Published: August 23, 2007 4:48 AM EST
By: Isaac Joseph Davis Junior (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight: Hooked
West Springfield, Massachusetts
Watch out for this next act because if one is not careful he or she could get “Hooked” to their music. But, that is not a bad thing because the group, Hooked, makes really good music that reflects the talent and strength of the band itself. What makes them stand out is that they are bringing us some good old rock and roll; something missing in the music industry today. I was able to communicate with John Sulikowski (Drums) of the group who took the time to answer some Q & A for Music Now.
Joe Ventura - Vocals/Guitar
John Sulikowski - Drums
Angelo Mazza - Guitar
Marc Deschaine - Bass
Q. What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?
A. We are having a great time with the writing process at the moment. The exciting part of it is that the songs are coming so natural. Some bands work on songs for so long and still end up not happy with the finished product. The greatest feeling in the world is writing a song, playing it live, and having all the faces in the crowd singing it with you while you’re on stage. That is the most exciting and rewarding part of making music.
Q. What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?
A. Not getting it out for people to hear. It is such a hard and competitive business. We have been shipping our new CD all over the country as well as out of the country but without exposure and distribution, there are just too many people that know nothing about us and that is very frustrating.
Q. What are you up to right now, music-wise? (Current or upcoming
recordings, tours, extravaganzas, experiments, top-secret projects,
etc).
A. We released our debut CD “Play What You Feel” on June 21, 2007. We are currently filling a schedule for live performances for the rest of 2007. Our intentions are to put out the second album summer of 2008 as we are writing and performing that material along with the 10 songs on Play What You Feel now.
Q. What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a
recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the
show/recording?
A. About 16 years ago we played a 4th of July party in the middle of nowhere surrounded by woods. There was nobody there for half the day and right before we went on stage, all you could see was heads as far back as the lawn went. It was unusual due to the fact that you needed a lot of help just to find this place never mind expect to see a rock show out there in the middle of absolutely no where. But we went on and seen all those people that came out to never never land, it completely pumped us up to put on one of our best shows ever.
Q. In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have
lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?
Q. When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about
it?
A. We are near the Boston area; but, I really don’t think it has any bearing on what we have written. We all have that love for 80’s hair metal and you can hear the influence on our debut album. We just finished up a new song called Lost in Love that will show the powerful side of Hooked. It is lyrically one of Joe’s best songs to date and you can really feel the maturity of the band come out in this song. Angelo has put together some amazing riffs that enhance such a great piece of music. We really look forward to recording this track soon.
Q. As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less
interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other
people...and why do you think that is?
A. The more we write, the less we listen to other peoples. We have so much material to review and work on that it is hard to fit other stuff in. I mean don’t get me wrong, we do listen to other stuff but not as much when we are in this writing frenzy that we have been in for the past year.
Q. Lately, what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn
to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from
yours?)
A. As I said, we are all still drawn to the 80’s hair metal and rock bands of that era. It is much like the sound we have. So many people have said we are a cross of Bon Jovi meets Guns N Roses. Another analogy has been we have an 80’s sound with today’s attitude in the music.
Q. Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and
think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time
favorite recordings by this band/musician?
A. There was a band a few years back that a friend of ours, Tony Fennel, was in called LUXX. Unfortunately, they have disbanded but their sound has always been a favorite of mine personally and I wish the world had more of a chance to experience their music. It was and still is fantastic stuff!!
Q. What's the saddest song you've ever heard?
A. Joe wrote a song a few years ago and out it on his solo CD. We are currently rewriting it as a band and it is called “Always”. The lyrics just remind me about being on the road and missing my wife and kids. It is a great song, but it makes you wonder sometimes how you can be without the ones you love the most for long periods of time.
Special Thanks to John Sulikowski (drummer) for setting up this Interview with the band, Hooked.
Hooked: Thanks for your time.
Music Now: Thank you!
Photo used in this story was provided by John Sulikowski (drummer).
Junior's Cave Online Magazine/JC Internet Radio Staff Team,
