Hotline to the Underground by Joe Viglione interview with Jesse Braintree
Medford News Weekly
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Jesse and the Hogg Brothers
Appearing in the 2020 Attack of the Killer Chickens https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8830290/
We are talking to Jesse Braintree of the group Jesse and the Hogg Brothers about the upcoming year in Hoggville.
Q:Jesse, the Herman's Hermits have fanatical fans that
Peter Noone, lead singer, calls "Noonatics" - a sly nod to Reverend Sun
Myung Moon and his lunatics. What is the I.Q. of the average
Hoggaholic and what makes a Hoggaholic?
A: I guess any performer could claim how smart their fan
base is but who can prove it is another thing. I contend our fans love
to laugh and have fun how that equates to IQ I leave that to others to
debate or decide. Hoggaholic is a term reserved for fans that just can't
get enough of our performances and our music.
Q:You have a new vinyl album...what's the title and why vinyl?
A: It's called GET HAMMERED and yes it is a vinyl release
and actually our 1st time on vinyl. The title is a a bit of a play on
words as you know getting hammered is a way to say getting really drunk
and we have cousin Kenny Hogg on the back cover polishing off a pitcher
of beer However the album title is based on the opening song on each
side of the LP. The Hammer and The Texas Hammer which are songs about
lawyers who call themselves The Hammer and of course The Texas Hammer.
Q:Where did you record the album?
A:We
recorded most of the album in Cambridge MA at The Bridge Sound And
Stage but we did record parts of it at Dimension in Jamaica Plain and in
Texas at Kenny Hogg's recording studio. The mixing and mastering done
by the incredible Alex Allinson at The Bridge. We began some of the
recordings in 2014 and over 21 band/family members contributing as well
as multiple guest performers.
Q:What is the group planning during the pandemic? A virtual tour or live dates in 2021?
A: We are performing where we can live and just did a
Christmas Online performance in December. It is NOT up to the band it is
up to people in positions of power that decide if there will ever be
live music with so many venues closed permanently. The band is
APOLITICAL so I find even answering this question uncomfortable as many
read politics into everything. Our goal is to perform and we hope we
will be allowed to tour in 2021 but if we can't we will do virtual
shows.
Q:You have band members stashed around the U.S.A. from
Boston to Vegas to the mid-west. Do people send in an application form
to join or do they have to be a relative of yours?
A: Non relatives can marry into the family as done by
Jolene Hogg who played fiddle on the album and many a live show before
her untimely death in 2019. We miss you and know you are in heaven
looking down on us with as much love.
Q: When Jay Black of Jay and the Americans lost the band
name, the original bandmembers got it at auction. They may have found
the new "Jay" (#3 or #4) ...who is phenomenal...off of a YouTube video.
YouTube as an audition tape. Can you find lost Hogg Bros family members
on YouTube and have them on standby to join the group?
A: Kenny and Neil Hogg have a YouTube channel and who
knows perhaps others will follow. Kenny recently joined us for the 2020
Christmas Special online.
Q:How many copies of the CD have been pressed and how
many vinyl albums? Do fans buy autographed copies online since we are
in lockdown?
A: The new album is Vinyl or digital and we limited the
pressing to 1000 copies a CD of Get Hammered is probably going to happen
once we can tour to support it. So stay tuned on that.
Q: There was talk of a Jesse and the Hogg Brothers TV
show. I still think this is a great idea. What does Kitty and the
bandmates think about it and...what do YOU think about the idea?
A:This
is in the works however there is some debate on the format of the show
that needs to be resolved before we start putting it out in the summer
of 2021.
Q:Anything else you'd like to tell our readers at the Somerville News Weekly, Medford News Weekly and Club Bohemia news sites?
A: We have recorded our 1st release in Spanish so look
for that upcoming release later this year as well as a bunch of new
videos a new live CD and lots more.
No relation to the 2015 film
ATTACK OF THE KILLER CHICKENS
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