All-Female Metal: The Violent Hour Talks Festivals, Friendship, and Their New Album

0:04 This is the Pipe Man here on the Adventures of Pipe Man W4CY radio and I'm here with. Carla, Jewel, Allie, Kiana, and Sasha from The Violent Hour. Yes, here at Rock, Lahoma, and you rocked this place. Yeah, oh, thank you. Yeah, it was our first festival show ever, so a bundle of nerves, of course, and then, of course, it was like 103 degrees when we played, so if anything, these girls got stamina.

0:45 I know, man. I was on stage for your set, and I was like, fuck, I don't want to be them right now. It's so hot, and You have so much energy. Like, it's like, I'm surprised you didn't die. Yeah, we tried not to die on stage. That was the main goal, just to get through and not die. But it's definitely hard to play. And I mean, vocally, it's hard. You know, it feels like you're breathing in fire. And I jump around a lot usually and do a lot of headbanging. And today I was like, just take it easy. You got to calm down a little bit. There's no way to sustain in this kind of heat and direct sunlight. But you know what? Like, I think that we all killed it. But, you know, this is our first festival show, and it's difficult. And, again, the endurance that these girls proved they have. Because, trust me, some people would go up there and pass out or just fucking quit.

1:37 And they didn't. Exactly. That is what happens, too. And I really like, too, that you knew that the audience was super hot, too. And you're like, normally I would do an all-girl pit, but... you know, this time we'll just let go. Do whatever. Yeah, I mean, look, if we're that hot up there, we know the audience is just as hot as we are. So the fact that they came out to support us, no matter what, in that heat is, like, awesome because they're... I don't know if I can go watch a show in this kind of heat. So, you know, and we're a new band. Starting over is hard. And it's just an honor that people showed up and came to see our set and suffered in that kind of climate because it's suffering.

2:24 Right. Especially like last night with Saturday night, everybody partying at the campground, super hot. And people showed up for you. That says a lot. Yeah, no, it means the world to us. So I hope next time we come through Oklahoma, you guys show up again. We appreciate you so much. So tell me a little bit about how this all formed here, how you guys all decided to get together and do this. Yeah, I always wanted to have an all-girl band. That was my dream. So with the Violent Hour, that was the goal, to find, you know, women that were shredders, that were incredible musicians. And also.... In for all the trials and tribulations of getting into a band.

3:10 It's hard work nowadays. I think it's harder than when I started. My last band almost 20 years ago now. It's a different climate. It's hard to make it. It's hard to get out there on the road. So I needed teammates. I needed people who were going to be as equally as excited as I was. I knew I didn't want it to be the Carla show. Um, that's never what it was going to be about. I wanted it to feel like a band. So finding that was really difficult. Um, and I searched the internet, you know, which is, uh, Oh, I guess that's how you do things nowadays, you know, search. And I found the, the perfect bandmates, um, Sasha and Kiana are sisters. So they've been playing music together forever.

3:54 They're in a, um, or they were in a Kiana still is. And if they were, it used to be in a Pantera tribute band together. Um, so of course, uh, how ironic, how ironic. Yeah. Uh, Jewel had a family band. Um, so she grew up playing and Allie's been playing forever too. She's in all kinds of bands around LA. Um, and, uh, yeah, I just wanted that enthusiasm and that want to like be in a band that wants to be out there on the road doing cool stuff. And I have to tell you, watching your set, I can tell that you guys have the chemistry and are working together just like you're saying. Even though how hard it was to perform in that heat, you guys were still really active and really gelling with each other.

4:42 Well, I think that all of us too today, it was hard for all of us. And I looked over and I knew that I couldn't quit because these girls weren't going to quit. So it just showed a lot. And I think that the first day that we actually met in person all together, it was for a photo shoot because we had to get photos and then we had a video shoot the next day. And I was really nervous that it wouldn't click in person because you never know. People can be great players, but they can be. kind of weird people or just, you just may not have the right dynamic. But we were able to laugh and have fun like immediately and I knew it was going to work. That's, see, that's key because if you're not having fun, how are we going to have fun? I think music's like a transfer of emotion.

5:26 100%. And today, again, that made it so much easier to do our set in this extreme heat because I could see the smiles and people singing along already, you know, to have People singing along to your songs and being a new band is such a great feeling. It blows your mind, right? That they even know the lyrics at this point. It's awesome. See, I love that. And I think it's so important to have fun when you're a musician. Because when it stops being fun, we can all tell. And it's no fun for anybody. Well, we're still having fun, right? Right? Okay. Yeah, I want to hear from all of you about how.

6:08 You came to this, and what your thoughts are on today, but also about getting all together for that first time and what the synergy was. Yeah, so Carla actually messaged me on Instagram, and at first I didn't. I didn't know if it was legitimately her. I was like, is this a real Carla? I saw it. I was like, oh, it is. So she was just asking, you know, if I was interested. And I told her I was. And she asked me if I could submit a, like, video of me playing. And I did the sick ones. And that was the one that featured the John 5 solo and stuff. So I submitted it to her and. we really took a liking to it.

6:48 So, um, we were pretty much had like a rehearsal and it was actually, uh, initially a different group of girls that we were kind of, I guess at the time trying out. And, um, we did the rehearsal, um, and I know Charlie was there and I guess they really liked my playing, but you know, they were like, do we know anybody else? And so I recommended my sister. And I was like, well, I do know a drummer. So that's how I got my sister in the band. Nice. And then from there, we were kind of going through people. And that's how we found Jewel and Allie. But when we first played, it clicked. It worked. We were able to learn the songs really fairly quick and got to play with each other. And it sounded good.

7:33 We were ready. And we already had the shows all set up for the first three shows we had. And we're like, OK, let's do this. So it went really well. Nice. Let's hear your thoughts. So how I got in the band was my sister went to that audition and she told me about it. So I was like, oh, you know, that's a great opportunity, you know. And originally there was supposed to be a different drummer at the audition, but she ended up not showing up. So Charlie went. So the next day after that audition, Kiana messaged me and was like, hey, So that drummer didn't show up and I recommended you. What would you like to do? And at the time I was kind of not really playing. I was on a hiatus from our other bands. And when I heard about it, I was like, well, I can't pass this opportunity up.

8:23 I have to do it. You know, if I don't, I will totally regret it. And so, yeah, so they gave me the songs on the first EP, all five songs. And I learned them in a week. And so that next weekend, I sent the videos in and submitted them. And so, yeah, I'm here now. So I got in. I love it. That's pretty much it. I love it. And now she's on the cover of Modern Jumper Magazine. True story. Yeah, this month's Modern Jumper Magazine. How did that happen? It just happened. She's great. There it is. That's all that matters, right? People want more Sasha. Well, I was last, this is Allie, by the way, I was last to, just in case, last to join the band.

9:08 Carly, you had everybody already set. And we had a mutual friend who sort of recommended me and I saw your post. And I don't think I ever told you this, but when you and I first started talking, I was on a plane to play at Sturge's. and I played Sturges for one day, flew back, and then I think I had four days to learn two songs, and I recorded that, and I sang some backup vocals, and then I was out of town again, so that was kind of cool timing-wise, but oh boy. Sorry she um no but she didn't just like send a tape in like an audition reel it was like mind-blowing it was like what she did differently was that she sang all of the perfect backups and that's a huge part of what we're doing so not only did she play the guitar phenomenally, but she sang the backups perfectly.

10:04 And I was like, that added a whole nother level. To what we could do live. And Jewel also sings now as well, backup. And again, if you've got people who can shred and sing backup, um, It's just, again, all the harmonies are live. It's awesome. Sounds amazing. And I agree, by the way, because I've heard bands that have a great singer, but the backup, not so much. And it changes the dynamic of the song. Hi. Hi. How are you? I'm good. I'm Jewel. I play bass. Nice. So tell us your story. Yeah. Well, majority of us are from Los Angeles. I know Carla lived in Los Angeles for a little bit at a time. But I'm born and raised from L.A. And I've actually, how I got into the band and the whole thing of it all, it's like I won the lottery once. Being here, honestly, and being with all of them and all these amazing opportunities and experiences. The sisters, Kiana and Sasha, they reach out to me. I've actually known them since we were all like literally 14, 15 years old. What Carla mentioned earlier, I've been in a family band with my dad and my sister for 16 years.

11:19 So growing up, my dad always was like, whatever opportunity, whatever gig we can take, even at a dive bar in downtown, let's do it. And a lot of our gigs throughout the teen years were a lot with other teen bands. And a lot of our shows, it was a lot of the same faces that we always ran into at these shows. Because, you know, LA, it's such a small world. And I've always stayed, I've played so many shows with them throughout the years. And I've always, like, How they are now is exactly how they were. When we were kids. And it's very rare to have people like that in your life. So true. Especially LA. And obviously change and growth is good, but they've always been just organically themselves and just super genuine, down to earth, super easy to work with souls.

12:08 And when they hit me up, I. Just knew I was like, oh man, I struck gold. And also it's always been my dream Being in an all-girl band. I mean, I played in my sister for so many years, but to feel like I'm in a band with all my sisters, it's freaking cool, dude. I wouldn't trade anything for the world for it. So that's kind of how I got lucky enough to even join it. See, I love that whole attitude, too. And even you, Carla, I've known you for many years, and this is like the happiest I've seen you at a festival or in music in general. Yeah. I'm, I'm having a great time. I love the album that we're about to put out. I love the music.

12:48 I love these girls. We just have a good time and it feels like brand new again. Um, after, you know, feeling like maybe I don't want to do this anymore for a long time. Like I feel like I'm just like a giddy kid again, playing music. So, um, the only thing that I would ask for different is a colder day. Right. No doubt. Me too. But no, it's, it's, it's awesome. It's a gift to have to be working with so many other talented women. So we're ready to take on the world. And I think you're going to for sure. Thank you. So tell me about the new album and tell everybody about, you know, your whole concept of it. So we've got a video coming out on this Tuesday.

13:31 We have another song coming out, I believe, October 2nd. And the full album comes. Out in January. And it's amazing. It runs the gamut of just like different kinds of music. We're exploring so much. Some of it's very Southern rock. Some of it is very metal, like Screenager we just released a few weeks ago. It's a balls to the wall, you know, metal song. But really, you know, as a kid, I had a lot of influences. And now that I. Have the freedom to explore all of them, I don't want to leave a stone unturned. So, like I said, it runs the gamut from alternative to traditional metal, to hard rock, to southern rock. And it's really exciting to see all those elements come in and still somehow feel cohesive and unique.

14:23 See, and I love that because I think all of us, especially if you're like into metal, people think, oh, they only like metal. We all had all these different influences. We all like different genres. Yeah. And I think nowadays a lot of bands, it's almost like they use this formula in metal and so it all sounds the same. Absolutely. So I love that bonding. It has the same exact sound and I didn't want to do that. It didn't, you know, that's not fun. No. To try and sound like everybody else. You know, I think people wanted me to come out of the gate doing my traditional growls and all that, but you guys know that I can do that. I've been doing that for 15 years. So for me, it's been really fun to sing and to try different things with my voice and have the freedom to do that for the first time in a long time.

15:14 I think the key to being an artist and enjoying being an artist is being able to experiment, to evolve, To be able to see what you can do, try different things, and that's what you're doing. Yeah. You know? And otherwise you get stuck and don't want to do it because it's not fun anymore. Exactly. You know? So what do you think is the best part of your whole band here? Yeah. I think the friendship is awesome. You know, the friendship is core. Uh, if you don't have that, it's really difficult to, I mean, being a musician is a hard life, you know, it's like long travel days. You're on tour, you're away from your, your significant others, your pets, your family. So if you don't have a core friendship, it's not going to work out, you know? Um, so I think that we have that, which is, which is awesome. And then, you know, being on stage every night is awesome. For me, the most amazing thing, I love being on stage. I love how I feel when I'm on stage. So, you know, those two things and that coupled with doing it with your friends.

16:23 It's just, it's awesome. Well, that's key too. Like, because when you're going on tour, you better like each other or else it's not going to be good, you know? And so it's key, just like with family, you drive each other crazy if you don't like each other. Sure. And everybody can have a bad day. You know, obviously some days are harder than others. And sometimes people are struggling with something from home. And that's, you know, but I think, you know, being at a core level friends, you see that and you understand that and you support each other and you give people their space when they need it and give them support when they need it. And, you know, go out and drink shots of Yaker with them when they need it.

17:03 There you go. So tell everybody how they can connect you on socials. Yeah. Get your merch because they can't listen to my show unless they buy merch. So we are at theviolenthour.com. We're on Instagram at theviolenthourband. We're on Facebook and TikTok. We're active on all social media. We are all reading your comments and your messages. So say hello. Give us a follow. And come see us play live when we're in your town. Absolutely. Now, TikTok. What's either your favorite TikTok you've done or your most embarrassing, cringy one that you've done? TikTok?

17:43 Gosh. So, I'll be honest. I'm not very TikTok-y yet. I'm trying to get there because I know it's important nowadays, the TikTok. But have we done any cringy TikToks yet? No. I don't know if it's considered a TikTok, but remember when we were in the studio recording for the album, like you and I, like for the rhythm section and we did like a voiceover of like the Kardashians and I. Was like, What was it? Sasha was like, look who's back. It's us. Whatever. I probably butchered it really bad right now. But it was like an audio from like the Kardashians episode. But we wanted to kind of just make, like not make fun, but just also be like, we're back.

18:29 We're back in the studio. Like stay tuned. Because while we're creating art and while we're doing, getting things done, we also want to kind of have fun with it. And we try to think all the time of creating content. Like yesterday we went to go take a photo of, what is it called? The The famous Oklahoma Blue Whale. Oh, okay, yeah. We're 66, so we have those photos to post. We're excited about it. Nice. Yeah, so we try to think of stuff like that all the time. You know, enjoy the moment while we're going around the country. You know? If we're going to put a message out there to a bunch of other bands, who would be your dream tour to tour with? Oh, my God.

19:09 And maybe you all have a different answer. Who wants to start? No, I need a moment to think. Anyone's anything? A dream band to tour with? Oh, my goodness. Anyone. We'll take any. I like that answer. Any band that wants to take us on tour, we're ready. We got our hobo sticks. We're ready to go. I like that answer totally. And I can't wait to see you when it's not a million degrees out. Yeah. You know? But it was amazing seeing you guys here. You guys rock. And I think you're going to be ending up doing all that. all the festivals and especially because you blend genres to me that's my thing nowadays is like the bands that blend genres are the ones that stand out because they're being real they're not just sticking to some formula.

20:04 And you're doing well thank you yeah You're welcome. Keep it up. And thank you for being on the Adventures of Pipe Man. Yeah, thanks. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipe Man on W4CY radio.