BLOODHOOK

"Exceptional musicianship, relentless riffage & great hooks, lyrics like a sharp stick brandished in the face AND great production..." - Jeffery Jones, Music Director WOJB 88.9 FM

Bloodhook, from Van Nuys, CA, were pretty good. I don't know if they are named after the mid-80's Troma film. Apologies for overusing "they sound like", but Bloodhook swing from growly Motorhead to nasal Green Day, backed by a punchy rhythm section. They were fine opening acts, but obviously just the opening acts. Seriously, who could compete with the likes of Fear? Even Bloodhook, who have been on tour with Fear for a while, seemed to be humbled when the lead singer announced, "Next up, Fear. Man, I never get tired of saying that!"

http://www.degeneratepress.com/vault/2009/FEAR_8_2009/index.html


- Degenerate Press

"Bloodhook did a solid set. Nice mix of sludge and hardcore punk. Great singalong potential."


"Bloodhook from van nuys drove all the way from St. Louis to melt New York's face off."

- Brooklyn, NY

By Abel Folgar
Published on August 11, 2009 at 2:14pm

The always awesome Respectable Street Café hosted a classic Southern California trifecta Saturday, August 8, featuring: Agent Orange, D.I., and Fear.

Younger punk acts Bloodhook and Total Chaos also played. The end result: Bloodhook good; Total Chaos not so much. Bloodhook, also from Southern California, took to Respectable's and did a decent job of its own set. It was punk rock with few frills, but the sound was straight-up honest and a little weird, with some psychedelia thrown in.

http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2009-08-13/music/punk-s-not-dead/
- New Times - Broward-Palm Beach

This one's double-take material: Agent Orange, Fear, D.I. Total Chaos and Bloodhook are on tour together, and they're stopping in Denver. The revolution is here. - Denver Westworld

February 20th, 2009
http://www.cityofdevils.info/


After fawning over Dusty Watson, I got a review copy of his Bloodhook disc. Hell ya!

First, the obvious: This is (i) a three piece with (ii) a girl bass player. I dig the three piece because everyone has to play. And the singer must do something other than clap and strut during breaks (imagine the embarrassment Ozzy or David Lee Roth could have saved if they weren’t left to their own devices during guitar solos).

There is also magic about a girl bass player in a non-girl band. The Bloodhook bassist, Bonnie Buitrago, plays it heavy, punch and catchy where necessary. She also adds great background vocals.

Which leads into why the Bloodhook disc is good: it’s heavy, has hooks and says something. It’s hard to write a song that says something; it’s risky. But Adam Fuller, the guitarist/vocalist, says stuff like “tomorrow is just another shitty day.” That’s direct; I get it. Not “today is a shitty day” or “tomorrow is gonna be a shitty day” but it already IS a shitty day, and he knows it.

Bands like Pennywise try to say something but without these hooks. Theydo the “chugga chugga – yell— chugga chugga-- singalong chorus” thingbut it’s hard to write songs that aren’t just vanilla background for those tropes. With Bloodhook, there is stuff going on with guitar; the guy is PLAYING. These riffs plant their virus and hijack your brain.

Trying to describe Bloodhook’s sound, I would say it’s like Green Day crossed with Rancid crossed with Queens of the Stone Age. Wait…this is an “underground metal” blog…are readers running for the door and Bloodhook being dismissed for “selling out” already? Ok, how about this: Jawbreaker crossed with the Clash crossed with Kyuss. Is THAT ok?

The point is this: Bloodhook write catchy songs like Green Day. When did that become a sin? (And Green Day has some pretty heavy moments as well.)

They have a snappy drummer like Green Day. They have a killer rhythm section like Rancid and sing like Rancid sometimes, just not as affected. And they put some thought into the guitar, with some of the riffs having a Middle Eastern flavor like QOTSA or even surf (which makes sense since Dick Dale is Lebanese). Plus, at their rockinest, QOTSA play complex, tight and varied songs such as Bloodhook do whenever they feel like it too. There is some Sabbath sludge riff doom in here as well, and an instrumental that manages to keep your interest. Finally, the album closes out by speeding up with some sort of slide sounding thing that sparks a hope that Fuller has heard Foghat’s “Slowride.”

In closing, I dig this disc. It’s about an arranged marriage of beauty and grime, grim and happy, sludge and snap. Pick it up and check them out; there are worse ways to stimulate this economy. - LA City of Devils - By Professor Bunkum

Please send along my huge thanks and high praises to everyone for the show Bloodhook gave us. You all burned white-hot onstage...I was so fucking impressed I can't even express it properly. Bloodhook commanded the stage as if you were road veterans...no impression whatsoever of being a "young" band, just a relentless onslaught of blistering musical chops, a bigger-than-life stage presence and a self-assured conviction that "We are Bloodhook and we have arrived." That's going to take you somewhere, I'm certain of it. -Jeffrey Jones, Music Director - WOJB 88.9 FM

Reviewed 2009-11-08

BLOODHOOK

Super catchy mix of heavy rawk and driving, anthemic poppy punk from So. Cal. Oddly mixing everything from Dillinger Four, Queens of the Stone Age, Alice Cooper, Naked Raygun, The Weirdos, Turbonegro. Very consistent tunes!

"Wealth of MIsinformation" - Uptempo, anthemic punk with a slight stoner rawk feeling.

"Situation Nation" - Bassy, chuggin’ along nicely and big & loud build up. Good guitar/bass sound and a nice solo.

"Cost of Doing Business" - Drum & bassy intro, steady hard rocker with punky choruses & good anti-war/historical lyrics along with a blazing solo.

"Fuck Song" - Great song.

"Pick A Side" - Swampy, watery, down low rawk. Not far from early Alice Cooper and even recent Turbonegro.

"They Know Everything About You" - Uptempo, head nodding, political poppy punk in the best way. Super catchy chorus & verses. Reminds me of the Weirdos and Turbonegro mixed together.

"Behemoth" - Big, fairly heavy guitar & drum sound, twangy and doomy at the same time. Eventually builds into a barn burner of a fast punk instrumental then goes back to the sludge & doom.

"Drink Today" - Fast, simple, kinda Fat-Records-y, pop punk without the usual polish mixed with wailing guitars and loud-ass drums. Gets Oi!-like near the end.


- by Ragnar of Ravensfjord

Monday, January 26, 2009

We have a treat today with a brief Q n A from Dusty Watson, the greatest drummer you should have heard of.

Dusty has been around the LA music scene since Vince Neil was too young to fall in love--even in Alabama.

And the man can play.

Watching Dusty play drums will put you in a trance. Every 2 and 4 on the snare is like a metronome, even though the barage of fills in between would make you swear on your grandpa Dio's Bible that the guy just HAS TO go out of time on this one. I've seen him play punk, metal, surf, blues -- even dub-style reggae (no echo needed b/c he does his own), and he nails them all.

Dusty's perfect timing on the drums is matched only by his perfect bad timing on musical trends, but he's not complaining.

Bands he has been (or almost been) involved with include: Panic (a little combo later known as Black Flag); Concrete Blonde (just before they got huge); Agent Orange; Lita Ford (just before getting famous -- see the video for "Out For Blood" below); CH3; The Queers; Supersuckers; Boo Yaa Tribe; Legs Diamond; Dick Dale; Slacktone; Jon and Nightriders; Becky Barksdale; Bloodhook; Sugartooth; the Surfaris; Rhino Bucket and a bunch of one offs.

For our purposes, Dusty was here for the whole metal thing in the 80's and has some good stories.

Unfortunately, he was in Legs Diamond, which meant he went Foreigner when he should have gone Sweet, but he was still a fly on the wall:

1. Did you really date Lita Ford? Is she crazy? A nymphomaniac? Did she marry the guy from WASP? Did Joan Jett ever take her down? How many heterosexuals were in the Runaways?

I never 'dated' Lita anymore than anyone else did. Lita and me hung out a lot doing drugs and drinking and playing music. And that lifestyle led us to all kinds of places which included fucking and sucking and puking and passing out. I was the one puking and passing out usually. Joan never came around when I was with Lita. Her and Lita had differences of opinion and that is what broke up the Runaways. The others came around a lot. I was pretty good friends with Sandy West. I liked Vikki Blue. Hey I really liked Lita too but I was too young and fucked up to know how to express it in any productive way.

2. Tell us about your infamous "confrontation" with Nikki Sixx regarding Lita Ford.

Me and Lita were hanging out at the bar in front of The Troubadour and Nikki was there. He was all pissy one night cuz I had left a note for him on Lita's car in the parking lot at the NAMM show. I don't remember what it said, something like 'Roses are red violets are blue no one sucks more than Motely Crue' or some stupid shit like that. Nikki got his little heart broken and wanted to get tough with me. I pushed him into the corner and told him to go back to the sandbox and fuck himself. He kept putting out his hand and I wouldn't shake it. I ended up punching him in the face I don't even know why, and he got pretty upset. Now that I think about it I was really an asshole and I don't think Nikki did or said anything to deserve that. Hmmm. Oh well.

3. Did Lita Ford write any songs on the first Motley Crue album?

I really don't know. I do know I liked their first record. The rest of them were pretty much shit tho. I do remember when Lita and Nikki were living together I was over doing blow sometimes and they were writing songs but Motely Crue's first record was already out by this time I am pretty sure.

4. Tell us about your audition for Ozzy.

I heard through some friends that Ozzy was hiring a new drummer and wanted the drummer from Lita Ford's first album. So I made some calls and talked to Sharon and her assistant several times we have good conversations and everything sounds good. I get a new kit from Ludwig and practice up on my double bass. I had switched back over to a single bass drum a while before this. I get to the audition and it's a fucking cattle call. Several guys pacing around outside. Dumb asses mostly. Jake Lee comes outside for a smoke in between drummers and we talk for a few minutes then I go in with him. Its none other than Bob Daisley on bass. Monster. Ozzy is sitting in the back but I dont talk with him. They had a house kit and I set it up for double bass (the previous guy had unhooked the slave pedal) and I did a once around to make sure everything was in place. Maybe I played a short blast that lasted 10 or 15 seconds. Ozzy stood up and muttered 'ahhh fuckin shit double bass fuckin gawd awful fuckin shit.....' and stumbled out the door. We looked at each other and played one of his songs I forget which one, then that was it, never to hear from them again. Turns out he DOES hire one of Lita's drummers but its Randy Castillo the guy who replaced me when I left in 84. And he plays a single kick, exactly what Ozzy was looking for at the time. Who knew?

5. Did you make a conscious decision to go AOR instead of glam in the 80's and do you regret that decision?

I really wasn't doing much of anything when I joined Legs Diamond in 84. I had left Lita, went on a long motorcycle ride (a couple of months around the country sleeping in a tent). I was kinda doing nothing. A friend of mine, Joel Brandes (who manages WAR and Sly Stone amongst others) called and asked if I would go check them out. They were local and so I did and we hit if off. I ended up staying with them for 10 years off and on, recorded a bunch of records and did some tours. They were good guys but yeah a little on the easy side but it was cool.

6. Who is the best rock drummer you know who went unheralded (aside from you)?

Rob Oswald from Nebula. Fuckin guy rocks.

7. Do you give a fuck about anyting connected to the phrase "Neil Peart"?

I saw Neil Peart open for Ted Nugent in '76 or '77. He was a blistering drummer but it kind of freaked me out that he played the same exact solo live as he did on the live record that was just released. That meant to me that he had worked every note out and played the same fucking solo every goddamn night. I didn't want to see him anymore after that. Turns out I was involved with Rush receiving a plaque for their contributions to vetarans of war about 20 years later and believe it or not the motherfucker did another copy of that same solo. Fuck that. But I have to admit he is quite a technician. I'm just not into that kind of thing.

8. How many years from the 80's can you actually remember?

HAAAAAAAAA! Well think of it like a really good dream. When you wake up the next morning there are all kinds of flashes and images and feelings attached to it, but you wouldn't bet your life on any of it.

9. Was Brian Forsythe from Rhino Bucket the secret weapon of Kix?

Brian is a fucking rock star. Greatest feel and sound of any rock guitarist around that dude makes you FEEL good when he plays. I wish I had more time to play with those guys if for no other reason than to just hear Brian wail.

10. I like the Dictators. Discuss.

RESPECT THE ROCK! Dictators kick ass. I couldnt believe it when that record came out when was that? 2002 I think I don't know, anyway I was really blown away that they could write those great songs. I mean, c'mon does anyone over 40 have a fucking worthy thing to say? I don't know. I'm over 40 and I know to keep my fucking mouth SHUT cuz if I try to come off like I know what's going on on the street or in your parent's house or what's happening in school well that's just a load of shit. I can hang with anyone and I actually relate to 20 somethings a helluva lot easier than my age group, but I just think Handsome Dick knows how to write a great rock song that is what I'm trying to say.

http://www.cityofdevils.info/diary/2009/ 1/27/20-questions-with-dusty-watson-part -1.html - LA City of Devils - By Professor Bunkum