Meet 'Hot Chick and The Guy'

When guitarist Michael Pick, 34, got a chance to perform with local singer/dance instructor Andrea McCain, 23, at Dwyer's Restaurant last year, the beginnings of a musical partnership formed. Since then, the two have brought their eclectic acoustic sets from downtown to South Fort Myers under the name Hot Chick and the Guy.

"We set the intention in mid 2007 to form a two piece acoustic," Pick said. "At the time I was playing with Mark Kobie in a two piece acoustic at Dwyer's. Mark had heard about her voice and invited her up to sing. I was blown away by how well she could sing and by the passion she brought with it. It was another local musician who suggested that we get together, and we agreed."

Florida Weekly caught up with Pick and McCain at Nita's Sweet Bean Café in Sam's Club Plaza (in the Denny Grimes Buildings) where they play every Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., and demanded to know:

How would you best describe the type of music you play?

AM: We play the music that we love. It's a very eclectic collection. We cover everything from Tom Petty to Nancy Sinatra to Rihanna. It's music from across the board. We have stuff ranging from the 1960s to current billboard toppers. We also have a building set of originals. We are currently recording an original album called "Making Lemonade".

MP: We like to play anything that really utilizes the looper pedal. This pedal allows Andrea and I to create a layered effect where the two of us end up sounding like we are a five piece band.

Who inspires your musical choices?

AM: Fortunately enough, we are both into the passionate female singer song writers such as Alanis Morrisette, Fionna Apple, and Tori Amos. Strangely enough, my favorite band of all time is The Beach Boys. Mike also loves Dave Matthews and that really shows up in his guitar playing. He listens to a lot of Pearl Jam too.

Do you prefer live performance or the studio?

AM: We both love live performances. There is nothing like the energy of playing in front of a live crowd.

How long have you been performing?

MP: I have been playing guitar for about ten years. I've been a part of the local music scene for about three years.

AM: My only experience in performing was back in high school chorus. I'm the girl you see singing at the top of her lungs in the next car over at the red light!

What do you do besides play music?

MP: I have been teaching Martial Arts for over 15 years. I have a Tae Kwon Do program and a Wing Tsun Kung Fu program here in Fort Myers. You can check it out at www.pickmartialarts.com. I'm also a father to two beautiful girls.

AM: I teach ballroom and Latin dance. I own Fred Astaire Dance Studio here in Ft. Myers. (www.swflfredastaire.com). If I'm not playing music I'm at the studio.

Why did you choose the name Hot Chick and the Guy? Is it just an act?

MP: We didn't really name ourselves Hot Chick and The Guy. We tried going by our first names for a while. After playing a couple of shows people started asking about us. They couldn't remember our first names and referred to us as "that hot chick and the guy." We resisted the name at first, especially Andrea. I thought it was funny and made it my mission to enroll Andrea into keeping the name.

AM (kidding, we assume): Actually, it is an act. I'm not really hot…. And Mike's not really a guy ….

So, what have we missed? Is there anything you'd like to add?

MP: We would love to be playing five nights a week around town. We are open to more commercial and private bookings. Check us out on www.myspace. comhotchickandtheguy to hear some of our originals, see some photos, and to check our calendar for up and coming events.