In the rock music industry, everyone seems so concerned with indie “cred,” posturing as struggling, tortured souls, all the while desperately trying to get their melancholy, acoustic guitar compositions onto the soundtrack of the sequel to Juno. What happened to bands that enjoy making fun music, that aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves, that simply kick out the jams because there are jams begging to be kicked?   Hey Mister is what happened. If John Lennon and Jamiroquai had a baby with Duran Duran as babysitters … well, you still wouldn’t have Hey Mister, but you would have a messed-up kid. Still, this Las Vegas-based quartet comes on strong with killer hooks, irresistible rhythms and sing-along melodies the likes of which are rarely seen rising from the dustbowl of the Vegas Valley.   It’s really no surprise, however, that Hey Mister’s young songwriter and singer, Kane Churko, turns out such well-crafted gems that defy his lean years – it could be in the genes. His father is Kevin Churko, whose production work can be heard on albums by Shania Twain, The Corrs and Ringo Starr. The elder Churko – who produced, co-wrote and engineered Ozzy Osbourne’s Black Rain album – co-produced and engineered Hey Mister’s debut EP, Buy! Borrow! Steal!   That CD is the result of a metamorphosis that began in 2006 when Kane Churko hit a wall with his solo project, Mr. Kane. Through – what else – MySpace.com, bassist Mike McHugh came across Churko’s music, and the Chicago native found himself eerily drawn to Mr. Kane’s pop sensibilities. The two formed an instant bond, and charged with a new spirit and direction, Churko left Mr. Kane and his management behind, and the pair began to record songs under a new name: Hey Mister. According to Churko, the inspiration for the new band’s name came from the beloved 1964 Beatles film, A Hard Day’s Night.   “There's a scene where the guys are running alongside a train shouting, "Hey Mister! Hey Mister! Can we have our ball back?" Churko says. “I guess that left an impression on me, as ‘Hey Mister’ was the first band name that came to mind. I was surprised that no other Beatles-loving band had used it already.”   After posting online the first two songs they recorded, “Every Little Thing” and “Desperately!,” drummer Troy Beer and guitarist Josh LeBlanc – both recently parted from another band, came across both Hey Mister’s want ad and the two songs. Immediately struck by the freshness of the music, the pair wasted no time contacting Churko and McHugh. After the four met for drinks, it became clear that lightning was striking, and they were the ones with the bottles to catch it.    “It was refreshing to finally find musicians in Las Vegas that had the same ideal and musical vision that Josh and I were seeking,” says Beer. “But we found that with Kane and Mike.” You could say the rest is history, but it’s more like an epic tale just barely starting. By early 2008, Hey Mister recorded and released the aforementioned Buy! Borrow! Steal! on its own vanity label, MIMORTL Records, garnering regular airplay on Area 107.9-FM in Las Vegas as well as internet radio stations Bolt.fm and IRADIOLA.COM. Poised, polished and ready to bring its booty-shaking rock to the rest of the world – including an appearance this June at Canada’s No. 1 independent music festival, North by Northeast in Toronto – Hey Mister is facing its bright, pop-tastic future with eyes wide open.