Mustard Monday#01: Carhop
Without Carhop this publication would not exist.
Mustard is excited to introduce you to a brand new series: Mustard Monday. The idea for this new series was inspired by the verbiage originally coined by
(of James Worth Wednesday.)This series will dig through our four years worth of archives to highlight independent musicians from all across the globe. Since focusing on Substack full-time many new subscribers have joined who may have not been around during our original launch. Mustard appreciates you being here!
To kick this series off Mustard would like to highlight North Carolina band: Carhop. The original iteration of the band is no longer together but it was them who first had the idea of Mustard creating a music blog. At the time Mustard was on TikTok. There they would join lives, leave supportive comments, and reshare videos made by independent artists.
At the time of this music interview Mustard had no idea what they were doing. They had never composed a music interview before and was simply trying to their best to craft something interesting for the band. They would have never expected that Music Shelf (its name at the time) would grow into what it became. Mustard is genuinely grateful for everyone’s support.
With that all said lets meet Carhop.
Interview originally published on: May 27th, 2021
Mustard had the pleasure of interviewing TikTok sensation and North Carolina's Carhop. Without Carhop, this website would not be possible. It only made sense that they be the inaugural interview for the website's launch of ahead of their single release of "Moon Beach" on May 28th!
1. It was your idea for this website. What helped spark the idea?
I had the idea one day while watching one of your musicians shout out videos. I saw how many cool and unique independent artists you followed and supported which made me start to think about how you could really do something special and create an inclusive and special site to interview and interact with some great musicians!
2. When did everyone meet? Did you have an idea of “Carhop” when first meeting?
This is actually a very long story.... Carhop started out 2 years ago with me (Peyton Kaplan, drummer) starting a band called Past Time with two of my best friends. Unfortunately Past Time didn't last but wanting to remain making music I started a band with our old guitarist (Walker Lyon) before finding Luisa and eventually Jack.
3. Where did the name “Carhop” come from?
Carhop was a random thought from when me and our old guitarist (Walker Lyon) were brainstorming band names and he literally said, "yo what are those waiters called who like bring you food to your car on roller skates at like sonic you know" I googled it and it said Carhop. We thought it sounded cool and it stuck- I wish we had a cooler story for you HAHA.
4. Mustard wants to know everyone’s favorite automobile. Would they hop from this automobile to another?
Good question wow!
Jack: 50s Thunderbird
Luisa: '75 Stingray
Peyton: Volkswagen Harlequin
and yes, we would hop from one to another.
5. Musically, who has inspired Carhop?
Oh my gosh if we listed all of our inspirations this list would be way too long. We'll limit it to 5 per person.
Jack: The Beatles, The Kinks, Childish Gambino, Gorillaz, and The Velvet Underground.
Peyton: Hippo Campus, Wallows, Huron John, Boyscott, and Dominic Fike.
Luisa: SZA, H.E.R., Serena Isioma, Whitney Houston, and Billie Eilish
6. You blew up on TikTok after previewing your upcoming single “Moon Beach.” Tell us about the day after. How did it feel?
It was honestly surreal, we all couldn't believe it as it blew up overnight. The entire day our phones were going crazy and we sat there just seeing constant and constant notifications roll in. Truly unbelievable that this many people were excited for our music when all we shared was a 15 second clip of the unreleased song!
7. Who would Carhop like to collaborate with?
Honestly we have a few so definitely Gus Dapperton, LoveLio, Dominic Fike, Thundercat, Steve Lacy, come to mind immediately. Oh also maybe some indie pop artists like Huron John or Clair Ernst.
8. Who does Carhop think everyone should follow on TikTok?
We got lots of cool Tik Tok friends to follow- Wah Wah (@wah.wah.band), How's The Pie (@howsthepie), Rugg (@ruggband), and Woah (@woahtheband).
9. What advice would you give to new musicians joining TikTok?
Consistency is key, keep posting and trying new things. Take inspiration from artists you look up to and put your own spin on it. Lastly this one might be more difficult starting out but you've gotta be posting at least 3-5 times a day.
10. How has TikTok Live helped with fan engagement?
TikTok live is an excellent tool, it puts your live on the FYP and boosts the fuck out of your videos. We gain hundreds of followers every live! It's a great tool to boost your account!
11. What movie or TV show would Carhop like to have their song in?
Good question! We'd say a show like Atypical or even Stranger Things!
12. Would Carhop ever write a commercial jingle?
Hell yes. That would be so fucking fun just a quick little rock for like 8 seconds. That would be so fun, we would love to do a jingle for the water company Liquid Death ;) ;) (sponsor us)
13. Can you share anything about your debut album?
Without giving too much away hmmm.. We have 9 tracks in total for the album and 8 of which are originals (1 bonus track cover!) The whole process of recording the project was super fun as we got to play and record them all live in time with each other which brings the energy of the tracks so much higher and it definitely translates well! We also had a ton of help recording and mixing from our friends with the band Condado, if you want to check them out they have some really cool shit. OH AND LAST THING, we had the most incredible opportunity to work with Aaron Cada who mastered the album for us. If you don’t know who Aaron is he mixed and mastered for Beach Bunny on their Prom Queen EP in 2018. It was super cool getting to work with someone like him and overall the album recording process was long but so much fun!
Mustard thanks you for checking out this brand new series. If you are interested in the Music Shelf archive consider a subscription to learn more about independent artists from all across the globe.