Russ Olmsted – lead guitarist of Grand Rapids, Michigan based Ultraviolet Hippopotamus was kind enough to answer a few questions from the Subbassics motherboard in anticipation of this Thursday night’s shakedown at Thunderbird Cafe. After 5 delightfully rich studio albums, countless tours across the US and Europe and a sound that never stops evolving, UV Hippo is a band of heart-warming musicians who deserve a critical ear and some serious dancing shoes. 
Read on to hear tales of the Tbird’s past, UV Hippo’s present sound-creation process, and what they strive to bring from their latest festival run to Pittsburgh. I hope to see some new and familiar faces out tomorrow night and don’t forget those groovin’ shoes!
Subbassics: “You guys just came off of what looked to be a heater set at DarkStar Jubilee; how was that experience and is there anything you try and bring from a festival set to your smaller venue sets?”
Russel: “Anytime you have the opportunity to be a part of an event like DarkStar Jubilee or Summer Camp you feel honored and humbled because there are such great artists and staff associated with events of that caliber. And the fans that go out to these festivals are just as excited to see and experience the performances as the artists are to provide them. I think that makes for a perfect storm of energy and allows bands to perform to the best of their ability. Festival season is a truly inspiring time of year and DarkStar was no different. It was great to see so many people out raging on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and we look forward to bringing that same type of energy and excitement to our play this weekend.”
Subbassics: “Is there any memorable moments from the handful of times you guys have played here in Pittsburgh? I specifically remember a delicious triple set evening maybe a year ago or more at the Tbird Café. I have all the faith in the world that that will somehow be topped in my list of UV Hippo memories!”
Russel: “When I think of the Thunderbird I always remember the time our Haze Machine wasn’t working for our show. We tour with a decent light rig for club shows and the hazer mists the air with a light water-based haze so you can see the beams on our moving lights. Well it wasn’t working so we had everyone who smoked in the band and crowd light up at once (I don’t even know if you can still smoke at the Thunderbird) and blow the smoke towards the stage so we could see the beams. I got a good laugh out of it and it actually worked! But the crowd interaction there is always fun, people seem to have a great time and it’s a good venue for a nice intimate show.”
Subbassics: “Have you guys made any significant changes to the way you play live and/or produce your albums in the past year or more? How is the evolution of UV Hippo progressing as more and more names are crowding into the jam scene? Does it seems like things are crowded or does everyone have ample space to create/share their sound in the current scene?”
Russel: “Great question. We are always trying new ways to write and come up with new material. I think you have to or you will stagnate creatively. That goes for practicing, performing, and recording. Just like anything in this world the key is to set goals and never become satisfied with what you are performing or how you are performing it. Always seek perfection knowing you’ll never achieve it. Honestly the hardest part about our scene is that you are constantly touring, so finding the time to come up with new material and new ideas is hard. When you get done with an 11 week tour and have 2 weeks off before you head back out, the last thing in the world you want to do is head to the practice space and start working on the next group of songs. But that’s a part of the job and at the end of the day we are lucky to be able to play music and there’s truly nothing we would rather do. As far as the scene getting crowded, I think there is an over saturation of electronic music right now. Please don’t misunderstand there are GREAT electronic musicians and groups out there, but there are festivals that we have been to over the last couple years where you can walk from one stage to the next and feel like you are listening to the same band, or even the same song. From that standpoint I think the scene is a bit too crowded and it’s pushing some of the more progressive style acts to the wayside. That’s not a bad thing, it’s how the art form will continue to grow and evolve, but right now it’s in that in-between stage where I think the scene is waiting to see what the next thing is going to be. It’s always at points like that when art can seem bogged down or over saturated. But really, if things follow the trends they have in the past, I think we will see an explosion of inspiring acts over the next few years.”
Subbassics: “I know you guys have played a few festivals already but what fests/shows are you REALLY excited about and why?”
Russel: “We have played a few that were just amazing. Being a part of Festival 64 in Colorado which was held on 4/20 in celebration of the legalization of marijuana was very special. Regardless of how you feel on the issue, what’s happening in Colorado and Washington is truly historic on so many levels. But we are really looking forward to the The Werk Out (Ohio) in August and Groove Fest (Colorado) in July. We are playing 2 sets at both festivals and have some special things planned for each. I can’t get into what we have planned as it would ruin the surprise but I promise it will be fun. At least I promise we will have fun.”
There ya have it friends! Nothing like some honest words spoken from the mind of a truly expanded musician. Thanks for reading and I challenge you to set your needle in the direction of a UV Hippo show whether it be in Pittsburgh tomorrow evening or somewhere further down the road! You might just be blown away ~
For set times/location/ticket info click: UV Hippo @ Thunderbird 5/29
For more killer shows in the Pittsburgh area check out Grey Area Productions!
-s
Subbassics 