NIGHTMARE TOYS

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

HUDU AKIL INTERVIEW


1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

We started this band back in East TX, and we were originally called Zac the Zombie. I moved to Arizona in 2016, and we had just finished our album back in TX. So, I had this album all packaged up and ready to go under the name Zac the Zombie, and it just wasn’t turning any heads. It took me a while, but I found Angel, our drummer, and then we changed the band name to Hudu Akil. It felt like a fresh start, and we had this really solid EP, so we wanted to play some shows. We couldn’t find anyone else that fit our style out here in Yuma, so I called my original bandmates, Justin Parker (lead guitarist) and /trent Reed (Bassist) back in TX to see if they wanted to do a run of shows with the old songs, and we’ve been touring back and forth since then!

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

We actually got our name from a neuroscientist name Huda Akil. She did some lead research on depression and anxiety, and I think she had a big part in figuring out endorphins. They were talking about her on Joe Rogan’s podcast, and we thought they were saying “Who do I Kill?” After I figured out what they were talking about, I thought it would make a cool band name so we took her name!

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

Half of us live in east TX, while Angel and I are now living in Yuma. We say we’re based in Phoenix. There are great scenes in all 3 places! Texarakana, TX has always been a haven for metal and southern rock stuff, but lately we’ve seen some psych bands and punk bands, we know and love all those guys jamming over there. Same with Yuma, but it’s mostly Punk Rock and some Metal with a few desert rock bands that I really enjoy! Phoenix has got all kinds of stuff going on musically, but there is a thriving stoner-scene for sure!

4. How would you describe your style?

We say Stoner Rock, but that can cover a wide range of musical style, and it’s basically an umbrella term for good, hard rock and roll, and that’s what we play! We call it Stoner Rock/Heavy Blues/Desert Punk with a Texas Twang. I think if you listen to the EP, you’ll know exactly what we mean!

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

We’ve got a self-titled EP that was ‘officially’ released last September. Earlier this year, we re-released ‘Three Finger Lid’ which is a three-song EP of the very first tunes we wrote as a band. It’s a little different, but I think it still sounds like us.

6. Do you have any new music in the works?

We’re actually finished writing our new album! 10 tracks! We’re going to record when we get home from tour. We’ve been playing some of the new stuff live, some people have heard it. We’ve gotten a great response so far!

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

We’ve got a good-sized tour coming right around the corner. Until now, we’ve only gone out for 3 or 4 days at a time. Now, we’ve got a 22-date run across the southwest, going as far east as New Orleans and back. It’s the biggest tour we’ve done so far. We’re al very excited! It’s called “Indian Summer Tour,” and it kicks off May 30th at Slab City, CA, which is a free show so anyone who wants to come out is more than welcome! The last official day of the tour is in Tijuana, Mexico on July 5th, and then we’ve got one last show with Duel just 2 days later in Phoenix. After that, we start recording!

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

We plan to keep playing shows and writing new music. We want each new record to be better than the last. We want to go on a few tours a year and try to release something every year or two. Music is our life and we damn sure don’t want to go back to our 9-5’s. Just want to get our music to as many people who want to hear it as possible, continue to work at it, and see where it goes. If that entails hooking up with a label in the near future to help expand our horizons, then that would be wonderful! As far as a timeframe, we plan to be playing some festivals next year, and hopefully get our foot in the door to play even more festivals in 2020. A lot of people say bands are in too big a rush to get to Europe, but we’d love to do that as well!

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

The best way to support us directly is through our website, www.huduakil.com, or our bandcamp page, but we are on nearly every music streaming service: Apple Music, Amazon, Google, Spotify, etc. Our website is a one-stop shop that we keep updated with fresh merch!

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

Well for us to be doing what were doing is basically living the dream, and we are very grateful for anyone who comes to support us! As far as first impressions go, you know, we’re a new band that not a lot of people have heard yet and we don’t have a ton of recorded material, but we’re working on that! We’re not gonna try to put out some mediocre record. We’re gonna keep getting it on, pushing the boundaries of our own musical abilities, and continue to evolve as a band. I guess one thing I would have them take away from our show at this point is that “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

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