Dot Hacker is an American
experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...
band from
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, formed in 2008. The band consists of
Josh Klinghoffer
Josh Adam Klinghoffer (born October 3, 1979) is an American musician best known for being the guitarist for the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019, with whom he recorded two studio albums, '' I'm with You'' (2011) and '' The Geta ...
(vocals, guitar, keyboards), Clint Walsh (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Jonathan Hischke (bass) and Eric Gardner (drums).
Klinghoffer, Walsh and Gardner were all previously members of the touring incarnation of
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul music, soul duo composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse (musician), Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, ''St. Elsewhere (album), St. Elsewhere'', in 2006. It contai ...
, and were subsequently joined by
Hella bassist Jonathan Hischke to create Dot Hacker. Prior to Klinghoffer joining the
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...
, the band recorded its debut album, ''Inhibition'', which was released on May 1, 2012.
History
After meeting multi-instrumentalist
Josh Klinghoffer
Josh Adam Klinghoffer (born October 3, 1979) is an American musician best known for being the guitarist for the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019, with whom he recorded two studio albums, '' I'm with You'' (2011) and '' The Geta ...
through his
Hella bandmates
Spencer Seim and Dan Elkan, bassist Jonathan Hischke moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, in 2008, to begin work on a potential project that would include Klinghoffer, and fellow
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul music, soul duo composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse (musician), Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, ''St. Elsewhere (album), St. Elsewhere'', in 2006. It contai ...
touring musicians, Clint Walsh and Eric Gardner. Regarding the band, Hischke noted,
"It’s this interesting thing, because it’s this band made of kind of young session musician
A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...
types: Josh played with Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi mus ...
, and PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.
Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...
and John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante ( ; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician and the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, having been with the band across three iterations. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic gu ...
, now he’s the new Chili Pepper
Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...
. Then there’s Eric Gardner our drummer, he’s played with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul music, soul duo composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse (musician), Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, ''St. Elsewhere (album), St. Elsewhere'', in 2006. It contai ...
, you know, Tom Morello
Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is known for his tenure with the rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello was a membe ...
, stuff like that. Clint Walsh has done Gnarls, The Scream
''The Scream'' is an art composition created by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. The Norwegian name of the piece is ('Screaming, Scream'), and the German title under which it was first exhibited is ' ('The Scream of Nature'). The agonize ...
, Electric Guest, and many others. So they invited me in to jam with them and I moved to LA to pretty much do that."
Taking its name from drummer Eric Gardner's grandmother,
Dot Hacker subsequently began recording its debut album in between the band members' other commitments. In October 2009, Klinghoffer joined the
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...
, delaying the album's release for an extended period of time. Regarding its eventual release, Hishcke noted, "This is quite a busy group of people, even more so now. We recorded off and on for many months in our really comfy and clubhouse-like home studio. Then the completed album was in purgatory for a while as we all did different things."
On February 21, 2012, the band released its debut EP, ''Dot Hacker'' on ORG Music, with its full-length album ''Inhibition'' released on May 1, 2012. With Klinghoffer having a break from his Chili Peppers duties, June 2013 saw Dot Hacker performing in California and Las Vegas.
On 1 July 2014, the band released the first of two new albums released in 2014. 'How's Your Process? (Work)' was released on 1 July 2014, containing six songs. An album of equal length, 'How's Your Process? (Play)' was released on October 6, 2014. Dot Hacker played for the first time in 2014, debuting songs from the new album, at The chapel, San Francisco on 6 July 2014 and are due to play in Los Angeles on 8 August 2014.
The band announced plans to play
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
in February 2015 in support of the two albums. This will be their first time performing outside of the United States. It is unknown if more dates will be added as Klinghoffer began recording a new album with the Chili Peppers in January 2015 and following the album's release (which is expected to be summer 2016) the band will likely spend the next two years touring.
The band released their third album, titled "№3" on January 20, 2017.
The band released the opening track, "C Section" on January 4, 2017.
Band members
*
Josh Klinghoffer
Josh Adam Klinghoffer (born October 3, 1979) is an American musician best known for being the guitarist for the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019, with whom he recorded two studio albums, '' I'm with You'' (2011) and '' The Geta ...
– lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizers
*Clint Walsh – guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals
*Jonathan Hischke – bass guitar
*Eric Gardner – drums, percussion
Discography
Albums
*''
Inhibition
Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to:
Biology
* Enzyme inhibitor, a substance that binds to an enzyme and decreases the enzyme's activity
* Reuptake inhibitor, a substance that increases neurotransmission by blocking the reuptake of a neurotransm ...
'' (2012)
*''
How's Your Process? (Work)'' (2014)
*''
How's Your Process? (Play)'' (2014)
*''
Nº3
''Nº3'' is the third studio album by alternative rock band Dot Hacker. The album was released on January 20, 2017 on ORG Music label.
The album cover art was created by Josh Klinghoffer although it was not originally designed for this purpose.
...
'' (2017)
EPs
*''
Dot Hacker'' (2012)
References
External links
ORG MusicLast.fm
{{Authority control
Alternative rock groups from California
American experimental rock groups
Musical groups from Los Angeles