THE MASSIVE ATTACK OF HOSTILE GROOVE

By Kenneth Morton

One of the most promising bands to come out of Hollywood in ages. Hostile Groove have quite a bit going for them. In addition to their DIY work ethic, the band also has their own record label and zine. Just coming off the road, the band played a free show at M.I.T. in Hollywood. Neatly blowing the roof off. A few days later we spoke with vocalist/guitarist Shawn McPherson to learn more about the massive metal attack known as Hostile Groove.

So what was it like playing that little coffee house on Hollywood Blvd?

I liked it. The crowd is right there and the sound’s pretty good. Actually I don’t think it gets much better than that. I can hit them with the dreadlocks.

How long has the band been together and where did you meet everyone?

The name’s been around for a long time, like 10 years. Back in Massachusetts, the original line-up started around ‘96. And after a couple of years, I got Dan, who is the drummer now. And around ‘99, we moved out to Hollywood, California and we got Aric from Texas in the band. It took a little while to get this line-up going, but this line-up has been together for about three years and it’s going really strong.

What do you think of the current LA/ Hollywood music scene?

I think it’s good because there’s industry here, so you could do more things that you couldn’t do in Massachusetts or some farm town. But I really don’t see a lot of unity going on and I think that’s what this place is missing, because I think scenes make it at a time, not just single bands. I think bands really need to start working together. But I think it’s very spread out. There’s a lot of metal and everything in LA, but it’s very spread out. These people need to get together and coordinate instead of just aimlessly jam. Someone needs to come up with a master plan. And that’s why I invented Massattack Records. I’m trying to invent a networking tool for independent musicians to get together.

Definitely! So where did you get the title for the album and the phrase Is It too Late?

Is It Too Late is definitely the message. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory - we’re just going to blow ourselves up sooner or later. I don’t think there’s a band-aid that could patch up what holes we’ve dug. Unleash the Massattack is the title and it could be taken in a couple of ways. It can be taken as we’re attacking the masses with out music. Or there is a small pun which we really don’t want to put in the spotlight - the band originated in Massachusetts and that’s where the Mass Attack is coming from. There are several ways it could be taken and that’s why we love the word Massattack and that’s why we did Massattack Records. The word can be taken so many ways - in a brutal way - in a fun way. And that’s what we’re about - we’re about brutal music, but we’re also about a positive message and trying to enjoy it before we all die.

Where do you get some of the ideas for your lyrics?

I’d say Unleash the Massattack is probably 50/50 about being real serious and sending out that message - and the other half is about having a good time. A couple tunes like The Other Half - it’ll dabble in money and religion and the government and it just kind of says this is your life and you should make your own choices and only apply what you think is necessary. And then we’ve got tunes like Always 420 - ya know just roll up a joint, and if that’s what you do, then do it. And we’ve got songs like The Ladder, which is just about climbing the ladder of your life and becoming what you need to be - you know, ignoring life’s rules and do it the way you should be. We like to put out a positive message. I’m writing the lyrics that I wish I was reading when I was 12 or 13.

If you had to describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it yet, what would you say?

It would definitely take an entire sentence. I would say if you want to put any big band names on it to avoid any confusion, I would say it’s a cross between Pantera and Rage Against the Machine - plus we put in brutal death metal growls and plus I get the high pitched black metal scene. On Unleash the Massattack, I tried my hardest not to paint myself into a corner for the next album to come.

For people who haven’t seen you yet, what can one expect from a live Hostile Groove show?

You can expect us to break strings, jump on the fucking crowd, swear at you, show you the best time in the world - and we’ll just bang our heads until we can’t breathe anymore and then the set ends. We put all of it in there. We want you to get your money’s worth.

What’s up next for Hostile Groove?

We just have a plate full in front of us that I’m hoping we can tackle. We’re trying to shoot two more music videos - we already have two out. And right after we do the music videos, the biggest project is we’re trying to put out a home video DVD for early next year. We really want to show bands how an independent band without a budget does it, and we wanna show the fans what it’s like just to chill out with Hostile Groove.

Do you have and messages for people who might be interested in checking out your music?

It’s definitely for the non-narrow minded metal listener. Our vibe is great - it’s about brutality with a positive message. Come on down, check out the website - we’ve got tons of free stuff you can download and we’ve got a great vibe to chill to.

And thank you very much.

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