HOT GRAVES Interview:
http://www.hailsandhorns.com/interview/ ... rly-brown/
The Florida quartet, HOT GRAVES, may only be a few years old, but they talk to the talk and walk the walk of thrash metal as if they were veterans on the scene. Playing music since they were young punk rockers and metalheads, HOT GRAVES has used their different backgrounds to their advantage. Even though they have a sense of humor, HOT GRAVES always takes the music they make seriously while paying homage to the bands that have created the scene that they are now keeping alive. Their full-length album, Knights in White Phosphorus, is a raw, gritty, thrash album that will make you rethink what you thought was considered heavy.
What are your favorite things about your home state of Florida?Myk: My favorite things are my family, Atlantic Ocean water, the death metal that was coming out when I was in middle school (DEATH, OBITUARY, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MALEVOLENT CREATION, etc.), the general malaise that affects the heat-addled minds of the population here, and y’know LIMP FVKKIN’ BIZKIT.
Can you describe the music scene in Florida? How does it differ from other US cities?Myk: The music scene in FL is spread out, since it’s a stupid long-ass peninsula state. Plus, that means certain tours/bands don’t want to come driving all the way through here to play shows just to have to drive all the way back out again. I think it’s cool though, there is a gang of interesting bands doing heavy things and vice versa. Shout out to SHROUD EATER, FLYINGSNAKES, FATAL, HOLLOW LEG, ORBWEAVER, DRUID LORD, VOLCANIC SLUT, CHURCH WHIP, HORRID CROSS, etc.
What are some of the things that have influenced you to want to become a musician?Myk: It’s just what I’m good at, and what makes me happy. No other choice, in my mind.
Matt: I was a punk rocker… all punks want to be in a band.
Hutchy: I had two friends as a kid. One played guitar, one played drums. They came to school one day with a cassette of songs they recorded. I thought it was awesome, and wanted to be a part of it. I got to play bass.
If you could be a super hero what would you want your powers to be?Matt: Healing factor.
Myk: Fucking LAZERS. Out over my eyes, my fingers, anywhere I need to shoot ‘em. Lazers.
Hutchy: Huge fucking brain, total villain style. Or machete chimps, like Idi Amin. Is being Conan the Barbarian a super power?
Myk: He has a sword and stuff, that’s not a power.
What are your top 3 favorite albums of all time?Myk: In no particular order: 24-7 SPYZ, Gumbo Millennium, SLAYER, Hell Awaits, ICE CUBE, Death Certificate. Or y’know, whatever… ask me tomorrow, it will be different.
Hutchy: MANOWAR, Kings of Metal, The Triumph of Steel, and Gods of War. Also in no particular order.
Matt: Please Hammer Don’t Hurt Em, To the Extreme, and …And Justice for All.
What is your favorite and least favorite thing about being in HOT GRAVES?Myk: My favorite thing is just seeing my vision come to life and grow and be awesome, and have a couple over tried-and-true soldiers who can add to it, and who are focused, single-minded and willing to peruse this shit vigorously to the bitter end with me. It’s truly a satanic blessing.
Matt: This style of drumming is very fun for me so playing these songs in front of people is my favorite thing. The only bummer is when the set is over and I have to take all my shit apart and load it back in the van.
Hutchy: I like getting to be a part of the underground metal community in a greater capacity than as a spectator and fan (which I still am), and having the things we create lauded by people that have influenced us and whom we respect.
Do you have any before show rituals to get you ready to go on stage?Matt: I focus on drinking the perfect amount of beer.
Myk: I tend to smoke weed, but there’s nothing uncommon about that. I stretch a little bit. Actually, I just last week made this pre-show mix tape to play before we begin our set, which is pretty much specifically designed to get us primed and ready to spill guts on the floor. We’ve only used it once so far, but it was pretty magical.
What is your musical background? Did you play music at an early age? Come from a musical family?Myk: I’ve been playing music since I was a kid, I play all instruments, went to college on a music scholarship, etc. I’m a DJ, electronic producer-noise/ambient/garbage, what have you. My dad is a ripping’ guitar player, he built me quite a few guitars over the years. Both of my grandmothers would get down and boogie on the organ/piano and sing songs. My dad always had a good record collection, etc. I guess I am just following suit, but to the extreme.
Matt: I played guitar badly in a punk band in high school, but always wanted to play drums. I started playing drums in punk bands after high school, and started focusing on metal drumming about ten years ago.
What can fans expect next from HOT GRAVES?Myk: Our full-length album, Knights In White Phosphorus, is out on CD from NHR from Canada, then on vinyl LP from Greyhaze Records, a US label. It’s 15 tracks over D-Beat deathrash done to the HG specifications, and it will give people a little better idea as to the grand scale we are determined to take the caveman riff science to.
Hutchy: TOUR! East Coast tour with fucking MIDNIGHT (on a few dates) to support the new album. Working on maybe a split 7? release, and more records means more sweet artwork for those records, more cool merch we can print, more songs we get to write, and more reasons to TOUR!
Shop link:
http://nhrrecordsshop.vstore.ca
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