Hotwax

Where: Victory Grill
1104 East 11th Street
512.291.6211
www.historicvictorygrill.org

When: Friday, July 30th

Doors Open: 8pm
Show at 8:30pm

Cover $7
Beer available for sale
BYOLiquor

For More Information:
Harold McMillan
www.diversearts.org
512.477.9438

Historic Victory Grill
www.historicvictorygrill.org
512.291.6211

Hot Wax Website
http://www.hotwax.org/

Austin's Premier Showband has provided top quality entertainment for the last 20 years! Hotwax is, in essence, a live celebration of classic soul music. The history of Hotwax is presented here to give a glimpse into the life of a band like no other. Hotwax began in 1986 as a musical review that emulated the high energy, choreography and costuming of the 60's soul music reviews. The Hotwax Music Review established its act on sixth street backed by the popular cover band Special Interest in the then newly expanded Toulouse club. Even the owner Larry Kyle, got into the act by actually performing "Jail House Rock" in the show. The HotWax Musical Revue exploded onto the stage with flashy and (literally) funky costumes. The powerful vocals of up to eight singers as well as smooth choreography brought standing room only crowds to Toulouse. There was nothing else like it on 6th street in Austin.

Hotwax became fully independent after the departure of their founding manager and creator Dave Steakley in 1987. The vocalists reformatted the show, scaling the show down to four singers and hiring former house-band members from Ellington's where the concept of an authentic 60's musical review first emerged. The Hotwax band said goodbye to Toulouse and established it's home base at Anchovies which was the home of the popular band Duck Soup. Anchovies allowed Hotwax entry into the profitable world of party showbands. These events included: corporate events, charity fund raisers, opening for touring bands and especially weddings. All became our regular gigs.

When Anchovies closed in 1991 Hotwax moved its home back to West Sixth street and performed regularly at Top of the Marc above the famous Katz's Deli. Hotwax shared a special relationship with Top of the Marc and the people of Austin and brought fans back year after year. The sincere emotional connection between audience and performers made each appearance at Top of the Marc a special event.

One of the most fun and satisfying venues was The Oasis. The Oasis had long been famous for its fantastic sunset views of Lake Travis. The best thing about performing at The Oasis is that we performed for the whole family. Children from teens to tots were out on the dance floor trying to out-dance their parents.  Alternatively if you just wanted to watch the show and hear powerful vocals, there was no bad seat with a blocked view of the stage.

The last regular venue for Hotwax was Cedar Street Courtyard. It was an upscale urban open air club set between two buildings. The crowd was so close to the band members that it was possible to share emotion, excitement, sweat,  and even cigar smoke. The Cedar Street Courtyard was also our last regular gig is Austin club life.

The things that have made Hotwax a continuing success have been: First a genuine passion for the music and style of showmanship from the 50's and 60's. Great names like The Platters, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye,Gladys Knight, Sam and Dave and Aretha Franklin were icons that guided the style of Hotwax. They were truly the best ever created. The vocal harmonies and powerful leads of this classical music required multiple vocalists capable of singing the back-up parts accurately. Hotwax has been blessed over the years to have had some of the best singers in Austin perform with the band.

And second unlike most bands Hotwax has tried to stimulate the crowd both acoustically and visually. Although the musical and vocal prowess is paramount, a singer for the Hotwax band must be able to dance as well. Practically every song was chore graphed. The boisterous interactive merrymaking coupled with hard work and sweat generated by the choreography was what people remember. Of course none of this was possible without the hard working musicians of Hotwax each of whom were seasoned professionals that had mastered their craft.

It's difficult to field a 10 member band with costume changes and choreography on most club stages. A local band, no matter how good, cannot get adequate money from clubs. Therefore most of our performances nowadays are bookings are primarily for private events. Some of our gigs come through booking agents while also frequently our gigs come to us directly through word of mouth.

Thanks to all the singers and musicians and especially the fans who have kept this band together for a long time. With the public's continuing support Hotwax will continue to play on a full tank of high octane dance music which will keep you moving till you drop. This is participant fueled fun.