INTERVIEW: HawtPlates are back with ‘Dream Feed’
Photo: The HawtPlates perform in Dream Feed through Feb. 1 at the HERE Arts Center. Photo courtesy of Daniel Vazquez / Provided by Emily Owens PR with permission.
The Under the Radar festival continues for the next few days, and one of the success stories from the annual extravaganza is the HawtPlates’ newest show, Dream Feed, which was recently extended to Feb. 1 at HERE Arts Center in New York City. For the unbeknownst, The HawtPlates are billed as a theatrical family band that dabbles in electro-acoustic vocal work.
Dream Feed ponders several questions during its song cycle: How often do we dream? Can we remember our dreams? Do different people share the same dreams? These questions and others are explored in the world-premiere work.
Recently The HawtPlates — consisting of composer/performer Justin Hicks, singer/songwriter Jade Hicks and Tony-nominated actor/singer Kenita Miller-Hicks — exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox and went deep with some dream experiences. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How often do you remember your dreams? When you do remember them, do you like to talk about them with other people?
JUSTIN: I don’t remember a good majority of my dreams anymore, but I have the common recurring ones often enough — like flying, running too slowly, not being able to speak, teeth falling out,etc. The hits.
JADE: I remember them a lot. They tend to stick to me. They feel like messages from some other version of myself. I love talking about them, especially when they’re strange or emotional.
KENITA: I used to remember my dreams with great detail when I was younger. Now I don’t necessarily remember details, but I feel the leftover feelings of what I might have been working through. I also remember moments or things that seem symbolic. I love symbolism, so I love talking about the possible meanings.
Are nightmares a reality for you?
JUSTIN: I have existential terrors that creep into my dreams! Reality is — the world is sometimes the nightmare to me. That is for sure. But sometimes my own life within that nightmare is dreamy, dreamy, dreamy. It has never been easy, but it has been beautiful. So, maybe that is the dream I am meant to be in.
JADE: Yes. But I don’t really see them as bad. Nightmares are just dreams that refuse to be ignored. They’re loud for a reason.
KENITA: I think my nightmares might reflect points of tension in my life. So I would say, I think they can reflect parts of my reality, but they’re not my actual reality.
What can audience members expect from Dream Feed?
JUSTIN: People will be surprised by the range of sounds we are getting with minimal tools: compelling visuals and music. I don’t like saying too much. Music is so subjective. Images are, too. We try to convey the depth of our thoughts without saying what you should think the experience should be for you. It does require a bit of trust on the audience’s part. We try to earn that trust through the work we do in front of you — truly.
JADE: It’s part concert, part ritual, part fever dream. You’re not just watching; you’re being pulled into our inner world. It’s trippy, tender and very alive.
KENITA: They can expect an invitation to experience. Much like dreaming, they’ll experience the linear and the non-linear, so there is room for interpretations of thoughts.
Do some of the songs sound like lullabies?
JUSTIN: Possibly, but to each their own! Maybe the collection of songs together could be seen as having lullaby ingredients — something sweet, something dangerous, something ancient, something visceral, something simple, something mysterious or cosmic. But I see the songs as part of a ritual or as rites of passage performed or experienced by us and the audience.
JADE: Totally, lullabies for adults who’ve been through some things — soft, hypnotic, heartwarming and just a little haunting.
KENITA: I think some of the songs come across as lullabies, for sure, and some are vignettes of deep reflection.
Do you get nervous before a world premiere performance?
JUSTIN: Yes, I never know what little seed of doubt or worry might get planted before a show, but it goes away.
JADE: Absolutely. That slight edge of terror is how I know something real is about to happen, and it’s also because we put so much care into what we do.
KENITA: Yes, I suppose it’s part of the formula. Nerves are the ingredient that let me know I’m alive and loving what I get to do and share.
What’s the best thing about working with family? What’s the worst thing?
JUSTIN: The best thing is we don’t have to “perform.” We made The HawtPlates a space that allows us to not perform, and lets us be us together. We really care about each other, so that material truly shows up. And it is unique in this context. Real love. Real DNA. A drawback can be that it can take a while for us to agree on an item. We work really hard for consensus on everything, and sometimes we can’t be each others in case of emergency person because we are at the same gig! Whew and Chidlcare!
JADE: The best part is the trust and intimacy. We can go deep fast. The worst part is we can go deep fast.
KENITA: The best part of working with family is that the base of what you have to create from is rooted in something deeper than a job you might have auditioned for or been hired for. This work is ours. It comes from us. The worst part can sometimes be how interpersonal dynamics play out.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Dream Feed, featuring The HawtPlates, continues through Feb. 1 at the HERE Arts Center in New York. Click here for more information and tickets.
