Bloodhype, the dynamic duo of Maureen and Chris, bring their eclectic mix of electronic sounds and punk energy to the stage with a no-fuss attitude. From late-night jam sessions in Ohio to their favorite dive bars in Chicago, their music is all about fun and authenticity. Catch them live at events like PRF’s Thundersnow and Liar’s Club, where they’ll bring their raw energy and unique vibe to the crowd.
Q. What is your name/name of band/band members’ names.
Maureen and Chris, we’re Bloodhype
Q. What made you want to become a musician?
Chris:I just enjoyed hearing things make noises since as far back as I can remember, plunking around on the family piano as a toddler. It wasn’t until I heard a Neil Peart drum solo, where one person can make something so captivating and entertaining by themselves, that I actually wanted to learn an instrument.
Maureen: I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. My dad told me as soon as I could sit at the piano I was playing. My mother and grandmother were/are both musicians as well–I think I didn’t even have a choicem, music was just something we did.
Q. Can you tell us a bit about the origin your music/band?
Maureen: Chris and I met in Athens (Ohio). We used to stay up until like 5am listening to music, or I’d hang out while he was mixing tracks. He played drums in band and I played guitar and piano, so eventually we just started playing together. We moved to Chicago together like 11 years go and have been in bands together since.
Q. How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard your music before?
Chris:Electronic music made by people who don’t take themselves too seriously.
Maureen: We like to have fun, get a lil sloppy, we’re workin stiffs getting too old for this…that’s basically the premise of the music
Q. Do you have any upcoming shows or tours planned that fans should look out for?
Maureen: We’re playing PRF’s Thundersnow again this year in Feb. You prob can’t come but it’s a crazy fun time where a group of lovely older hardcore/punk people go up to Escanaba MI and rent out a hotel for a weekend. There’s a pool. Bands in the ballroom and DJs in the old fish butchery shed. On March 16th we’re playing at our favorite scuzz bar Liar’s Club! It’s Everyday Special’s release show…that’s gonna be a good one!
Q. What is your take on social media and how it influences an artist’s career?
Chris: It rewards artists who are good at interacting with people through it, or who are good at expressing themselves on it. Artists who prefer to be private, or who don’t come across as hyper-positive probably don’t have as much success with it. You can still be enigmatic and have a social media presence but anyone who can just go live and interact with people directly benefits more. I think that maybe drives some artists toward a certain public presentation, or to try to present themselves that way, when it isn’t their most authentic self or good for their artistic integrity.
Maureen: Chris and I suck at it, I can say that much!
Q. What are some of your favorite venues to perform at and why?
Chris: Pretty much any DIY spot is a blast because of the initimacy and the casual feel, although seldom do you get a great soundsystem.
Maureen: I love a dive bar. Liar’s Club has a great sound system and its loud as fuck and great people work there. Empty Bottle is professional but not stuffy, love that place.
Q, If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Chris: Now That’s What I Call Music Vol 8. You got some great jams on there like Bootylicious and Janet Jackson’s “Someone to Call My Lover”, fun tunes like “I’m A Believer” by Smash Mouth and “Start The Commotion”, “Clint Eastwood” by Gorillaz for smoke sessions and “Rock The Boat” by Aaliyah for smoochin to. Even the stretch of very 90s coded rock songs at the end is pretty well-rounded (including a song by U2 that isn’t the worst thing ever). I’d be skipping “Me, Myself, & I” by Jive Jones ever time though.
Maureen: lolol Chris… honestly though, solid choice. If only it had Len’s Steal my Sunshine. I’d probably pick Hiroshi Yoshimura’s album Surround.
Q. What do you think is the most rewarding part of being an artist?
Chris: Aside from the immense financial benefits and hordes of adoring fans, I think I most enjoy the gratification of taking an idea from out of the ether, working on it and developing it and then finally putting it out into the world and seeing people connect with it.
Maureen: It’s fun to perform and see the back rooms of the spaces. Mimicking Chris here, but seeing people connect with what we create is pretty wild.
Q. If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Chris: Bach. That guy took the relatively-new concept of 12-step equal temperament and went absolutely bonkers with it. Imagine what he could do with MIDI? Electro-acoustic instruments? A DAW? He’d be blown away for two seconds and then be making the most insane upside-down backwards inside-out music ever heard. I don’t speak German but we’d use google translate or something.
Maureen: Yellow Magic Orchestra–all three of those guys just have decades of killer music. Ryuchi Sakamoto and Haruomi Hosono especially. Sakamoto has done sick collaborations with other artists and Hosono did one of my all time favorite albums, Paraiso. I just wanna drink a beer on a beach with that guy when I hear that album.
Q. If your music could be the soundtrack to any movie or TV show, which one would you choose?
Maureen: uhhhhhh I’m just gonna say a Star Trek episode. But like one of the silly ones
Q. What’s the most challenging part of being a musician that most people don’t realize?
Chris: Doubting that whatever it is you’re working on is even any good. As performers we often have to project confidence to help the audience have a good time, but there’s usually a long road of questioning the worth of something that we travel before it gets there. And if you’re not having that battle, you probably are playing it too safe as an artist.
Maureen: yeah, trying to detach your ego. It’s hard not to feel shitty when you play a show and like 10 people are there. I’ve been to some stellar tiny shows though so I always try to remember that.
Q. Is there a song you’ve written that holds a special, personal meaning to you?
Maureen: oh tons, but if we’re talking recent Bloodhype specifically… Burnout is real. Friendly Wash is an old favorite of mine too.
Q. Where do you see yourself/band and your music in the next five years?Chris: Touring Japan for the third time, playing a sold-out rave in Osaka.
Maureen: Playa Condado drinking Medalla’s
You can find Bloodhype below:
https://www.instagram.com/bloodhype_chi
