AFTER SPENDING six months in San Jose, HXXS needed something to happen soon.
“It was a pretty desperate time,” says Gavin Neves.
HXXS (pronounced “Hexes”) got their start in Portland, Oregon, where Neves and bandmate Jeannie Colleene met and began writing together. But just as things were picking up for them, a family emergency brought the duo back to Neves’ childhood home in the South Bay. Soon after that, they found themselves in their own emergency. In a short span of time they were out of a label, out of a place to practice and out of a place to live. And on top of it all they were still in need of someone to help them finish the record they had been working on since before leaving Portland.
Sensing that things were reaching a breaking point, Neves threw a hail Mary. With no prior contact or connections, he sent an email to L.A. experimental electronic group Liars, saying he had some music they might be interested in, and asking if frontman Angus Andrews would be willing to produce their record. It was a longshot, at best.
That night, Neves went to bed thinking that things might be up for the band. Remarkably, the next morning there was already a response. Andrews was interested, if not fully committed. He made plans to see the band live at an upcoming L.A. gig.
That show that did not go as planned.
“Everything went wrong,” Neves says. “Everything went so wrong.”
Though HXXS make electronic music, they keep it a live experience by sculpting it all on the fly using drum machines, mixers and synthesizers, rather than just playing a loop through a laptop. That night, half of their instruments didn’t work. Cables went out, and there were no replacements. Colleene says her stomach hurts thinking about the set—an experience any performer who has had a particularly bad night can relate to. She describes the show as “very minimal and weird.”
“But he didn’t care!” Neves recalls. “He thought it was the coolest thing, ’cause, I don’t know, we panicked and we decided to make it work.”
Valley Fever by HXXS
HXXS have come a long way since that disastrous show. When Liars next went out on the road, they took the group out as an opener, putting them in front of their biggest audiences yet. Andrews agreed to produce their record, the result of which is Mkdrone, HXXS’s first EP, and their first release of any kind with a label. Like their producer’s other work, it is a spare, vaguely threatening piece of electronic post-punk. However, Colleene’s sinuous vocals and breathy melodicism make it a far more immediate listen than almost any of Liars’ output.
“I’m a disco fan,” Colleene says, laughing at her own sincerity.
Though it’s far from disco, both Mkdrone and last year’s follow-up, Valley Fever, are surprisingly effective at mixing melody with icy, imposing electronics. Valley Fever opener “It’s Calling,” and “Widowmaker” from Mkdrone, both recall genre godfathers Suicide (Alan Vega and Martin Rev’s revolutionary electronic-punk group) with their tense repetition and spare beats, while the skittering rhythm and chronic uncertainty of “You Might Be Right” bring to mind Amnesiac-era Radiohead.
Expanding boundaries has always been a part of the band’s MO, and for their upcoming show at Art Boutiki, HXXS aim to expand the boundaries of the South Bay scene by bringing together a variety of musicians and artists from around the Bay Area. The band also stressed the importance of keeping ticket costs low to make the event more accessible.
“My biggest pushback had been how much people wanted to charge for an all ages show,” Neves asserts, stating that clubs were often trying to charge $10-20 a head. “A lot of the places we’ve played have been most successful either by being donation-based or free. I’m hoping this will be a push for that to happen a little more.”
Whether or not it has a long-term effect on shows in San Jose, the $5 entry fee makes this show a steal, and a great opportunity to check out some of the Bay Area’s best electronic acts.
HXXS
Jan 27, 7:30pm, $5
Art Boutiki
.Portland Duo HXXS at the Art Boutiki
