I WAS THERE . . . Hot Lava @ Death by Audio, 01.10.09

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Hot Lava turn the heat up. Photo by mercurialn

On a particularly frigid January evening, I trekked through the desolation of S. 2nd Street in Billyburg looking for Hot Lava, the latest electropop indie-rock band to hit the saturated scene. The venue was a drafty two-room plot called Death by Audio (DbA), easily recognizable by the blaring noise seeping through the unmarked door at 49 S. 2nd St. When I entered DbA, there was not a soul in the place except for the bands themselves and the old guy selling Pabst in the corner. In rock-n-roll fashion, the opener (Hologram) started horrifically late and, much to my chagrin, did not do the female-drummer-with-guy-on-guitar genre proud (check out Schwervon instead). The next band, Math the Band, was a fun indie trio-cum-duo since their drummer got stuck in Washington. Add two helpings of synth to a gallon of sweaty stage-presence and you get Math the Band. By this point the crowd developed into a bopping bunch, adding dimension to the random rasta colored zig-zag painting on the wall. With Hologram marking a valley and Math the Band designating a peak, one would expect this zig to zag, however… Hot Lava did not disappoint.

Without the abuse of a studio flanger, I was able to hear the crisp croon of lead singer/guitarist Allison Apperson, which was quite pleasant. Though the band has cycled through a myriad of guitarists and drummers, Hot Lava played a tight set with their most recent semi-permanent acquisitions: Jared Sosa (drums) and Matt Deans (keys/guitar). “Blue Dragon” was a delight with lyrics of veganism and spinach. My particular favorite is a little bit called “Apple+Option+Fire,” a clever ode to 21st century fatal attraction (to Mac products and humans alike). With a background of drunken lyrics and GarageBand loops, Hot Lava is perfectly suited for success.

Nicole Velasco

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