The Hotcakes

The Hotcakes are the Big Apple-based rock/pop/glam foursome behind the song that already is on many baseball fans’ lips in Cincinnati. “We thought ‘Paint the Town Red’ was the right song to introduce The Hotcakes to the public,” drummer Lee Leshen told The Rumble. “The song is very dramatic, and we thought it would sound terrific when played in large, open venues. Sports stadiums were the right fit, so we thought of a select few teams that contained the word ‘Red’ and started dialing.” The Red Sox? “They were already secure with their music,” Leshen said. The Reds have purchased rights to the song, will use it in TV and radio advertising – and possibly have The Hotcakes play it at Great American Ballpark. “We would jump at the chance,” Leshen said.

“We’re all New Yorkers, so we’re split pretty evenly between the Mets and Yankees,” Leshen, who lives in Manhattan and grew up in Port Washington, L.I., said of the band, which includes lead singer Erin Marsz, keyboardist Eva Brooks and guitarist Chris Hills. “If it weren’t for my Johnny Bench catcher’s mitt saving me from my brother Craig’s fastball growing up, I wouldn’t be able to play the drums today. Obviously now, we’re all becoming Reds fans. I think it’s every boy’s dream to walk on to a major league field, but if I can walk on with a pair of drumsticks, that would be the ultimate thrill.” You can listen to “Paint the Town Red” at thehotcakes.com and see the band April 10 at Pianos (11 p.m.) on Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side.

Reds hope fans “Paint the Town Red”
MLB.com

NYC band pens new Reds song
Cincinnati Enquirer/Cincinnati.com
By John Kiesewetter • jkiesewetter@enquirer.com •

If Cincinnati Reds tickets are selling tickets like hotcakes, the team can thank the Hotcakes.

The Reds have built their preseason marketing campaign around a song called “Paint The Town Red” by the Hotcakes, an unsigned garage band in New York City.

“During the season I see a sea of red coming into the ball park. It felt right,” says Karen Forgus, Reds senior vice president for business operations. Forgus first heard the song in September, after getting a call from Hotcakes drummer Lee Leshen. He had contacted various professional and college teams with “Red” in their titles, offering them the song. Forgus was the first to call back.

“We thought it would sound terrific if we could get this played in a stadium,” says Leshen. His band, together 1½ years, only performs once a month, he says.

The lead vocalist, Erin Marsz, works in Manhattan’s fashion industry. Leshen does marketing. Keyboard player Eva Brooks is a teacher. Guitarist Chris Hills teaches music.

“I feel like we’re a farm team that just got called up to the majors. We had 5,000 hits on our MySpace page last week. That’s huge for an unsigned, unknown band,” he says.

The song’s chorus airs as the background music for the Reds’ TV and radio commercials. On TV, viewers see red paint being splashed across the screen. “I didn’t want a jingle, I wanted a little music that set the mood,” Forgus says. To her, “Paint The Town Red” sounded young and modern, much like budding Reds stars Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. “There’s a young mojo on our team. I thought it reflected our team on the field,” Forgus says.

The Reds bought rights for the song through Opening Day 2011, she says. For now it will be heard on TV and radio – but could be played at Great American Ball Park during games, she says.

“We want people singing ‘Paint The Town Red.’ We’d love to hear that chorus play during the game to get the crowd going, to get the team going,” Leshen says. “Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to play it on the field. That would be amazing. We would absolutely jump at the chance to come out to Cincinnati whenever we’re called.”

The Hotcakes Ink Deal with Cincinnati Reds to “Paint the Town Red”
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