The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors: The Story

The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors started off as a passion project by Hate Storm Annihilation founder Craig Schmuhl who had been interested in pursuing musical endeavors outside the sonic boundaries of the Death Metal genre for quite some time. With the intention of delivering a more diverse musical experience, he began writing in the summer of 2015. No real purpose or goals, just writing with the only mission statement being that it NEEDED to be music made without limitation; genera, song length, or “standard song form” in anyway. In other words, TRUE PROGRESSIVE MUSIC. By 2016 he had a full records worth of materials that felt worthy of being recorded. Shortly after, he met Puerto Rican drummer/roommate William Candelario while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Opposite to Craig, William’s musical background was strong in African rhythms found in Puerto Rican folklore and jazz. On an absolute whim, Craig asked William if he had any interest in playing together. Needless to say, William was eager to infuse his roots into a heavier sound, and the two spent the next 2 years hashing out and recording what would be The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors first album release “A Humanistic Perspective”. Without ever really intending on playing the music out, the initial reaction amongst peers was very positive. There was SOMETHING there, and it needed to be played out to an audience. Soon after coming to this conclusion, Craig offered Trevor Martin and Tyler Novak the Guitarist/Keyboardist and Bassist positions of the band. Both musicians were life long fans of the Progressive style and perfectly integrated themselves into The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors’ sound.

Since the summer of 2019, The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors have been hitting the road to deliver a unique live musical experience that offers incredible dynamic range to a wide array of sonic territories. Everything from 70’s Progressive Rock, 90’s Alternative Rock/Shoegaze, 80’s New Wave, 2000’s Post-Rock, and even moments of Modern “Extreme Metal”. The lyrical themes are primarily focused around reflecting different aspects of human life be they Social, Environmental, Political, Spiritual, and in some cases much more personal. 

But what about the name? It would be fair to assume The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors’ name is based off of some chocolatey LSD trip that sends the listener spiraling off into the outer reaches of space, searching for extraterrestrial beings and the true meaning of life (42). But jokes aside, this is very much the intention behind the band. We want to get people asking “What is a Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavor? And what does a band with a name like that even sound like?”. We treat every song as it’s own musical journey with the intention being; to entertain, get you thinking, and maybe even provoke some kind of deeper connection to yourself and the world around you. The name may come off strange at first, but by the first listen you’re going to understand that there is an intricate, almost story like arc, to all of the music that we like to consider “The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors”.

Being a band that casts such a wide net over such a large musical identity comes the other personal liberties it’s allotted. This includes the large variety of shows and bands The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors can/have performed with. Everything from Punk, Technical Death Metal, Fusion, Alternative Pop, Singer Songwriters, and many other kinds of bands/acts.

At the end of the day, The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors’ main goals are to play music, meet new people, see new places, and have a good time in the process. You’ve got one life, so you might as well enjoy it.

“See past this moment. Look to understand, accept what you don’t know. Life’s great journey of endless exploration begins when you’re ready to step through the light.” - Grace, Majesty, and the Tranquil Spiral (TMHCE)