Interview Mike Hasty Walls of Jericho

ANOTHER TOUR FOR THE HOPELESS Walls of Jericho Bury Your Dead Full Blown Chaos Premonitions Of War 2/26/05 Knights of Columbus Hall Interviewer: Sharita Lumpkin

Lineup: Candace Kucsulain - Vocals Mike Hasty - Guitar Aaron Ruby - Bass Alexei Rodriguez - Drums Chris Rawson - Guitar

"Sellin’ out, to me, when you’re a young kid, kind of new to the thing, and get into a band and you see them at a VFW hall or somethin’ like that, then you get bigger and play the bigger club in town, most kids consider that sellin’ out because they can’t go see em’ for 6 bucks anymore..."

Mike Hasty is not just the guitarist of Walls Of Jericho, he is a well known producer in the metal scene. Like Ken Susi of Unearth and Adam Dutkiewitcz of Killswitch Engage he has assisted bands like The Black Dahlia Murder and Winter Solstice. He also mentions working with newer bands on their demos. Mike takes Cloud City seriously, that he only takes a day off after being on the road. In this interview, Mike chats with me about his producing bit, his old band Earth Mover, and the Candace's effect on the music of hardcore. He also has some thoughts on what should change in the industry that he wants to have a bigger part of! Read on to find out more...

Sharita: Ok, well first off you started in a band called Earth Mover? I hadn’t heard of them, tell me a little about that?

Mike: Well, we started in like 1994 or 1995, in the Detroit scene when there was not a lot going on as far as hardcore goes. It was a few years before it started to pick up again. We started by playing just basement shows or pretty much anywhere you can play. There was no scene for that stuff at all; no one really knew what it was about. We were one of the bands that got it going in the Detroit area again. We were around for about five years and put out two full-length records from our home label that we started and we ended in 1998.

Sharita: Was there any particular reason why the band ended?

Mike: We just worked [too] hard and not getting anywhere. It got frustrating and people kind of lost interest as it [went along]. It’s just one of those things where we’d already done what we had to do and that’s about it. That’s how most bands are, I think.

Sharita: Ok, I know you get asked all the time about Candace. Do you think that the attention on Walls of Jericho would have been the same if she were a man?

Mike: In the beginning, it did give us a lot of attention but now that we’ve established ourselves, I don’t think it matters as much. There are still new people that are in the band, but I think we’ve done enough where we don’t have to prove ourselves every time we do anything. When we come onstage or when we put out a new record we’re already at that level. I think when we first started and no one had ever heard of us, I think at that point it did give us some early attention, people wanted to know what we were all about. That doesn’t last that long [either] because once someone hears you all the hype is over and you have to be just as good as everybody else.

Sharita: Do you feel that there will be more female or female fronted hardcore bands in the near future? Do you know of any?

Mike: We got a lot of emails from bands that are doin’ it. We collectively have friends that are in bands that do that kind of thing. It will never be to a point were it’s equal and it won’t make a difference one way or another, but it seems like it’s to the point where it’s more common and actually where have a girl in the band or be the singer is less frowned upon now. There are a lot more bands now, but this time at least everyone doesn’t make a big stink about it, which is actually a good thing because, they want to do it on their own and not because there’s a girl in the band. That shouldn’t matter, ya’ know? Girls have been playing in hardcore bands since the beginning and nobody really had a problem with that.

Sharita: Talk about the songwriting process, do you and Candace do most of the writing?

Mike: No, she writes all the lyrics, I help out with structure in the lyrics and musically, it [involves] everybody [in the band]. When we get together, we might have some ideas that we have [individually] come up with on our spare time and we will come show everybody else, see what kind of stuff we like and don’t like. Usually what happens is somebody will play something and we’ll hear one way and we’ll play it a couple of different ways; sometimes the songs are done different from when they were originally done. So, that’s basically what we done we come with ideas, work on them, and try to put them together through a coherent process.

Sharita: What about playing style, were you self-taught or did you have lessons?

Mike: Everyone in the band, I believe, is self-taught.

Sharita: Let me ask you about Cloud City Studios, do you intend to continue producing after you’re done playing?

Mike: Yeah, I would say that would be more of my actual career. Even now, while we’re on tour, it’s still working. When I get home, I have to go to work for me. I’ve been gone for 5 weeks and since this is the last day of the tour, I will start back on Monday. That’s kind of how it goes, the studio never goes away and I don’t want it to. I usually take a day off after touring and go right back in and I’ll be working all the way up until we go back on tour again.

Sharita: What band are you going to work with right now?

Mike: I have probably 12 different projects in the works right now; there’s always something going on. A lot of them are just bands doing demos, smaller bands that no one has heard of, just trying to get their record or demo out. In the area that we’re in, there aren’t too many bands that have gotten to a level where they can put a record out [and be noticed] on a national level. So, I don’t really do [bands] that are [on that level] because of where I live; most of the bands go from one coast to another to record anyway. If it’s a Midwestern band that is doing good at some point I’d probably work with them, other than that, you’ve probably never heard of em’. (Laughs)

Sharita: Well you did work with a couple of bands that I’ve heard of like Winter Solstice and Black Dahlia Murder, however, do you feel that being in a band makes you a better producer than someone who is not?

Mike: Well, I don’t know if being in a band has anything to do with producing. The act of producing is pretty subtle, you don’t have to know music, you don’t have to have knowledge, you can and it probably helps. When you produce a record, you’re not writing any of the songs and the band is gonna’ be very adamant about how they want to sound in the first place, they have their own sound and you don’t want to change it too much. Really, all you’re doing, when producing, is trying to get nudge them in the right direction. Sometimes they’ve done things a little sloppy, they haven’t really thought it out clearly enough or something’s don’t have the right flow to them and when you’re involved in it too much, you can’t hear it ya’ know? Even if you’ve never played an instrument, some people just have the knack where they can spot out the problems in the songs, hear like a certain hook and see where it’s missing; that’s really all there is to producing. Just steer them in the right direction for what there doing at the time. 

Sharita: Do you see yourself starting your own label or managing bands?

Mike: I’ve actually talked with people about starting my own label about a month ago; it was the first time I’ve actually considered it. I haven’t gotten any farther than talking about it but, I’m the kind of guy that once I get that far I end up doin’ it. I really don’t know too much about it but, there seems like there’s a lot of bands out there that are getting stuck with crappy deals and the labels aren’t helping them, especially in this kind of music. There are so many young kids that don’t really have any direction, they go to shows, they know how to write songs and they just want to be part of what’s going on. I seems like a lot of labels just leave them out to dry, so I been kind of frustrated with that whole concept lately even at our own level. I mean, we do what we do, on tour 8 months out of the year and we still feel like we’re strugglin’. So, I have made the decision that it’s something I want to do but I just don’t know when I’ll do it.

Sharita: What about the tour, I read that you guys were worried about the turnout in Detroit, how was it?

Mike: Oh, the turn out was amazing; it was like 500 people. In the beginning we talked about Earth Mover, when we started we we’re kind of the only band out there doin’ that kind of music and we’d always bring other bands from out of town to play with us and the fans really got to appreciate that so we would draw like 500 kids towards the end of that band. Then when we started this one, we thought that it would progress and everybody would catch on but it dropped off. It got to a point where we could go to other places and draw a good 300 kids but when we played at home we’d only draw 100; it just never caught on that way, so we we’re always nervous because we do so well everywhere else, then we come home and it’s kind of hit or miss, ya’ know? I mean we’ll play with another band and it would be good, and then we’ll play again and there won’t be anything. So, it was great, like I said about 500 came out, they knew all the words to the songs so I don’t think we’re too worried about playin’ locally anymore.

Sharita: Great. Do you think that metal has too many genres and is it over-saturated with too many bands that sound alike?

Mike: I think it’s been like that for the last 20 years (chuckles), I think it’s kind of a dead issue now because there will always be a billion bands and really it’s bad in a way because like you said it over-saturates things, [on the other hand] it’s great because it means that people are always getting involved in it and want to be a part of it, and like what they hear. So, its both because it might tend to stagnate because they’ll be so many things and it’s hard to find something new so the styles will be too similar for an extended period of time but, it’s better than not having anything. Just when people think it’s gonna end, there’s some band that breaks out and all these other kids will end up hearing something different and it will start a whole new thing and that’s just how it goes.

Sharita: Something that comes up a lot when we talk to bands is the thought that when they’re favorite band puts out a video or gets on Ozzfest they’re sellin’ out, what do you think about that?

Mike: Well, we’re puttin’ out a video and tryin to get on Ozzfest, so I dunno. (Laughs) Sellin’ out, to me, when you’re a young kid, kind of new to the thing, and get into a band and you see them at a VFW hall or somethin’ like that, then you get bigger and play the bigger club in town, most kids consider that sellin’ out because they can’t go see em’ for 6 bucks anymore and all their friends know them too so, it’s crappy. Most people would say they bought the record when it first came out and before the cycle of the record is done they say they sold out. I mean they haven’t wrote any new songs, they haven’t changed they’re style, haven’t done anything different, it’s just that people like them now; they worked hard, they put out a good record and all these kids that were into them in the beginning get bummed out and think they sold out. That’s not the case, to sell out means you changed your style, attitude or whatever it is that you’re doing you have to change it and compromise what you do just to sell more records. Something like doing a video for a song you already have trying to get your band on Ozzfest or any of the festivals, all your doing is doing what you love to do and try to reach as many people as possible and there’s no way that that’s selling out.

Sharita: Ok, my last question is what do you think needs to change in the music industry?

Mike: Ooh, tough question. I think bands need to get a better break on things. I mean, everybody works hard including the labels and bands but in the end the band ends up paying for everything and that can make it a struggle. If everything starts going good, then everybody else makes a bunch of money and reaps the benefits of it, but [as a band] you’re kind of out there on your own strugglin' to keep it goin’, while everyone one else is not. I think that needs to change, but it never will.

Sharita: I definitely agree. Thanks for the interview and hope to see you on stage very soon.

Mike: Thanks very much, bye.

I'd like to thank Chaniga at Warm Fuzzy PR for setting the interview up and of course to Mike for the interview!

o   Click here for Ozzfest 2006 coverage with commentary with Candace

o  Here for Ozzfest OffDate review of the band

o  Here for NEW interview with Candace