Artist Spotlight - Hotel Empress
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| Hotel Empress, a synth rock indie band from the GVA. |
Support the Scene is back with a fresh faced blog, and as always, we're ready to introduce you to some of the amazing local talent we have here, and to reacquaint you with some of your favourites. We have such an incredible music scene here in the GVA, and there are so many amazing artists just waiting for you to check them out. So, after an intensely hot and busy summer, some of our talented local artists found time to answer a few of our questions.
Check out what Hotel Empress had to say!
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Q: For those who don’t know you, can you please introduce yourself and describe your sound?
Hey! We’re Hotel Empress. Our members include Kat - Vox/Guitar, Cory – Keys/Percussion, Mark – Drums, Regis – Bass/Vox, Jay – Lead Guitar/Synth/Vox.Formed in 2018, we originally started as an electronic-style project (Cory/Kat/Jay). The music felt good, but we found ourselves craving a real bass player and drummer and invited the great Regis and Mark to join.
Q: What’s one of the biggest successes you’ve had as a musician?
We’re fairly new on the gigging scene. Our first show was in 2022 when venues began opening up again post-covid. Our favourite gig so far has been playing the Watson Street Festival, but we have a lot of love for all the local places that still support live music. We’re also quite proud of our two EPs recorded at Little Red Sounds studio in New West. Michael Kraushaar was a dream to work with.
Q: What’s your favourite venue to play?
Favourite venue…hmm. Green Auto and Red Gate Arts Society are probably the best in the city at the moment. Great little underground movements. They’re really lovely and pay the artists fairly. We definitely have a soft spot for LanaLou’s and Princeton Pub, as well.Really, we’re looking forward to playing out of the city a little more. A tour would be super fun, provided we can all get away from our 9-5’s (gotsta pay that Vancouver rent somehow, am I right??).
Q: What do you think was the best Medium for music to be on? (Vinyl, Tape, CD, Digital)?
Best medium? Not sure there is one, really. They seem to all have their great features and negatives. Love seeing tapes making a big comeback with the local and not local crowds alike. Vinyl is a work of art and it’s a love process of listening and meticulous handling. Tape is lovely and just as warm sounding. Who doesn’t miss tossing their tapes in the backseat of the car when you’re done listening to them?? CD might be the worst one in the group. They were the pinnacle of sound during the beginning of the 90’s, but heat would warp ‘em, they would scratch so easily and those jewel cases NEVER held up. Digital is great for “on the go” for sure. It’s just so convenient to walk around town with tunes on your phone.
Q: Who is your favourite local band to see perform around town?
Our favourite bands to see live right now would be impossible to narrow down. There’s so many great ones in the city and they constantly amaze us. I’d say a few local greats are Shore Loser, Doom Cocoon, Suppertime, Weak Knees, Wack, Humanoid No More, Buddie, Worry Wart, Abel Collective, The Starling Effect, Garden Mice, Danny Echo, A New Craze. Honestly, just too many to name.
Q: What’s coming up next for your music?
We’re really looking forward to getting into the studio again this year. Hopefully, we’ll get a full album done and start playing a lot more shows to support that. It’d really be swell to have next year set to play some festivals. Outdoor shows are just super fun.
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