weeks, and seeing people join in on the hype, and actually wait for it, was something surreal.
Hector — Prior to Hechael, I haven’t been in any groups; this is the first occasion in which I introduce myself as a musician to others. I’m not vocally trained; prior to our time in studio, only experience I had with a metronome was Reaper’s — a tool we used to record the covers aforementioned. Receiving all this positive reinforcement feels undeserved, as I feel there’s so many steps I omitted; yet, simultaneously, I feel pleased with the result, and how I performed with this, a first attempt. Seeing nothing but positive feedback has reassured me, encouraging me towards creating more; it makes me feel more confident in my abilities. ”Never Meant By American Football” has surpassed 500 streams on Spotify as I write this, when all I expected was little under 200 within this, our first 24 Hours from launch. Even, a friend messaged me minutes ago — he was attending a show that Cory Wells was part of — saying Cory Wells said ‘congrats on the release’, and of course I’m still smiling from ear to ear.
Me: What was the inspiration behind “Never Meant by American Football”?
Hector: Lyrics — I wanted to create a song all friends of mine could find company or comfort in; in the pre chorus, specifically, each line is about a different peer; it paints a bigger picture, that all of these subjects can affect the receptor at once. In the chorus, “I’m sorry, I can’t help but try to deprive you of that sense of a personal hell” speaks on wanting to do more for someone, but being limited, as you don’t want to invalidate their feelings or experiences — then, you’re conflicted on rather to intervene, or provide space. I found myself apologizing often, but never feeling repentance, however, I did feel sorry — if that makes any sense.
Name — for the title of the track, we were stumped. After attempting to come up with a serious title, and failing miserably, Michael Klave sarcastically said “I never meant... by American Football” which we then adopted as the title; not to mention, it also references Hot Mulligan’s “All You Wanted By Michelle Branch”. Hot Mulligan is the act through which Michael Klave and I met multiple years ago, and therefore, their repertoire holds a place close to our hearts.
Me: What are your goals as a band for 2020?
Hector: We plan on returning to Raydon Studios to record more content that we hope to release later this year. Being that Michael Klave currently resides in the Midwest, while I live in Puerto Rico, structuring shows can be complicated; however, we’re making a grand effort to have some performances aligned at some point this year.
Me: Who are some bands/artists that you look up to/get inspiration from?
Hector: During the writing process for “Never Meant By American Football”, all I would repeatedly listen to was: Mat Kerekes, Cory Wells, Hotel Books, Bayside, The Cardboard Swords, Oso Oso, Mayday Parade, and Plans.
Michael: I acquire most of my musical influence from Pop Punk and Emo Artists, but I am already covering a lot of that ground with Something Missing; my influences for Hechael include: Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, Bogues, Have Mercy, Slaughter Beach Dog, Young and Heartless, Turnover, Future Teens, while also being inspired by The Front Bottoms, and Fredo Disco.
Me: Similar to the last question, if you could go on tour with any three bands/artists, who would they be and why?
Michael: Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties and Slaughter Beach Dog, all due to how big of an influence they are on me as a writer, musician, and person; Fredo Disco would also be quite fun to Tour with. I listened to “very cool music for very cool people” for the entirety of the writing process for “Never Meant By American Football”.
Hector: Stage Presence is a significant factor for me when selecting who to tour with; next things to consider — to name a few, at least — being a similar style or sound to the other acts on the bill, and how familiar I am with their work. That being said, I would choose Plans / Summerbruise, Bogues, and Hot Mulligan; hell yeah.
Me: What can we look forward to from Hechael in the future?
Hector: Without a doubt, a bunch of ‘weird ass song titles’. Aside from that, we have some plans involving our friends in Fit the Bill, which we will reveal more of in the future. Additionally, we’re striving towards Extended Plays, specifically Splits, rather than Albums — as we find it to be more practical, and also allowing us to partner with other creatives from the area or its outskirts.
Huge shoutout to Michael and Hector for letting me interview them and being so great to work with! If you haven't already, go check out their debut single, "Never Meant by American Football."
