Confident Hitmakers
Getting weird and repping the San Jose Sharks with Confident Hitmakers number one hitman Logan Wells; photographed by Eli Wengrin.
We ended 2015 with news of a new codified Stockton collective/power clique involving a revolving assembly of local artists in the 209 area code district. Hot on the heels of “To Be Haunted” that began a new life from the former MLTD moniker; Confident Hitmakers set out to make a song that is as audacious and provocative as their newly appointed moniker. The devotional spirit of wormholes and weird wonders unfurls before you lead by your yacht captain Logan Wells, accompanied by shipmates / childhood BFFs Wesley Allard, and Justin Paul Vallesteros premiere the decadent life dipped single “Cocaine Comedowns”. What we were told was recorded in the frontman’s living room recently one evening takes on the lost at sea dolce vita of a derelict yacht that speeds serenely past the mammoth commercial liners stalled at sea.
Like every hangover is brought on by only the most indulgent of behaviors, “Cocaine Comedowns” begins with sounds of playground based idle thrills to the slippery-synths and flutes that make up the most addictive aspect of the song. Logan croons in between the swinging swagger of the sumptuous keys scooping the highs found during even the lowest of times and places. “Comedowns” itself takes on the classic radio pop formula of the two and a half minute format (it actually clocks in at 2:29) that takes on the ambitious album rock idolatry of the 70s & 80s and embellishes them to the home recorded forums enjoyed by man of today’s most innovative artists. This is the song that breaks through the glass of infinity and the finite nature of mortality for something transcendent and an enlightenment experience like none other. To call it ‘yacht rock’ alone reduces the track strictly to it’s anachronistic grandparent but works as a twist on the captured cadences and familiar sound fragrances that jog the cycles of retro-radio recollections.
Logan provided the following words about the Confident Hitmakers’ exuberant new single “Cocaine Comedowns”:
It’s finally 2016. the year we have all been waiting for. Are you even going to be able to handle all this streaming viral content at your fingertips? Lets hope so because this crazy tech world will sweep you under the rug if you can’t keep up. “Cocaine Comedowns” is a song I recorded with my friends Justin and Wesley in my living room when I had a few days off from my job stacking boxes down at the warehouse. Lets be honest, I’ve done cocaine, who hasn’t? It’s not the worst thing ever.
A close listen with Confident Hitmakers’ own Logan Wells; press photo courtesy of the artist.
Collaborations & supergroups no matter what you think are some of the most important dynamics for real musical change, progression, fusion, evolution, and other forward leaning allusions. With the spotlight properly set on star-studded acts like Nice As Fuck, Big Grams, Prophets of Rage, and more—let us not forget Stockton’s own hard knock supergroup institution Confident Hitmakers who continue to represent their hometown via a rotating cast of various players. Lead by Logan Wells (fka MLTD), a vertable army of childhood chums are enlisted like Eli Wengrin, Samuel Charles Regan (Satan Wriders), Justin Paul Vallesteros (Craft Spells), Nicholas Coleman (oka Nicholas Fisher), Kenny Yates to contribute when & where they can to this evolving collective. In the spirit of friendship & dedication to each individual’s own creative gifts, Confident Hitmakers strength in numbers attests to the fortitude of bonds made from schooldays that have carried over into their adult careers.
The single “Cocaine Comedowns” itself is rife with all the obvious self-indulgences of hyper-hedonism with a narcissism that turns introspection inside out. The track created by Logan, Justin & Wesley Allard taps into the art of emotional emptiness where dreams of grandeur collide into reality all the while embracing nothingness while cranking out the most perfect novelty pop hit production that bubbles into a sailboat steered by an ultra-slick & smooth rudder, oar & sail. The visuals for “Cocaine Comedowns” follows an evening in the life of Hitmaker Logan Wells who portrays the persona of “Mr.Champagne” who gathers his own pensive nature, sentiments & thoughts on the derelict late night streets of Stockton. The tales of decadent destitution begin as Mr.Champagne emerges from his home like a seasoned star taking a walk with his own reflections. We are given a privy view of Mr.Champagne’s home, backyard, to loitering in front of the neon-diamond glow of pawn broker whilst sipping his problems away with a random beaker of clear liquid. The camera follows it’s star from the aimless adventures of window shopping at the strip mall, gazing at mannequins clad in fantastic fall fashions, to taking in some television while lounging outside; the nostalgic & gentle glow of the percolating production provides a subtext for what feels like a slice of the most wonderful yet weirdest throwback-pop revisionism. The sound & vision of “Cocaine Comedowns” works on creating a sense of retro-vertigo that measures towering ziggurat altitudes of heights that are equally matched to the whirlpool woes of rip tides that pull dreams & hopes into the oceanic depths of quicksand floors.
I play a character in the video named “Mr.Champagne”, a down on his luck entertainer who’s desperate to achieve fame and fortune. He aimlessly wanders around Stockton, California sipping unidentified clear liquid from his signature stylish beaker. Towards the end of the video Mr.Champagne glances through a shop window and notices a swarm of mannequins modeling modern fashions and in that moment he realizes that in his mind he will always be a star and that’s the only thing that truly matters. All I care about is money and the city that I’m from, Stockton is my NYC, god bless.
Listen to more from Confident Hitmakers via Bandcamp.
