Do you have a story behind your artist name?
Jac (they/them): Yes. When I was a kid, my Dad used to watch Bob Ross so when I came home from school I would watch and then fall asleep to the sound of Bob Ross’s paint brush going sh sh sh. That was one of my favorite sounds all the way before the ASMR stuff got popular. I brought up the band name as a joke at first actually, but it somehow stuck.
Tell us a bit about your music journey. How has it shaped you?
Jac: I grew up listening to classic rock and musicals, took piano lessons, played the trombone in school bands, toured with a youth orchestra and had a mom who sang in a barbershop chorus. I was a really shy kid and used to be afraid to sing in front of anybody (except in the car or shower) and had a little mousey voice. I started teaching myself guitar and writing songs in my childhood bedroom to capture my closeted teenage angst and sang so I could capture the songs. I continued writing when I got to college and pushed myself to play at open mics,which led to eventually wanting to play with other people and forming a band.
Jess (she/her): I also grew up with classic rock, played the quads in marching band and I became obsessed with rudiments and being regimented in rehearsals. My parents got me a drum kit when I was 11 and I taught myself drums by watching Dave Weckl videos backwards because I am a lefty. I am very much a perfectionist when it comes to rehearsing and has given me a really contagious work ethic. I played in some Boston-area bands and eventually toured with World/Inferno Friendship society for eight years.
JD (he/him): My brother and my friend Rob were shredders in high school and they needed someone to play bass and made me do it. I just wanted a reason to hang out so I picked it up. At the time the only bass player I knew was Nikki Sixx, but I figured it out.
How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
Soulful, melodic post-grunge and people have said “power-pop” to describe us too.
What drew you to the genre / instruments you’re playing right now?
Jac: Guitar and singing was just a means to get songs out for me.
What inspires you to write music?
Jac: What doesn’t? Writing songs is my therapy. I can tell a song anything and hide my feelings inside them when I want to. It’s like hiding something in plain sight, I guess. They become this expression for my brain and inner world when I can’t really express things in a “normal” waylike by just talking with people.
Would you tell us about your current project, album/EP, or song you’re promoting?
Jac: We just released a music video for our single “The Emperor’s Song” for an upcoming album we plan to release over the course of this year. This song is about a relationship being infiltrated and taking the anger and trauma and frustration and turning into something empowering and uplifting to make things better for everyone. The Emperor in the tarot is this very strong leader who is also in touch with their own emotions so I put my feelings through the lens of a character who knows how to get through something painful and come out stronger.
What do you want listeners to take away from listening to your music?
Jess: There’s something about a good hook and good melody that makes life like a story. When I hear a good story it takes me out of my life and it makes me an observer, which is meditative. It removes you as a main character for a minute. You’re a little bit less “I.”
Jac: I want listeners to drop the mundane day-to-day and take a breath and feel whatever they’re feeling. They’re not alone in it. Maybe find a relatable bit of the music that can help them with whatever they’re going through right now.
JD: Me? I just want to make music people have a good time listening to.
Who are your top three artists right now? If that’s not a fair question, what’s your favorite song right now?
Jess: “The Rubberband Man” by The Spinners. The chorus doesn’t come in or end where you think it should, but it’s still such a great pay-off when you do get it.
Jac: These are both hard questions, but I will tell you I had an Olivia Rodrigo song, “Vampire,” stuck in my head the other day. A favorite song of mine I put on when I need to re-charge is Deerhunter’s “Revival”. Just always makes me feel better after listening.
JD: “I Know You Love Me” by Smoking Popes; “Don’t Change” by INXS; “Seasons” by Future Islands.
What’s the easiest way for fans to connect with you?
Find our music on Bandcamp, and our new video for “The Emperor’s Song” on YouTube. Reach out on @happylittlecloudsband on Instagram, find us on Facebook, or come to a show and say hi!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happylittlecloudsband/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hlclouds/
Homepage: http://www.happylittleclouds.com/
Bandcamp: https://happylittleclouds.bandcamp.com/track/the-emperors-song
What’s next for you?
We’re planning our next music video and we’re going to release a whole bunch of new music this year and get back into the studio.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
Jac: Vox/guitar/synth
Jess: Drums/percussion
JD: Bass
BIO: Happy Little Clouds is a Boston-based indie rock band whose songs will stick with you rain or shine. The band’s unfiltered, heartfelt lyrics are entwined with bluesy vocals and catchy melodies, like frosting on a post-grunge cake. Join HLC on a journey for inner truth and a euphoric experience that strikes your heart like lightning just before everything changes forever. Strap in and eat yer cake.
