Mikkel Hess, Hess Is More

The eclectic and vigorously curious band Hess Is More released their 10-song LP Hits on Nublu Records, evidence enough of their expansive musical tastes and abilities. But just to leave no doubt in his listeners' minds, frontman Mikkel Hess stops by the Clocktower to reassert the breadth of influences that inform his musical output. He speaks to AIR's Jeannie Hopper, who had known nothing of the musician before receiving his album, a standout among many, in the mail; she therefore starts with the basics: Who is Mikkel Hess? What are his influences? What's it like having your parents on stage with you? Hess dutifully and thoughtfully responds to these questions, discussing his early interest in jazz and how he once lost a friend as the result of a dispute over the value of Michael Jackson's music. He has since come around to recognizing the virtues of the King of Pop, but that friend is forever lost. Hess also discusses his love of melody, the performative elements of his shows, his mom's sense of humor and the band's collaborations with video artists and remixers. At the time of this recording, the band was in the midst of a two-month residency at Nublu, performing every Thursday night in April and May, 2010, in collaboration a performance-based artist, the first of whom, FOS/Thomas Poulsen, fashioned a set of light bulbs to conduct the band (57 minutes).



Hits Remix, featuring remixes from Hits by Zombie Disco Squad, Pete Herbert and The Revenge, is also available through Nublu. Tracks from Hits and Hits Remix are excerpted in this interview.

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