interview with The Hellenbacks

Have any of you played in other bands? Yes, A lot of them over the years as well as the rest of the band. I was Flavor Flav’s Music Director and Guitarist for his solo band. I was in a band called Creeper with Mike Clark from Suicidal Tendencies, Signed on Sony as a solo Artist and also, I was a writer for EMI Music Publishing.
Doc Ellis Played for Ratt (Bobby Blotters version) and Love/Hate
Sean Koos played with a ton of people but most famous… He was with Joan Jett and The Blackhearts for 10 years.
Al Serrato toured with Jetboy, Cold Blue Rebels and Flavor Flav with me.
How is it that you started playing music? I’ve been playing music for as long as I could walk.. Drums at four and I always sang and danced for the family. Picked up guitar at age 9.
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you?
Jimmie Romero - Vocals, Guitar, Keys
Doc Ellis - Guitars
Sean Koos - Bass and Piano
Al Serrato - Drums and Percussion
Have you had other previous members? Cian Coey from Dweezil Zappa’s band was with us for the first record but due to some personal life changes… She is focused on working with Dweezil. We love her and wish her nothing but the best in her endeavors. 
Steve Burshall is on guitar on our second record and he also handles all my guitar parts when we play live.
Did you make music even when you were young? Yes, I wrote my first song when I was eleven.
Where are you from? I am from Venice California but I lived in Lexington Michigan for 4 years so I have some small town influences in me.
What year did the band form? Band formed in 2016
What's your style of genre? I would say if I had to name one, Just Rock n’ Roll
What inspires you? Life… Most our songs have some type of message. Even if its a edgy topic. The listener will get something out of it and it’s usually positive…. Like, “Okay, I’ll make sure not to get caught up with that”
How often and where do you rehearse? We rehearse before our shows and the place is always difference.
Do you have other interests of work outside the band? I work in Film and like to produce my own projects when I am not playing with the band.
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? We get booked from different ones all the time but I always got my eye out for a solid one to keep the band busy.
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? Well, if a label comes around with a good distribution and tour support deal, then I’m willing to consider it but I haven’t came in contact of one yet worth giving up 50% for.
What made you decide to make this music? Working for other people and playing other peoples songs gets a little taxing on your soul if you’re not doing your own music as well. It was about a year I realized I haven’t recorded anything for myself and I asked Al Serrato to come over and see what type of sound we could make and the first single was written, “It’s alright”.
What are your songs about? So many topics… Anything from Love to Unhealthy Love, Politics to Murder. Joining together and uniting to kicking dope.
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? 
I write the basic structure of the music and lyrics… Then the rest of the band adds their 
styles to it and it makes The Hellenbacks Sound. Every instrument and member is
crucial to our sound. A bass line can change the sound or direction, as well as a drum pattern to a guitar riff. It’s all magical.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? Music comes first usually… But in Music… Their are no rules.
Do you compose in a certain enviroment? It’s really where ever the creative wave arrives. It could be in the studio or my mother’s front porch in California. As for me, it comes in waves… Like sets for a surfer in the ocean. 
You surf till there are no more waves to ride, and then you wait for the next set.
Have you done any covers live? Yes… As a professional Musician you do a lot of cover gigs besides your own original shows. You have to keep the income coming in.
What language do you sing in? Manly just English… Or American. hahaha! I sing with a lot of American slang.
What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs? For The Hellenbacks, we have a pretty decent fan base…. But I’ve done shows in the past with other bands where you’re playing for the staff. hahaha! You gotta pay your dues.
What ages are most of your concert attendants? 25 to 60.
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? No, I like to change it all the time.
Do you have a regular place you play live often? The House of Blues and Vamp’d in Las Vegas would be the places we play the most.
What was your first gig like? I was eleven and it was for one of our band members, church carnivals. We were playing songs we weren’t suppose to be playing like, Cocaine by Eric Clapton, Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix, Shout at the Devil by Motley Crue…. Yeah, they didn’t ask us back.
What was your latest gig? I did a 3 piece gig with my drummer from the Hellenbacks and a friend Barry Barnes, Opening for Todd Kerns from Slash’s band. That was a lot of fun. 
Have you had to cancel a gig? Yes, but I try not too. Sometimes you’re just too sick and Hellenbacks shows are very tough on your body if you’re the vocalist.
Where have you played live this year? Myself? Vegas, LA, Chicago, Michigan but for The Hellenbacks, Not yet this year. We are focused on finishing our 2nd record.
Where do you plan to gig the coming year? The US for sure but I’d like to get to Europe and Asia.
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? We started since the first record. We have t shirts, coffee cups and CD’s 
Where can people buy your merchandise? www.thehellenbacks.com
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? With our fans, they buy both… But what ever way the music gets around is fine to me.
How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? It has pushed out the companies that were taking advantage of the artist and left it so the artist does not need a label to get their music to the masses. It opened up a lot of avenues for the real musicians to be heard. Computers have also helped and hurt the music industry. Home studios saved the artists a lot of money from record labels billing thousands of dollars for studio hours that the artist would have to repay back with record sales. Most bands never got out of the hole until their 2nd or 3rd record. With social media, the labels can’t completely dictate what the public hears, although they still do control a lot of what gets played on the radio. Computerized music has it’s place but I don’t call someone a producer or a musician when they mouse or draw a chord structure in a song vs playing it. That’s just a chord someone already played for you. There are some producers in that world that are real Musicians though.
Do you have any role models or idols? Jimmy Page
Why do you think that they exist? Because they did when people said they couldn’t.
Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? I find inspiration from living… Old music reminds me of good memories and sometimes bad ones. It’s rare that I find new music that I like… But their are some.
What have been your biggest obstacles? That’s a tough question because there are a lot of answers to it… But I’d say finding the players and sound that we have now. I have the best Musicians in my band and their invested just as much as I invest into it and it’s a beautiful thing.
What advice would you give other bands or artists? If you truly believe in your music… Don’t stop creating or performing.
How do you get psyched for a gig? I enjoy playing with my band so much, that just comes when I see the other members. We’re brothers and we have all shared a lot of miles , tears, battles and great times with a shit load of laughter. I live a dream.
Do you have any new material? I’m mixing our 2nd record which should be out by July
What are your web sites? www.thehellenbacks.com
How can people reach you? Facebook, Instagram, Email Twitter.
What are your plans for the future? Grammy

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