Power trio Hong Kong Wigs–Jon Fitcher, Anastasia Wright and Adam Lee Galvan–played their first show on Halloween 2018 and never looked back.
Hong Kong Wigs is the brain child of veteran Austin musician Jon Fitcher, who adds high energy guitar riffs to every song. Adam Galvan and Anastasia Wright’s dynamic drum and bass grooves anchor the music, driving a “beat that makes you tap your feet.”
In 2020, Hong Kong Wigs were signed by Spaceflight Records, a local label that puts artists at the forefront. Their newest single, “Nobody But You,” will be released in the Spring.
We featured Hong Kong Wigs in Issue 24: Worth It. and rocked out to their set during our ART: LIVE! Celebration.
When did you come together?
JF: Halloween 2018. Anastasia and I worked at the same restaurant so we saw each other but didn’t interact. I walked into Hotel Vegas and saw Black Basement (a band Anastasia was in) and thought she could sing really well and made a mental note. I knew Adam was a drummer and was cool. It was more about personal relationships. I wanted to work with people who were like-minded and cool.
AW: Jon is the primary songwriter. He had like 4 demos already so we had something to play off of. Now Jon brings a song and we make it a Hong Kong wigs song.
ALG: I’m a fan of Sweet Spirit, Jon’s other band, and that’s how I got involved. I met Anastasia at the first rehearsal. I like that there’s a sense of collaboration where the music goes and how it flows. We all have our input.
How did you get into music?
JF: I’ve been playing guitar since I was a kid and writing and singing since I was in high school. I’ve been doing it my entire life, where it doesn’t feel like it’s a thing. It’s just an extension of myself.
AW: I’ve been singing since I was tiny and started writing songs when I was a teenager. I was in a high school band and when I was in Boston, out of necessity, I picked up the bass in a band. People started paying attention and I was able to do more with the versatility.
ALG: Music has always been a very big part of me. My adventures have taken me through playing different instruments. The first was the drums but I was also a singer-songwriter playing behind the guitar. There was a certain point where I wanted to refocus on the drums and that was the time Jon approached me. I wanted to play to the best of my ability behind someone I believe in.
Outiside of performing, what else do you have to dedicate your time to?
JF: Social media is a hard part. The music is the easy fun part and everything else is the job. We’re fortunate that we have a label behind us that helps us and they’re generous with their time. I don’t see as much support for people coming up as there should be. People that are really fucking good but have no idea what to do with it.
AW: The emails and admin stuff is essentially a world that musicians have not had to immerse themselves in until recently. Who really has the time to be reaching out? We wait until people reach out to us, and sometimes that makes for drier months. The social media is an absolute nightmare. I post when I feel like I can speak for us and I’ve thought about it enough but it’s really tedious. And no one wants to do it for you anymore, even labels. Making the music is a blast but releasing it, I almost had a mental breakdown.
ALG: Maintenance of ourselves is really key.
What makes this all rewarding?
JF: The music. That’s the only constant. You can’t rely on money. It’s like winning the lottery when you make money in music. I was watching the Grammys and that world isn’t open to a lot of people. Every time I see something like that I think it’s not for me, and I’m okay with that. You have to be okay with not making art to make money and that’s the zen of it. You have to make it because you want to.
AW: I think about it as really visceral. For me, playing the show is what makes it all worth it. We played a show we took last minute, and I showed up and had a long day and our heads weren’t in it. But when I got on the stage I thought, I fucking love this. It was one of the most fun shows we’ve ever played.
ALG: That’s how I feel about this band. There’s a good balance and we do things that benefit the community and ourselves. It’s all towards the craft and I enjoy the balance that we have found.
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