HORROR SECTION

photos by Bambi Guthrie

                                

HORROR SECTION

When did you guys first realize your love for music? Which bands/artists/songs were most influential to you growing up?

Teflon: I’d say pretty early on, maybe 6 or 7? I was raised in the church and my parents were both in the choir so music was kind of always around. That being said, I loved the ‘golden oldies’ station my parents used to play. 50’s and 60’s stuff. Certainly the doo wop style would stick with me.

Tommy: I realized my love for music pretty early too. I got a record player for Christmas and Micky by Toni Basil. My aunt introduced me to the Beatles and The Beach Boys around the same time. I still love The Beatles and Beach Boys. 

Were horror movies a parallel hobby for both of you guys growing up? Did the fascination with horror make you gravitate towards certain musical genres?

Teflon: I was a pretty late bloomer with horror actually (see above regarding being raised in the church). I was pretty into punk before my horror fascination really took off but yeah I searched high and low for some good horror punk once the bug hit - with varying degrees of success.

Tommy: Things were a little more loose in my house. My mom was a fan of Vincent Price and Alfred Hitchcock and all things blood and guts so I was watching horror movies with her when I was pretty young. 

Which came first for you guys - metal or punk? Who were the most important bands in terms of inspiration for what would later become your own projects?

Teflon: Punk for sure. I kind of skipped the metal phase that so many dabble in before getting in to punk more or less. I definitely remember being exposed to metal through my older cousins but I didn’t really have access to anything at that time. For most important bands it’s pretty typical I guess: Ramones, Misfits, Lillingtons, Riverdales for sure. As far as ‘horror themed’ bands though, Send More Paramedics and Near Dark made an impression on me (both of which are in the hardcore camp though).

Tommy: Metal came first for me and has always been a source of inspiration.  In 1992 the skate video Plan B Questionable had a major impact on me getting into punk bands like Bad Religion, Pennywise, and Green Day. In the mid 90's my favorite bands were MxPx, Strung Out, and Screeching Weasel. Those bands have influenced everything I have ever written but I'd say the most important bands would be the Lillingtons and Huntingtons. Death by Television and High School Rock were game changers for me. 

At what point did you begin crafting your own songs, and how did you approach the task? Did you have any basis for learning songwriting besides being well-versed in the styles you wanted to play?

Teflon: My first songs were your typical ‘sing the same melody as the guitar’ kind of stuff. Well, even before then it was just strumming strings and putting nonsense to them. Probably around 12. It wasn’t until I learned some MTX songs that I understood how to construct a melody with some chords.

Tommy: I agree with Dave, MTX is a good band to take some song writing pointers from. 

Did Eaten Back to Life form at the same time as Horror Section? How did you guys approach having two very similar bands that share members? Are there any norms for contributing songs for either project?

Teflon: EBTL was definitely first. It’s actually odd that we ended up making music together, kind of a small world scenario. I quit playing music for about 10 years but then I moved back into the area and wrote some songs (which became the Prowler EP) and was half-assed looking for some people to play with. I had mentioned it to Dave Nobody and he told me about Tommy and EBTL and I was like "Holy Shit!" I sent really crappy acoustic demos to Tommy to see what he thought (which is still how I send him my songs) and he came back with some demos that blew me away. From there we met up and recorded The Prowler with Gabe (who would later be our drummer) at Encapsulated Studios.

As for sharing members, it was pretty organic. I had no intention for Horror Section to be anything other than a one shot release. So playing shows wasn’t on my radar, I was just lucky to find Tommy who has been a great song writing partner. Early on he would take my crappy acoustic demo and craft them into tight songs. He still does that but he’s also been writing more music which I then layer on vocals. I think the new LP is about 50/50 on the music writing, although at this point I pretty much leave Tommy to write the leads and solos since he’s obviously way better than me!

Tommy: I started Eaten back to life in 2009. We released Love You to Death in 2011 and Killer in 2012 before meeting Dave at a show in St. Louis. Dave was introduced to me as the guy from the Fintas ( a cool band I like ) so I was pretty stoked that he wanted to send me some new demos. Being a fan of his songwriting I thought The Prowler demos were some of the best demos I had ever heard. We recorded The Prowler in 2013 and have been writing each Horror Section song together since.   

Obviously Eaten Back to Life is the title of the debut album by Cannibal Corpse. I've found that there's a strain in the pop punk DNA that allows for a rare breed of pop punk metal heads (like myself). Do you see any particular connection between these two very different styles and scenes?

Teflon: Hmm, I like metal but I don’t think I’m qualified to answer that question.

Tommy: I Agree Deeds, I have seen a few fans of Horror Section and Eaten Back To Life on social media that are into metal/pop punk. No real connection between the two styles that I've seen.

The musicianship and songwriting for traditional pop punk is very different than that of, say, brutal death metal. Was it ever your goal to form an extreme metal band? Do either of you practice metal chops in parallel with your punk techniques?

Teflon: Ha, not me.

Tommy: When I started Eaten Back to Life I envisioned us as a metal band writing and playing pop punk like Screeching Weasel and The Lillingtons. I have been playing in punk bands since 1994 and never considered starting a metal band until 2006 when I started getting into blast beat death metal. I definitely practice metal/speed strumming that I have incorporated into our songs. Pick slanting is a technique I use often as well as alternate picking. I use finger tapping and hammer on's here and there as well. Nothing too tech though. I try to keep it simple.

Horror Section seems to have emerged as the more prominent project, though Eaten Back to Life also has it's own distinct flavor and probably a lot of crossover in terms of people being fans of both projects. Has it been difficult for either of you to balance the activities of both projects?

Teflon: That’s all Tommy to answer.

Tommy: Not at all. Unlike me Dave is pretty well organized and has always handled everything for Horror Section. Merch, album art and layout, booking, practice scheduling.

Horror Section in particular has become a band that releases highly sought after collectibles on vinyl. Was this part of the strategy or did it just fall into place? I've seen that there are some very dedicated collectors who must have every variant! This includes my pal Diggum (Hi Jacob).

Teflon: It definitely wasn’t on purpose. I pressed 150 of the Prowler EP since I figured I could give away a bunch to friends (which I did) and then send some off to distros/labels. Luckily Travis from Eccentric Pop got some and was super into us and wanted to do a repress. I think Tommy had to talk me into that though ha. As for the collectibility thing, I’ve always just tried to make things I as a fan would like. Horror is full of promo and gimmick merchandising and I’ve tried to carry that over into our releases. I like doing special things for releases but usually due to costs/effort that means only a small number are made and it’s a bummer not being able to have enough for everyone.

Tommy: Hi, Jacob!

The songwriting for both bands (but more so Horror Section) is clearly inspired by Death By Television-era Lillingtons. Was your goal to pay homage to this style specifically? In what ways do you feel you've contributed something you unique to it?

Teflon: I actually liken us more to Backchannel Broadcast-era Lillingtons! The beginning of The Killer in the Dark actually starts the same as that album (on purpose). Other than that I don’t think much else is intentional as far as style. I write what’s in my wheelhouse and what I know. As far as unique, I’m not sure... we certainly aren’t the first pop punk band to write about horror but I’d like to think we have a different approach than others.

Tommy: A lot of my leads are inspirited by Death by Television and Backchannel Broadcast.

The quality of the songwriting is very clear when I listen to both projects. Do you guys bounce a lot of songwriting ideas off of one another, or do you prefer to bring in songs separately? Has there been any tension as a result of having two distinct songwriting personalities in the band(s)?

Teflon: As I already mentioned I send Tom stuff and he refines, adds, and overall makes them better. I don’t change any songs he sends me, I just layer on my vocals. Every once in a while we have some disagreements on parts but I suspect less than most song collaborators. 

Tommy: We really have never talked about the songs we are writing. I like every song Dave has written for the band so if we have disagreed it would be on where the lead should be in a song or something like that. Nothing serious.

What are the key ingredients needed for a great horror-themed pop punk song? It's a style that's been done over and over and yet you guys seem to have a real talent for creating it. 

Teflon: For me it’s actually taking it seriously. I’ll watch the movie I want to do songs about, take notes, consider different themes or characters in the movie and try and tell a story from one of their points of view. Sometimes more obvious, sometimes more obscure. And then yeah, sing a lot of oohs and ahhhs until I can get a solid melody worked out haha.

Tommy: I'm not a fan of whoas or oh's in music so I think leaving those out is a good start to a great horror themed song. Taking the lyrical subject matter seriously is a key factor for us. There isn't  much humor in Dave's lyrics if any at all. Hellraiser is a serious movie and the lyrics reflect that. 

How has it been interacting with fans and supporters of the band? I notice that you guys haven't released a lot of interviews. Do you prefer to let the music do the talking? Have you connected with many fans internationally? What's your perception of the following that you've developed since the bands started?

Teflon: We actually haven’t been asked to do many interviews. And maybe this will be the last! I definitely let the music do the talking. From the start I told Tommy this wouldn’t be a typical band - no band photos in albums, minimal context and thanks / credits, etc. I’ve befriended some people through the band (Hi Jacob) which is pretty awesome. That being said, I do like to keep my private life separate from the band more or less. As for my perception I guess I would say we have a small but rabid fanbase.

Tommy: Hi Jacob!

Do you guys ever dabble in other styles of songwriting? If you were to play in a non-pop punk band, what would be your top choice and why?

Teflon: Country for sure. My brother has gotten me into old honky tonk country over the years and we’ve written a few songs together. It’s actually a pretty natural switch for me. Different melody but same basic formula. One of these days we’ll record some songs and start a proper project from it .

 

Tommy: I've dabbled in lots of styles of songwriting. Fast melodic punk is a style I'm a big fan of. That would be fun. 

Do you feel that pop punk, particularly the traditional form, is still as relevant today as ever? Do you think the community will continue to thrive even in this era of digital music and dwindling interest in physical copies of albums?

Teflon: Shit dude, I have no idea. I don’t live in an exactly thriving pop punk town and I sparingly dip into the pop punk internet world.

Tommy: I think pop punk is as relevant as ever. Bands like The Ramones, Screeching Weasel and Teenage Bottlerocket will still continue to inspire people to start bands knowing they aren't going to make money on record sales. 

How have your experiences been playing live? Do you foresee a lot of touring in the future? What's more fulfilling for you guys - playing live or recording?

Teflon: Playing live is always fun. People pay attention to us and usually don’t walk out so that’s good. Touring would be awesome but I’ve got a “dad job” that makes it pretty hard for me to commit to the road. We get asked about playing out a lot and I wish we could make it happen but for now it’s shows and weekends here and there. As for what’s more fulfilling... recording. I listen to our songs fairly often (which I know Tommy thinks is weird).

Tommy: Recording is more fulfilling for me. I do think its weird to listen to your own stuff often. I will admit I have listened to our new 16-song full length on Eccentric Pop Records that we released in 2018 (Hi Travis!!!) more than any other release . 

I really like the vocals and back up harmonies on this record . I'm really happy how the record turned out . 

Do you guys record demos at home? What's your primary method for retaining and archiving song ideas?

Teflon: I’ll have a few drinks and record some ideas on my phone a lot of times. Then I’ll make a slightly better version in garage band and email to Tommy.

Tommy: I demo all of our songs in my basement. I've been demoing and archiving songs on my computer since 2009 .

Do you feel that the traditional aesthetics of pop punk (down-picking, heavy guitar distortion, Ramones-style drumming) become tiresome after a while? How did you guys feel about Stella Sapiente? I noticed a lot of predictably luke-warm responses to the change in style, though I consider it their best album.

Teflon: Being someone who admittedly cannot down-pick to save my life I’ll just say that if you got talent and can do that shit, good for you. But also, it’s not a prerequisite for me liking any music. Stella Sapiente is fucking fantastic. Love that album.

Tommy: I'm a huge fan of the traditional aesthetics of that style of pop punk. It has yet to grown tiresome to me. Every Eaten Back To Life songs have (down-picking, heavy guitar distortion, Ramones-style drumming). I alternate pick almost all of my leads. I think Horror Section's strumming technique is still traditional pop punk. Stella Sapiente is a great record . 

What's next for you guys? What are the "bucket list" goals for the bands? How do you feel about the success you've experienced so far? Have there been people in your everyday lives (family, friends, spouses) who've acknowledged your musical accomplishments?

Teflon: Hopefully more songs and releases! Bucket list I would say would be a full tour and getting into narrative-based music videos. I feel pretty great about where we have come so far. Travis at Eccentric Pop has been super supportive, we’ve got to share the stage with a ton of awesome bands, and of course we got to do a split with the mighty Dan Vapid! My brother has been a big supporter and he’s my sounding board for all my ideas so I’m grateful for that. And yeah my friends are supportive as well which is always appreciated, not only in the music but in doing album covers and art. Nearly all of our art is done by close personal friends which is pretty fucking cool (Josh aka Rat King, Brad Fann, Devin aka Dirtdrool).

Tommy: To do another split with a cool band like the Lillingtons would one to check off the bucket list.

What are your top 5 death metal albums of all time from all eras?

Teflon: Uh, Tommy you can take this one.

Tommy :   1) Slayer - Reign In Blood

                 2) Archspire - Relentless Mutation

                 3) Cannibal Corpse - Eaten Back To Life 

                 4) Deeds Of Flesh - Crown Of Souls

                 5) Disgorge - Parallels of Infinite Torture