Indie folk band Motion Hotel to play in Lexington

Provided+by+the+Motion+Hotel+website.

Provided by the Motion Hotel website.

Lauryn Haas

Though Motion Hotel calls Houston home, the band can’t wait to see some Bluegrass musicians in Kentucky.

Indie folk band Motion Hotel is touring its new EP “Broken VCRs” with supporting acts EZRA and Derek Spencer. The band will be performing in Lexington at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, at The Burl.

Andrew Dethloff, guitarist and vocalist for band, said the band has its own version of Texas Bluegrass, heard in their song “Hunter & the Fox,” but the group is looking forward to getting a taste of authentic Bluegrass culture in Lexington.

The band’s first EP “Broken VCRs” was released on Jan. 12 and sent the band on its first nation-wide tour. Although the group has made other music through the years separately and together, “Broken VCRs” is the “most professional and unique style and sound [they] have created yet,” Dethloff said.

The band started in 2009 when Dethloff and Austin Clark, guitarist and vocalist, were 19. They were both playing in trending metal or hardcore bands when they teamed up to start an acoustic side project.

“We named it Lion Among Men. After the fad faded, our friendship grew. We got a house near downtown together in 2012 and turned it into a recording studio/underground venue/all around bohemian hotspot lovingly dubbed ‘The LAM Den’ by our many visitors,” Dethloff said. “Those were some amazing times.”

Hannah Muniz, vocalist, and Ryan Salge, bassist and vocalist, were “part of the crew” back then. The group found John Cruz, drummer and percussionist, by chance through Clark’s mother’s coworker who knew someone looking for a project. Cruz had been playing in Latin-influenced bands, and the others “love the unique flavor he brings to [their] music from his experience there,” Dethloff said. The five officially became Motion Hotel in 2017 after a name and brand change.

Eric Ramirez is Motion Hotel’s publicist and part of the band’s management and support team at its record label, Bread and Circuses Inc. He said Motion Hotel’s strength is found in its attention to detail.

Attendees should expect “nothing less than a solid performance from seasoned musicians that are showcasing a whole new level in their song craft abilities,” Ramirez said. “Their music is heartfelt, energetic, and layered with harmonies and complexities that will be quite a treat for the eyes and ears of anyone in attendance.”

Motion Hotel kicked off its tour in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 8, and will head to two other states, Mississippi and Tennessee, this week before stopping in Lexington. Performances are then to be made in Ohio, Indiana, and Oklahoma before finishing the tour close to home in Dallas, Texas, on Feb. 25.

“It’s been a hell of a ride and we are extremely excited to take what we’ve made and share with other people in different parts of the country,” Dethloff said. “We are extremely excited to see the music scenes in other states and cities and meet new, colorful people. The people are what make it. The adventure alone makes it all worth it.”