Hey Willpower

hey willpower was formed by Will Schwartz (one of the "queer alt-rockers" [1] of Imperial Teen) and San Francisco musician Tomo Yasuda (of The Boy Explodes), under the name willpower in San Francisco during July 2003.[2] They had to change their name to hey willpower by December 2004[3] after receiving a cease and desist order from an artist called Will Power.[4] Schwartz started the project to explore his interest in dance pop and R&B music, which he had no outlet for in his other band.[5]

Schwartz and Tomo began gigging in the San Francisco area in late 2003, eventually launching US and then European tours. The pair recruited dancers to liven up their shows; first Donal Mosher and Chelsea Starr,[6] and later Erin Rush and Justin Kelly.[5] In 2007, Schwartz and Tomo toured Europe with a dancer named Mecca, and a keyboardist and DJ named Christelle.[7] hey willpower have opened for bands including Scissor Sisters, Le Tigre, and Peaches."[8] In spring/summer 2008, the Schwartz, Tomo, and Kelly will embark on another tour of the United States and Europe, retaining Mecca and adding dancers Hayley Kaufmann and Joey Guillory.[7]

In the US, hey willpower released a self-titled EP through Cochon Records in 2005 (which went out of print and was re-released as Dance in 2007). Singles for "Double Fantasy II" and "Hundredaire" were released, with music video clips directed by the band's own Justin Kelly. 2006 saw a European-released LP titled PDA, from Tomlab. In 2006, the band also contributed to a duet version of Norwegian electronic pop singer Annie's song "Chewing Gum."[7][8] In 2007, the band recorded a cover of Architecture in Helsinki's song "Heart It Races"at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco, with Engineer Patrick Brown.[7]

In press, Will Schwartz has spoken effusively about his love for radio-friendly, danceable pop music, how emotionally and physically he is moved by it, and the pleasure he feels from seeing an audience move around and make some noise.[5] He has name-dropped the likes of Janet Jackson, L'Trimm,[2] Michael Jackson, Prince, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake,[5] and Missy Elliott[9] as influences to hey willpower's sound. Schwartz has noted that some audiences disregard dance pop music like the kind he makes with hey willpower as being without musical integrity or value; as opposed to the sort of indie rock, post-punk music he makes with Imperial Teen. Schwartz refutes and rejects these attitudes.[4][5] The music video for "Double Fantasy II" carried a John Lennon and Yoko Ono-inspired concept that urged viewers to "give dance a chance."[10]

• hey willpower Official Website Archived December 31, 2014, at the Wayback Machine