Interview with Mob Hit at Church
By Jim Slimedog
MOB HIT is a bunch of gangsters who want to steal young girls’ hearts away, crooning sentimental ballads. Nope, wait a minute- I got them confused with By The Throat. These guys play music filled with fury- in your face, stripped down aggression. They are an intense, passionate and tell the truth. Simple sonic slabs of scorching soul shaking soliloquies. Are they punk? Are they hardcore? Are they metal? Yes, to all of the above.
Slimedog- So how did you guys get started?
Greg (Vocals)- I had originally written a bunch of stuff, lyrically, for a while, pulling music around it back in 2006 and that was really the forefront and the spirit of the whole band. That’s what I was writing about; very serious to me, about society- politically or even psychologically we ended up moving in that direction in the experience I was having in the work I was doing in the community. I just took all the fury in the work that I was doing and poured it into the music. And then the music was already furious. It came together very well and that’s how we got started.
Slimedog- I notice you’ve had a lot of musicians in the band.
Greg- We’ve always had a solid core of Barry (Drums) with all his years in Wargasm, of course, with Rob (Guitar) and myself and then we’ve had a few different bass players- Julio’s been with us a while which has been fantastic and we’ve had a bunch of second guitar players, all these incredible musicians who’ve always added something to what we’ve done, particularly live. The interesting thing is “The Mob” feels like this group, for a long period of time, that can come in for a show, they can leave for a show, but the one thing that’s been strong is that everyone’s been into really aggressive, hard music.
Barry- The strongest we’ve been is us four. (All agreeing)
Slimedog- Do you have any recording plans?
Greg- We plan on recording probably ten more songs and putting out a full album, our upcoming plan is putting this ep out now and in a couple of months and then go right back into the studio and move forward. The new formula is trying to get the music out and in people’s hands as quick as we can but still keeping the same quality and the same caliber that we’ve always lived up to.
Barry- I think the most important thing that we’ve been doing now is keeping the music simple, keeping it simple as impossible, almost on The Ramones level and just keeping it fun and not thinking.
Slimedog- How would you guys describe your style?
Julio- I, personally, wanted to separate ourselves. I didn’t want to continue with the same hardcore stuff. I wanted to pull away from that. Basically, be so fuckin’ simple and just go off- riff, chorus, riff and kill it.
Greg- I think we still carry that hardcore vibe that we’ve always had, a straight forward in your face powerful message. We don’t hit you in the face; we smash you in the face- maximum impact when we’re performing, with emotion. The thing about this particular ep that I’m so thrilled about is we can come at you slow with the same fury or we can come at you 1000 miles per hour and we’re not a one trick pony.
Slimedog- Who writes the music?
Barry- I say we all do, I have 20,000 riffs that I come up with daily that hasn’t been touched on, Rob comes up with some genius shit. Julio comes up with some great shit and Greg is a mediator.
Julio- We like to make things happen quick. We come up with a riff and pretty much by the end of the night that song’s done.
Greg- It’s definitely collaborative; everyone has their own spin on it.
Barry- Here’s a riff, here’s a mood, keep that mood, simply bring it to another level and bring it right back to that mood and then end it.
Slimedog- How about lyrics?
Greg- I do, they’re all based upon my life experience. I work with just the worst of the mental illness, the street justice, gang members and that’s what I do, that’s a big influence. I’ve always said if the music has the fury the lyrics should, too. I joked around with somebody the other day that I feel I’m on a surfboard on a tsunami. I have this ultra-powerful music and I’m so angry of the injustice; and I’m a dad and I see the injustices that will happen for my kids. This is the focus and spirit of me and what I write about every day.
Slimedog- I realized recently I’m not mellowing out with age. I mellowed out a little bit along the way but now, I’m back at the start. I started out as an angry young man and now I’m the angry old man.
Greg- If you’re not angry you’re not paying attention.
Barry- But anger always good with me, with music it just felt fuckin’ right. I love feeling angry playing music, it just feels right.
Slimedog- How did you come up with the name Mob Hit?
Greg- I came up with this name because I thought of what is the most vicious thing that someone does to another person? And a mob hit, the closeness of how they are but something vicious comes out of it and that’s the mob hit.
Julio- People who love you and then turn their back on you, in a split second- and that’s anger, as a kid growing up, I felt this a lot and I love having that musical release to let that fuckin’ anger out.
Greg- This is Fuck You music, by the way.
Barry- That’s my coin- It’s called “Fuck You Rock.” (Laughter) I coined this a million years ago and I’ve never actually said it because I don’t want it ripped off but I coined it, it’s called Fuck You Rock. It’s not fuckin’ metal, it’s not fuckin’ thrash, it’s Fuck You Rock.
Slimedog- Who’s most likely to become a serial killer in the band?
All- Julio!
Slimedog- And why is that?
Barry- I don’t know, look at him, he’s fuckin’ crazy dude. (Julio starts laughing maniacally and rolling on the ground)
Slimedog- Who drinks the most in the band?
Barry- That might be me, Rob or Julio.
Slimedog- That narrows it down. How about favorite dive bar?
Barry- I love dive bars. I love Norwood; Norwood has the best fuckin’ dive bars. Lewis’ is awesome. You walk in, it’s a bright sunny day and its pitch black in there and you can’t see anything for like two minutes. And all you see is blue collared guys sitting around the bar working their ass off every fuckin’ day and the bar is packed and they have the best fuckin’ food. I’m promoting Lewis’ right now! (Laughter) And the funny part is you get a great buzz in there and then you walk out and the sun is so fuckin’ bright that it hits you like your standing on the sun- it’s a beautiful thing. (Laughter)
That’s it for Mob Hit’s interview though you can check out their profile here and their ep review here. Remember you read it hear on Thrash N Bang, the originators of Fuck You Music.
