Hey Willpower is Will Schwartz of Imperial Teen and Tomo Yasuda of Tussle
MP3: Hey Willpower – “In The Basement”:
http://tomlabel.com/hwp/10%20In%20The%20Basement.mp3
VIDEO: Hey Willpower – “Hundredaire”:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=d6pCFV_Rigg
VIDEO: Hey Willpower – “Double Fantasy II”:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sLPK4tPSGjo
Europe already knows the electro-pop joy of Hey Willpower’s full-length debut, P.D.A. (Tomlab), which has gone unreleased in North America until now – it streets on Jan. 22, 2008. The US edition features a revamped sequence, all new artwork, and the addition of their sugar-high cover of Architecture in Helsinki’s underground hit “Heart it Races”. The band will be touring the US in the Spring of 08, including several appearances at SXSW in March.
Here’s the whole story straight from Will:
Hey Willpower was conceived one night in July on 3rd Street in San Francisco when Linton and I were at a Tussle show and I was still smoking. We were talking about our love for R&B Pop/Hip Hop and how she had lived in the same building in Harlem as Sean Paul the summer before and our favorite songs on KMEL. I gave her a ride home and the Busta/Mariah song “I Know What You Want” came on and we just listened in awe. As if she was reading my mind, she said we should get together and make a song using all the elements of pop that we’ve ever loved. A couple of days later we started working on a song in her basement. I came up with some vocal melodies and keyboard/guitar parts and left Linton overnight with them. The result was the backing track for “Uh – Uh – Uh”. After exhaustively stalking Linton and trying to convince her to drop everything and work on this project, she told me she had to go on tour with her band The Aislers Set.
I was left despondent in SF with a new computer and this music in my head. I met Tomo through a friend and we hardly even asked each other on a music date before we were on a regular practice schedule furiously writing and recording music. Tomo loves blippy bleepy yet melodic landscapey music the most. I had to coerce him a bit into some ass-shaking, but he eventually caved in. Whether it’s a hot beat or bass part or a strangely beautiful keyboard melody, he always brings something unique and inspiring to the music. We’ll be hanging out and he’ll be tapping out a beat with the keys in his pocket and we’ll record that.
I grew up listening to Michael and Janet and L’Trimm and pop that my sisters would turn me on to. As soon as I heard Sonic Youth and the Velvet Underground my world turned inside out and I started voraciously ingesting anything other than what was played on the radio. I became immersed in the indie music world with my band Imperial Teen, all the while reveling in the latest greatest Pop/Hip Hop songs and records.
Hey Willpower feels like something new and exciting and postmodern without being smug or ironic. Although it’s different from Imperial Teen, it makes perfect sense to me to be making the music we’re making because it comes from what I love about music. When we’re performing live and people are doin’ their dances and making noise, we know it’s right. Dance is becoming a big part of our live show. I’m good with the chin scratchers and musicologists and philosophers too, but sometimes you have to let the emotions take over. Let’s dance now and we can talk about it later if you want.
xoxo,
Will
Hey Willpower – P.D.A. US Track List
1.Double Fantasy II
2.Uh-Uh-Uh
3.Retail Heaven
4.Silent Ring
5.Hundredaire
6.Phenomenon
7.Magic Window
8.Too Hot
9.Not Trippin’
10.In The Basement
11.Heart It Races
www.heywillpower.com
www.tomlab.com
www.myspace.com/heywillpower