Isaac Babus / The Mossy Log
Chicago native musician Jared Hochberg proudly describes his band, Robot Heart Throb, as a genre-fluid blend of folk, emo, punk and jazz. The band’s influences range from the iconic forefathers of jazz like John Coltrane, to melancholic Phoebe Bridgers, to the turn-of-the-century rock band Dashboard Confessional.
Their music defies comfortable genre characterization but does not lack complexity or flair. Hochberg touts his band’s talents by saying that the usual group includes drums, keyboard, bass, a backup singer and Hochberg as the lead singer and often guitarist, flutist, saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. The multifaceted reality of being an adult musician means that the band members are also professionals in other careers, including a nurse and investment banker.
Over the past year, the band has played 42 live shows, accumulated 30,000 streams on their new album, gone viral on Instagram with over 3 million views and appeared on 15 podcasts and YouTube channels including MusicOn3 and DZ records, according to an email from Hochberg.
Given that the band has no singular target audience they aim to attract, Hochberg speaks to the importance of relating to music and how communities form based on shared experience.
“I’m right now just kind of discovering who naturally likes the music, which is really interesting,” Hochberg said. “It’s a lot of former band kids or former theater kids, or people who experience similar things to what I’ve experienced. So like, a lot of my music deals with healing from abuse and things like that. So people have similar experiences; they often resonate with that.”
There are many recurring themes that present themselves within Hochberg’s solo music and Robot Heart Throb in general. The creativity within the band’s music is a way to process the tribulations of life.
“Because there’s no specific genre, it’s helpful to categorize it by the big things I think about all the time, and show up in my music a lot: C-PTSD, social media addiction, abusive parents, being a feminist man/healing from toxic masculinity, recovering from the way certain adults treated you growing up,” Hochberg said.
Before eventually attending Oberlin Conservatory, Hochbergs’ journey as a musician began in his childhood. He spoke to the idea that, though the adoration of the art form runs strong through many musicians, creating a cohesive environment where everyone works together smoothly is easier said than done.
“I love playing in bands and I love the dynamic. It is also really hard as a DIY musician because (of) money. You can’t really incentivize people with money when you’re a DIY artist because money is so random, so people just have to be in it for their spirit. And it’s as hard to find a band mate as it is to find a true love,” Hochberg said.
In addition to finding the right match, the logistical struggles of working with other adults who work 9-5 jobs, organizing practices and handling different temperaments can be complicated.
“People have commitments they can’t get out of, but then also just (clashing) personalities because it’s kind of a tall order,” Hochberg explained. “You’re looking for somebody who loves the music you love, who’s at the similar skill level to you, which is already really hard, and then finding who you get along with well enough to spend 20 hours a week with, right?”
On Oct. 24, Robot Heart Throb performed in Portland for a second time at Fixin’ To on NE Lombard street. After their first tour stop in Portland in 2019, Hochberg greatly enjoyed the unique and artistic nature of the city.
“It was bizarre how everywhere I went, there was artistic stuff. There’s even, like, art in the parking lot. The trash can was like a monster. Yeah, I’m like, what! The city is crazy. I love it,” Hochberg said.
Robot Heart Throb can be found on Instagram at @robotheartthrob and on Spotify under the same name.
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Cool article gonna check this artist out.