Interview with Mike Hood By: Brian Hive
BH: Who are the members in the band?
MIKE: Jeremy plays Drums, Ben Sings, I play Guitar, and Mario plays Bass.
BH: How long have you guys been together?
MIKE: Since April 95’ but the line up has been changed a lot. So far the line up we got right now is good.
I can see this line up going on because its a good Vibe and everyone is friendly. There’s no more fighting in between the band members and shit.
So this band right now has been around for 6 months.
BH: How did the band form?
MIKE: When I moved back to Sacramento. We formed because nobody was playing hardcore. All the old hardcore bands around
my area they were sXe bands and sold out so they wont show there faces anymore. I just wanted to fuckin start playing Hardcore in my area.
It was like if you wanted to see Hardcore bands you would have to wait for a year to see a good band. Now the scene in our area is fuckin
building up. All the kids come and represent. It’s been along time we been workin for a scene and that’s what we got
BH: Where did you get the name of the band?
MIKE: I used to live in a really bad place and my Grandpa would call us Hoods and shit. I took it from my Grandpa.
BH: What style music do you play?
MIKE: We play Hardcore. It doesn’t matter if its old or new its what you feel about it. If your sensor about it I
don’t care if its Country music if you fucking love it. Its Hardcore its in your heart. Its not for money, Its not to get signed ,Its to wear
clothes, Its not to be part of a click. Whether you sXe, Vegan, Vegetarian, Drug, normal, Christian. It doesn’t matter it all in your heart.
If you believe in the scene and Unity that’s Hardcore. Everybody friends Punk rockers, Skin Heads, Hardcore it doesn’t matter.
BH: What bands do you like to play with?
MIKE: We like to play with all the local bands the OBHC and North Cal bands. There’s to many to name. But I can name a couple
back East bands kids should be checking out Cold As Life (Detroit), Blood For Blood (Boston). Kids around here , What I would like to see
more is to see them supporting more of there local bands. Even if the bands are starting out. A lot of kids wont buy a demo tape
from smaller bands. But they’ll go out and buy anything on Victory and shit. I think it starts from your local scene.
BH: Who are your influences?
MIKE:Alone in a crowd, Side by Side, Madball, Agnostic Front. There’s to many like local bands that I’m influenced by right now.
Cold As Life from Detroit is one of my favorite bands right now, If you don’t know about them your Fucking Wack. All Out War a really good Fucking Metal band coming around.
There’s a lot of bands Forced Life, All Bets Off, Toward an End, Powerhouse, Pressure Point. I think more kids need to start writing each
other who are in bands and don’t know each other. When I go to a show I try to be nice to everybody sometimes people think I’m being a
Dick cause I’m coming around saying hi to people I don’t know or girls think I’m trying to pick up on them. Its not like that its a
unity thing, the more people you know that’s a link to go to show. If kids don’t have a friend to meet at a show they’ll fade out of
the scene. I think if the kids says hay, "I Know Mike or Chuck or Fred." I think they have means to go to a show.
BH: Is anyone in the band sXe?
MIKE: I’m the only sXe member. Its like as far as sXe goes its a personal belief and if you believe in it you know believe in it for
your self. Not for everybody else. Because if you believe in sXe for being part of a fashion or the Crew your going to sell out and look stupid. If your going to be sXe
be it for your self and DON’T push it down anyone’s throat because a lot of the time sXe kids push the shit down kids throat. Newer sXe kids
or kids who arnt sXe and they’re like, be sXe or Fuck off. Its Bullshit.
BH: What’s in the future for Hoods?
MIKE: We got a split 7" coming out with Lockjaw not Lockjaw.44 but Lockjaw from Buffalo, NY its going to have 4 songs on it from
Fists Held High Records. We got a full length CD coming out on Gang Ground Records its coming out in Jan. We tour
Europe in June to July. From J ffb uly to August we tour the U.S. From August to September we tour Japan. We got big label helping us out now.
BH: How can people get you tapes and shirts?
MIKE: They can order through Very Distro, Victory Distro, Back Ta Basics Distro, Gang Ground Distro, or they can order from me my
address is 6565 Fordham Way Sacramento, CA 95831-2219 My phone Number if anybody any Traveling bands call me up (916) 427-5005.
BH: What’s your music about?
MIKE: My music is about friends I lost, depression, Happiness, Trials of life. You know life, good times bad times its about that. You want to write a song about Unity when you just went to a show where everybody’s smiling. Other times you get in fight, daily life you get depressed, friend die. I think right now the music is kind of negative but its a positive outlet. If kids don’t
have something to go out and dance to. A lot of people say Oh that’s scenes violent or those kids are violent. I think if the kid didn’t
have a outlet such as Hardcore where they can go out and dance they would go out and hurt someonebody on the streets. BH: Where’s the band from?
MIKE: Sacramento, CA
BH: How long have you liked Hardcore for? MIKE: Well I’ve liked Hardcore Since I was 8 years old. Because my older Brother. I seen my first show in 86’ or 87’ I saw DRI,
Circle Jerks, 7 Seconds, and Sins Of the Flesh I was about 10 then I’m 24 now so I’ve been in to Hardcore for about 14 Years.
BH: Do you like any other kind of music?
MIKE: I like the Police. A lot of these main stream bands like SKA bands and all this fucking shit Punk rock bands, man Punk rock aint
fucking what it used to be. I don’t know of any Punk bands any more Green Day, Pennywise, Offspring, aint fucking Punk. All these crust kids I don’t know man there so P.C.
How the fuck are you going to be P.C. and be Punk Rock. When I was young I was Punk rock I loved Circle Jerks, DRI all the fucking old bands.
Now all these wannabees like Pennywise and NOFX. Fuck that Im sick of the Main stream!
BH: Is anyone in the band been in another band?
MIKE: Yeah, I Sing for a band called Beatdown. I was in a sXe band from 85’ to 87’ called Balance.
Jeremy’s in Biscuit. Ben is in a band called Bhaks.
BH: Any last words?
MIKE: I give shouts out to my guys in my band for sticking it out I know It’s hard sometimes to be in our band because of me cause
I get crazy like mood sings, but there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them.
All I got to say is I love them. And a shout out to Hayward and The Hive. H-I-V-E Dog that’s all I got to say.
BH: Thanx