8Questions with Johnny Hi-Fi of MYX TV’s Press Play (Season 2)

8Asians is happy to feature Johnny Hi-Fi, winners of Episode 1 of Season 2 of Myx TV’s Press Play. Season 2 takes it up a notch making it more interactive, allowing viewers and fans to vote on who gets “played”. Six winners will be flown to the Myx TV headquarters to record their music in their state-of-the-art studios. Still in the running is Johnny Hi-Fi, whose single, “Politician” will be airing on MYX today. Eric Hsu (Vocal, Guitar) took a few minutes for 8Questions with 8Asians…

1. Tell the world who you are!
Johnny Hi-Fi is one of the hardest working Asian-fronted alternative rock band out there. The band has released 7 CDs and performed more than 500 shows all over Asia and North America for over 10 years. Concepted in Austin, the band cut its teeth for 7 years in NYC followed by 6 more in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band recently relocated and now calls Los Angeles home.

2. You are debuting on national TV through Myx TV’s Press Play. Tell us what your track “Politician” is about.
We wrote the song back in 2010 during the election season. We were just so fed up with how out of touch the politicians were and how dysfunctional our government has become. Fast forward 2 years, this election session has proved that things are not getting better. So much money was involved in politics, and us, the people, will lose out in the end if we don’t stand up and do something about it.

3. What are your inspirations for your music and what’s the songwriting process like?
We’re inspired by everything (but mostly girls.) We’ve written songs about current events, unrequited love, and even about a crazy cat that belonged to one of our friends, who kept us up all night when we were crashing at her place after playing a show. And when I do find an idea for a song, and this could be either a melody that’s stuck in my head, or a guitar riff I accidentally came upon, I’ll sit for hours (in most cases days) until I have the whole thing written. Then I present the idea to the band, and everyone chips in with their own parts and help with song arrangement.

4. What was the concept behind the music video and how did you make that come to life?
The director came up with the concept and pitched it to us. We knew the director and the producer both have tons of experiences and have a great crew, so when the time came, we left 100% of the concept/work to them. We just showed up when they told us to, got outfitted, made up and stepped in front of the cameras. There’s actually a mini series of behind the scenes/meet the crew videos online as well. Everyone should watch those and meet the people who made the video look awesome!

5. Who are your musical influences?
Radiohead, Coldplay, Muse, U2, The Cure, The Smiths, anything and everything from the UK, 80’s music, and definitely Jazz Standards – Frank, Tony, Billie, Ella (here’s a secret, I want to put out my own jazz standards album next year.)

6. Music is the soundtrack to life. What 8 songs would you have on yours?

• Pulp – Common People
• Nine Inch Nails – I Just Want Something I Can Never Have
• Bleu – Somebody Else
• Jeff Buckley – Everybody Here Wants You
• The Cure – Just Like Heaven
• Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
• U2 – One
• FreakSuzan – All In A Box

7. You are no stranger to the stage, to MTV, CBS News, and Billboard Magazine. What has been the defining moment of your life as an artist?
In 2006 we were asked to open for Placebo and Supergrass at the Beijing Rock Festival in Beijing, China. Before we arrived in the country, we had to submit all of our lyrics for government approval. We didn’t know the crowd was going to be more than 20,000 people, so at the last minute, I decided to swap out our last song with one that wasn’t on the approved list (it was a song about setting yourself free) thinking that as the perfect opportunity. And the entire time I was worried that the army was going to come on the stage and arrest me, but seeing that the crowd was going nuts, I didn’t really care if I did.

8. What’s next for the band and where can we see you next?
We just moved to LA a few weeks ago and got some new members in the band. We’re rehearsing like crazy with old and new material. We’re definitely going to the studio soon and get our 8th CD started as well many many more music videos. Meanwhile, we’ve started booking shows here in LA for the end of this year and beginning of 2013. A west coast tour is also in the work for Spring. Hope to meet some new fans in the coming months!

BONUS: What would your tagline be in 8 words?
F*** the Stereotypes. This is how Asians Rock!

Be sure to keep up with Season 2 of Myx TV’s Press Play to see how Johnny Hi-Fi is faring and to vote if you want to see them win!