From Yucaipa, California, comes a pop rock group with a touch of punk, Hoity~Toity. The band — made up of Shelby on lead vocals, Sarah on lead guitar, Kelsey on drums, and Spike on bass — has that “modern-day riot girl” feel with a perpetual forward-moving and catchy musicality. This is the band you call up when you need a boost of energy and motivation to get it done.

Even though the band itself is only a couple of years old, they already have a few awards and wins under their belt, including 1st place in the Queen Bean Battle of the Bands, and it certainly seems as though this is only the start of many more to come.

I got the chance to speak with Hoity~Toity about their experiences together and their upcoming EP.

Germ Magazine: Hello, and thanks for agreeing to this interview!

Let’s get started with how you all got into music. Then, how did you come to start Hoity~Toity?

Hoity~Toity: All of us were involved in music in our own separate ways, and then a few members decided to start a band, so we put up flyers looking for other musicians, did auditions, and went from there! We practiced together for 6 months before we performed in public. We wanted to ‘wow’ everyone from the get-go, you know, have them scratching their heads like, “Where the heck did they come from?”

 

GM: Where do you find inspiration for your music?

Hoity~Toity: Everybody had very different inspirations, so we put them together to make the sound of Hoity-Toity. We find our writing inspirations from our normal life situations: mosquito bites, people crossing the street, bullies, homework, sayings. One of our new songs started when Shelby accidentally stepped on the guitar pedal in practice and it made an interesting sound; we built a whole song around that one note!

 

GM: That’s awesome! How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?

Hoity~Toity: That’s the hard part because it doesn’t sound like anything else out there now. We are proud of that even though we realize it’s a risk for marketing; people in the music distribution business want to be able to fit everything in a category. It’s FUN music, fun to play, perform, and to listen to. If we have to put a label on it, it’s mostly pop/rock with old school punk energy. The songs we are writing right now are completely different; we were inspired by 21 Pilots and their ability to do many different styles of songs. Seriously who wants to stay in the same box!!??

 

GM: I think that’s a spot-on description. Can’t wait to hear what’s next from you! Being an all-female band is something all too rare, I believe, because the industry is so male-dominated. What has been your experience as such?

Hoity~Toity: People are often surprised at how well we compete in a male-dominated industry. We don’t look like musicians either, especially when we walk in dressed up and with parents in tow. We are often the only females playing at a venue, always the youngest band, and always underestimated. This has and will go in our favor because we are better at surprising them and taking over the world! Haha!

 

GM: Love it. You’re currently working on an EP to come out this spring. What can you tell us about that?

Hoity~Toity: We are really excited for this EP, and all you guys will have to just wait and see!! Hey, we just made a rhyme!

 

GM: Do you have any advice for young writers and creators?

Hoity~Toity: Think about life experiences so you can connect with the song, how it makes you feel, or what you did to get around or through that situation. If you want to start writing, just write a story about how your day went and make a song out of that and take things from the people you listen to and go from there.

 

GM: Finally, where can we find you and your music?

Hoity~Toity: On our website.

 

GM: Great! Thanks again for being a part of this. You’re music is so much fun, and I think it’s something our readers can really get excited about!

Hoity~Toity: Thank you so much!! This is officially our first magazine interview!!!

 

Check out this performance of Hoity~Toity’s song “Off Course”:

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMJI9wKdlm8″ width=”480″ height=”300″][/su_youtube]