HESS IS MORE

"If you think of a piece of music as a rubberband - I like to try and stretch it. Let's say melancholy in one end, and humor in the other, and see how far you can take it. Bringing oppositions together. " Mikkel Hess of HESS IS MORE

In an age were humor seems almost absent in music comes this introduction to the playful world of New York based Mikkel Hess aka HESS IS MORE.

Originally from Denmark, HESS IS MORE is something like the Danish answer to both Jon Brion and The Flight of the Conchords. Like Brion, Hess is a skillful singer, songwriter, composer with the virtuosic ability to play multiple instruments and a eclectic sense of instrumentation that encompasses rock, jazz and experimental electronica. And like Brion, Hess doesn't let his natural tendencies for eclecticism sink his ship but uses them to craft a distinct sound all his own firmly grounded in the art of proper song form. Unsurprisingly, also like Brion, Hess has got vast experience in both multimedia and film work. In his native Denmark Hess is a well known name with MTV and iTunes chart topping success alongside work with the likes of the Danish Royal Theatre, National Danish TV, the Danish Film Academy as well as collaborations with Danish celebrities like Saatchi Gallery represented modern artist Tal R and hyped fashion designer Henrik Vibskov. Like The Flight of the Conchords duo, Hess has a unique distinctly very poppy Steve Martin style sense of humor that is very appealing and inviting even though it's often filtered through quite a dark almost Lars von Trier outlook.

Unsurprisingly Mikkel's first musical memory is banging the Cookie jars with wooden spoons in the kitchen around 3 or 4 years old. It's something he continued to do in a more refined manner getting his first drum kit at 7 years old and then later taking up conservatory training and becoming a student of Denmark based Chicago born Jazz drummer Ed Thigpen.

But HESS IS MORE is also a live band, featuring among others Mikkel's brother Nikolaj Hess, and longtime collaborator Jenno - both accomplished musicians. The band has evolved from Hess playing with his cousins, his older brothers and his family band (yes his entire family get together and play music including his 60 year old mother). It's also a result of his frequent collaborations with like minded artistic people - often none musician friends. In fact the band has already played over 100 live concerts all over the world and since moving to New York two years ago to open his own recording studio on Broadway in Manhattan (with three other Danes), Hess is More has performed at venues like the Museum of Natural History, Monkeytown and of course Nublu where he has found a like minded group of eclectic minded music heads as well as being asked to remix Nublu last foray into pop Kudu.

Describing HESS IS MORE, Hess says "If I was to describe my work in one word I'd say it was - Playful. I take it very seriously to constantly try and be playful. Hess Is More is an integration project. Bringing together different art forms, genres, people, cultures, emotions, sounds. If you think of a piece of music as a rubberband - I like to try and stretch it. Let's say melancholy in one end, and humor in the other, and see how far you can take it. Bringing oppositions together. "

Hess takes his inspiration from a diverse range of sources African music, his own Danish roots and Danish folk music, riding his folding bike around the city and most of all he is a big tennis fan and he loves to play the game as well - "at the moment my home courts are the public ones under the Williamsburg Bridge. Roger Federer is amongst my top 5 idols of all time. Up there, right next to Miles Davis, Picasso and a few others..."