GUEST BLOGGER: Jesse Hoy (Drummer, The Deadly Syndrome)

Those of you who have been paying attention will know that I am absolutely in love with a band called The Deadly Syndrome (see my previous post on them here), so I am very excited that Jesse Hoy, the band’s drummer, is today’s guest blogger. Jesse got into music in first grade when his parents put him in piano lessons, but in fourth grade switched to playing the drums because it seemed more fun. Many years later, he joined forces with Christopher Richard, Michael Hughes, and William Etling to form The Deadly Syndrome (website / MySpace), which was signed to Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records within weeks of appearing on the LA club scene. Today, they’re working on writing their next CD and are hoping to tour in the near future.

Q: What’s the first CD you can remember buying?
A: I can't remember what the first CD that I bought was, but the first CDs I got were 1) Fantasia, it was a dual disc, and it's still awesome, pretty proud of that being my first CD ever, and 2) Barcelona Gold, it was a compilation for the Olympics in 1992 in Barcelona, En Vogue had a song on there about racism.

Q: What’s the most embarrassing CD in your collection?
A: Hmmmmmmm, that's tough, there was a period where I was trying to give Amy Winehouse a chance, and that CD is still in my book in my truck, and so when it falls out or when I let my passengers pick out a CD, and they see it, well I get a little embarrassed. But I'm sure Ms. Winehouse doesn't mind that i don't get it.

Q: What’s your all-time favourite band or musician?
A: I'm going to go Harry Nilsson because he wrote some amazing songs, sang some amazing covers, never played a show, and wrote The Point. It's pretty hard to be more awesome than that. Plus The Beatles along with countless others have looked up to him, and asked him to write songs with them, so if that doesn't say a lot for him, well then the drummer of The Deadly Syndrome saying he is rad should hold some weight right? right?....is anyone out there? (just kidding)

Q: What songs are you really into right now?
A: I've been freaking out about classical lately and trusting the DJ's over at KUSC 91.5 to introduce me to some pieces (it's weird to call them that, because they're not songs per se, or tunes, but expansive units of music) that I haven't heard before, or reacquainting me with some other songs (see it's hard to say that) that I've forgotten about. So from that station it is the Flower Duet by Leo Delibes and Chopin's Scherzo No. 2 [NOTE: Check out the video below]. As far as anything contemporary, well I haven't been freaking out about anything within 2008, but I really really love Grizzly Bear, "While You Wait for the Others," which they haven't released yet but have been playing on TV shows and concerts. Go those guys for being awesome. I saw them at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, one of the best shows I've ever been to.