Page 4 Retriever features Molly Hatchet's Dave Hlubek speaks on rock & roll by John Jolly too many hours together, too many miles. unity there. It was like when the sixties died. the knobs up on my guitar, the power is there. If DH: Yeah, it was j ust a message to my two little So what has happened is we're a band of You know, when the Grateful Dead got started the power is not there, I want to know why. I boys, it was meant to, people forget, if you close- It's early Friday morning. I have a headache, friends again, we're getting along real good. The playing in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. listen to a lot of groups— anything good— your eyes you can see little kids playing on the my ears are ringing, and I haven't slept well. band is taking an interest in themselves as It's just a dead issue, and all of us, I'm glad I that's done tastefully. I love B.B. King. playground, or walkin' down the beach with Last night, I caught a very loud Molly Hatchet people. It shows in this album—the heart's back was part of that era. We got into rock and roll Ret: What do you think of contemporary pop your kids and your dog or throwin'a bone in the at Coast to Coast, where they were touring in in the album. It's a real fresh sound. It was when the getting in was good. We signed the or rock today? water or a ball or a stick and sayin' go get it. I support of their sixth album, The Deed is Done, pretty apparent that something was wrong from record contracts in '77, and we've been here a DH: 1 think some of its garbage. There's some thought it was a different way to end a rock-n- available on Epic records. Beatin the Odds [the band's third album] on. while now. And the hardest thing to do once real crap on the radio- real shit. And there's roll album. I said "Well I'm gonna do it for two- In the last few years, Molly Hatchet has gone We had gone through all the drug things, we you get an album is to continue to make some good stuff- you know, 111 give credit something minutes, it's just gonna be me and through several personnel changes which have had gone through the attitude, the egos, all this records. Because some of these bands, they where credit is due. I think IVe been around nobody else in the band playin'," just some brought the nucleus of the original band back stuff. So now we're just counting our blessings, make an album or two, make a big noise for a long enough to judge that. When I like a song, finger pickin' guitar. And my little boys know together again. Danny Joe Brown has returned knocking on wood, that we're gonna go for the little while, and then they split. We're unique 111 put it in my record collection. I'm not into that Daddy wrote us that song, they know that as lead vocalist, and Bruce Crump is back on finisn line. We're gonna be around for a long right now because we're not like any other the heavy metal scene at all. I think it's well now. I wrote the song when I was watching drums. Lead guitarists Dave Hlubek and time. band. overdone. And all the guitarists in heavy metal them play in my front yard one day. 1 was sittin' Duane Roland never left, and the band has Ret: I noticed that on your last album you Ret: Right, you're getting around, you're play the same stuff Eddie Van Halen already on the hood of my Corvette and I had an added bass guitarist Riff West and keyboard thanked a lot of people...[Hlubek interrupts] playing small clubs, you're working hard. mastered. There's no taste. It's head-banging acoustic guitar I was pickin' this thing my wife player John Galvin. DH: [jokingly] Bill collectors mostly, "Thank DH: What we're doing is we're building this music and I think it's wrong, there's a lot of said "that's real pretty" you know and she said Before Molly Hatchet rocked Coast to Coast you for not coming to repossessus."No, we like thing back up. We not only play small clubs satanic messages in it. Myself, I'm a parent of "that sounds like that could be a song for our last Thursday, I was fortunate enough to talk to thank everybody, the people behind the now, we play Madison Square one night and two boys— 9 and 5— and any heavy metal children" so I named it "Song for the Child- with their lead guitarist Dave Hlubek in his scenes that have been supportive of the band, Coast to Coast the next. You know we played concert they're not going to because they start ren" and I put it on, the 11th song, and its just Baltimore motel room. you know, slumps. 'Cause you get at a certain for Billy Squier for three months at the preaching, giving the sign of the beast. It's not a small little ditty, it doesn't mean anything. It's beginning of this album, so we've been touring constantly, we're not hurting for work at all. We play at the major coliseums. Molly Hatchet got its name and reputation working anywhere— we will work anywhere. We will go to where the people are. If they only have~a little small club in their town, we will go there to play to them. It's to show people that we have not sold out the whole general idea of what Molly Hatchet was founded on, and that is to be a people's band. Ret: When did you start playing? DH: [jokingly] What time is it? I started... Ret: Late sixties? DH: Yeah, IVe been playing guitar a long time. Ret: How old were you when you started— any idea? DH: I was still a pup— I don't know how old I was, probably, about 11 or 12. Ret: Did you expect to be where you a»e today when you started out back in '77 in Dave Hlubek and Danny Joe Brown ot Molly Hatcfiet. Jacksonville? DH: I went nuts when I signed the papers. Went Molly Hatchet rocks out at Coast to Coast. Ret: How is your new album, The Deed is plateau— our band was in the top five bands in nuts! Because there was a period of time, I have very tasteful music. Let's say for every good just a message from Daddy. Done, doing? the world after two albums. And we could have to tell you quite honestly, I did not think it was song that's on the radio, there's three bad ones. Ret: 'Outside of that song, what's your favorite DH: It's doing real well. It's the number two hit stayed there, but we thought it would never end, going to happen 'cause I was giving myself— Ret: The songs you listen to five times and that's cut off the new album? import album in Europe, all of Europe. The and we let all the habits start. We started well if I don't make it by the time I'm 23— it. DH: Oh Lord, I like "Heartbreak Radio," I album is doing real good in the States. It's spending money like water, and using people, [Pause] I'm just gonna wait some more. And I DH: Right. 'Cause I don't know of anybody, really like the keyboard work on it. I think it's slacked off though now 'cause it's getting old. and we forgot about ourselves as people, and knew it would happen, I really knew it would this is just a general statement. I don't know of reminiscent of the old Molly Hatchet sound, Ret: Its been out for eight months now. people just said, "Well listen man, us little happen. 'Cause I knew that I had dedicated anybody that could really stand, while you're you see we cannot change too quickly. So I like DH: And it did what we wanted it to do. You nobodys down here that made you, we're gonna everything, all my being inside me. I want to be laying in bed or you're making love to your wife "Heartbreak Radio," I think "Satisfied Man"is know we always like to have as many sales as we show you, we're just gonna stop buyin' your a star— I want to be a celebrity. I want to make or your girlfriend or something, to listen to very good, "Stone in Your Heart" shows the can get— but what it did, it opened up doors for records." And so it was our fans and friends of records more than anything. Even if I just get to "Bang your Head" or "Cum on Feel the Noize." published side of Molly Hatchet, a side people us People are starting to speak the name of of ours that were telling us that we were in make a record one time, I want to say Mom- l^ot to say that the people in these bands, some havent heard before. I like the way we did "I Molly Hatchet again instead of having it trouble. And we were, and we were the last ones see all these years you told me "get your hair of them are pretty nice people. It's just my Ain't Got You." somewhere in the cobwebs of their memory. So to know it. cut, get a job— be smart— stay in school." I opinion, I wouldn't sit back and go to sleep Ret: "Heartbreak Radio" and "I Ain't Got we have people thinking, "maybe we should Ret: You dedicated The Deed is Done to Sgt. said "Mom, I swear to God I'm gonna be rich. listening to it. It gives me a headache, and I play You"are so much more reminiscent of yourold take Molly Hatchet seriously again— she's William O. Wheat. Who was he? I'm gonna make records." So finally I was able loud. style. back." DH: He was my wife's father, and he Was a man to show my Mom my first album, it was a big Ret: Yes, you sure do. If there is any problem' DH: Yeah, and we picked them for that reason. Ret: It's distinctively different from your I dearly, dearly loved. I miss him very dearly. I day for me and for her. "See mom— I did it." with going to a Molly Hatchet concert, it would We had to be very, very careful. See like .38 previous albums in a number of ways. You loved him, it hurts, it still hurts. He died in June. Ret: What kind of music did you listen to have to be that often the band drowns out Special right now, they made the mistake of added a keyboard player [John Galvin], and He was probably the finest man IVe ever growing up? Danny's vocals. Sometimes you just can't hear changing too quickly. This last thing that they you got the band back together again, at least known. [Long pause] And I thank you for DH: The Yardbirds, Cream, Hendrix, I listened them. did, "Teacher Teacher," it's not them, it sounds the nucleus of the original band. asking me about that. That's the first time to John Mayall and the Blues Breakers, I DH: You can't ever hear the vocals at a Molly very bubble- gummy. It's not to me the .38 DH: More than that, we got the heart back in anyone ever asked me that. listened to a lot of blues stuff. Oddly enough, I Hatchet show, and it's just because we're a very Special that I'd like to remember. And so we the band. For a while it was becoming business Ret: I'm surprised. didn't become a real staunch blues player, loud band, Danny does not have a real powerful look at that and we learn from that. See we're in as usual. [In a mocking voice] "You know, it's DH: I am, too. Thanks for asking. 'cause I always wanted to deliver it with a voice. It takes a lot of power to get his voice out a position where I don't want to sell out my old another place to play tonight, O.K. look at your Ret: I 've heard you say "S outhern rock is dead." harder edge 'cause it meant if I played blues, I and that's the problem with it. But still people bread and butter fans. And somebody's saying itinerary sheet." It was like, you know, get me in DH: It is, as we know it. It's a dead issue. couldn't be loud. I like the feeling of power come, we don't beg people to come to a Molly "God look at the crap Molly's putting out now, and get me out as quickly as possible. It had just Ret: What was it about when you started? under those knobs. It's just like a fine sports Hatchet show. They can stay home, they can they're selling us out." So we have to be very become too familiar, the band wasn't really on DH: The whole concept of southern rock 'n' roll car— you push down on the accelerator and keep their ten or fifteen bucks. They know what careful in the selections we put on the records. good terms with each other. We had just spent was the freelance jamming in the park thing, the you're gone in a nice Ferrari. When I go to turn they're getting into when they come to one of Ret: What inspired you to write the song "Fall our shows. We're gonna rock their ass off. of the Peacemakers" off your fifth album? They're gonna walk out with a headache and DH: When I wrote that song it meant a lot to nosebleed and earbleed. me, it just came from the Big Boss up there. It Ret: Is your family is a big influence in your life? says a lot in it and it was in a period of time DH: I love my family. I would be lost without when I had to say something 'cause I was fed up my wife and kids. I'm the kind of person that's with the way things were going. I'm a Catholic, destined to be married, I enjoy being married to I'm not a staunch Catholic but that last attempt my wife. She's a beautiful woman, she's very on the Pope's life just fed me up, this is bullshit, dedicated, and how I wound up with her 111 you know. So I had to say something about it never know. I'm glad that I did. I'd be scared to and4 knew it was a good song when I played the ask her to marry me a second time, she might tapes right out of the studio for my mother and FREE MIXER think about it longer now. she just cried. She was very proud, I was very Ret: Does touring affect your family proud. relationship a lot? > Ret: How do you feel about the nuclear arms DH: Yeah, but the kids know what Daddy does race? for a living and... DH: I think that you know we're gonna wind up Ret: They like it? blowin' ourselves up, because we are all too DH: Yeah, they do, they respect it. They know power-crazy. You know they just stalemate that that's what buys toys for them, school with peoples' lives weighing in the balance. We * * clothes and what have you. Yeah, they're pretty can blow this world apart 100 times of overkill. proud of their father. They see the gold albums, I don't believe in the overkill. I mean if you're Starring the platinum albums hanging on the walls in the dead, you're dead. The whole thought that den. They know some of those albums are someday my children might be vaporized, I their's. Someday they'd dust them off for my would rather take their own lives. It 11 be after grandchildren after I'm gone and say "this is we're all gone, I hope my kids are gone too. This what your grandpa did way back then in the world, we're just gonna wind up splittin'it right eighties." down the middle, people are gonna say "Do Ret: And on your latest album you wrote "Song See Molly Hatchet, page 6 EXIT-19 for the Children." You're invited to celebrate A live band WUMD' s 10th Anniversary on Thursday, May 9th Thursday, May 2nd in the Commuter Cafeteria at the from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Live music performed by Commuter Cafe A HERO'S DAY Admission: $1.00 with I.D. $1.50 without Sponsored by SGA Special Events Free Give Aways, including a TV