INTERVIEW WITH AUSTIN INDIE ROCK BAND MOHAWK BENDS

Meet Mohawk Bends the Austin Indie Alternative Rock band, as we chat with them a bit below.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Hey, guys thanks for sitting down with me at The Reclusive Blogger. Before we talk more about your new single can you tell us how the band came together?

MOHAWK BENDS: Thanks for having us! Mohawk Bends initially started when Alex approached Chris and Colin about getting together in a rehearsal space to see if anything might happen! We had all been playing in bands around Austin-Alex was in a group called First Time In Color and Chris and Colin were in a group called Denizens- so we knew each other's abilities and passion for making music. After the first session we walked away with three ideas that we were really excited about and felt that this new endeavor was worth investing our time in. We started auditioning bassists and Jon was one of the first people we met with. He played along to the song, which happened to become Plaster Cast, as if he'd written it with us and we just knew that he'd be a great fit.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: How did your current single "See What You Do To Me" come to fruition? What was the creative and recording process like for you guys as a band?

MOHAWK BENDS: "See What You Do To Me" was essentially the product of us not wanting to take the writing process too seriously. We hit a bit of a wall, writing-wise, after our first album came out and I think it largely stemmed from us overthinking what we wanted to do. The song snowballed in a single session once we found the opening riff, and then when I took it home to work on lyrics, I just wanted to perpetuate the "not trying too hard" mentality we had adopted in the room. The recording process was also one of the most enjoyable we've experienced as a band. We worked with Kevin Butler at the White Room in South Austin, and he just made it a super smooth experience.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: When writing and creating songs where do you typically draw inspiration from?

MOHAWK BENDS: I don't think it's really any one place. Musically, a lot of our ideas just come from jamming with each other. Colin will typically be fiddling with a riff and then the rest of us kind of play off of him. Lyrically, I suppose a lot of inspiration comes from just day-to-day life or the people that are involved in our lives regularly.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Speaking of music inspirations who are some bands and artists that have the biggest impact on you as a band?

MOHAWK BENDS: It's a wide spectrum that we take inspiration from. Chris listens to a lot of Queens of the Stone Age and Last Shadow Puppets, Colin listens to a lot of Cage the Elephant and Foals, Alex listened to a bit of everything from COIN to Kendrick Lamar, and Jon's biggest influence is Iron Maiden. I think a lot of that variety comes through in our songs.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Switching gears... What is your earliest musical memory?

MOHAWK BENDS: My earliest memory was probably seeing Les Mis on Broadway. I think that was likely the push that got me interested in taking music more seriously.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Do you guys have any fun rituals you do before a performance?

MOHAWK BENDS: Nothing too fancy. We get to the venue early, have a couple beers and just hang out together!

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Are there any artists that have been “On Repeat” for you lately? What music have you been listening to?

MOHAWK BENDS: I think Queens of the Stone Ageare frequently on all of our "On Repeat" playlists lately. Beyond that, I've been listening to a lot of Tallest Man on Earth and I know Colin's been jamming to the latest Foals record quite a bit!

Austin’s ’Mohawk Bends’

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: I wanted to do a quick lightning round of questions before we end so here we go.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Coffee or tea?

MOHAWK BENDS: For Colin and Chris, it's tea. I think Alex and Jon might lean towards coffee, though.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Morning Bird or Night Owl?

MOHAWK BENDS: Nightowl for sure.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Podcasts or playlists?

MOHAWK BENDS: Playlists

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Netflix or Hulu?

MOHAWK BENDS: Netflix-I think their original content is often a little stronger...though they do have a lot of crap...

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Thanks for that and to end... What's next on the horizon for Mohawk Bends? Thanks so much for your time!

MOHAWK BENDS: We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us! Currently we're setting our sights on writing and recording an EP or two with the expectation of releasing something new after the summer of 2020! Hopefully if that happens we'll be back to talk to you about it!

Until then,

Brittney x

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