Interview with Alternative Rock Band Hotel Fiction on New album ‘Staring at the Sun’, advice to succeed & what’s next

MuzicNotez: First off, it’s an honor to be doing this interview with you, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us. Introduce yourselves, what are your names and rolls in the band?

Hotel Fiction: Thank you for having us!

My name is Jess Thompson and I play guitar and sing in Hotel Fiction.

I’m Jade, I mainly sing and play piano with some rhythm guitar.

How did you meet and form up? How long have you been together?

Hotel Fiction: We have been together as a band for 5 years. We have both been playing music separately for years and were raised in a family of musicians. We both had always wanted to pursue music with our lives but had never found the right timing or people to make it truly happen. We actually heard about each other from our mutual friend who told us we needed to meet because we both play music. The first time we met was actually in Jessica’s apartment as a plan to start a band with a few other friends as well. We both clicked and started playing and writing together almost every day and our apartments were right next to each other.

How did you come up with the name Hotel Fiction?

Hotel Fiction: It was really just two words we liked together. We liked how it didn’t mean anything but could also be interpreted many different ways. It was a symbol for creativity and imagination. And it has grown to mean many different things to us. Such as symbolizing our lack of a home when we were on the road, or our love of inventing stories about strange people and places. Our music feels like something communal, something that you can visit and leave, like a hotel.

Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the band you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?

Hotel Fiction: Jess – I was raised on music like the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Joan Baez. My dad exposed me to most of these artists, and would play Beatles songs to me as a child. He also taught me some of his favorite Beatles songs when I started playing guitar (With a Little Help From my Friends was my favorite as a kid). When I was old enough to discover music on my own, about 8 or 9, I was obsessed with AC/DC. In middle school and high school I found artists like David Bowie and Fleetwood Mac who I still look up to so much. The music we’re exposed to as kids, especially repeatedly, lives in our bloodstream and is poured into everything we make. All of the writing decisions I make, my taste, etc are all influenced by my childhood and those influences.

Jade – I grew up playing classic rock like The Beatles, and Elton John, along with some jazz music like Herbie Handcock and Vince Gueraldi. My dad taught me piano at a very young age and exposed me to a lot of these artists. Singer songwriters like Nora Jones and Sara Barrielles were early influences as well. My mom also exposed me to movie soundtracks, Pink Floyd and the Velvet Underground, some psych rock that I think influenced my taste a lot. In middle school my older brother showed me a lot of rock as well like Radiohead and The Strokes that still influence my taste a lot today. So I have my family to thank for my music taste.

You have been touring all over the US, what can fans expect when coming to see a live show of yours? Any unique pre-show rituals you do to get ready?

Hotel Fiction: We’re really excited about this upcoming tour. It’s our first full headline tour in over a year, and it’s the first one promoting a whole album. When you headline, you get to decide your set length, the flow of the show, who opens, we get to curate the whole experience. We’ve spent most of our touring experience opening for other bands, so we’re excited to have that kind of freedom. We also can’t wait to play these new songs and give them new life in a live setting. When you come to a show you can expect to hear lots of songs from Staring at the Sun, lots of energy, everything from rock songs to intimate acoustic moments. Something for everyone.

As far as pre-show routines, Jade and I (Jess) have vocal warmups that we do before every show. We try to find space to be alone and check in with each other. It’s very grounding to get some peace and quiet right before I go on stage. The whole band has a super special handshake chant we do before we get on stage and it’s definitely not a Hotel Fiction show without it.

What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a band? Any particular message you wish to send?

Hotel Fiction: We just want to keep growing and reaching new people, touring more places, making more music. We hope to keep growing our team and bring on even more creative people into our world such as costume designers, set designers, makeup, you name it. We would love to go on a world tour someday too and play some of our dream festivals such as Bonarroo and Shaky Knees. Our end goal is to be able to start a commune where all our friends and family can live together and help raise each other’s kids lol. Jess plans to help with the community garden aspect and I (Jade) will teach art. This is if we become rich and famous of course and retire early.

You just dropped your new album ‘Staring at the Sun’, which is amazing by the way! How would you describe this album? What’s it mean to you?

Hotel Fiction: Thank you for the kind words on the album! We worked on writing this album over the last few years, some songs as far as four years back and others as recent as this year! This album means so much to us, it’s everything we’ve been feeling in this period of our life. The album has themes of longing, heartbreak, mental health, 20’s problems in general, and a bit of social commentary in there too. It’s the most fulfilling work we’ve made to date, and it feels very honest. I think some of the feelings that went into this album are more complex than our previous work, more nuanced and less cut and dry. Maybe that’s also just part of growing up, feelings become more complex and instead of one way streets they become 6 lane highways. It’s also the most we’ve had our current band play on the album, which has been super fun and exciting. Every member of our band adds so much to our music. We even had a few previous members of our band on a song or two!

You’re finding a lot of success as an independent band. What advice would you give to other indie bands out there looking to find success?

Hotel Fiction: Being an independent band is all we’ve ever known, and it can be hard at times. You have to be scrappy and DIY, but honestly that makes creating so much more rewarding. Making a music video with your best friends that we conceptualize ourselves is way more fun than a massive production, especially when the art turns out cool! We also record music affordably in Athens GA. For as long as we’ve been a band we’ve worked with our producer Tommy Trautwein, who started recording us in his house with a simple setup. He’s become one of the most sought after producers in Athens and has a much cooler setup now, still in his house which is how we like it best. Finding someone you really vibe/connect with to record your music makes you feel comfortable in the studio and you’re more willing to take risks and be vulnerable.

One of the most effective ways to reach people with your music is touring, but it can be really difficult as an independent band. It’s expensive! Taking our music on tour really took us to the next level as musicians and as a band. Say yes to everything you’re able to, but take care of yourself.

So to summarize, get creative with DIY projects, record with someone you feel comfortable with (who’s also affordable), find a way to tour (even if it’s only weekends!), say yes to what you can!

What else are you working on? What can we expect to see and hear from you in the future?

Hotel Fiction: We’re about to plan a writing retreat with the band after the tour and really just want to focus on new music. We’re excited to write with the band and continue working on our craft and to keep growing as people and as a band. We’ve been touring and working on music non stop so we hope to take some time to get inspired with life and other music that inspires us. There may be more tour dates to be announced and more music on the horizon, we’re really just getting started in the grand scheme of our careers.

Anything else you wish to say about yourself or your music? Any message for your fans?

Hotel Fiction: We love our fans, hearing your response to our album has meant the world to us. Sometimes this job feels kind of like a shot in the dark, throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks, but when people tell us that our music has made an impact on them, it all makes more sense. I feel like our fans give us a purpose, we’re all looking for connection in life and when we meet people at shows or online who connect with our music, which comes from our hearts, it makes the world feel less large. We’re all just looking for a community and we’re so grateful for the one we’ve found, and we hope it grows and that we continue to invite people into our lives and our music.

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