AB: You guys crushed at Nateva Music & Camping Festival. Do you feel like festival sets are different than playing at nightclubs?
JH: Definitely. We love festival sets because we play off the energy in the crowd. It’s like a game of catch. You’re throwing the energy back and forth and it just gets more intense. Festivals are so incredible. What’s great about those performances is people are already so pumped up from seeing other shows and are looking forward to other sets of music so they bring so much more energy to it.
AB: Do you guys consider yourselves a Jamband?
JH: We do. We have a progressive style; a reggae style; a trance style, so we do a lot of different genres. We’re an improvisational band so Jamband is probably the closest thing to that.
AB: I could tell by your presence on stage during The Flaming Lips’ performance at Nateva that [Lips front man] Wayne Coyne took a liking to you guys. Have any other artists taking a liking to The McLovins that you’ve heard of?
JH: Actually, at the festival we met Drive-By Truckers and Grizzly Bear. Wayne Coyne was great. I got to talk with him for a long time. At other shows, we’ve opened up for Papa Mali, Billy Kreutzmann from the Grateful Dead, George Porter [from The Meters]; those guys have all been really helpful and supportive of us. All the musicians we meet are really supportive, and it’s great to be in this genre.
AB: Have you gotten any advice from these guys about your careers? Life on the road? What to avoid and pursue?
JH: People keep telling us to keep doing what we’re doing because we’re doing the right thing.
AB: The obvious question is if you’ve made it onto the radar of any of the guys from Phish.
JH: Actually Page came to one of our shows when we played at Nectars. We played “Farmhouse” and he recorded it on his phone and sent it to the other guys. We’re friends with Tom Marshall, the lyricist of Phish, so we keep up with him, especially my mom and I. He said he’s talked to Trey about us, so they definitely know who we are.
AB: Is there a goal The McLovins have set for themselves that you’re actively working to achieve?
JH: The goal is for more and more people to know about us and to come to our shows. We just want as many people to be exposed to our music as possible.
AB: This article is going to hit Jambands.com ahead of your performance at Gathering Of The Vibes. If you guys find yourselves going up against an act like Galactic or Umphrey’s Mcgee, what would you want to say to Vibes attendees to encourage them to check out your performance instead of the main stage act?
JH: We’re a new band on the scene and we’ve gotten a lot of buzz, so I’d say, “Please come out to our set because you won’t be disappointed that you missed anyone else.”
AB: What would you want people to know about The McLovins if they’ve literally never heard of the group?
JH: Prepare to have your face melted [laughs].
AB: Is there anything else you’d want Jambands.com readers to know about The McLovins that I haven’t provided you with an opportunity to discuss?
JH: Our new album, Good Catch, is on iTunes and it would be great if people went on to comment, review, and rate it.
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