HOLLYWOOD has been hard at work on their second full length LP for Big Neck. These guys are freakin’ tireless, man. It’s not easy to work full time, write a record, rehearse it, record it, mix it, mix it again, create the art work, create the artwork again, film a video, and play live all the freakin’ time. They manage to keep it all going through sheer willpower.
We love these guys for all their hard work, and they are just gonna kill it on Sunday at The Big Neck/Windian Mini-Fest at the Marcatus Art Market in Yards Park (10 Water Street SE, Washington, DC). The following is a story about the band in… well… in their “own words”:
HOLLYWOOD’s recorded history begins sometime in or around 2007, spread out across several suburbs within the DC metro area. Three adult punk clowns find themselves moving back in with their parents and at a loss for fun. Queue novel idea: they start a band. It’s the first band on the block, and the only rock ‘n’ roll band in town. HOLLYWOOD practice in the basement, and nobody seems bothered. They record half a dozen songs and release two singles, “Girl?” on Big Neck Records and “Big Mouth” b/w “Human B.B.Q.” on Spin the Bottle Records. Nobody cares. They play some shows downtown but nobody goes.
They record another half dozen tracks that really capture their sound while conveying their tight budget and amateur fervor. Perfect. HOLLYWOOD’s lead guitarist gets fed up and drives cross-country to start a real band in a real music town. HOLLYWOOD’s recorded output is compiled as Hits! An All Time Low and released on LP/CD/MP3 by Big Neck Records. Nobody buys it. The band moves out of their folks’ homes and head to Baltimore. They expand HOLLYWOOD to a five-piece and get a reputation for a wild live show.
HOLLYWOOD | (Scary) Cemetary
HOLLYWOODs come and HOLLYWOODs go. They write a bunch of songs in another basement. It’s 2010, and HOLLYWOOD starts recording an album. They continue to go through a slew of members and play shows with bands they like listening to in their free time (The Spits, Davilla 666, Mean Jeans, The Shirks, Livefastdie, Nobunny, White Wires, and Reigning Sound to namedrop a few).
HOLLYWOOD | Hater (By Nature)
2011, Stunts is done. It’s been mixed and mastered by Jim Diamond at his Ghetto Blaster Detroit studio and ready to be brought to the world one record at a time, again compliments of Big Neck Records. It’s comprised of twelve tracks of the primitive rock ‘n’ roll, punk, garage, pop, and psychedelic sounds the band set out to bang out. HOLLYWOOD’s cast is solid, and they start writing for their next album. They tour. They record their side, “(I Prefer) Drugs,” for a split single with the Mean Jeans. A fall tour is booked. Another album is on the way. Now it’s high time for everyone to let HOLLYWOOD into their short, sweet lives.—Dr. Nicolai Stuntman
