Hot Laundry plays old-time rock ’n’ roll with an infectious energy. The women in the band’s frontline—lead singer Janette Lopez and backing vocalists Gena Serey, Ileath Bridges and Kate Juliana—pump out stirring harmonies and move across the stage like the Ikettes.
Grady Hord, the band’s guitarist and songwriter, said his initial vision of the band was a group that combined the energy of the Sonics, an early proto-punk band from Tacoma, Washington, with the soulful delivery of a vocalist like Tina Turner. When he described his idea to Lopez, she was all in.
“I ain’t got her legs, but I got her spirit,” Lopez said, laughing. “I met Grady outside of the Knockout [in San Francisco], after a Halloween show he’d played. He asked me if I’d like to play some music. He wasn’t hitting on me; he actually wanted to make music! I suggested a frontline of women, doing dance moves to complement the music. By the next Halloween we had a band together and played at the Knockout.”
The initial show consisted of covers of Ike and Tina Turner hits, but Hord was soon turning out his own sharp, punchy tunes blending pop, punk, R&B, blues, soul and rock ’n’ roll. The group they assembled had Casey G. on bass guitar and drummer Arun Bhalla laying down a rhythmic foundation to complement the concise melodies driven by Hord’s inventive guitar work.
The dynamic lead vocals of Lopez, backed by the blended voices of Serey, Bridges and Juliana, put the icing on the cake. The marvelous footwork of the women, as they moved around the stage, kept the energy high. “We want to have a good time,” Lopez said. “We want everyone else to have a party, too. It’s nonstop entertainment, from the first note.”
The songs on House Rocking, the band’s new EP, capture the energy of their live shows. The band cut it at their rehearsal space in San Francisco.
“We record all the music live, with a simple setup—a Mac laptop and a handful of microphones,” Hord said. “Then I go back and dub in vocals. Sometimes I layer a guitar solo, maybe some ear candy. I keep it simple. There’s no editing or moving things around. It’s real music. The listener will get an accurate version of what we sound like.”
The tracks on the EP will have listeners up and moving the minute they hit “play.” “Dirty Robber” is a cover of a hit by the Fabulous Wailers—not Bob Marley’s Wailers. The original has a bluesy feel, but the Laundry arrangement is pure rock, played in overdrive. Lopez and the women open with the “Na na, na na, na na” chant often used by schoolyard bullies after they’ve done some damage.
The song describes the antics of an egotistical lover only interested in their own satisfaction. The women sing the chorus in harmony, while Hord delivers short, blistering solos over the breakneck rhythms of Casey G. and Arun Bhalla.
“Time for Bed,” a high-speed rocker and the opposite of a lullaby, has a chorus that sticks in one’s head. Lopez sings the verses in a carefree tone. When she says she can’t break the rules, the implication is just the opposite. Hord’s shredding solos ride the tsunami laid down by the rhythm section.
Lopez and Hord both come from working class backgrounds, and their roots are reflected in the lyrics of the songs on House Rocking. “The songs are about working your butt off,” Hord said. “Long days filling the pockets of your boss. We throw house parties when we get home. We need to fill our hearts with love to give us the energy to go back to work the following week. With hard work comes some great parties.”
Hard copies of the EP will be available on the band’s Rebeldes Unidos logo, and the band’s looking forward to their residency at the Make Out Room.
“I would like our music to affect your inner light, the one that sparks your best self,” Lopez said. “Life is short, and we’re all just a bunch of sensitive meat sacks. Let’s get loose and dance.”
Listen to tracks from ‘House Rocking’ and other releases on Hot Laundry’s Bandcamp page: hotlaundry.bandcamp.com/album/house-rocking. The will play every Monday in August from 6:30–9:30pm at the Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd Street, San Francisco. 415.647.3997. makeoutroom.com
