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mfmagazine · 5 years

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Official Hot Mess

Article by Victoria Laurey

The dynamic duo, known as Official Hot Mess, is anything but that. Landers sisters, Kristy and Lindsey, are a punk/rock band that formed back in 2007, earning them their first record deal before graduating high school. The band members consist of: Lindsey Landers- Niedenfuer (vocals/guitar), Kristy Landers-Niedenfuer (vocals/bass), Jake Freeman (lead guitar), Adam Evans (Rhythm guitar), Billy Burke (bass), and Joe Pezzino (drums). Selling countless albums and topping the charts overseas, OHM is now making their way into the states. Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, this is the ultimate girl pair we should be looking out for. You may have heard their music on your favorite reality television series, such as: The Hills, The City, Jersey Shore, and My Super Sweet 16. Their music video for, “Welcome to L.A” peaked at #2 on MTVU. With their endless girl power lyrics and in-your-face image, OHM will soon become a household name. With a reality series of their life in the works, we will see inside the world that these girls will invite us into.

These girls are more than just pretty faces and pop/rock edginess. They are also involved in Clean Oceans, an environmentalism campaign formed to encourage young people to help keep the beaches and oceans clean by picking up trash, and not using plastic grocery bags or disposable plastic water bottles. In May 2010, they completed a photo shoot for the NOH8 Campaign. The NOH8 Campaign is a silent protest photo project against California Proposition 8. The campaign features photographs portraying people in front of a white backdrop wearing white t-shirts, their mouths taped shut and "NOH8" painted on their cheeks On the big screen, Kristy and Lindsey costarred with Andy Dick in the comedy, Kissing Strangers and had lead roles in The Brotherhood V: Alumni.

What is it about your favorite artists: Blondie, Pat Benatar, The Go Gos, and Katy Perry, that inspires your sound?

Blondie, Pat Benetar and The Go Go’s were all iconic women in music and they paved the wave for future female rockers. Were inspired by elements from all of their individual styles, and like to incorporate each of them into our own personal style.

Kristy, you are an animal activist that works for PETA. What work do you take on with helping such a cause? Would you ever be one their spokes-models if they offered you the chance?

We’re both major animal activists and are proud to be active members of PETA. We volunteer at animal shelters and charity events, doing everything from performing at the events to walking dogs and cleaning kennels. We recently shot a very powerful PSA for PETA and would definitely be a spokes model for them.

Lindsey, you say you are a shopping addict. What are your favorite clothing stores? Do you see yourself creating your own clothing line in the future?

It’s really funny ‘cause I love shopping, and Kristy hates it… but we both love to create styles and design clothes, and a clothing line down the road is a definite possibility. Some of our favorite clothing stores and designers include Guess, Betsey Johnson, Rock and Republic and Gasoline Glamour.

You describe yourselves as being, "Old-fashioned rock and roll party". What about that particular image makes you want to portray just that?

I think a definite element of our styles and personalities is a care free, fun, live for the moment attitude, just like an old fashioned rock and roll party.

When you received your first record deal before graduating high school, what was the experience like for you?

We were always sort of outcasts in high school because we were always so into our music and not into the academics (we attended a public high school for academically gifted students). So when we got our first deal and had to leave school, it was kind of bittersweet.

When you reached the charts in Asia, Australia, and parts of Europe, what went through your minds?

We were so excited when we heard how well the album was doing, but it didn’t really sink in until we arrived in Tokyo and saw the magnitude of the album’s success.

Your music was featured on popular shows like: The Hills, The City, Dollhouse and countless others. At the time, did you realize how far your dreams of being well-known in the states were becoming?

Hearing our music played on popular television shows is one of the most amazing feelings! To know that our song had the ability to enhance a pivotal moment in the show is a great feeling. Knowing that our fans in the US are finding a connection to our music is incredible-- We don’t take anything for granted and we appreciate every accomplishment we achieve. We’re so excited, we just found out that our new song, “Money Makes the Girl$ Go Round” is going to be featured on E!’s “Keeping up with the Kardashians”!

When you were younger, can you remember what it was like to perform on PBS? What song did you perform on the show?

We’ve been writing music since we were old enough to write. I think the song we sang on PBS was called “My Sister”. It’s one of those embarrassing things our proud Momma whips out on holidays!

Now with success comes a few obstacles. How did you face being taunting by your classmates?

High school was a difficult time for us, we were thought of as rebels and outcasts for pursuing music. While all the other kids were focusing on SAT scores and Ivy League schools, we were touring in Japan and barely keeping our grades up. Even now, high schools not far behind us, but bygones are bygones and we've learned a lot and grown from those experiences, bad and good. However, we'd like to dedicate track eight from Lily Allen's 'It's Not Me It's You' album to them.

You have other interest besides music, which is film and television. What in film and television would you like to pursue?

Music is definitely our focus right now, but we’ve had the opportunity to costar in some really fun film projects and have a few exciting projects coming up in the very near future.

There is talk about you guys doing a reality series about your lives. How do you want your band to be portrayed on camera? Will your other band mates have the same amount of air time as you?

We are working on a reality project now and the most important thing to us is that it is portrayed with honesty. We want our fans to be able to see behind the scenes of Official Hot Mess and the fun craziness that goes on when we get together with the four guys in the band, and the contrast of our lives at home with our mom and dad vs. being on the road.

You said that you went statue shopping with Michael Jackson. What was that experience like? Did you remain close friends with him?

Kristy and I accidentally went statue shopping with Michael Jackson. [Laughs] One day, we were early for an appointment so we made a pit stop and walked into this store, just to kill some time. All of the sudden, we hear swarms of paparazzi coming into the store - hundreds of them. So we're like 'Whoa, this can't be for us.' [Laughs] So, they shut down the entire store and now we're the only people in there. In walks Michael Jackson with an umbrella. So we were freaking out and thinking 'what do we do?'. We tried to be really respectful of his privacy, so we walked into another room so he didn't think we were going to invade his space. You've heard so many things about him like 'he's a germophobe' or whatever, and he was a living legend, so it's a bit intimidating to be around him. A couple of minutes later, he walked into the room that we were in, and he stood there and talked to us for over half an hour. He was the nicest man I've ever met. He was not a germophobe at all. He gave us both hugs when we left. It was a great time, and a really incredible experience, we even kept in touch for a few months after that.

What was your inspiration behind writing the lyrics for, “Pick your poison", and “Welcome to LA"?

We wrote “Pick Ur Poison” with our friend, Andrew Goldstein from the Friday Night Boys. The song is about a bittersweet love affair. The major inspiration for "Welcome 2 LA" derives from the fact that we come from a small beach town in Florida. It's such a culture shock coming to L.A. and seeing all of the crazy things that are happening. We get booked to play at the Playboy Mansion, and we're from this sleepy beach town in Florida. When you get to the Playboy Mansion, everybody's naked and they all have big fake boobs and you're like, "What the heck is going on?"

Where did the name, "Official Hot Mess", come from?

We call ourselves Official Hot Mess because it seems as though mischief and trouble always have a way of finding us; like the time we thought we were on a flight to LA and ended up in Puerto Rico...or the time my spike heel got caught on Lindsey's pants and I accidentally pantsed her on stage! We've definitely gotten into our fair share of trouble, from accidentally starting a bus brawl to narrowly avoiding arrest for skinny dipping in a pool after hours. We got chased by a wizard on Hollywood Blvd., and we accidentally sat in Bill Murray's seats at his own movie premiere.

What inspires you to write? Does that include past ordeals you had to face that came with the territory of fame?

We're inspired by anything and everything from getting rejected in Hollywood, to falling in love, and sometimes we'll just wake each other up in the middle of the night when we're inspired. The creative process for us is writing and recording. It's like therapy for the soul…and it’s cheaper than a shrink. You can express anything you want to express, and it turns into something awesome.

When your future audience attends one of your shows, what is the message you want them to leave with?

When people come to our shows, we want them to leave their stress and troubles behind and just come to let loose, have a good time, and escape into the music.

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