Singer / Front person wanted for variety band (Upstate, SC)
Hot As A Pepper, a well-established Upstate SC based variety dance band is looking to fill the spot of lead vocalist / front person.
We’re in search of the best and most versatile singer to fill this position.
The band covers upbeat and danceable songs from the 60s to current, across many genres, including Pop, Top 40, Rock, Disco, R&B, Funk, Carolina Beach and more. We also have a forthcoming CD of originals.
Artists we current cover include Prince, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel, Lizzo, Bruno Mars, Van Morrison, A Taste of Honey, Etta James, The Foundations, Rick James, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, Daft Punk, DNCE, Chairmen of the Board, Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, KC & The Sunshine Band, B52s, etc.
The band plays frequently at bars, clubs, private and corporate events, fundraisers, weddings and festivals, mostly around the Upstate, with a strong desire to focus more on events/festivals in the future.
If you are interested in playing 4 to 10 shows a month, mostly on the weekends in the Upstate, and want to work hard to be the best, with weekly rehearsals, then we want to hear from you!
Please send links of your videos and/or audio, as well as photos and make sure you send a bio or tell us about yourself.
**PLEASE DO NOT CALL – JUST SEND INFO TO HELP US LEARN ABOUT YOU FIRST!**
Auditions will be held at our Simpsonville based studio.
All the cliche and typical requirements, wants and needs apply:
• Professional appearance, attitude and gear.
• Reliable transportation.
• Know how to read a clock and can be on time to rehearsals and shows.
• Have reasonable communication skills and check your email/text.
• No vices that negatively impact your performance or relationships with venues or band members.
If you play an instrument – bonus!
If you are adept at promoting and building relationships – bonus!
If you are interested in collaborating on originals – bonus!
Things to know:
• We are a variety band that performs DANCE ORIENTED music. While we might go outside that box, most music is upbeat, fun and funky.
• We do not use floor monitors – you will be using Sennheiser in-ear monitor system with your own mix.
• You WILL be expected to arrive early and stay late to assist with load-in/out.
The Co-Founder of Hot As A Pepper, and my best friend, Chip McDonald, has Stage 4 Small Cell Renal Cancer and has been fighting it since January of 2021. It’s a difficult battle that keeps him from working, and from performing music.
If you have an extra dollar or twenty, could you help this family out? THANK YOU!
I received the Upstate Music Awards “864 Award” and dedicate it to YOU, the real supporters of this music scene!
I’m simply stunned that I was nominated, and then selected from a list of worthy individuals and groups who represent and support the Upstate music scene, and even more surprised to have actually won the UMA 864 Award which was presented last night at the Upstate Music Awards at The Peace Center!
While I do whatever I can when I can to help out our music community, I’m no more deserving than any one of awesome nominees such as Jay Spivey who has put in countless hours promoting the music scene in Fete Magazine, or the Upstate Music Mine who has produced dozens and dozens of podcasts that have given exposure to a slew of musicians, or the talented Lecretia Ann who is loved for her contributions, or Vaughn Newman Dance who educates and enlightens through beautiful dance.
The reality is, I’m just a cog in the machine – we all work together to help build us up!
In fact, I would like to dedicate this award to YOU, the real supporters of our scene. The people who get out and see the bands who are performing and buy their music. Please, keep doing that!
I have a challenge for you: Please, when you are considering where to go for lunch or dinner, think about a venue that offers live music. Spend your hard earned money there instead of Corporate Burgers, because, without the venues, the artists who were represented last night will have no place to perform their music, whether it is from the heart originals, or strictly covers, or a rap or hip-hop artist. The venues give us all an outlet!
We need MORE venues, not less, and we have lost at least 6 in 2022.
Make plans to attend the annual Upstate Live Music Meetup 2022 which takes place on April 10th at The Spinning Jenny from 1 to 6pm, with two stages going that musicians of all skill levels and styles are welcome to take part in (backline provided) and lots of opportunities to network with musicians, venue owners and music lovers. There’s a mini-trade show you can display your music related products and services at, or buy/sell/trade music related goods. BE THERE! It’s FREE!
If you have been living in a cave, you might have missed that our friend and lead vocalist, Chip McDonald, who John M. Hoyt reached out to when starting Hot As A Pepper five and a half years ago, has had a career change that will take him away from the band.
Chip’s powerful and versatile voice will be missed by all of us, but not more than having him with us on stage and off. It’s going to take some getting used to, that’s for sure.
So, just how many people does it take to replace one singer?
Apparently the answer is ONE HUNDRED AND ONE. That’s how many wonderful individuals reached out to Hot As A Pepper when we posted our plea for a vocalist!
Take a second to wrap your head around that number. ONE HUNDRED AND ONE.
No, we didn’t audition that many, we asked each person to provide us with video or audio clips, and the band members and several friends/advisers listened to the best of the bunch and then we scheduled auditions, stacking them 3 at a time, with 1 hour blocks for each of them.
We had a couple no-shows (one person actually rescheduled at the last minute, and then didn’t show up the second time either!), we had a couple who came in with very very short notice and still managed to do a great job!
We thank each and every person who offered themselves up – your time and interest is greatly appreciated!
Ultimately, we were unanimous in selecting Mary Norris to front HAAP!
Here’s a clip of her joining us on stage at The Boiling Springs Ale House for a few songs.
We had no rehearsal, and these are not all songs she is familiar with – which amazes us and serves to further underscore that Mary is the right person for the job!
Actually, we didn’t even get a sound check. We set up an extra mic and a floor monitor, which we rarely do and let her rip.
Thankfully, our sound tech, Pamela was there to make sure it went okay out front…
Mary is studying music and she’s also busy in the Upstate Live Music Scene – she’s a singer, songwriter, guitarist that fronts her own original act.
We’ll be updating our member’s pages, photos and bios soon, so watch for more information about her!
Obviously, this will open the door for us to add some songs from female artists, many of which have been requested!
As always, we invite your requests and suggestions for music, but ask that you be patient as the band works with Mary to get her up to speed for our first shows of 2018 – then we can explore some new material!
Our first show with Mary fronting HAAP will be at Craft & Barrel on January 19th, 2018, we hope you will come and check us out!
Another member change – Chris Carroll who has been playing with us for months has now taken over the permanent main guitarist spot. So he’s officially no longer just a “fill-in”, he’s THE man.
Carlos Perez remains as our backup guitarist!
Happy new year from the 2018 Hot As A Pepper members!
The full band line-up consists of:
The Core:
John M. Hoyt – Bass / Vocals
Chris Eller – Drums
Tony Gardo – Keys / Vocals
Chris Carroll – Guitar / Vocals
Mary Norris – Vocals / Guitar
Habanero Horns:
Ed Wimberly – Trumpet
Tom Wheat – Saxes
The Greenville News Best of the Upstate Readers Choice award for BEST MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT
This is exciting news!
Hot As A Pepper members John M. Hoyt, Chip McDonald and their spouses Pamela Hoyt and Debra Hoyt attended the big gala event at Huguenot Mill behind The Peace Center in Greenville, SC on Tuesday, July 11th after receiving notification the band was one of two finalists for the BEST MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT category.
Our invitations got us in and a entitled us to a few drinks each and some hour devours, allowing us to mingle and talk with friends.
We were up against stiff competition who has a very large following and is well established, so you can imagine our surprise when they called our name as the winner for Best of the Upstate – Best Musical Entertainment!
We appreciate each of you who supported, nominated and then voted for our band. That means a lot to us! And while an award in and of itself not a direct measurement of who is “best” or who is a success, it is an honor to have the support that we have had from you! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU a million times over.
We didn’t win this – you did!
Need a band for your wedding reception, corporate event, birthday bash, graduation, retirement or any other purpose? We want to talk to you! Contact us and lets make some booty wiggle!
Did you join our mailing list yet? You can do so HERE and we promise not to bombard you with more than a couple emails per month.
Hot as a pepper has done shows that were based around a theme before, but it’s been a while, so we are itching to get something fun going again. If you are planning a party or event where you believe a theme would be go over well, or you have a theme based event and you need the music, let’s talk!
Here’s some ideas:
Disco – Everyone gets to channel John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. With tunes from Kool & The Gang, KC & The Sunshine Band, Earth, Wind and Fire, Donna Summer, Bee Gees, Commodores, The Tramps, etc.
Funk – Let’s get funky, nothing but the funk. James Brown, Parlament, Rick James, Gap Band, even some Bruno Mars.
80’s – We’ll get you going with The Fixx, Bon Jovi, Guns & Roses, Rolling Stones, Hall & Oates, Ramones.
70’s – How about a show based around Aerosmith, Doobie Brothers, ZZ Top, Steve Miller Band, Even some Skynyrd?
60’s – We’ve done this show for a large event and it went over super! Temptations, McCoys, GFR, Van Morrison, Steppenwolf, CCR, Stones, Turtles, Beatles, Kinks, Beach Boys, Zombies. From mellow to harder rock.
Beach, lake or shag party – A whole show you can chill to or shag to. By the pool, ocean, lake, or at your venue.
Our specialty is performing Variety Dance & Party Shows, however, with such a large repertoire, Hot As A Pepper can heavily weight any show we do towards a specific decade or genre.
With enough planning, we can create a show that specifically meets your needs. Custom tailored for you.
We can perform an entire album or every hit song from a particular artist. Imagine a night of a Stevie Wonder’s awesome music, or maybe the entire Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits!
We’re available for your function, whether it is a festival, wedding, corporate event, birthday, anniversary, graduation, or a block party… Or for your venue such as a bar, club or restaurant.
Just about any occasion or location is enhanced by live music!
Use our contact form or give us a call at 864.979.1224 if you want to plan the most awesome event ever! We’re not tied to Greenville SC or the Upstate with a chain, we can cover your event anywhere in the Southeast, or even the world. If you’ve got the money honey, we’ve got the time!
Some find themselves experiencing a bit of sticker shock when a band tells them the cost of the event will be $3000, when a DJ quoted them $800.
So why IS it so costly to hire a band or musician for your event? This is a long one, grab a drink.
Equipment Investment:
A band not only has to invest in the same speakers and amps (or larger) that a DJ might use for the audience to hear their show, but they also have to invest into a monitor system which is what the band uses to hear themselves. The band also has to invest into a mixing console with more inputs, instruments and instrument stage amplifiers. This could mean while a DJ has as little as a couple thousand dollars invested, a band might have $50,000 or more on their stage!
Also, a DJ might have some dance floor lights, while a band may have some dance floor lighting and stage lighting to illuminate the members so you can see them.
Personnel:
A DJ has a clear advantage here. Having less equipment means that it could be a one-man-show. He/she could be setup and ready to go in as little as 15 minutes!
A band may have to arrive 2 to 2.5 hours before the show in order to get setup, get a proper sound check, and then get changed and ready to perform. However, that’s not really the start of the labor involved. The band will have to load all that gear into their vehicles, a trailer/van/bus, and drive to the location. Then at the end of the night, they may remain at the venue for up to an hour tearing down and loading out their gear, then driving it to where it is kept.
Let’s examine a typical show. Band meets at 2pm and loads up gear, drives to the venue for a 4pm load-in. They then setup their gear and get a sound check and changed into show clothes for a 7pm performance. The performance lasts from 7pm to 10pm, and the band tears down and leaves by 11pm, and finally unloads at their studio or storage location and heads for home by 1am. That’s an 11 hour day. BUT WAIT! That’s not all, that’s 11 hours times how ever many band members and staff that are involved. In the case of Hot As A Pepper, that would be 6 to 9 people. or up to NINETY-NINE MAN HOURS.
A band usually has sound and lighting techs which make them sound or look their best, so they can concentrate on playing their best. That adds to the number of people involved, and the man hours of labor.
A musician in a band might have an 11 hour day for your 3 hour event!
Add to that a few scenarios such as when the band MUST SET UP by 1pm for a 6pm show because the photos are being taken at the venue, or there is a cocktail reception before the band plays. This could add many hours to the entire band’s investment in time. They cannot setup and leave their gear, nor can they do anything else to make money while their gear is tied up at that venue.
Before your show, it is likely that you requested several special songs, let’s assume 3 songs that the band doesn’t normally play. A musician might learn their part for 3 songs in as little as an hour, while more complicated songs might take several hours. Then the band must come together and rehearse them as one unit. Let’s assume 2 hours to learn them, and 2 hours to rehearse with the band, times 7…. 28 additional hours invested.
Let’s take the numbers from above, where the band invested 99 hours into a show, change the setup time to 2pm so the band can be out of the way by 5pm to allow for a cocktail and dinner hour, which adds 18 more man hours, then add the 28 man hours to learn special songs. If my math is correct, that is 145 man hours.
At the minimum wage that people are pushing for of $15/hr, that would be $2175 in pure labor!
Each musician invests into their gear and clothing, and a huge investment is made in learning their craft, which might take years. The songs they play took hundreds of hours to work up, again, times however many musicians are performing them.
A band has to have rehearsal space, which may cost them monthly.
A band may be losing 20% or more to a booking agency, right off the top.
A band may have to buy additional insurance, and for a whole lot more than a DJ.
There are meals involved during the day, and guitar strings, sax reeds and batteries for various devices.
Some bands are fortunate enough to have a van and a trailer, where all people ride in one vehicle, while others might use their personal vehicles, meaning even more investment in gas and maintenance.
So just how much do the band members make? Yeah, that’s a lot less than you might think!
Taking a $3000 wedding event which was booked through an agency as an example, we immediately lose 20%. Then we take out expenses for fuel or vehicle needs, assuming a trailer rental, and gas of $100 and let’s assume the client pays with a credit card, and we lose 3% additional (90 bucks). That’s 2210 left. If we have a single sound person, we might give them $200, which means only $2010 remains.
For this example, the band will have 7 members, and they each get an equal cut, in addition to the sound system getting an equal cut, so they can maintain it… $2010 divided by 8 is $251.25.
Each member shows invests 12 hours into prep, driving, playing, loading, etc.
That looks like each member gets $21/hr! Not bad. No no, wait…. What about taxes? If they are reporting this income, they might lose 30% in taxes, taking it down to 14.70/hr.
And yet they invested money into lunch, and maybe Waffle House afterwards (maybe dinner if that wasn’t included in the rider for the event), fuel in their personal vehicle, strings/sticks/reeds/batteries. That could run into the 25 dollar range or more.
Pay – taxes – expenses could look more like $12.50 an hour or less. Maybe much less, especially if something goes horribly wrong, like a shirt getting ripped, or a damaged instrument.
The next time you think bands are getting rich and that their rates are outrageous, consider some of the above and you might understand that you are likely getting one heck of a great deal when a music group performs for you.
Try calling in a handful of plumbers, computer techs or HVAC techs to work for you for half the day, and compare that bill with a band!
If you would like a quote for Hot As A Pepper live music entertainment, let us know! We would be happy to play your wedding reception, high school reunion, wedding anniversary party, corporate event, festival or venue! Use our CONTACT FORM and we will get back to you quickly. Or feel free to give us a call at 864.979.1224.
Our New Mackie DL32R – 36 inputs, 28 outputs busses, zero knobs
Today’s a great day for Hot As A Pepper! You could say we were filled with HAAPiness!
Why? Because new toys arrived and we’re itching to use them for our upcoming shows. We’ve upgraded our audio mixer from the Mackie DL1608 to the Mackie DL32R and put it in a new Gator road rack case with a Furman power distribution system, an Apple AirPort Express Wi-Fi router and a Western Digital 1TB USB hard drive.
The advantages over what we had are more inputs for more players, more outputs for more monitor mixes, additional effect capability and 32 channel record/playback. No, it won’t make us sound or look any better, but who doesn’t love more power!!?!!??
A little history about the evolution of Hot As A Pepper’s audio control system:
A while back we ditched our trusty analog Allen & Heath mixing console in an effort to make life easier on us.
What did the move to digital gain us? By losing the console, we also lost the snake, which presented a health & safety hazard at venues where someone could trip over it. It also meant we no longer had to carry that copper coil of evil around and wrap it up carefully to insure it was not damaged, along with cleaning all the gunk off of it from beer or food spillage, or even worse, the outdoor gigs where there was wet grass and dirt on it.
Another advantage of not having a big console is that the venue does not have to give up a table which could seat 2 to 4 people and make them more money. That comes thanks to wireless connectivity and using a series of tablets to control the mixer.
The audio tech or engineer uses a tablet such as an iPad in our case to sit ANYWHERE in the venue, or to roam around and listen to the sound at various locations. And they no longer control both the FOH (Front Of House) mix AND the monitor mix, they simply control what they hear. The monitor mixing takes place on stage, where the band is.
Is the DL32R or any digital mixer system right for YOUR band? Yes? No? Maybe?
If you want to lose the snake, not take up a table in the venue, YES!
If you want to be able to save settings for a venue and recall them and be close to playing without a long sound check the next time you play there, then YES.
If you want to simplify your life, MAYBE!
If you want to save money – no…
Why maybe on simplifying your life? You still need a sound tech out front if you want to sound your best out front. You now need to maintain multiple systems, such as a digital mixer, and a wireless system, and let’s not forget those iPads, which are fragile and MUST be charged and ready to go. Your sound tech may have never worked with a control surface on an iPad, whereas a traditional analog console is a snap to navigate, even if you have never seen that model before! Then there’s the potential for wireless interference which could prohibit you from controlling your audio system! It could come from wireless mics, or heavy 2.4/5GHz spectrum congestion. Oh, and let’s not forget about software updates, which could affect your system’s performance.
Want to save money? Go analog and forget the iPads, and mounts, chargers, racks, etc. Just buy yourself a nice 16-32 channel board and a snake and be done with it!
Nope, it’s not a one-size-fits-all type thing. It might not be right for you, or it may be exactly what you have been missing!
Want to discuss it? Find us out at a gig and we will show you our system and try to answer any questions we can.
You can also find me (John) online and I’ll be happy to tell you all I know.
Rock On!
About John:
John M. Hoyt is the bass player & manager of the Greenville SC based dance, party and event band, Hot As A Pepper. You can reach John at 864-979-1224 or use our CONTACT FORM.
Hot As A Pepper loves playing wedding receptions and parties! Why? Because we get to hang out with people who want nothing more than to have fun, and more importantly, we get to share in a very special moment in a couple’s lives!
One couple, Todd & Joy, had seen our band perform at one of our favorite venues to play (The Spot on The Alley in Seneca) and decided that we would compliment their wedding day well, so they booked us for the wedding reception.
Their wedding director, Dee, was incredible, tending to every last detail, and making the venue (The Lighthouse) look more beautiful than it ever had for other events we have played there.
My Daughter, Megan Hoyt, played piano for the ceremony music and afterwards, sang and played piano and guitar for the cocktail hour music. I even sat in with Chris Eller to accompany her on a couple songs.
Then, Hot As A Pepper fired up and played a few special songs we had learned for the bride and groom’s first dance and the father/daughter dance, etc…. After which we saw a non-stop dance party until the last chords rang out. During the breaks we kept the crowd going with some popular line dance songs that had been requested.
Mission accomplished! It was an amazing night for the band!
Yesterday, we received this posting from the newlyweds on our Facebook Page:
Client supplied photo of guests enjoying some Hot As A Pepper!
Thank you to Hot As A Pepper for providing a memorable night of entertainment at our recent wedding at the Lighthouse! The dance floor was full all-night long, with great selections of all genres from beach music and through every decade including current hits. The band was a pleasure to work with and we look forward to seeing them again soon. Thanks to Chip, John and the rest of the band!
I guess I don’t have to tell you… This is the icing on the cake! When you can do what you love doing, such as your band playing for a wedding, and then get positive feedback that people loved your work, it just doesn’t get better than this!
Thank you to Todd & Joy for trusting in Hot As A Pepper to play for their wedding. We wish you two a long lifetime of happy times and great music! We want to play for your anniversary parties!
– John
John plays bass for Hot As A Pepper and writes nonsense such as this blog post and silly comments on the band’s facebook page. The band is available for your wedding reception, party or other event in the Greenville area and out a few hours. We can provide a smaller “core” band of 4 or 5 people, or we can add our horns and an additional vocalist to cover just about any style of music you may desire!
Need cocktail or dinner hour music? How about ceremony music? We can handle all that. Give us a call, or use this FORM to get info on how to book or hire Hot As A Pepper!
Hot As A Pepper had a blast at the first Simpsonville Bacon Labor Day Festival on September 1, 2014.
It was a scorching hot day, yet the crowds were quite pleasing and the number of cars entered in the car show were higher than one would expect.
Hot As A Pepper had worked up a song to play for a special person, Donna Hughey, who was going to front the band and sing it, but due to the heat and her health, it didn’t happen. Hopefully we will get another chance in the future. You see, Donna only has six months to live. You can find out more about her story HERE.
Here’s one of the tunes we enjoyed playing, the classic rock song, “Magic Carpet Ride”.
If you would like fun and family friendly entertainment for your festival, fair, corporate event or any other occasion, please let us know! You can use this form to reach out to us HERE.
We play within a few hours driving range of Greenville, SC. Including Atlanta GA, Asheville NC, Knoxville TN, Columbia SC, Charleston SC, Augusta GA, Myrtle Beach SC, Savannah GA, etc.
