Interviews: Scattered Hamlet

We have had the opportunity to interview the Rock band Scattered Hamlet from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

It came from a chapter in a Civil War book I had laying around. It was a reference to small dispersed mountain communities and it sounded like a lot where I was raised and where our music comes from. If I’d have planned it better I’d have picked something more obvious. A lot of people don’t like or don’t get it, that’s fine. There’s a lot of epic bands with strange names.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

We’d have to drive over an hour to see any big show around here but we’d go see anything. I remember catching Skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr., Motorhead, Maiden, Steve Miller band, even Phish. But I really thought that Southern Rock and outlaw vibe delivered kind of like Motorhead would do it was best for me. I was from the punk world so it made the most sense.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Definitely not for Sean (guitar) and Grant (drums). For Rich (bass), I knew of him. When we were living in Los Angeles there were like 3 or 4 Southern-inspired rock bands on the Sunset Strip. Rich was in one and at the same time, SH was getting started and learning what we do. The guitar/player singer in Rich’s old band started working in another project with the original SH guitar player. So I ended up asking that fella if he knew of any bass players and he sent me Rich’s information. Rich joined the band but then had to get his life together to start touring so we did a tour with Erik Kluiber playing bass and Rich joined up on the next tour. Kluiber is from White Wizzard, Gypsyhawk, Ironaut, and a bunch of cool bands. His new project is called Void Vator and they’re on Ripple Music. Y’all should check them out.

4. Each band member favourite band?

I don’t want to speak for everyone but I can give you an idea of what I hear everyone playing the most. For me, my favorite bands and artists are like Springsteen, Iron Maiden, George Michael, Social Distortion, David Allan Coe, Rancid, Black Flag…. So many that have no connection to each other. Rich listens to a lot of desert stoner rock. He’s a big Kyuss fan, he’s an old school punk like me so he’s on that vibe too. He also listens to like Iron Reagan and he always ends up blowing me away with these cool Scandinavian rock bands I’ve never heard of it that didn’t get proper recognition as far as I’m concerned. Grant listens to a lot of classic country, he turned me on to Porcupine Tree, he listens to that a lot. He also has a really strange knowledge of early 90’s hip hop. I have no idea how he found that stuff, it was before he was born and I know for a fact his dad and mom were not rocking out to a Tribe Called Quest.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

It’s a generic answer but life inspires me to write songs. Experiences, observations, that kind of stuff I’m blown away by lyricists like Mike Ness and Springsteen. They tell these incredible stories in a very working man non pretentious kind of way. Like rock and roll Woody Guthries. Those are my people and family, not that high brow art rock shit. It’s like opposite of Dylan. I like Dylan, he’s amazing, but sometimes his stuff comes off as pretentious to me and I don’t know what the fuck he’s talking about - “I met a white man who walked a black dog…. I saw a white ladder all covered with water.” That’s a great song and the lyrics are clever, but I can’t relate to them in any way. That’s not what my kin were listening to headed to the farm or the coal mines. If he came out today there would be a lot of hipsters in those children of the corn hats they all wear in Nashville now and whatever ironic beer they were drinking talking about how deep he is. Now Dylan when he teamed up with George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne (Travelling Wilburys), that was incredible, and probably tied as the greatest super group with the Highwaymen. 

6. Where was your last gig?

The Rail in Fort Worth Texas. We played with Anti-Mortem and it was our last tour stop this summer before headed home to get ready to release this new album.

7. Where would you like to act?

Acting is a craft but there’s always been a lot of music/acting cross over. I’ve done reality TV stuff like Fox’s Hole in the Wall, History Channel’s Human Weapons and Summer Showdown on the Home Garden Channel - shit I was even on MTV Spring Break back in day and I hope Jim Shearer (VJ) does not bust out those videos to blackmail me one day but I suspect he’s plotting… Real acting, I’ve been in a couple indie movies like “Desk Clerks,” and the remake of John Russo’s “Midnight.” I have friends who are real actors, I am not them.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Acting or playing music? Playing music I notice the European festivals seem to have greater genre variety and I love that. It’s more cliquey here in the US with harder genre lines, which is weird for me because I like all types of music. Fortunately I’ve played many festivals with some of my favorite bands. I’d still like to play with Tom Keifer at some point. Bodycount too, I’d love to play with them, COC, Danzig… shit there’s so many. Acting, I want to be in a Western with Clint Eastwood.

9. Whom not?

You know what, when I came up in the punk scene in the late 90’s and early 2K’s I really hated emo/pop punk. Bands like Blink 182, Thursday, Good Charlotte, Fallout Boy, I couldn’t stand it, they made me angry. BUT, after hanging out at music events with guys in Good Charlotte and Fallout Boy, I gained a new respect for what they did and who they were as artists. We were all the same, music fans using music to entertain and get our message out. I realized I was the douche for being judgmental. Respect to Joe T and Benji, they were nothing but kind to me and the SH crew and deserve all the success they’ve gotten. So the only people I don’t want to work with are people who aren’t kind and respectful. I don’t care what your art is, your politics are etc, I like to work with people who have good quality of character.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

I hear about this a lot, it’s odd to me. I know great artists have stage fright but to me performing is what I do, why would I be nervous about that. Put me in front of a room or a crowd of people and I come alive son. I feed on the energy, I don’t get nervous about eating and I don’t get nervous about performing. NOW, make me talk to one fan at the merch table talking about their life and I get huge social anxiety. Groups, I have that all day. As for tips, I really don’t know because it’s never been a problem for me - but I will say the biggest pro tip is not to give a fuck. If you look nervous, seem like you care about what the audience thinks and you come across as self conscious, the audience will know. That’s beta rock stuff and no matter how good you are, you won’t win them over if you don’t project confidence and ownership of what’s happening on the stage.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

In terms of spectacle, it’s Kiss for me. In terms of thinking I could actually be in a band, well that was punk. Three chords and attitude, I felt I could do that so that’s what got me into playing in bands. When I heard Maiden I loved it, but I never had any misgivings that I could sing like Bruce, play bass like Steve or rip like Adrian and Dave.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

I won’t say their name but we were playing with a legacy Southern Rock band that had no original members in the band. After our set a guy came to our merch table and asked us to sign his vinyl of their’s because he said, “You guys are just as much **insert band’s name here** as the dudes you opened for and I liked you better so please sign this.” That was pretty awkward, I really liked said band and the guys performing their songs were cool and had us opening for them. We signed it really fast and then ducked out ha ha.

13. What do you think of your fans?

They are great, they keep us doing what we’re doing. I think it’s important to know your audience and stay in your lane. Shaq didn’t try to shoot three pointers for a reason.

14. What do you think of our site?

It’s killer, I appreciated what y’all do and your commitment to heavy music. We’re all in this together.

15. Something to add?

Our new album “Stereo Overthrow” drops November 12, first single and video, also called “Stereo Overthrow” comes out September 24th. Get more info at scatteredhamlet.com or on any of our socials.