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Written by Andra Coberly
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Friday, 14 September 2007 |
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 It’s the morning after the MTV Video Music Awards, which boast today’s cruel musical inequality—a grandiose showcase with tiny bursts of talent and creativity gasping from the vapid luster of shimmying, lip-sinking and keen accessorizing—but the Hot IQs make it all OK.
“For better or worse, we are enthusiastic about music and get joy out of performing. It’s unfortunately a unique quality these days,” said Hot IQs vocalist Eli Mishkin. “A lot of bands put an emphasis on being cool or jaded or having some sort of mystery to them. To us, music isn’t about being cool. And acting like you are brooding or angry is doing a disservice to your fans. A performance is like a party and we truly believe in having a good time.”
Mishkin is calm and thoughtful, just a man loving music but recoiling from the pretenses of the popular music scene. His deep and brawny voice is the calling card for the super hip and beautiful Hot IQs, a trio that has become one of Denver’s favorite bands in its short but sweet lifetime.
 Whether it’s the name, their smart, witty lyrics or “the fact that we are kind of geeky,” Hot IQs have a reputation for being the smart kid’s indie rock band. The group has made a name for itself along the Front Range in recent years, getting mentioned regularly in “Best of” lists in almost every Metro-area publication and soon joining the all-star line up at Red Rocks’ Monolith Festival, the venue’s largest music festival to date. Continuing to tour and grow their own sound, Hot IQs are hotter than ever and putting their catchy, melodious songs and Denver’s music scene out there for all to study.
What has helped Hot IQs survive in the wild, wild world of indie rock is simply the group’s love of music. Mishkin and Elaine Acosta, the Hot IQs’ pretty and petite gum-popping drummer, met while DJing at theUniversity of Colorado-Boulder’s student radio station. Neither were musicians, but the two shared a lust for similar bands, style and independent music.
“(Starting a band) for huge music fans is something that is often perceived to be too difficult or too intimidating,” Mishkin said. “Whatever the facts, for us it just seemed to be feasible. The bands we liked made it seem easy.”
Looking at their quick rise, Hot IQs have also made it look easy. Not long after Mishkin and Acosta picked up instruments, they joined forces with Bryan Feuchtinger, a local music producer, who learned the bass. Soon came shows and albums and tours and fans and media praise.
“We don’t do anything slow. We work hard and we are not given opportunities handed to us,” he said. “We don’t have a booking agent and we didn’t want to wait for another band to see if we wanted to join them on tour, so we started booking our own tours, and we still book our own tours. We work hard on getting out there.”
Four years after inception, Hot IQs just released its new five-song EP, Dangling Modifier, which shows the band holding on to its pop sensibilities and smart, conscious lyrics. This week, Mishkin and his bandmates will join The Flaming Lips, Spoon, The Decemberists and a long list of rock bands at the Monolith Festival. The massive musical carnival, Mishkin said, says a lot about Denver’s place in the national music scene.
“The more Denver bands can get out of Denver is the more Denver gets out of Denver,” Mishkin said of touring. “But Monolith has shown how we have grown and are growing on the national stage.
“We are happy to be along for the ride.”
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THE SHOW
Monolith festival
Two nights, five stages, 50 bands. Sept 14-15 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre All tickets available at ticketmaster.com and at all Ticketmaster retail locations
To charge tickets by phone, call 303.830.TIXS or 719.520.9090. | Only registered users can write comments.
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