News | Veni Vici Records of Venice Beach, California
Veni Vici Artist Series Presents: |
Chris Hazzard |
|
No doubt about it, Chris Hazzard, frontman and guitarist of Ginger Merkin, is a true Venice original.
“I look like something the cat dragged in but I also play greasy, dirty country music. It’s important that I fit the role.” And fit the role does he ever. A man that screams raw authenticity, Hazzard is a musician reflective of the legendary Beach he inhabits. From the, I was born a fucking artist aesthetic, to the amazing collection of stage outfits, blown glass, and musical literature in his room, Hazzard has cultivated an image, lifestyle, and rock star identity that could have only evolved from a life spent around Venice Beach. Born in Los Angeles, Hazzard wanted to “be a rockstar as long as [he] can remember.” Beginning at the age of 4, Hazzard was introduced to Elton John by his sister in the form of simulated concerts at the house. This early influence, combined with exposure to Country music on one of only two radio stations available while growing up with his Godfather, helped begin to shape Hazzard’s journey as a musician and lead singer. The main groups Hazzard has been a part of seem, at first glance, to be a distance apart. Fun House, a group Hazzard was asked to join in 1986, is primarily a Hard Rock/Punk Rock band. “I love playing with them. It’s like driving a Ferrari. Nobody knows we’ve stayed together for 30 years.” Underneath the growl and power of that Italian sports car, you’ll get a sense of where Hazzard would go with his current band, Ginger Merkin. “I started doing country in 1997. We started shifting Fun House into more country and rockabilly.” To his own admission, many in Hazzad’s circle thought the newly found twang in his vocals may lead to career suicide. “They said stick to punk and metal.” But, like a true Venice artisan, Hazzard was on a quest to stay true to himself, letting the music blossom into something truly organic. I asked Hazzard to describe Merkin’s sound: “We’re a dirty lowdown-fucked up- country band. Our songs are aggressive and angry. We sound nothing like Hank III but we’re starting to step into that genre.” When I started wondering how a “country” band could create that sort of sonic experience, I went back to the beginnings of music in Venice. 
|
The community of artists and musicians make Venice Beach one of the hippest spots on the planet. To my surprise, the musical scene wasn’t always as prominent as I once imagined.
“When I first moved back to Venice in the 90s, there was absolutely no community music scene. Not a lot of live venues, pushing the scene. Around 2007, all of a sudden a scene started to emerge out of O’Brien’s Pub.” This is where Merkin first cut its teeth. “I picked up guitar as a challenge. At the same time, I picked up quite the drinking habit. It’s really a big part of Venice. When you’re playing in bar bands, it’s what people do.” At O’Brien’s, Merkin had a residence and would really discover its identity. “We were playing traditional rocking country. Outlaw country. Influenced largely by the Bakersfield scene. Guys like David Allan Coe. I realized if we added some southern rock, it might change the impact of the audience. By doubling the tempos and “adding a lot more power,” Hazzard realized the audience was growing. Listening to several of the tracks off his new album, “The Outlaw of Excess,” you can hear the pain, emotional resonance, drive, and complexity of a musician that cranked the engine into overdrive. One of his tracks, “Howl and Moan,” took 3 months of research on the Ford F100 to write. “I’m super lucky to have super talented non country guys playing with me. Constant response is that our music is very original.” The amazing result of that “original” music is an aggressive country outfit that’s drenched with rock and heavy metal. Hazzard undersells his talent and ability as a guitarist, but when watching him play, I immediately noticed a unique right hand approach that gives the music an incredible rhythmic clarity. He plays without a pick and uses “bounces” to embellish and create an undertone behind his other musicians. “I’m polite to people in this lifetime so maybe I’ll come back as an amazing guitarist.” Despite tragically losing O’Briens as a musical epicenter within the last 8 months, it’s awesome to know cats like Hazzard still make Venice what it is: a hub of culture, art, music, and cool. While the music is moving more and more towards DJ based performances, Hazzard says you can still see “real talent at open mike nights. Christina Vane is bringing Appalachian and Delta Blues. She’s a breath of fresh air here. It’s just sad that it’s not as common.” As Hazzard eloquently stated, “People wanna just step out their door and see music.” In Venice, there’s a saying: AWOL… Always West Of Lincoln. Here’s hoping musicians like Hazzard continue to keep the originality and authenticity by the Beach as long as possible. |
DAUGHTER,
Several months ago, I finally took the time to organize my old recordings. I have an acoustic series from post college, early eclectic electronic material from my early Venice Beach studio recordings, rap from the world’s most dysfunctional rap operation known as “Venice Vice”, and plenty of pop DrewSta music that has emerged as of late.
Based on a bit of research with several music folks, it was time to post the songs on soundcloud.com. So I finished some album cover art, mastered off some of the older material, and uploaded! With so many tracks posted, my first inspiration was to immediately internet dial my daughter Maxine and exclaim, “I have posted the music that created you!” To which she responded, “What? Why? Who cares?” I retorted “This is the music that I used to woo your mother into falling in love with me, which then resulted in your creation! It’s awesome, you have to check it out. I have to hear what you think of it!” Her response, “Papa, you are freaking me out, I can’t handle this.” And she immediately disconnected our Skype session. Indeed, she hung up on me. Fortunately, for her sake, I had experienced better success with her mother. So I called her back insisting that she take a listen and see what she thought. She resentfully agreed. Now that Maxine and her close friend are presenting a radio show on-air in Luxembourg, it seemed apropos to have Maxine review the music that created her (for good or for bad!). So I’ve collected the most poignant of the tracks and I’m presenting them to Maxine for review. May the youth critics forgive me for my transgressions… Thank you for taking a listen, let us know if you have any feedback! |
Lost In Paris
Alexandra was from Luxembourg, but the idea of a European dream song stuck. And I’d often tease with a Luxembourg girl lost in LA, but French girl in Paris seemed to be a better romance song. https://soundcloud.com/megadrewsta/04-lost-in-paris?in=megadrewsta/sets/drewsta-acousta Nothing As deep a song as I will probably ever write, and Alexandra’s passion for movies and drama played write into this type of melancholy pain. https://soundcloud.com/megadrewsta/01-nothing?in=megadrewsta/sets/drewsta-acousta Golden Ray of Sunshine A sweet melody and quite my mood during that time. Questions, charm, pretty words. https://soundcloud.com/megadrewsta/03-golden-ray-of-sunshine?in=megadrewsta/sets/drewsta-acousta Good 4 Me At the time, this would have been considered my theme song. Although the Birthday song about being naked and wearing my Birthday Suit was often more appreciated, this song has the flavor and the silly charm that I carry around to this day. https://soundcloud.com/megadrewsta/13-good-4-me?in=megadrewsta/sets/drewsta-acousta |
DrewSta
On his remarkable 2010 album, LunaTicky, DrewSta ditched his signature irony, break beats and jump cuts to vibe on the smooth singer-songwriter spice of his Venice Beach town. Since then, the album’s stature has only grown – even as DrewSta grown his guitar collection publicly with nothing left tucked away in a closet. He has finally everything back in place for The Pleasure, which features many of the same players and themes as LunaTicky. The result is a set that feels like an instant funk-rock classic.
click here for more 
|
Photo Fun with Veni Vici Records
|
