Band/Artist: The Hydrothermal Vents
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Styles: Post-Punk/Dance-Rock
Similar to/RIYL: Buke & Gase, B52’s, The Pixies, Talking Heads, Devo, Kate Bush, The Kills
CD: Secrets of the Deep! (July 5, 2014)
Members/Instruments:
John Tielli (vocals, guitar, midi programming)
Tessa Kautzman (vocals, bass)
Production: John Tielli
Bio:
Hydrothermal vents are deep-sea openings that erupt with super-heated, chemically rich water from within the earths crust. Despite receiving absolutely zero energy from the sun, entire communities of bizarre life forms have evolved and thrive off of the energy provided from these structures. It has even been theorized that life on earth may have originated near these vents.
John Tielli and Tessa Kautzman, the charismatic Montreal duo known as The Hydrothermal Vents, boil with a chemistry that pulls listeners deep into their imaginative world. They were drawn together by a desire to create the ultimate dance music and by a mutual love of the Pixies, an influence which, along with other post-punk bands such as the Talking Heads and the B52s, helped shape their sound. With an experimental spirit and dreamy lyrics, The Hydrothermal Vents have created an otherworldly aural habitat, which according the POP Montreal music festival, “feels retro and original all in the same track.”
On stage, Tielli and Kautzman perform with energy and precision, using inventive vocal interplay including rounds, spoken word, ghostly howls and tight harmonies to recount their fantastical tales of the deep. Tiellis guitar dances wildly and unpredictably, dishing out gritty textures and playful melodies above the punchy, propelling pulse of Kautzmans bass. Thoughtfully crafted backing tracks add layers of infectious beats and synth hooks.
In just 2 years of collaboration, The Hydrothermal Vents have received significant regional attention from writers and promoters. The band performed at Pop Montreal 2013 and has shared the stage with bands such as Parenthetical Girls (Portland) and Hilotrons.
Tielli previously fronted two acclaimed bands, Metal Kites and Clark the Band, and has collaborated with members of Arcade Fire, Wooden Stars and Hilotrons. Kautzman, who began as an indie-folk solo artist in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, has released two albums and has contributed to Montreal projects Yellow Jacket Avenger and Bantam Wing.
The Hydrothermal Vents recently finished their debut album, which will be released July 5, 2014 and followed up with a North American tour in the fall. Entitled Secrets of the Deep! the album expands on the theme embodied in their band name: a mysterious life-giving energy and a source of light in the darkness.