http://www.thehorrifics.net
http://www.myspace.com/thehorrifics
Hey! It's Lisa and I have the opportunity of interviewing The Horrifics, a Horrorpunk band out of Haltom City,Texas. Hey guys! I recieved your CD and I must say it is SIC! Thank you so much for the other gifts you gave me!
the HORRiFiCS: It's all good. I'm glad you dig the SCARE package we sent you!
1. Lisa HMTV: So I see you guys are doing some shows, hows that going for you?
The Horrifics: Swell! We've played 2 gigs so far with our new drummer SHRiEKS behind the kit. The first was in Dallas at the DARKside Lounge with the SPOOK City Allstars and the second was at the Bucket of BLOOD in Ft.Worth, Texas with my brother HELL Hound's band Trial-X-Stone. Both shows went well, with the second show being the bigger of the two. Our record label, 1031Records, is throwing another HALLOWEEN bash on the 26th of October in Ft.Worth which will mark our third show with SHRiEKS. It's dubbed the MAD Monster Party and will feature Trial-X-Stone, the SPOOK City Allstars and a local Arlington Texas based hardcore band called Phaethon. A really nice bunch of guys! They practice at the same rehearsal studio we do. Last year's MAD Monster Party with us, and x-label mates Sleezus FiST and Day of the SiCK was a KiLLER time. November 9th sees us going to Houston to jam at the White Swan for their annual SAMHAiN FestEViL with FiREborn Disciple, HELL's Engine, and ZiKE among others. We're all looking forward to that. It will be SHRiEKS very first time to ever play out of town. If all goes according to plan we will be playing with well known HORROR punks Calabrese in mid-November in San Antonio. That'll be a BLAST. I've been label mates with those guys in the past in my previous band EERiE Ln. They're very cool and after having "virtually" known them this long, it'll be great to finally meet them in person.
2. Lisa HMTV: The band seems to have a huge following. Hows does it feel knowing that the HORRiFiCS have basically become a household name in the Horrorpunk Scene?
the HORRiFiCS: It's truly kick ass and very humbling at the same time. Although the HORRiFiCS itself as a band is relatively young in the scene, I'm personally 31 years old and have been in the HORROR punk scene myself for almost 14 years now. Right out of high school, my first band with my brother HELL Hound was called HELLshock. We did Danzig and SAMHAiN covers. Then the two of us formed a Misfits tribute band with a couple of like minded individuals called the UNHOLY. We sported devil locks and did the whole schtick. The UNHOLY eventually morphed into my first real band, EERiE Ln. that went on for about 10 years straight, releasing 3 demos, and 3 full length CDs. We played all over the US and left a bloody mess in our wake. I love HORROR punk honestly and I think that shows in the things the HORRiFiCS release and put out. It feels amazing to finally receive recognition and support for it after all this time. Our fans/friends are the BEST!
3. Lisa HMTV: Tell us how you came up with the bands name and how long have you guys been playing together?
the HORRiFiCS: The HORRiFiCS have been waking the DEAD with our occult driven emanations since the Spring of 2005. I came up with the name for the band just rambling away to my wife Erin and she is actually the one who first said "that's it! The HORRiFiCS!"
3. Lisa HMTV: Tell us who the current band members are?
The HORRiFiCS: Nicodemus SHRiEKS on drums, Wretched on bass, PHiBES on guitars, and of course, myself, BOO Gruesome on vocal duties.
3. Lisa HMTV: Tell us your influences. And do you think your influences have played a roll in doing this type of music?
the HORRiFiCS: The four of us are very open minded individuals. We all listen to a wide array of music. From Elvis Presley, Tom Waits, and Busta' Rhymes to Killswitch Engage, MAD Sin and Cradle of Filth. As far as the music that directly influences the HORRiFiCS style I'd have to say BALZAC and ZODiAC from Japan, the Crimson GHOSTS from Germany, NiM Vind from Canada, Plan 9 from California, and of course Danzig, SAMHAiN, and the Glenn-era Misfits. We also gain inspiration from dark bands outside of the HORROR punk scene like Type-O-Negative, White ZOMBiE, and Black Sabbath. I do think that our influences have played a roll in us doing this type of music. I'd also like to state that it is my firm belief that musically everything has already be done so it's really all in how you express yourself honestly.
4. Lisa HMTV: How has your music evolved since the first time you guys played together?
the HORRiFics: We've gotten a whole lot tighter. Adding SHRiEKS to the band has also relieved a lot of the tension we felt with our previous drummer and that has helped to breed a calmness amongst the four of us that in the long run has done the most for our progress. We're having a lot of fun. The songs for all intents and purposes are still way upbeat, fast, furious and fun but we have pioneered a more personal approach to what we're doing. Letting things flow more organically and less stressed. I'm as happy as Bubba Sawyer with a new chainsaw!
5. Lisa HMTV: Is there one person who writes your songs or do the members of the band colaborate on the song writting?
the HORRiFiCS:We write as a full unit. It usually works out that Wretched has a bass line and then PHiBES adds to it. Sometimes it works out vice versa. Every now and then I'll write a riff on my bass at home and bring it to the guys or get an idea in my head at practice and hum it to them for them to translate. I write all of the lyrics and arrange all of their riffs into the final song structures. And lastly SHRiEKS adds the drums.
6. Lisa HMTV: What can you tell us about your instruments brands? Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play whatever’s available? What kind of recording environment do you have?
the HORRiFiCS: We usually play whatever it is we have at the given moment. Wretched jams on a Fender bass right now and PHiBES has a B.C.Rich something or other that SHRiEKS gave him when he joined the band. It's cool! It has drops of BLOOD for fret markers! I have no idea what kind of kit it is SHRiEKS uses?! We record exclusively at Crystal Clear Sound in Dallas Texas with engineer Kent Stump. It's a super slick, all pro studio. Even bands like Ministry and Reverand Horton Heat have recorded albums there before. Kent is a MAD man behind the knobs! He did all the old EERiE Ln. albums as well. He has a good ear and knows exactly what it is I'm looking to achieve with my vocals and with the bands' over all sound.
7. Lisa HMTV: Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues?
the HORRiFiCS: All over the place really. So many places I couldn't really remember them all to name them. Our least favorite places to perform are Dallas based as it seems that scene politics come too much into play out there and kills the fun factor and good time vibe. Last year we had a string of AWESOME anarchic gigs at an outlaw biker bar in Ft.Worth called the Red Barn. They literally let us just come in and do whatever the HELL we felt like. The bouncer there, a guy who called himself Frankenstein and wore a necklace of human teeth he'd collected from bar fights, rode his Harley straight through the pit and out the back door! Right now my favorite place to perform is the Bucket of BLOOD in Ft.Worth. They have a giant stage and a professional sound system and let us book our own shows there. I prefer the places that we're in complete control of as opposed to the places that are real strict and shitty about stuff. If we're not having fun what the HELL is the purpose?
8. Lisa HMTV: We have all heard bands talk about their experiences on the road. Is there any that are memorable to the band?
the HORRiFiCS: We don't get lost in the party ethic much anymore. We enjoy making the music and meeting the folks at the shows but we're actually pretty tame individuals these days. I spend the majority of my time outside the band with my beautiful wife Erin or studying Chinese Kung-Fu. We all used to be big, big drinkers, but we take the stage completely sober now. I guess the most memorable out of town gigs thus far would either be the shows we've done in Lawton Oklahoma at the Legion Hall with Day of the SiCK, as the crowd is rabid there! Or the time we played in Conroe Texas for a wedding reception that was also a HORROR costume party! The groom to be was dressed as a rockabilly ZOMBiE complete with bloody guts spilling out on the floor! His Mom and Dad were dressed as Momma Firefly and Captain Spaulding! It was a memorable time indeed!
9. Lisa HMTV: Do you have a record label? Can you tell us about your latest CD release? Anything from messages to inspirations, your biggest challenge as a band?
the HORRiFiCS: My wife and I run our own record label called 1031Records. You can find out about it online at http://www.1031records.com or on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/1031records The HORRiFiCS debut album is titled "Now FEAR This" and features 17 tracks of pure HORROR inspired punk rock and HALLOWEEN worship. It clocks in at just under 40 minutes. A few song titles include "Fury of the Goat-Man," "R.I.P:Ripped In Pieces," "This Hungry Suffering," and "Forever the NiGHT." The message we'd like to get across to the folks who might listen is just be yourself at maximum volume. Fuck trends. Our biggest challenge as a band would have to have been finding the right guy for the drum position and we all feel we have that now in Mr.SHRiEKS.
10. Lisa HMTV: What are some of the highlights of the HORRiFiCS? Your goals? Where you hope to be in 5 years with your band? Your ultimate direction and how your fans are currently reacting to your music?
the HORRiFiCS: A highlight for me was playing at the Texas FRiGHTmare Weekend HORROR convention in Grapevine a couple of years back. It was just cool to be jamming in the same room as Sid Haig and Bill Moseley from "House of 1000 Corpses!" Our current goals equal out to just being the best band we are capable of being and having as much fun as this life will allow us to have. I can't tell the future and I try to live in the now to the fullest of my ability so I don't want to jinx things and try and predict where will be in 5 years. Hopefully drenched in BLOOD and on a stage somewere. In regards to our ultimate direction I'm happier just letting things unfold naturally. Go with the flow and not try to manipulate it. I like to think our fans are having at least half as much fun listening to our music as we are writing and performing it for them.
11. Lisa HMTV: What do you think of the music scene now? Especially the punk and horror punk scenes? Do you feel that it has change for the good or the bad?
the HORRiFiCS: I doubt seriously that I'm the right guy to determine that. I don't really pay too much attention. I just listen to whatever sounds good to me at the time and I try my damndest to keep myself and the HORRiFiCS out of scene politics. By avoiding the trends and the scenes we don't become outdated when those things change. We try to just be the best band that we can be and set the bar really high for ourselves.
12.Lisa HMTV:From your experience is there a way bands interact with each other or does it depend on something?
the HORRiFiCS: I think it mostly depends on what each band has set as goals for themselves. For example, those eagerly seeking fame and fortune usually tend to be total fucking assholes that I'd personally rather avoid. Mostly hung up on their image and how people see them, not the creation of quality tunes. The bands that truly enjoy their music and perform for their personal love of performing are usually humble, down to Earth, regular Joes. Those are the bands we try to surround ourselves with to maintain a good vibe and atmosphere for our own fun and the fun of the folks who come to see us.
13. Lisa HMTV: There are bands that are just starting out. Bigger bands will try hard to promote their friends and there are bands that are cool with cross promoting each other inspite of all the pressure. Do you have any friends that are doing something really exciting in the music scene that you think people should be aware of?
the HORRiFiCS: Alot of the bands we really, really liked and were always excited to see and perform with have broken up recently. Like Day of the SiCK from Lawton Oklahoma. My friend MAD Earl just joined a cool Ramones-esque punk band out of Dallas called Responsible Johnny. I'm looking forward to gigging with them. A few of my old EERiE Ln. band mates have all joined new bands. My brother HELL Hound and old bassist Wicked SHiVERS jam in fellow Haltom City based Trial-X-Stone. Another x-EERiE Ln. bassist and personal pal, Kayden Grimnir, recently hooked up with Dallas based black metal mavens Bat Castle. EERiE Ln.'s most well known guitarist, Von Creepy, started a new metal band called Mongrel. I love the horror punk of NiM Vind, Plan 9, DiE Monster DiE, and Under a Nightmare.
14. Lisa HMTV: How do you like our music site at Hollywood Music TV? What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands who are just coming into the music scene?
HORRiFiCS: HMTV is KiLLER! We really appreciate the support that you guys have given us! My advice for new bands would be to be yourselves. Don't follow trends. Originate! Not duplicate!
15. Lisa HMTV: There is a kind of ancient connection to singer, songwriters. Something that ties the bands to write about their personal experiences, inspirations, worst experiences while performing or traveling. Do you ever elaborate on these experiences in your music?
the HORRiFiCS: I certainly do, but cryptically. I get all of those things out of me via our lyrics, just disguised as other things. I get bored when other bands just go on and on about themselves so I don't put other folks though that. Those type lyrics bore the shit out of me. I would much rather hear songs about Martian invasions and digging up dates from the boneyard. For example, my disenchantment with the world around me might come out in our lyrics as a nice little ditty about mass murder with a butcher knife.
16. Lisa HMTV: Is there anyone special you would like to acknowledge? Links to where the fans check out the HORRiFiCS?
the HORRiFiCS: I'd like to give a huge nod to my wonderful wife Mz.ERiN Gruesome. She really is the quality control system for the band as well as a dedicated promoter and the personal love of my life. Folks at home can check out the band at...
http://www.thehorrifics.net
http://www.myspace.com/thehorrifics
Or contact the individual HORRiFiCS at their personal MySpace pages...
http://www.myspace.com/boogruesome
http://www.myspace.com/phibes666
http://www.myspace.com/shrieks308
http://www.myspace.com/wretched1031
17. Lisa HMTV: Will we be hearing more from the band in the near the future? Any plans for new music for 2008?
the HORRiFiCS: Yep. We're currently writing new material for a follow up E.P. CD release to last year's full length "Now FEAR This." It will have between 8-10 songs on it by the time it's released. Song titles include "COFFiN Bound," "Transylvanian Rose," "Sweet Guill-O-TiNA," "Calling Doc HORROR," "LiGHTless," "HELLbent 4 BLOOD," and even a re-worked version of the EERiE Ln. classic "We GLOW in the DARK." We hope to have it out between late Winter and early Spring. It's tenatively titled "BLOOD Drinkers and HELLraisers" but that's subject to change by the time it's released.
18. Lisa HMTV: Thank you guys so much for taking the time to do this Interview for me for HMTV’s Canada’s Online Ezine Interview. You Rock.
the HORRiFiCS: THANX a lot Mz.Lisa! We appreciate the support!!! :)
Brought to you by Hollywood Music TV Lisa
