Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: The HawtPlates Perform Live
Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Alison Stewart (A)
Guests: The HawtPlates – Justin Hicks (B), Jade Hicks (F), Kenita Miller Hicks (C)

Overview

This episode of All Of It spotlights The HawtPlates, a Bronx-based band renowned for their innovative blend of music and theater. The group joins Alison Stewart to discuss their new live performance piece, Dream Feed, currently running at the Here Art Center as part of the Under the Radar Festival. The HawtPlates blend family harmonies, theatrical improvisation, and generational storytelling to create a shared dream experience for audiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to The HawtPlates and Dream Feed

• Alison Stewart introduces The HawtPlates and their musical theater piece, Dream Feed:

  • "Music has the power to affect our mood, shape our state of mind, bring back memories and feelings. And a new show from the Bronx based band is using music to tap into your dreams. It's called Dream Feed and is described as a shared dream sequence and live concept album." (00:39)

• Dream Feed aims to foster a “shared dream sequence,” exploring the role of aspiration and memory through music and performance.

2. Live Music Performances

a. "Teeth" (01:44–07:54)

• The segment opens with a powerful and atmospheric live rendition of “Teeth,” featuring haunting harmonies and emotive lyrics:

  • "Maybe these teeth are wise... A root breaks a crack of bone." (01:57)
  • The song flows between introspective verses and layered vocals, touching on themes of self-awareness and transformation.

• Alison, after the performance:

  • "That was awesome. That was Justin Hicks, Jade Hicks, and Kenita Miller Hicks, the Hot Plates." (07:54)

b. "Mustard Anthem" (12:46–15:55)

• The group performs “Mustard Anthem,” a piece written by their friend Dawn Meredith Smith, evoking everyday struggles and hope:
  • "We've had it bad so this is pretty good... And may we be dreamers, thinkers while still dancers, will true believer study thinking of some answer by the faith of a mustard seed?" (13:09)

c. "Rest Stop" (18:53–23:27)

• The final live song, “Rest Stop,” is intimate and soothing, offering a metaphorical space for rest and connection:
  • "Shoes can be so tough on those feet of yours... I make a mean cup of stuff you like a tub of water I'm boiling for your needs." (19:16)
  • The chorus repeats:
    • "Shoes so tough on your feet. Them shoes so tough on your feet so bound to break you up." (19:58)

3. Family, Musical Roots & Improvisation

a. Musical Upbringing

• Justin discusses music in their home:

  • "My mom actually... played the autoharp for us. This instrument was kind of instrumental in the building of Dream Feed, actually. I actually can't remember when music became a thing in my life. It just has always been there." (08:14)

• Jade on her mother’s voice and influence:

  • "Huge. I still hear her voice in my voice every day. She introduced us to so many different genres of music. She was a big lover of jazz, but also reached out and did a lot of different sounds, which I really do think solidified as a heartbeat in the HawtPlates." (08:56)

• Kenita describes growing up around music, albeit more privately:

  • "My mom sings... She has the most beautiful voice, the most beautiful vibrato, but it's nothing that she ever shared as far as performance. It was more just for herself internally. So I think that's where I get a bit of my influence from." (09:28)

b. Formation of The HawtPlates

• Justin recounts the group’s origin story, rooted in covering Odetta’s music and family jam sessions:
  • "About 11 years ago now... we ended up all landing in the same apartment. It was easy for us to get together and jam or just, like, meet in The Living Room and Jam Out... A friend of ours, Kaneza Shaw, a terrific director and producer, suggested a project based on Odetta. We came close to calling it the Odetta Project, but that felt limiting. So we went with the Hot Plates... a little bit of a riff on what it means to be in New York and to find what you need both creatively and spiritually... I used to be a chef, so it's like a corny rich trying to offer some sustenance." (10:01)

c. Improvisation vs. Theater

• On improvisation, Jade shares:

  • "Yes. That's a big part of performance for me. I enjoy that a lot. Being in the experimental side of things is not only fun, but we get to try different sounds all the time." (11:43)

• Kenita reflects on the difference between theatrical acting and improvising in the band:

  • "Whereas I feel like in theater... you might have to isolate a part of yourself to become somebody else... Whereas this is my family. So I just don't feel as many boundaries...” (12:09)

4. Exploring Dream Feed

• Justin describes the conceptual core of Dream Feed:

  • "Dream Feed is sort of a collection of feelings that we've had in relationship to our investigation of the phenomenon of dreaming: dreaming while you're awake, dreaming while you're asleep... generational dreaming and what it means to carry on a dream, perhaps of your ancestors or perhaps of someone not related to you... There's a strong thread of motherhood and maternity in this piece." (16:09)

• Jade on the music as “adult lullabies”:

  • "A lot of the songs are kind of like adult lullabies, so I think that many of us will be able to relate. It's lullabies for our adult humans who have been through some things." (16:59)

• Kenita on vulnerability and the communal aspect of sharing dreams:

  • "Just share them, you know, be courageous enough to share them... there's such symbolism and you may not understand what they are... hopefully, in the sharing, you're also sharing a thread of your humanity that another human can identify with." (17:19)

• Justin on what audiences should bring to Dream Feed:

  • "I would say they should be open minded only because I am pretty certain that even from the first note that we sing, you're not gonna be able to predict that that's even what's happening... everything feels like a surprise. And I think everything is kind of a reveal... the reveal of the voice, the reveal of objects, the reveal of thoughts and ideas, and of... the iconography of the dream world." (18:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Musical Heredity:
  • "I still hear her voice in my voice every day." – Jade (08:56)
• On the Band’s Improvisational Spirit:
  • "Being in the experimental side of things is not only fun, but we get to try different sounds all the time." – Jade (11:43)
• On Dream Feed as an Experience:
  • "Even from the first note that we sing, you're not gonna be able to predict that that's even what's happening... everything feels like a surprise." – Justin (18:02)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro to Episode & HawtPlates: 00:39–01:40
• Performance: "Teeth": 01:44–07:54
• Band Introductions & Musical Upbringings: 08:08–10:01
• Forming The HawtPlates: 10:01–11:36
• Improvisation vs Theater: 11:43–12:39
• Performance: "Mustard Anthem": 12:46–15:55
• Describing Dream Feed: 16:09–16:50
• Music as Adult Lullabies/Shared Dreaming: 16:59–17:51
• Audience Advice for Dream Feed: 18:02–18:41
• Performance: "Rest Stop": 18:53–23:27

Tone & Style

The episode is warm, conversational, and reflective, blending the intimacy of a family jam session with the intellectual curiosity of experimental theater-makers. The discussion ranges from affectionate family stories to musings on communal dreaming, always grounded in the soulful, genre-crossing music of The HawtPlates.

For more information or to see The HawtPlates live, catch Dream Feed at the Here Art Center until January 25th, as highlighted in this soulful, thought-provoking episode of All Of It.