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.