Steve: How long have you been doing H.C. Minds, and how did the name come about?
Isamu: H.C. Minds was born in �92 � �93 as a side project from my then death metal band called Thrombus.
The name came about from us talking about hardcore people and how we all humans are hardcore people to a certain extent (we were specifically talking about a lesbian friend that was pretty angry, you know? She had a hardcore mind or attitude, we thought). So the band name in this case would relate to us trying to push for the extreme in us (via music of course) and not care much about what other people think of it.
Steve: What were you and the other guy doing before H.C. Minds came about "music wise?"
Isamu: H.C. Minds was always a two-piece band. In the beginning there was Mikey and I who played in Thrombus with a drummer named Karl, who eventually would become the drummer of The Fartz (band of Blane and the bass player of the Accused). Jason, the bass player, moved on with other interests other than music. Before Thrombus, Mikey played in a band called Sepsis, and I played in South America (Bolivia to be exact) when I was 15 in a band called Metalmorfosis (inspired by all Spanish speaking bands like Baron Rojo, Angeles del Infierno, Obus, V8, Riff, etc).
Later in about �96, after Jason left H.C. Minds, we got Mike from YOB (before YOB was a band) to be our bass player/singer. Then both Mikes leave the band and I start jamming with a kid named Thor. Thor left in 2001.
And since early 04 the line up is Isamu on guit/vox, Travis on bass, and Mike on drums.
Steve: How does YOB tie into H.C. Minds, or visa-versa?
Isamu: The only tie is that the three of us play in both bands. We switch instruments and there you go.
Musically, it is very different even though both bands share the same influences. In YOB, Mike writes and we all arrange with pretty defined riffs and arrangements. In H.C. Minds, I write but my process is all fucked up. I always play what comes out from my hands that day. I never think of what I am doing. I rely a lot on the moment`s vibe and the drummer! H.C. Minds� music is always evolving up to the last minute of recording it. In fact, a lot of changes are made in the studio. I do not have lyrics to my music, believe it or not. I have some written, but the majority is just spewed as an improvisation with what I learned is called phonetics... in other words, sounds that don`t mean shit! Ha ha!
Steve: Oregon has a big music scene - what bands have you played with there and what bands are worth a mention in your home state?
Isamu: Oregon is now happening with the metal! We (YOB) have probably played with most of the metal bands from Portland and Eugene.
H.C Minds have played about a dozen shows since its birth, and two shows with the current line up.
Bands from around here that are kick ass would be:
- Fall of the Bastards
- Aldebaran (which features my buddy Mikey, H.C. Minds founder)
- Wormwood (from Seattle)
- Shamelady
- El Cerdo
- Order of the Vulture
- Human Certainty
- In the Name of God
- Point Line Plane
The list goes on and on.
Steve: What is the meaning behind some of your songs like �Superhero� or �Wargoat?�
Isamu: �Superhero� may be a more personal thing from Mikey`s days. Not sure what it is all about. �Land of the Wargoat� is sort of sci-fi ish. The race from outer space comes to earth to ravage the human race. The battle is brutal! We lose!
Another tune, �End of the World,� is about a solar storm that kills life on earth and we humans never know what hapenned. Like I said, my lyrics are non existent, so most of the times I may have an idea for a song`s theme, but I never go in depth with it since I am literally spewing garbage in the studio. Sometimes I will read words from different places like newspapers and/or a lyric sheet from old death metal bands, and make sounds rather than full meaningful sentences. I am one weird dude when it comes to lyrics - sorry!
Steve: Also you have very unique samples in your songs. Where do they come from?
Isamu: A friend of ours, Eric Archer, did them all, and we do not fuck with him. He is a genius and we let him do whatever he wanted. I know that in one of those he brought a huge cooking pot, put some water there and a metal ball. He then played with this ball and stuffed a microphone in there and then boom. The craziest sounds came out of there.
I know we also used some samples from one of those mafia movies in �Superhero.� We were very laid back when doing all of this. That seems to work for me.
Steve: What type of gear is used to make the H.C. Minds sound?
Isamu: The H.C. Minds sound is:
- 4X12 Mesa Boogie cab with four 200 watt speakers on it, run with a solid state Peavey butcher head
- 2X15 Sunn cab with Orange 120 non master head
- ESP guitars with EMGs on them
- bass is the Ampeg SVT mama with 8-10 cab + 2X15 Sunn + BC Rich Mockingbird bass
- for vocals, the cheapest microhone that can deal with someone spewing crap at it
Pretty simple overall.
Steve: Well thanks for your time, Isamu, and if you have any parting words or plugs please feel free.
Isamu: Thank you, Steve. |
