Avery Fogarty grew up in Midlothian playing piano, singing in choir, and taking vocal lessons. When they picked up the guitar in high school, their musical world was transformed.
“When I started listening to Angel Olsen, Big Thief, and Snail Mail, that’s when I finally found a voice and I was like ‘I know what kind of music I want to make now,’” Fogarty says.
Fogarty began working the open mic circuit, where they met guitarist Kevin Ganley. The two decided to move to Richmond in a dedicated pursuit of music, forming Hotspit in 2018 with bassist Grant Tolber and drummer Kurt Bailey.
“The scene was incredibly welcoming. I feel like Richmond really takes care of new bands and really quickly we got to play some of the venues that I was going to and being like, ‘This is the venue I want to play; this would be the mecca for me or the big one,’” Fogarty explains. “I think we got to accomplish goals really quickly and that put us in a better position to be like, ‘Okay, how can we be even more serious? Maybe time to record and time to tour.’”
The group secured a date playing the renowned Audiotree series in Chicago, and thought it would be a good idea to release studio material ahead of the performance, so audience members would have a touchstone to listen to. Hotspit made its official recording debut in 2021 with CC, an EP tracked with Danny Gibney from the Harrisonburg group Dogwood Tales.
“That was the first time we had ever put out anything and realized how important recording is,” says Fogarty. “It’s funny because you think being a band is just recording, but for us, we thought we had to play every single show and cut our teeth first. So we did things a little backwards, but I wouldn’t change anything; I’m happy with how we approached it.
CC is a moody, melodic slice of indie rock, and this year, Hotspit picked up the pace with a follow-up EP, Memory of a Mirror Image. Standout track “Cave Dweller” was recorded at Drop of Sun in Asheville, with string arrangements by Jessika Blanks (of the duo Bedspread Radio) tracked back in Richmond at Bryan Walthall’s home studio.
“We try really hard to record what we can replicate live, so we don’t do a lot of overdubbing or extra elements that we aren’t also performing just so we kind of stay true,” Fogarty says. “Our live sound is similar to how we sound on our record.”
With two EPs under its belt, Hotspit plans a full-length release, and continues to tour, with stops in Harrisonburg, Baltimore, and New York City next month.