The Best Part of Waking Up

Photo by Steve Hay.

Still haven’t found your summer get away? Take a listen to Hot Coffee, Mississippi and travel to a bygone era without ever having to leave your home. After hearing the band perform at The Red and the Black on June 26, I imagine life in the real city of Hot Coffee, MS, to be simple, honest, and pure—much like the band’s music. With their own special blend of Americana, country and a little disco, the band falls somewhere in the musical spectrum between the Decemberists and Dwight Yoakam. Key to their success as a band is their ability to tell a story while fusing together the traditional and conventional with the modern and unanticipated—giving their music a “voice” all its own.

Hot Coffee, Mississippi, named after a real city in the South, was formed in 2007. The band is actually a reincarnation of an earlier project started by Lester Feder, the lead singer and banjo player in the band—who also happens to hold a PhD in the field of music. Fueled by four other unique individuals, including: Jason Dangle on bass; Sadie Dingfelder (you may know her from DC’s popular Junior League Band) on violin and vocals; Dan Scahs on drums; and Alex Vactor on guitars; the band has attained a special musical balance.

Photo by Steve Hay.

Once the band took the stage they performed a charming set filled with familiar musical interludes and comforting melodies. Most of their songs are crisp and upbeat, but I was glad that they did not shy away from slower ballads or the unconventional. Sadie, who in her other musical projects usually sticks to playing strings, treated the audience by singing a few songs. Other highlights from Hot Coffee, Mississippi’s show included an endearing call-and-response sequence between Lester on banjo and Sadie on the fiddle, and an unexpected cover of Michael Jackson’s beloved song Beat It.

The humble band members acknowledge that they are still maturing as a band and finding new ways to bring out the best in each other through their music. At the same time they expressed excitement about how that room to grow provides them with the freedom to try out new sounds—including underwater whale calls, which I look forward to hearing someday soon. They are heading into the recording studio this fall to produce their first set of recordings and noted that they are taking the opportunity to experiment with their music in the hopes of creating something that sounds good and is all their own.

Fortunately for DoS, readers you don’t have to travel far to get to Hot Coffee, Mississippi—it’s right in your own backyard. Be sure to check out Hot Coffee, Mississippi next time you need a quick pick me up, at: www.myspace.com/hotcoffeemississippi.