Album picture of Hot Dads in Tight Jeans

Hot Dads in Tight Jeans

Yacht Rock Revue

Listen to the album Hot Dads in Tight Jeans by Yacht Rock Revue

Album tracks, discography.

Find all of Yacht Rock Revue's titles

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Between the Moon and New York City (Live)

by Yacht Rock Revue

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

COAST to COAST (Live)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Yacht Rock Revue (Live in Boston)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

by John Driskell Hopkins , Yacht Rock Revue , Debby Boone

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Float / Give Me the Night

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Bad Tequila

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Step (Jamie Lidell Remix)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Let's Get Frosty

by John Driskell Hopkins

Sign up to listen to the full track

No payment required

Hot Dads in Tight Jeans

Hot Dads in Tight Jeans

Yacht rock revue.

STREAM OR BUY:

Release Date

Recording location, discography timeline, user reviews, track listing, similar albums.

scorecard pixel

Hot Dads in Tight Jeans

February 21, 2020 10 Songs, 40 minutes ℗ 2019 PleaseRock

Music Videos

Yacht Rock Revue

More By Yacht Rock Revue

Select a country or region, africa, middle east, and india.

  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Niger (English)
  • Congo, Republic of
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sierra Leone
  • South Africa
  • Tanzania, United Republic Of
  • Turkmenistan
  • United Arab Emirates

Asia Pacific

  • Indonesia (English)
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • New Zealand
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Philippines
  • Solomon Islands
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • North Macedonia
  • Portugal (Português)
  • Türkiye (English)
  • United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina (Español)
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
  • Nicaragua (Español)
  • Paraguay (Español)
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • St. Vincent and The Grenadines
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turks and Caicos
  • Uruguay (English)
  • Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)
  • الولايات المتحدة
  • États-Unis (Français France)
  • Estados Unidos (Português Brasil)
  • 美國 (繁體中文台灣)
  • Advertise With Us

jQuery(document).ready( function($) { var retina = window.devicePixelRatio > 1 ? true : false; if ( retina ) { jQuery( '.site--logo img' ).attr( 'src', 'https://spectrumculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Spectrum-Culture-Logo3.png' ); jQuery( '.site--logo img' ).attr( 'width', '' ); } } );

Yacht rock revue: hot dads in tight jeans.

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Google+
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on Linkedin
  • Share on Tumblr

For rogue philosophy maven Slavoj Žižek, the most radical action one can undertake is to engage with something utterly at face value, to take literally what’s said without the all-too-easy route of irony as a safety net. So equipped, Yacht Rock Revue’s new album Hot Dads in Tight Jeans offers us a way of listening in line with the demands of the yacht rock genre. The origins of yacht rock are widely argued, with one possible precursor being the cover art of Crosby, Stills & Nash’s 1977 album CSN and Christopher Cross’s 1979 single “Sailing.” Whatever the starting point, most agree with Timothy Malcolm that yacht rock “can be characterized as smooth and melodic, and typically combines elements of jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock,” and needn’t necessarily invoke the ocean, literally or metaphorically. All of which is suitable for Yacht Rock Revue who, despite starting as a tongue-in-cheek moment, have firmly embraced the genre and its possibilities.

So, in all seriousness, what do Yacht Rock Revue offer? From the outset, the album is a shimmering FM-evoking amalgam of influences and styles. Opener “The Doobie Bounce” starts with a gentle crackle of vinyl before the drum machine-introduced groove settles in behind Nick Niespodziani’s high-register vocals and we’re quickly told that “ Keeping up is overrated/ It gets too complicated/ I’d rather have some fun ,” by which he means “ I want a doobie, yes I do … .” The backing vocals sit comfortably alongside the handclaps giving the chorus a suitably party-in-full-swing vibe. If anything, “The Doobie Bounce” suggests the kinds of summer grooves of Fat Freddy’s Drop, just with added layers of sheen and glisten.

“Step” swings YRR closer to disco with falsettos, hand claps and a brass solo that’s note-perfect in its evocation of 1979. Between them, the album’s first two songs offer the twin poles of the YRR sound. With a little variation, there’s either disco-echoing and mirror ball grooves, or summer party jams, and they’re all adroitly handled. “House in the Clouds” offers a white reggae party track that sits between 10CC’s “Dreadlock Holiday” and Squeeze’s “Up the Junction,” while “Another Song about California” ventures towards chart friendly synth pop. “Change of Scene,” with its tempo changes and mid-range synth work, is the most Steely Dan of the tracks, and closer “My Favourite Stardust” brings everything together in another party-friendly mix-up, radio friendly sounds and reggae tempos for the synths, disco for the drums, Europop for the vocals.

The problem with taking the joke seriously is that one must consider what it might mean to both include and exclude it. To be clear, YRR state from the outset that this is, if not parody, then certainly a means of both exploring and recuperating parts of popular music culture that might have burnt out quickly for being too saccharine to begin with. The band’s website notes that while they most obviously reference the yacht rock genre’s stars – Kenny Loggins, Chris Cross and so on – they also consider themselves aligned with bands like Air or Phoenix, and have worked with producer Ben Allen who can claim Animal Collective and Gnarls Barkley as prior clients.

So, joke aside and at face value, YRR are slick and smooth, at home with the genre enough to stray broadly into related fields, all the better to create a party-like atmosphere that’s no less effective for being so carefully manufactured. Nevertheless, many of the songs suffer from a clutter that comes from working to ensure all seven members of YRR are equally represented and once one strips away the references and in-jokes, not a lot of substance remains – not that there ever really was in yacht rock to begin with. But lay the joke over the top like a rosy-tinted pair of beer goggles and all’s right with the YRR world, from the matching double-denim outfits in their promo photos to those moments where Niespodziani tells us that “ “I used to sleep on couches/ Now I sleep on nicer couches. ” In the end, it’s the listener’s choice to take seriously or not, and it’s a mark of the album’s attention to the genre that whichever route you choose, the road is pleasant and well-crafted and leaves barely a trace of itself once completed.

  • Related Articles
  • More By Scott Wilson
  • More In Music

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Lisa Lerkenfeldt: Collagen

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Anatomy of a Tracklist: Stan Ridgway: The Big Heat

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Beequeen: Winter

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Devon Welsh: Come With Me If You Want To Live

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Rediscover: Gomez: Whatever’s On Your Mind

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Hilary Gardner: On the Trail With The Lonesome Pines

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published.

Six delicately wrought and strangely affecting compositions worthy of close listening. …

Get the latest updates in your inbox

Recommended.

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Moor Mother: The Great Bailout

All the rage, frustration and hopelessness are refined into Moor Mother’s lushly dystopian interpretation of the world—a world whose existence is perpetuated by our refusal to acknowledge it.

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru: Souvenirs

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Kim Gordon: The Collective

Latest features.

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Oeuvre: Fincher: Se7en

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Discography: Brian Eno: Here Come the Warm Jets

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

From the Vaults of Streaming Hell: Crush

Latest reviews.

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Knox Goes Away

Hot Dads in Tight Jeans

Yacht Rock Revue

10 SONGS • 40 MINUTES • FEB 21 2020

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Yacht Rock Revue      

  • Wed Jan 24, 2024 at 7:30PM Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 7:30PM Buy Now

What is left for YACHT ROCK REVUE to prove? This top-notch group of musicians has already rocked onstage with John Oates, Eddie Money (RIP), and both versions of the band Player. They’ve trademarked the term “yacht rock,” both metaphorically and literally (U.S. Registration Number 3834195). From humble beginnings in a basement, touring in partnership with Live Nation and Sirius XM, they now headline sold-out shows across the country, from Webster Hall in New York to the Wiltern in L.A. While rising from bars to amphitheaters, they’ve ticked every box on the Rock Star Accomplishments bingo card. Except for one: Writing and singing their own songs. Yacht Rock Revue’s first original record is ten songs inspired by the smoooooth sounds of the Seventies and Eighties. They’ve brazenly titled it Hot Dads In Tight Jeans – forgive them for bragging, but that’s what they are – and it returns Yacht Rock Revue to their roots in original music

Park. Dine. Delight.

Van Wezel dining in the Grand Foyer before the show!

Van Wezel dining in the Grand Foyer before the show

Join our eClub!

Get the latest news and exclusive insider discounts

Accessible Services

For the hearing impaired.

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is the first theater in Sarasota to install the revolutionary Hearing Loop System for those who suffer from hearing loss, thanks to financial support from Sertoma Sarasota. The hearing loop is the only system that transmits performers' voices from a microphone directly into a hearing aids or cochlear implants equipped with telecoils, allowing wearers to use hearing aids as wireless loudspeakers. This system complements the existing Sennheiser Infrared Listening System. Wireless headsets can be used at any seat in the auditorium and are available in both the Main and Bayside Lobbies. Sign language interpreters are available upon request through the box office.

Patrons in Wheelchairs or with Mobility Issues

Patrons in wheelchairs may enter through automatic doors in both Main and Bayside lobbies on ground level (no stairs). Accessible parking is available on the circle in front of the building and in the main parking lot. Cars must have necessary identification to qualify for these special arrangements. Patrons with mobility issues can be accommodated in restrooms off both lobbies. There is a wheelchair on the premises for emergency use, thanks to the generosity of Easter Seals.

Save BIG when you bring 10 or more.

Churches, Corporate Outings, Coworkers, Families Fundraising Organizations, Girls' Night Out, Meet-up Groups Schools, Scouts, Social Organizations, Clubs and more!

  • 10% off regular prices for most performances in Sections B&C
  • 20% off regular prices for Student Groups for most performances in Sections B&C
  • A personal ambassador to handle details of your group event
  • Convenient motor coach loading, unloading and parking
  • On-site dining opportunity

CALL (941) 263-6726 | [email protected] FAX (941) 263-6777

10% Deposit needed to reserve group seating. Balance must be paid 30 days before performance.

Van Wezel Events Calendar

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

LISTEN: Henry Chadwick Stuns With Minimalist Echoes & Poignant Acoustic Artistry On “I Hate The Sound”

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

LISTEN: Winter Aid Drops Complex Warm Sonic Synth Collage Via “Silk”

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

The Pretenders Announce US Summer Headlining Tour

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

The Decemberists Return With New Album ‘As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again’ Share 19-Minute Epic “Joan In The Garden”

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Hey You: Catching Up With Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees/Mad Season/Tuatara/Skin Yard

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

The Children Talk In-Person Writing, Performance Spaces, and ‘A Sudden Craving’ (INTERVIEW)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

LA Post-pop Duo Songs for Sabotage Bring Depth and Vibe To New Album ‘Clean Trauma’ (INTERVIEW)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Artimus Pyle of Lynyrd Skynyrd Talks New Album, ’77 Crash Details, Recording With Dolly Parton & More (INTERVIEW)

Album Reviews

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Adrianne Lenker Steers Gentle & Purposeful On Colorful ‘Bright Future’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Show Reviews

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Nothing, Swirlies, Knifeplay, & More Bring Nuances of Shoegaze to Slide Away Festival (SHOW REVIEW)

Television & Film

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Music World Gives Payback To An Overlooked Legend On ‘Lee Fields: Faithful Man’ (FILM REVIEW)

DVD Reviews

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

1982’s ‘Around The World’ Covers The Police On Their First World Tour (DVD REVIEW)

Other Reviews

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Bill Janovitz Chronicles the Story of Leon Russell in ‘The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History’ (BOOK REVIEW)

Film Reviews

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

‘Licorice Pizza’ Can’t Carry Weight Of Its Parts (FILM REVIEW)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

‘Loki’ Gives Us Loki vs. Loki in Episode 3 (TV REVIEW)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

All the Movie Trailers from Super Bowl LIV

Commentary Tracks

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

2021 Holiday Movie Preview: ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘The Power of The Dog,’ ‘House of Gucci’ & More

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

50 Years Ago Today – Rush Releases Self-Titled Debut Album

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

SONG PREMIERE: Grackles Craft Music For the Nightlife with Americana-noir Tune “It’s Coming to Ya”

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Ministry & Gary Numan Bring Dark Themes & Vigorous Anthems To Minneapolis’ Filmore (PHOTOS)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

25 Years Later: Jeff Beck’s ‘Who Else!’ Cements Return Of Fresh Ideas & Dynamic Instrumentals

Vinyl Lives

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Portland’s Record Pub Serves Up Vinyl, Brews & Weekly Gatherings (VINYL LIVES)

These Walls

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Amherst’s The Drake Is Making New Musical History In The Pioneer Valley (THESE WALLS)

Vintage Stash

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

The Replacements’ ‘Tim’ Let It Bleed Edition Proves Worth As Discerning & Durable Retrospective

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

TIME OUT TAKE FIVE: Falkner Evans, Franco Ambrosetti, Jan Hammer & More

One Track Mind

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Emerging Artist J.S. Ondara Makes Voyage From Kenya to Minnesota & Astounds With ‘Tales of America’ (INTERVIEW)

Suds & Sounds

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Suds & Sounds: Beale Street Brewing Co. Celebrates Memphis Music Through Craft Beer

Hidden Track

Movie Review: Louis C.K.’s ‘Tommorow Night’

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

VIDEO PREMIERE: Brontë Fall Pushes Back on Female Expectations with Soulful Americana Tune “Woman Like Me”

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

VIDEO PREMIERE: Leslie Mendelson Draws on Beauty of Women for Infectious Rocker “Other Girls”

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

VIDEO PREMIERE: Abigail Lapell Weaves in Lore and Superstition on Folk-noir Tune “Rattlesnake”

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

  • October 14, 2019

Yacht Rock Revue Announces “Hot Dads In Tight Jeans” U.S. Tour

  • No Comments

The Atlanta-based torchbearer of lite-rock culture Yacht Rock Revue has announced their 2020 “Hot Dads In Tight Jeans” U.S tour. In partnership with Live Nation and SiriusXM, the group will take their acclaimed show back on the road beginning in January. Tickets will be available starting October 18th at 10AM local time

An immersive and fan-oriented live experience, YRR’s spot-on renditions of Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, and the other soft rock hit makers of the 1970’s enthralled fans across the United States. The group goes far beyond the “tribute” category by regularly joining their heroes on stage: John Oates, Eddie Money, Little River Band, Pablo Cruise, Starship, Bobby Kimball of Toto and more icons of the era have joined them onstage to perform their hits.

Yacht Rock Revue frontman Nick Niespodziani remarks, “We’re in the business of soft rock, and business has been good. From a rickety booze cruise on the East River to two nights at Webster Hall in Manhattan, from a smoky basement in Atlanta to a seven thousand seat amphitheater… the Nation of Smooth has stretched across the USA like a good pair of yoga pants. We’ve gotten this far on Hall & Oates, dance moves we learned from our moms and really expensive music educations… but on this tour, we’re out to prove we’re more than just Hot Dads in Tight Jeans.”

The band have also shared a live video of them performing Hall & Oates’ “ She’s Gone ,” which underscores why YRR has won accolades ranging from “Best Place to Get Drunk With Your Dad” to “Best Place to Start an Extramarital Affair.”

Yacht Rock Revue’s note-perfect performances and onstage charisma have built a growing fan base of fans nationwide. The growing crowds adorned in captain’s hats and boat shoes (endearingly known as “The Nation of Smooth”) are a testament to the band’s growing status as icons of the subculture, and attracted the attention of SiriusXM, culminating in a partnership deal in support of the tour. Live Nation will also be partnering for much of the tour, and  Live Nation Director of Touring Andy Messersmith  writes that “After seeing the band build in our venues in the early stages, their upward trajectory as a touring artist became especially evident and that led us to pursue the partnership.  It’s a truly special artist that can create a unique culture and loyalty amongst their fanbase that leads to major growth each time they play a market.”

Photo By Ren Adkins

2019 tour dates:

10/26/19 – Columbia, SC – The Senate

10/27/19 – Charlotte, NC – Moo & Brew

11/08/19 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s

11/09/19 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom

12/13/19 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City

12/21/19 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy

Hot Dads In Tight Jeans tour dates:

01/09/20 – Lexington, KY – Manchester Music Hall

01/10/20 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre

01/11/20 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre

01/16/20 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre

02/06/20 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live

02/07/20 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live

02/08/20 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House Of Blues – Orlando

02/21/20 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom

02/22/20 – Breckenridge, CO – The Riverwalk Center

02/27/20 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall

02/29/20 – Seattle, WA – The Neptune Theatre

03/05/20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern

03/06/20 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park

03/07/20 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren

03/08/20 – Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre

03/11/20 – Napa, CA – JaM Cellars Ballroom

03/12/20 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades

03/13/20 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall

03/19/20 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore – Philadelphia

03/20/20 – New York, NY – Webster Hall

03/21/20 – New York, NY – Webster Hall

03/22/20 – Lancaster, PA – Chameleon Club

03/25/20 – Clifton Park, NY – Upstate Concert Hall

03/26/20 – Norwalk, CT – Wall Street Theater

03/27/20 – Boston, MA – House of Blues – Boston

03/28/20 – Boston, MA – House of Blues – Boston

04/17/20 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore – Charlotte

04/18/20 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz – Raleigh

04/19/20 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel

04/24/20 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works

05/01/20 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues – Chicago

05/02/20 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues – Chicago

05/07/20 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues – New Orleans

05/08/20 – Houston, TX – The Ballroom at Warehouse Live

05/09/20 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Austin

05/15/20 – Chattanooga, TN – The Signal

05/30/20 – Vienna, VA – Filene Center – Wolf Trap Amphitheater

08/22/20 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park

Related Content

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to glide.

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Gary Clark Jr. Scorches Along With Genre Blurring ‘JPEG RAW’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Joe Henderson’s Remarkable 1969 Jazz LP ‘Power to the People’ Gets Vinyl Reissue (ALBUM REVIEW)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Driftwood Deliver Effortless Roots Rock Charm on ‘December Last Call’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

Tony Rice’s Bluegrass Masterpiece ‘Church Street Blues’ Gets Vinyl Reissue (ALBUM REVIEW)

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Email Address*

  • Search Search Please fill out this field.
  • Sweepstakes

Yacht Rock Revue explain why they're charting a new course with original music

Sarah Rodman is the Entertainment Editor, covering TV and music for EW.

After nearly a dozen years confidently steering the S.S. Nostalgia, playing the beloved soft rock hits of the ’70s and ’80s to packed crowds wearing captain’s hats, Yacht Rock Revue are charting a new course by releasing their first album of original material. Hot Dads in Tight Jeans won’t be released until Feb. 21, but EW is bringing you the first single, “Step,” right here.

“We wanted to hit a note that was both retro and could be right now,” says shades-sporting co-frontman Nick Niespodziani of the synthy-smooth jam. “We wanted it to be outside of time.”

That musical mood dovetails nicely with the vibe of a group that began on a lark in 2007 and has steadily grown into an act that crisscrosses the country to play for its own devoted fans. The Atlanta septet can draw thousands of people to sing along to spot-on renditions of hits by Hall & Oates, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, and other artists whose names some in the audience have forgotten, or never knew, but whose hits have endured, such as “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” by Looking Glass. While there may have been an element of irony for some attendees at the beginning, the shows tend to be unabashedly joyous affairs.

Niespodziani, drummer Mark Cobb, and co-frontman Peter Olson were all in a band called Y-O-U in the early 2000s that enjoyed some regional success but ended up petering out. “We were all splitting off to do other things,” says Niespodziani. “Peter was thinking about moving to Colorado and I had started law school and we were all kind of ready for what was happening after music. Because when you’re 27 and you haven’t made it yet, you’re an ancient guy. And in the midst of that we did this one Yacht Rock show and then all of a sudden it became what it is now. We’ve got an office, and a band, and a 401k.”

Soon they will have that album of original material as well as a documentary detailing their unlikely route to success as they rose from bar band to amphitheater band.

In addition to sharing “Step,” the group also curated the ultimate Yacht Rock Spotify playlist for EW, and we chatted with Niespodziani about the band’s step toward original songwriting and mixing up the smooth classics in their set.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You’ve finally decided to make original music, again. How much anxiety do you have about fan reception since they’re used to you playing songs they love? NICK NIESPODZIANI: We played it for the first time at our big Atlanta show in August at Chastain Park Amphitheater in front of 7,000 people. I was pretty nervous because all these songs that we play, everybody knows every word. Like, every song we play would be the encore for whatever artist it is that we’re covering. So how do you put up a song that people have never heard before, at all, against those songs? I was originally super nervous about it, but our fans really surprised me. I expected everybody to leave for the bathroom or the bros to start booing. But they stayed and they got into it, and the reception everywhere we’ve been with it has been awesome. People are into it. So I’m much less nervous now than I was before.

The album itself is not a “yacht rock” record but is obviously in a similar wheelhouse and has a cheeky humor to it. Do you get the sense that you’ve built up enough goodwill from the fans since you’ve been playing for so long that they’re open to original songs? Yeah, and I’ve noticed, especially over the last three or four years, when we go places, whether it’s the people at the venue or the fans that we’ve talked to, they treat us like artists. In the beginning, I felt like a glorified stripper where people just wanted to pull my hair and see if it was real and it was more of a novelty thing. But now I feel like we’ve earned that respect from our fans and they’re open to it, or at least they have been so far. I’m hoping that that streak continues.

How did you decide that now was the time for you guys to try this? I was kind of going through my midlife crisis checklist, choices like “I could wreck a red sports car” or “I could have an affair with a busty nurse.” And I was like, “You know what I really should do is make an album with my ’70s soft rock band.” So we threw the idea around and were like, “Why not try it,” talking about that goodwill we built up with our fans. The cool thing for me especially is that I’ve made a lot of records over the years, little side projects that had no budget and no hope for people to hear them. And this experience has been the opposite of that. We were able to get an incredible producer and make a cool video all with the power of the Yacht Rock machine that we’ve built behind it. And it’s been really inspiring and fun.

Who produced it? Ben Allen, he’s from here in Atlanta. He produced Walk The Moon and Animal Collective’s big records and he just did the new Kaiser Chiefs record, which is [a hit] in the UK right now. He did Gnarls Barkley. He’s a close friend of mine and I was kind of nervous, even though we hang out and go to the gym together, to ask him about making a record with Yacht Rock because I thought there would be this stigma because he produces Deerhunter and all these super hipster bands. And he was immediately like, “Yeah, let’s do it. That sounds really fun.”

A song like “Step” could probably slip into your sets with relative ease since it has that blue-eyed soul falsetto thing happening that spans from disco, like a sliver of Giorgio Moroder, to a group like Hall & Oates to something like Beck’s song “Debra.” Yeah, we definitely leaned on more on that ’80s side of the coin, Hall & Oates and even some ’80s David Bowie and some of the synthier stuff like Giorgio Moroder. That just strikes closer to our personal taste and I think it’s easier to see how that fits in with modern music. Whereas if you make something that’s just like a Steely Dan rip, that’s really a very segmented thing off to the side.

We didn’t want to come out with something that could maybe be viewed as a novelty single for the first thing. When you’re a cover band coming out with original music, getting taken seriously is the first hurdle that you have to leap over. So “Step” felt like the right choice because it’s a mission statement for the whole album in a way. It’s about deciding who you want to be and making the space for that in your life.

I guess in my view everyone is putting on an act of some sort. We pretend to be these coked-up ’70 dudes, but we are who we are inside and I’m inspired by people like Lizzo and Pete Buttigieg and Puddles The Clown. It’s definitely an act that all of them are doing, but the heart of what they’re doing is true. The center of it emotionally is honest and unapologetic. And that’s what “Step” is about. And that’s what this whole album is about for us. Because we are a bunch of 40-year-old dads who are trying to make our first record that people listen to, why not just bear hug it instead of run away from it?

Do you ever think how wild it is that you all have built a career out of this, particularly since you’re not a straight tribute band of one group? All the time. It’s crazy. If you would’ve told me when we did the first show “that this is going to be your career,” I would have slapped you in the face. There’s just no way. I never imagined doing something like this. And it’s funny because I feel like in that early band, I thought music was all about what’s inside of you as an artist and that if I can find inside myself this great, soul-wrenching truth that will be the reason that I become famous and whatever. And I think over the years with Yacht Rock — grudgingly at first — I started to realize that music is actually about the shared experience and being there in the room together, having fun, and just escaping from life for a while. And I feel like it’s been this 11-year penance that I’ve gone through, and now I’ve come out on the other side and I have a completely different view of what music is and what it should be. That’s what inspired this record and it makes me so happy to do what I do now.

Which is funny on one level because probably for 90 percent of what you’re performing, the original artist is sick to death of playing that song. But you all have now performed some of these songs so many times that it is entirely possible that you are as sick of singing something like “Africa” as Toto is. And yet you always legitimately seem like you are having fun. It’s funny you mention “Africa.” That’s the only song we have to play at every show. And I think it kind of goes through waves. It’s like a Saturday Night Live joke where they keep repeating the same thing and it gets really monotonous and not funny. And then if you repeat it for long enough, it becomes funny again. It got to where it got old for a while and now it’s really fun to sing that song, even though I’ve probably sung it 2,000 times, literally. It’s not a problem.

Coldplay has to sing “Yellow” every night no matter what. There are five or six other songs they have to sing every night no matter what. We don’t have to do that. We have thousands of songs to choose from. So, in some ways, it’s been a blessing that we can stay fresher because we can always change out songs and add new songs.

Let’s talk about this playlist. You have a pretty wide range here, including yacht rock staples like Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin'” but also songs from Lake Street Dive and “Juice” by Lizzo. How do you all even define yacht rock now? For me, yacht rock is more of a vibe and an energy than necessarily “soft rock music made in Los Angeles between 1976 and 1984.” It’s more about when the song comes on, does it put a smile on your face in the first 10 seconds? If you use that as your first barrier to entry, then what can be considered yacht rock becomes a lot more wide. If you’re out cruising on your boat on Saturday afternoon, what’s going to feel good?

“Juice” is going to feel good. Yeah. And it feels like the transition from “I Keep Forgettin'” into “Juice” doesn’t feel like a hard left turn. It feels natural. I guess our perspective is that people are going to need yacht rock now and in the future, and what it can be is a lot wider than the strict dictionary definition. Lake Street Dive, they’re a genre-bender for me. I think that they have a lot of different influences. And again, it’s the positive energy behind it is what makes it yacht rock.

How did you pick the classic ones to intersperse in there? We wanted to make sure that anybody who hasn’t gotten familiar with the yacht rock yet — which I don’t know who that might be at this stage — got a good dose of the healthy vitamins of what real, 100-percent yacht rock is. So we picked the ones that felt right to us and then also had something in common with our record.

You’re in your forties now. Is this sustainable? Can you do this until you retire? That’s a great question. If “Bad Tequila” [from the upcoming album] ends up being like “Steal Away” was for Robbie Dupree, then I definitely can. That’s what this move is, just to see if we could have one song that makes people feel the same way that I felt when I danced with my wife to “Steal Away” at my wedding. And I’ve talked to Robbie about that. And he has this relationship with that song where he got tired of it and he loves it again. But for us, in the next 20 years, I don’t want to get morbid about it, but a lot of these bands that we love and the classic rock artists are going to age out of touring. And there’s going to be a void there and I hope that we will be positioned to help fill it. It’s weird to think about but it is true. It gives us a little bit of job security.

In the last few years, several other bands in this vein have popped up. How do you feel about that? I imagine it’s hard to be mad about other cover bands when you’re a cover band. It’s great that this music has become so popular and imitation is finest form of flattery, right? So when I see these bands doing our dance moves, or wearing the sailor outfits like we used to 10 years ago or adding the same songs to their setlists, that’s cool. Part of me wants to say, “Go get your own unoriginal idea.” But like you said, there’s no honor among thieves, really. So it’s fine. I got nothing but love for any of them. I think what we do stands on its own.

Yacht Rock Revue will hit the road for the Hot Dads in Tight Jeans tour Jan. 9 and will be pulling into ports across the country, from Boston to Los Angeles.

Related content:

  • 10 Covers we want to see Kelly Clarkson do on her talk show
  • EW’s Friday Five: Prince goes acoustic, a Hamilton alum gets romantic, and more best songs of the week
  • Billie Eilish announces 2020 Where Do We Go? arena world tour dates

yacht rock revue hot dads in tight jeans songs

  • Member Login
  • Member Enrollment
  • Subscribe to ENCORE
  • Advertise With Us
  • News Archive
  • All Industry News
  • CA News Archive
  • Business News
  • International News
  • Promoter News
  • Touring News
  • Music Publishing
  • Agency and Management
  • Artist News
  • Awards & Benefits
  • Festival News
  • Classical News
  • Conference News
  • Technology News
  • Opinion News
  • Industry Insider
  • Hot Seat: Larry LeBlanc
  • Lefsetz Letter
  • Bob Lefsetz Podcast
  • Paul Mecurio: Inside Out
  • The Cheat Code Podcast
  • Automation Insider
  • Promoter 101
  • Lee Abrams – Media Visions
  • Box Office Scores
  • VitalSigns: Artist Signings

New Spotify Releases

  • Events Calendar
  • Artist SnapShot
  • On the Road: New Tours
  • CelebrityAccess Tour Dates
  • Bandsintown Tour Dates
  • SPOTIFY CHARTS
  • Member Account Management
  • Plans & Pricing
  • New Member Enrollment
  • --> Learn More -->