One, Big, Happy Hookerfight!

By Fringe Staff

By Daniel Morris

While on my way to interview “Hookerfight” after their show at The Stag in Woodland, a music venue in the heart of an otherwise mundane town, I questioned whether I might be the only one attending this shindig- I was mistaken. A crowd outside the door proved evidence of a packed show. I walked in the club to find a wide variety of fans being served one dollar Pabst- with a dash of salt, as well as a healthy serving of some very upfront rock.

The band I was there to meet had just taken stage. The typical tinny sound that most loud bands might have in such a small bar was warmed by the mass of bodies grooving to the heavy sounds of Hookerfight.

U.F.C fighting was on the tv and I couldn’t have thought of more suitable programing to match the aggressiveness of this band. Their songs were short, but not sweet- they were anything but sweet.

Lead singer Brandon mistook the bar for a stage and climbed on top with the mic. As he gave a shout out to his home town of New Orleans, he has less than kind words to speak about our President who did little while so many who suffered in the wake of the disastrous hurricane that ravished his hometown. With heavy riffs that move every molecule of a body, with sheer sound waves, the music these four men played grooved its way deep into the core of every body in attendance. Alongside their music comes their stage presence, their rockn- roll attitude, and before I had said one word to them, before I had asked a single question, I felt as if I knew these guys.

After Hookerfight finished I made my way to getting to know them. They were drenched in sweat as if they’d just constructed a house in the summer sun. And while guitarist T.J. may sell homes in his off time away from the stage, these men wore the trophy of a well constructed rock performance. I gave them a few moments to gather their thoughts, went outside to catch my own breath. A “thick fog” of grooving metal still lingered in the atmosphere.

Once I sat down with Hookerfight I began to feel their sense of comradeship. I asked them how they all met and there were the obvious answers of “myspace ads” and “responses to Craig’s list postings,” but the band expressed the feeling that even while their coming together may have been a result of the internet, that this outcome was their fate.

“Hookerfight is my new family,” said Brandon who was raised by his adopted family and moved to McClellan airforce base far from his home in the south.

Bass player and newest edition to the group, Steve (A.K.A. “The Ayatollah of rock”) was coined “the missing link” by the band unanimously.

Everyone agreed that Steve meshed well and picked up the material quickly. Drummer Matt simply had one thing to say about Steve’s speedy integration into the band: “He just got it.” Steve quickly responded “Matt is honestly the best drummer I’ve ever played with.”

In April of this year these four guys completed their line up to become the “Hookerfight” of today. It’s hard to find a band that gets along so well. I asked Matt how long he’d been playing the drums. “Since 3rd grade,” he said.

I wanted to know just how many years, he facetiously said, “A long time.”

Their music may be serious, but these guys aren’t without a sense of humor. When asked what other instruments they played outside of their roles in Hookerfight, jokes and finger pointed insued.

“How would you describe your style of music?” I asked the band. Everyone jumped at this question and I could sense their musical passion.

Matt says, “It’s not your typical Sacramento sound,” and claimed “They are bringing back Bay Area groove metal.” The term “weight” was tossed around so I asked, “What do you mean by, your music has weight?” T.J. started off “It’s heavy, but that different kind of heavy.”

Brandon clarified “The music is so heavy that you feel as if your speakers can’t handle the weight and that they are about to break.” That summed it up so smoothly I downed that answer without a chaser.

T.J. mentioned, “There is an element of chaos in our music, but that’s what I love about it. Right when you feel like it all going to come apart is where the song lives.” “Like a train with no brakes,” Brandon elaborated with excitement in his voice. What a show that would make? Matt, a man of but a few potent words concluded: “After it’s all said and done, it will be the songs that will always speak for themselves.”

After hearing this band, seeing them live, and interviewing them I’ve got to say, there is a harmony in this group that is truly unique.

They have a chemistry that flows well into their music, song writing, and stage presence. I got to know Hookerfight and I recommend to go get a taste of some cultured heavy metal music from the south, and bring your groovy spoon- you’ll need it. .myspace.com/hookerfight