Hampton Roads area musician Curtis Williams grew up in the local hardcore/punk scene cutting his teeth in bands like Time Flies, 65 Film Show, and The Takeover while regularly attending shows at former strongholds like Kingshead Inn and Cogans. He eventually relocated to New York City, and after fronting another group called The Sugar Report, he chose to go in a different direction. “The Sugar Report, that fell apart, so I decided to just focus on writing music,” Williams said; “I decided to release a song a week for one year. And I called the project Raise Hell Over The Summer. I finished all 52 tunes on time, and I had a bunch of contributors too.”
One of those contributors was Nic Bucholtz (you may know him from Virginia Beach-based psych band Broken Beaches), and when Williams returned to Hampton Roads, Nic talked him into turning RHOTS into a full band. Eventually, two other veterans of the local underground scene in bassist Mark Brown and guitarist Logan Collette teamed up with Williams and Bucholz.
The band’s latest single, “Slow Down,” channels the space rock of The Spacemen 3, the neo-psych of The Black Angels, and even “Satanic Majesties”-era Rolling Stones. Reflecting on the song, Williams said, “I wrote and recorded the track back in 2013 and kinda shelved it until we started up as a live group. I think anyone who is familiar with Spacemen 3’s “Revolution” will see the obvious homage there, but it’s a song about annihilation, with a hippy vibe about it. I guess I was kinda like, “Fuck it, burn everything down. We suck as a species, but actually, maybe not… maybe we’re worth saving… I don’t know,” he laughs.
RHOTS will take the stage at The Taphouse in Ghent this coming Saturday, September 11th, alongside fellow local acts Stella Lights and Senator. As for what to anticipate from the band’s live performance, Williams explained, “My stage presence is much more subdued than it was in my younger hardcore/punk days, so don’t expect any jumping off monitors and shit. I think we’re a bunch of buddies who enjoy playing music; hopefully, that’ll come through”.
When: TOMORROW, September 11th AT 9 PM
Where: Norfolk Taphouse, 931 W. 21st St
$5 Entry
Be sure to also come out and see Broken Beaches tear it up tonight at Lava MiniFest alongside Gone, Evolfo, Berries, Babe Club. Danet Jackson, Bamm Bamm, Opin, Koren Grace, and Sunny Moonshine.
