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You Heard It here first: Hank and Cupcakes

We have fallen head over heels for Pop/Electro band Hank and Cupcakes. With infectious sounds of funky beat's that make you want to turn up the volume and dance, this Brooklyn duo has really got a hold on us. Mixing pop, rock and electro they stir up the genre's to create a new hybrid of pure, intelligent music that get's you ready for a night out. Complete with Cupcake's on vocals and drums and Hank on bass, H & C don't need anything else, it just work's, no need for added extra's. With a full list of NYC gig's as well as trips over to Colorado and Pennslyvania, if you find yourself in the area, we suggest you check out a show so you can brag to your friend's about how you heard them first.
Posted by Melissa on April 22, 2009 at 4:34pm:
- Melissa M.

"Butt shaking and heartbreaking at the same time, Hank & Cupcakes' distinctively beat-driven electro-pop bursts with fresh bass hook lines, sexy grooved and remarkably multifaceted vocals. Their immediate and straight forward sound offers an amazing mix of emotive power and free thinker attitudes exploding into stirring electro fantasies..."
The Deli Magazine - Fall 2009 - The Deli Magazine

Hank & Cupcakes had only minutes to spare before their set at The Electric Company on the last day of the Utica Music and Arts Fest.

Cupcakes didn’t have time to change. She briefly glanced around the dimly lit bar, nearly empty at 4 p.m.

If you go ...
What: Capital Zen and Hank & Cupcakes.
She was glad she hadn’t changed.

“I said: ‘I’m not going to wear something sparkly; it’s going to be embarrassing,’” remembered Cupcakes, drummer/vocalist for the Brooklyn duo that includes her husband, Hank. The duo will return to The Electric Company, 700 Varick St., at 12:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6.

About 10 minutes into their set, however, Cupcakes wished she’d been wearing her glitz. The dozen people initially milling around the bar seemed to – almost instantaneously — multiply into dozens, nearly 100 by the end of the set, Cupcakes guessed.

“I start playing, I look up, I open my eyes, and there are all these people,” she said. “I wouldn’t expect to walk into an empty club and have the place pack up like that.”

‘Like a magnet’

It was like a fever, said festival attendee Eric Phillips.

“There was nobody there, and then all of a sudden there were literally 100 people who heard something from the street and came in and stayed,” he said. “It was kind of like a magnet.”

Phillips remembered being hypnotized by the duo.

“It’s just these two people — and this girl — she stands up and she’s drumming … and she sings while she’s drumming,” he said. “And, then, her (husband) – this Hank guy – he plays the bass, but not in a traditional way. It sounds like more than one instrument. It’s just a really good groove, and a really good vibe about the whole thing.”

That vibe had dozens of festivalgoers clamoring for phones and cameras. Messages, videos and pictures began circulating among friends featuring Hank & Cupcakes.

“It was definitely a frenzy,” Phillips said. “It was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen in the area in a long time. … It was uncanny. The music was so different and so cool and something people had never seen or heard before.”

‘It just started on its own’

The sound — made up of only drums and bass — is meant to be minimalist but offers all the fullness of a complete band. Whether it’s Hank’s incredibly skilled bass-playing or Cupcakes’ perfectly pitched vocals and powerful percussive abilities, this power pop duo will have you awed. The sound is familiar, yet there’s something completely unheard (and maybe even unseen) when they perform.

That sound wasn’t exactly intentional, said Cupcakes. It happened by circumstance.

More than 18 months ago, the duo planned to leave their native Israel for New York City. They hoped the city would provide varied outlets and audiences that Israel could not. They would have to leave their band behind, but discussed how they’d recruit members when they arrived in New York.

But then the rehearsals began – without band members. It was intense, Cupcakes said. And it just sounded right, she added.

“We started performing, and it started sounding good, and we were exploring the bass and drums, and out of that it just started on its own,” Cupcakes said.

‘The whole talk of the day’

What started in Israel and New York City spread upstate to Utica, and it would seem the duo has a loyal fan base for years to come, said festival organizers Anthony Donaldson and Joe Sweet.

“The whole talk of the day was Hank and Cupcakes, even my mother: ‘Hank & Cupcakes.’ Even my neighbors: ‘Hank & Cupcakes,’” Donaldson said. “And even now, I’ve got people texting me about Hank & Cupcakes.”

Creating that buzz and having it last long after the festival is exactly what Sweet intended.
“Having (Hank & Cupcakes) come back and having that reaction means it’s working and that the idea of (the festival) is working and through the support of everyone, we’re making it happen,” he said.

Capital Zen will open for Hank & Cupcakes at 10 p.m. Cover is $5. - By CASSAUNDRA BABER

"Brooklyn duo Hank & Cupcakes pumps out tight, funky indie pop with impressively sturdy hooks"
- Time Out New York

The crowd at Pianos was well-liquored. A little while after Hank and Cupcakes took the stage and demurely introduced themselves, a pronouncement had to be made.

“YOU’RE HOT!” some guy screamed from the middle of the crowd.

Honestly, it could have been directed at either Hank or Cupcakes, although it was the latter who decided to answer. Flipping some of her hair out of her face, she stared out at the audience in her American-Apparel-approved open-shirt-over-bra combo and smiled. “Yes, I am!” And then it was time to get back to business.
The Brooklyn duo is known for their infectious (and yet still aloof) bass and drum electro-pop. Here to celebrate the release of their new EP, Pleasure Town, they were surrounded by friends and fans in the cramped back room of Pianos. It got so crowded that they stopped letting people into the actual show about halfway through the set, and only the very resourceful could MacGyver their way in.

They started the set with “Alive,” a tune that is not actually on Pleasure Town. However, once they had gotten the crowd sufficiently warmed, they moved right into the eponymous track. It’s really a shame that it was too crowded to properly dance, as Hank and Cupcakes’ brand of dance music is both well-executed and catchy. Standing at the drums, Cupcakes kept the beat and remained alarmingly pitch perfect as Hank brought the funk with some incredibly skillful bass work.

They played every song on Pleasure Town except the first track, the more mellow “Stay” which, while beautiful, probably wasn’t exactly right for this crowd. People were here to party.

Hank and Cupcakes’ cover of Joy Division’s “She’s Lost Control” has a lot of power on the EP, but live it is even more of a sight to behold. The raw lyrics combined with Cupcake’s energy and emotion really drove it home. This may have been a record release party, which generally means everyone here wanted to see the band regardless, but that didn’t mean Hank and Cupcakes weren’t going to fucking try.

Unfortunately, as on point as Hank and Cupcakes were, the same could not be said for the technical aspects of the show. About halfway through the set, during the song “Do This,” lights started going off. And not in a fun rave-y way, either. With little to no warning, the band (and audience) were plunged into darkness for seemingly no reason. This little interruption kept H&C from finishing the song, so they decided to just move on to the next one.

Fans of the band had figured out unique ways of showing their appreciation, and apparently this was audience participation day at Pianos. Shortly after the light fiasco, a girl held a cardboard shoebox aloft. “Who wants cupcakes?” she asked, and the box got crowdsurfed to the stage, where I’m assuming it made a killer late night snack.

After the break for baked goods, and for the last two songs of the 10-song set, the band pulled up a guest musician. And surprisingly it was not a guitarist. Bassist Yula Beeri, formerly of NaNuchKa stepped up to the stage to offer backing vocals and another layer of complexity to those funk-inspired bass riffs.

Beeri helped pump up the energy even more on “Ain’t No Love” and the extended version of “Nothing Yet” which ended the night. And the lights stayed the whole time. Maybe it was magic. Or perhaps even electricity finds a second wind when there are cupcakes on the table.

Link:
http://www.jezebelmusic.com/7069/hank-and-cupcakes-pianos-9409/


- by: Allison Levin

Pleasure Town by Hank & Cupcakes

If you thought that bringing back the eighties would only go so far as leggings and neon, you obviously haven't heard of Hank & Cupcakes. The duo, who this past Friday released their debut EP Pleasure Town, are bringing back the sound with a vengeance. And if you are one of those people who is too cool to get your groove on to Blondie or the Bangles, just stop reading this right now and go back to listening to your trendy ambiance and soul-wrenching folk. Because I, for one, think this music is awesome. And no, I don't exactly have a intelligent explanation as to why that is but after the first few measures of the album's opening number "Stay," I'm throwing on some layered socks and Keds and jumping up and down in my room and teasing out my hair. Maybe its because the eighties were a good time for me.

It doesn't make a lot of sense, but then again the duo themselves are a bit of an anomaly. Hank, a master of a bass player, stands tall and silent as he oh so casually moves his fingers at lightning speed, craftily spinning out a powerful electronic beat. Meanwhile, Cupcakes, a tiny and energetic sprite of a girl beats her drums ferociously with a steadiness that is a direct contrast to the rest of her body, which is bumping and grinding with no abandon, practically emanating sex, a quality intensified by the fact that girl can SING like the love child of Patti Smith and Cyndi Lauper. I dare you to listen to "Beat" and not marvel at the power of Cupcakes' vocals. The result? A sound that is wild and crisp. Poppy but bold. A guilty pleasure but with enough artistic merit to not illicit shame.

That's not to say that H&C is a carbon copy of the music we long buried with the photos of us displaying our best full body acid wash attire. They have an edge and are innovative and experimental in their own way. Maybe it's just that a little bit of fresh attitude and spunk goes a long way in making an impression on their sound, but there's something about their punk/electronica fusion that sounds refreshingly relevant and ground-breaking. Or maybe they are just doing a great job of sticking to, what I believe, is the greatest lesson we learned from the eighties: go big or go home.

Link:
http://www.knocksfromtheunderground.com/ny-album-reviews/2009/9/15/pleasure-town-by-hank-cupcakes.html - By: Faetra Petillo

There’s star power here – and more than just a glimmer of it. Husband-and-wife duo, Hank and Cupcakes, brought audacious flair and neon vivacity to the stage, kicking off their set with “Pleasure Town,” the driving title track of the band’s forthcoming EP (out September 4). Hank, on guitar, stood sexy and stoic as he channeled some of funk’s best reverberating loops. Cupcakes, on drums, also stood (that’s right), optimizing both her vocal prowess and her ebullient stage presence. When she played, it appeared as though she were splashing about, having a rollicking good time, but the sounds emanating from her drum set were crisp as well as clamoring.

Picture a pairing of Karen O and Jack White. Then add an alchemic chemistry. This is a band to catch live while you can.

http://www.jezebelmusic.com/6746/silver-sound-studio/ - By: Veronica Thew

Hank & Cupcakes
Published: July 2009
Story: Jeff Royer
Photo: press photos

There�s some weird love affair between Brooklyn and Bukowski that I have yet to figure out. As reviled for his boorish behavior as he was revered for his blunt, anti-literary poems and stories, Bukowski lived in a world of misery, misogyny and selfish conquest that hardly seems in line with the delicate sensibilities of today�s indie rock scene. And yet, three Brooklyn bands in a row � Chairlift, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart and minimalist pop duo Hank & Cupcakes � have declared their affinity for the old kook during Fly Magazine interviews.

The latter even lifted their name from the writer, who called himself Hank in his semi-autobiographical books, and one of his countless sexual adventuresses, nicknamed Cupcakes for her legendarily ample bosom. But beyond their moniker, the husband-and-wife duo of Hank & Cupcakes share very little with Charles Bukowski apart from a brazen, devil-may-care approach to art and the prescribed notions of form and function.

Armed only with a drum kit, a bass guitar and a complete disregard for their own limitations, the two smack and slap their way through herky-jerky dance-pop songs that bristle with sass and sexuality. Hank steers the ship with imaginative, lyrical bass lines that provide both melody and pulse, carefully eschewing flashy showmanship for steady, artful loops. In that sonic sandbox, Cupcakes builds her castle, layering sturdy disco rhythms and fractured rock beats with sultry vocals chiseled on Pat Benatar�s battlefield of love. She plays the drums standing up for maximum vocal power, which is a spectacle, so much force being projected from such a diminutive package.

The same could be said for Hank & Cupcakes� music, which, while almost comically minimalist, seems all the more ferocious plowing forth without the distraction of competing textures or countermelodies. It�s like the theory that the best way of commanding attention in a noisy room is to talk softly. But as Cupcakes explains, while the duo�s music is almost as much fun to hypothesize about as it is to hear, it�s hardly conceptual.

�There is absolutely no theory involved in what we do,� Cupcakes explains. �We just do it because that is what we find stimulating at the moment. We�re not committed to the minimalist thing. We have no problem adding 10 more players to the band if the music takes us there.�
The media buzz surrounding Hank & Cupcakes belies the fact that they�ve been performing in the States for less than a year. Prior to moving to New York last August, the couple had been playing in bands both together and separately for a decade throughout their native country of Israel. It wasn�t until after a six-month stint studying music in Cuba that the two decided to try their luck in America, where they stumbled upon the idea for their skeletal drum-and-bass arrangements almost accidentally.

�The plan was to come to New York with a tight rhythm section and find more musicians here,� Cupcakes says, �but pretty soon we found ourselves totally turned on by this new sound we were exploring. We started rehearsing on a daily basis and as we progressed, we lost the need to add more instruments to the music.�
The lovebirds preserved their sound for posterity in June, recording a seven-song EP (all in analog) that they hope will be ready for release in time for their trip to PA this month.

http://flymagazine.net/archive_bands_article.cfm?id=31b140c8
- by Jeff Royer

You don�t need too many ingredients to produce some catchy tunes that make hearts leap for joy: mix some funky beats with vibrant bass tunes and add some magical voice full of life and confidence � and here we go. Hank and Cupcakes is the quirky but auspicious result of this exceptional combination. There is no doubt about this group�s entertaining value emerging from their sweeping performance which shows not only their musical and technical skills but also this special synergy between the two band members, Hank (bass) and Cupcakes (drums and vocals), which makes their musical output even more hypnotizing. The distinctive edgy sound and overall attitude of this minimalist but successful duo is reminiscent of New York City�s energy and restlessness combined with bits of soulfulness and youthful spirit. The music is simple, but honest; diverting, yet at the same time highly expressive. Definitely go to check out their slamming live shows, the next one will be at The Delancey on July 6. � Susi Muhr
Published on Wed, 1 Jul 2009 11:26:47
http://www.thedelimagazine.com/index.php?name=thedeli&itemId=218518&mode=comments#post
- By: Susi Muhr

Hank and Cupcakes played full speed. This is a charismatic, minimalist outfit, equipped only with drums, vocals, and bass guitar, and before the two even play their first note, you could feel the chemistry. The two seemed enveloped in their own magnetic, mysterious energy and confidence. They danced around the set unassuming, playing a dash of electro-pop with a potent rock edge. The music was mind-stirring and avant-garde, with a gritty rock vocal and a continuous deliverance of catchy, perfectly executed bass walks.

Every once in awhile, singer Cupcakes came out into the audience, waving and thrashing her body around to the infectious sounds seeping off of the stage. Her demeanor in these moments was irresistible and elegantly flirtatious. Hank and Cupcakes' overall presence is unparalleled - it is a must-see live show. - By: Alysa Stryker

Funky fresh sound
Hank & Cupcakes heat up Williamsburg with new EP and sizzling live shows Read more: http://www.myspace.com/hankandcupcakes#ixzz0tQbBln00
Hank & Cupcakes have been making music for over a decade, but it took moving to Brooklyn to put them on the map.
Formed in Israel more than a decade ago, the Williamsburg-based boy-girl bass and drums duo decided that in order to do what they love right, they needed to leave.
“The music industry where we come from is more challenging, less diverse and less open-minded,” said Sagit Shir, better known as Cupcakes.
Shir’s husband, Ariel Scherbacovsky, the “Hank” of the outfit, added, “We wanted to leave Israel and go to a new place to do new things. We figured New York would be amazing for that.”

The two chose correctly. Since moving here nearly two years ago, the duo have attracted attention for their infectious dance music, heard on their self-titled EP, released last month, and in their energetic live show.
It’s been easy to catch them live, too; when not touring the globe, the two play here almost constantly, with at least one show a week if they can swing it (they achieve that next week, with a show outside the Lovin’ Cup Cafe in Williamsburg on June 21 and then again in the neighborhood on June 23 at Brooklyn Bowl).
“The shows are the center of excitement in our lives,” said Cupcakes, who handles the drums and vocals, while Hank’s on the bass.
Cupcakes also is responsible for the lyrics, which pull from her everyday experiences in Brooklyn. The New Wave dance track, “Ain’t No Love,” for instance, was the first song Cupcakes wrote upon moving to New York, inspired by the “experience of weird alienation here, riding the subway and people not making eye contact, which was weird or me to get used to,” said Cupcakes. “Now, I’ve learned to be part of the crowd.”
On stage, at least, she can’t help but stand out, with her explosive, commanding voice and overt sexuality (despite her cutesy nickname, this is a woman who penned the track “Pleasure Town,” a funk-disco enthused “Love Shack”).
When they play Brooklyn Bowl this month, they look to “rock the stage really hard and hopefully burn the place down,” said Cupcakes. Don’t be surprised if they do.
Brooklyn Bowl [61 Wythe Ave. between N. 11th and N. 12th streets in Williamsburg, (718) 963-3369], June 23 at 9 pm, free. For info, visit www.hankandcupcakes.com.
- Meredith Deliso

These Cupcakes are two of a kind.
A distinctive combination is emerging here! This blast of intricate melodies and lustful exuberance is non other than — drum roll please — Hand and Cupcakes. The remarkable duo gustily riled up the crowd at Greenwich Villages’ Le Poisson Rouge last Wednesday night for their new EP release. Hank, the slick bass player extraordinaire, was surrounded by a medley of synthesizers around the stage floor. This set up, enough to make the sound of a three man band, was accompanied by Cupcakes, who simultaneously sang, danced and fleeted around the stage while beating drums in her sparkly East London vintage number. Their matrimonial chemistry was intriguing to witness on stage and intimately wild. Debuting their performance with their song “Pleasure Town,” the pop and minimalist experimental couple instantly filled the venue with infinite glory. HankAndCupcakes.com — - Kavita Sodha

Though only in existence for less than a year, Brooklyn’s Cameo Gallery—the back room at the Lovin Cup, a classic rock themed eatery/bar—has seemingly mastered the Saturday night party, bringing together fantastic music and great crowds week after week for a high energy dance party featuring DJs and dance-friendly bands. This week’s the party was powered by Diet Kong, Sophistafunk, Hank and Cupcakes and Belikos.

The night started off with the easily danceable indie punk act Diet Kong, whose strange imagery coupled with catchy melodies made for a great way to start the evening. They were followed by the only non-New York City band of the night Syracuse’s Sophistafunk, who blended hip-hop, funk and rock flawlessly to create a sound very much their own. At times channeling Rage Against The Machine—even a reworking of their hit single “Renegades of Funk,” other times, sounding more like a soul-filled jazz band, the originally unreceptive crowd quickly warmed to the band, dancing and shouting back lyrics as if they’d been seeing the band for years. The frontman Adam Gold frequently busted into seemingly improvised jams on the keys while moving seamlessly between soul-filled choruses and blistering rapping. Backing him was a remarkably proficient band of top notch musicians.

Following them Brooklyn two-piece Hank And The Cupcakes took the stage. The band has been building considerable buzz based upon their stage presence and high energy live show. They proved exactly why with a short and energetic set which combined a punk rock energy with highly danceable
material. The start of their set really set the tone of the night for me. The frontwoman/drummer, who goes by Cupcakes, told a story about troubles with a leak in their apartment and how angry she got about it, only to then hear about the tragedy in Haiti. She encouraged the crowd to have an extra good time tonight because they had the ability and privilege to do so, and not to let little things get them down. Their set, in which they played pretty much every track off their 7-song EP, was nonstop energy with barely a minute to catch your breath. They manage to recreate a full band with simple bass and drubs, and often more noise then many more complex acts.

They were followed up by indie rock act Belakose, who were the most rock leaning act of the night, though they did infuse some rapped vocals in to their music. The sound for whatever reason was off, making the vocals almost impossible to hear. It was surprising that the sound which had so easily accommodated a fantastic hip-hop jazz band just a bit ago failed so badly at accommodating a simple rock band. Though they were by no means bad, they did not capture me nearly as much as the rest of the night’s performers.

- by TJ Olsen

Starting from the bottom, quirky Israeli-bred drum and bass duo Hank & Cupckakes is finding moderate success in New York


Most bands rely on a sturdy bass and drums rhythm section to build a sound foundation. But no matter how stellar the combination – think Moon and Entwistle, Watts and Wyman, Mullen and Clayton – there would have been something seriously lacking without the glorious musical toppings provided by Townshend, Richards and the Edge, respectively.

Hank & Cupcakes, a quirky Israeli-bred, New York-based drum and bass duo, have no such sonic shortage problem. As one reviewer of a recent Brooklyn show noted, “At times it seems as though there are 10 people on stage, all playing rare, exotic synthesizers, when in fact, of course, there are only two.”

As visually riveting as they are musically stimulating, Cupcakes (Sagit Shir) attacks her drums with a vengeance from a standing position, belting out vocals in the best “girl group” tradition while often wearing provocative spandex outfits. Meanwhile Hank (Ariel Scherbacovsky) is equally aggressive on his bass, surrounded by pedals, knobs and other equipment that creates a dizzying dance club effect. Together, they create wildly invigorating music that is full of danger, mystery, noise, and sex – all the ingredients of great rock and roll.

And to think it all began a decade ago in the IDF, where Shir was playing percussion in an army band and Scherbacovsky was serving as a sound technician.

“Being in the army was a good education for me in the sense of performing a lot and getting into a routine of rehearsals, but beyond that… I’m not sure how beneficial it was,” said Shir in an interview with The Jerusalem Post earlier this week in Tel Aviv. The the group has come back to Israel for a short vacation that will include a few performances – at the Ozen Club in Tel Aviv on April 12 and 15, and at the Barby Club on the 16th, opening for old friend Tamar Eisenman (Scherbacovsky played with her band for five years).

GETTING TOGETHER both professionally and personally, Shir and Scherbacovsky formed an acoustic band upon their release from the army, which they called Mayim Shketim (Still Water). While experiencing some success, within a few years the couple decided to break up the band and try something completely different – like moving to Cuba.

“We went to Havana for six months to study music because we were attracted by the fact that music there is like a nature reserve,” said Shir. “Because Western culture is basically closed to Cubans, their culture is very preserved, and it was a great opportunity to get exposed to the music there. It was very worthwhile musically, but it wasn’t easy living there for six months.”

Upon their return to Tel Aviv two years ago, the couple began hatching the idea of moving to New York and starting a band there.

“We did the acoustic thing for a very long time. It was very revealing and it was very personal and really hard for me to get on stage and be so open in front of the crowd,” Shir told the New York music Web site Music Vagabond. “I was showing my gut and I just wanted to do something fun and groovy and less serious and deep.”

At the time, their intention was to master their instruments and create a well-oiled rhythm section that would attract top New York musicians. But a surprising thing happened – they got so good they didn’t need any other musicians.
“We’re a duo by choice,” Shir told the Post. “What happened was that we wanted to move to New York and try living there and making music. And because we knew we were going to be moving, we didn’t try to start a band in Israel with other musicians. Instead, we planned to get really solid as a bass and drums rhythm section and meet other musicians in New York to form a band with. But since we rehearsed so intensively, our sound got so full, and at some stage we realized that it stood on its own.”

Reinventing themselves as a high-energy drums and bass duo, Shir and Scherbacovsky only needed a name, which they found courtesy of revered beat poet and novelist Charles Bukowksi.
“We both love Charles Bukowski, and were watching a documentary about him one night, around the time we were thinking of a band name. He used to call himself Hank Chinaski in his books and in a certain scene in the documentary, he was waiting in vain for a lover of his called Cupcakes,” Shir told Music Vagabond.

REBRANDED HANK & Cupcakes, the duo relocated to Williamsburg, Brooklyn and began the arduous task of building a following from the ground up. Performing wherever someone would have them and late last year releasing a well-received EP, Pleasure Town, the group found success based on their own modest criteria.

“We’ve been working very hard to get a following, and it’s growing. It’s not an explosion, but we’re working organically, starting from the bottom. At each show, we add people to mailing lists and send out flyers announcing shows. We’ - By DAVID BRINN

The first time I saw Hank and Cupcakes it was at the Astoria Music and Arts’ annual festival in Astoria Park. Although they had a relatively short set, as there were over 30 acts performing on three stages throughout the park, my initial impression was that live, they reminded me a lot of duos such as the White Stripes and the Raveonettes – if anything, I was blown away by their devastating simplicity and how incredibly funky their tunes actually were. It shouldn’t be surprising then that this EP has a decidedly new wave/post-punk feel similar to Gang of Four. In other words, the songs are powered and then pushed forward by the bassist instead of the guitarist. Simply put, this is music you can get up and shake your ass all night to at a party or at one of their shows.

Hank and Cupcakes cover of Joy Division’s “She’s Lost Control,” is by far the most interesting rendition of the song I’ve heard. Stripping the familiar new wave standard down to Hank’s bass and Cupcake’s vocals creates a haunting mood that forces you to pay attention to the lyrics in a way you probably haven’t before. I’ve heard “She’s Lost Control,” too many times to count, usually without thinking of context or my particular interpretation of the song at this point but hearing the familiar lyrics being sung by a woman breathes some fresh air into the song – while creating a completely different interpretation. Whenever you hear the pronoun I throughout the song, you can’t help but think “is she referring to herself?” “Ain’t No Love,” is the funkiest and perhaps catchiest song on the entire EP – and it’s perhaps the song where Cupcakes is the most sincerely soulful and seductive. Interestingly enough, I kind of thought of late-era Eurythmics (think of a song such as “Would I Lie to You?” and “Sisters are Doing it For Themselves” for example), as Cupcakes voice reminds me slightly of Annie Lennox.

Based on the release of their EP, Hank and Cupcakes definitely have a great future ahead of them. Two of the songs on this EP are probably the most danceable rock tracks you’ll hear in the first half of 2010. Of course, as they write more material, it’ll be interesting to see how their sound develops and expands over time. In the mean time, be sure to catch them live as they’re touring to support the EP.

- By William Ruben Helms

By Britnee Foreman

Hank & Cupcakes is a sweet treat.

When I walked in mid set of Hank & Cupcakes at the Mercury Lounge, I thought it would take me a while to get into the music and vibe. That was indeed not the case. Within thirty seconds of walking in I was moving right along with the rest of the crowd. Hank & Cupcakes is cheekily fun band with charisma that projects of the stage. The Brooklyn based drum and bass duo is high energy and takes everyone along for the ride.

The dancey rhythms permeate the crowd and turn the show into a party with an amazing playlist. Hank was playing bass on stage left emitting the funky buzz that complimented the beats pounded out by Cupcakes on stage right. The music was so overwhelmingly provocative, that even Cupcakes stood up on her drum kit and started dancing. The music has a sexy, cheeky charm that makes you want to dance, makes you want to party, makes you want to grope and make-out with strangers (not that anyone is advocating that).

The band certainly is talented. The minimalist duo creates a sound much bigger than the pair of them. And might I add, playing an instrument and doing vocals at the same time is challenging for any performer, let alone the drums. But to dance behind the kit on top of that and do all three flawlessly is just an amazing sight to see. I think I just found my new role model. She didn’t even bother with a drum stool, because she was dancing the entire show in her swingy little black dress. It added festiveness to the benefit concert for Beyond Race Magazine.

Both Hank and Cupcakes are strong musicians and have the energy to sustain a live show. It is definitely a fun show to watch and I would encourage anyone to see this band play live, multiple times. You will leave satisfied and feeling like you just had a workout, which is sexy in and of itself.
- By Britnee Foreman