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METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hello Mike. So glad to be catching up with you. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us here at Metal Pulp And Paper. We appreciate it. So, how are you doing?
JESSE DeGROOT: Hey there, we’re doing great. Thanks for having us.
MPAP: Now give us a little run down about your band Beneath The Hollow and what we need to know, and especially tell us if you have any new music coming out soon.
JESSE: Sure, Beneath The Hollow is a four-piece metal outfit from Chicago. Heavy / Medlodic / experimental. Our newest single "Spellbound" was released on all major platforms 9/27.
MPAP: Very nice! Now we’re going to change up this interview and do something different. I’m going to pull some recent headlines from the Metal Injection website and get your reactions and comments on them. Here we go:
1. Celtic Frost Frontman Wishes Metallica Had Left 'Their Millionaire Fingers' Off His Song
MPAP: So, at a recent Metallica show in Switzerland, Kirk and Rob played one of Celtic Frost’s song "The Usurper" during a break in the show. According to Tom Warrior, vocalist for Celtic Frost, the two of them butchered it. He said, 'Maybe I should go onstage and do a really miserable version of [Metallica’s] "Hit the Lights" with, like, 200 mistakes to set the balance.' What do you think about this? If someone was going to cover one of your songs, do you think it should be done in good taste and without any mistakes, or it’s Metallica, and they can do whatever they want, it's no big deal?
JESSE: Personally, I’d be thrilled if someone of Metallica’s status butchered my song. That could have potentially exposed Celtic Frost to thousands of new ears. His reaction sounds like elitist bullshit to me.
2. A Fan Died In The Slipknot Mosh Pit This Weekend
MPAP: Very sad. So, apparently, a 62-year-old Slipknot fan died while in the mosh pit at a Chicago show. Corey Taylor had recently stopped a previous show because he saw the mosh pit was getting too violent. Accidents do happen, but do you think mosh pits at metal shows are becoming more dangerous?
JESSE: Matt (drums) and I were actually in attendance at that Knotfest date. From what we found out about it looks like the gentleman had a heart attack while moshing. It wasn’t a dangerous audience or trampling type situation. It’s an absolute bummer this guy died, but seems like he was having the time of his life when he went. I’ve seen Slayer shows at that same venue that we’re 10 times for violent than that Slipknot show.
3. Slayer Pulled As Primary Sponsor Of NASCAR Due To Complaints From Other Sponsors
MPAP: Really? C’mon., it’s just a band name. It’s not like Satan himself will be driving the car, right?
JESSE: Even if Satan himself sponsored a racer, if the driver was happy to be endorsed the sponsor it should be no ones business to comment on.
4. Maynard Got Death Threats Over How Long The Tool Album Took
MPAP: Talk about some diehard fans. I think that is going a bit too far, even if you’ve been waiting 13 years, right?
JESSE: I think that’s crazy.
5. Controversial Video Shows Rob Zombie Grabbing A Female Fan By The Hair After Being Gropep
MPAP: His shirt was pulled, but, nevertheless. I guess during a show Rob went out into the crowd, and an enthusastic fan reached out and pulled on his shirt. After this headline was posted, quite a few bands like Shinedown, All That Remains, and Bad Wolves defended Rob’s actions. What are your thoughts, do fans need to keep their hands to themselves?
JESSE: I didn’t hear anything about this. That’s tough to comment on without knowing all the facts.
6. Behemoth Frontman Confronted At YMCA For Wearing Darkthrone Shirt & Kicked Out Not Believing In Jesus
MPAP: It was just a shirt, and he was going there to workout. It wasn’t like he was going to sacrifice some virgins and spill blood everywhere. What do you think?
JESSE: You’ll see this as a reoccurring theme for me, people should be free to express themselves any way they see fit. Just so long as they are not impeding on the freedoms of anyone else.
7. Former Weedeater Drummer Arrested For Allegedly Spiking Wife’s Drink With Meth
MPAP: Umm, this doesn’t look like they have a very good marriage going on for this to have happened. Do you think they need some marriage counseling or what?
JESSE: Wow that’s wild. I’m sure that wasn’t the most functional relationship to begin with, haha.
8. Walmart Shoppers Call The Cops On Metal Band for… Sitting In A Van Parking Lot
MPAP: This happened right after the tragic Dayton, Ohio shooting where ten people were killed, including the shooter, and 27 others were injured. The gunman just happened to be a metalhead because he was wearing a The Acacia Strain hoodie. It’s good that people report things, but this could turn out that every traveling metal band that’s parked in a Walmart parking lot are going to get reported now. What do you think?
JESSE: I seen something about this one. Unfortunately, in today’s world everyone has to be extraordinary cautious in a place so basic as a grocery store. Really sad.
9. People Are Going Wild For This Rant Tommy Lee Shared Against Donald Trump
MPAP: The rant/tweet is quite a bit long, so I'm not going to torture you to read it, but I will say this: should musicians talk or write about politics? In a way, it’s like their forcing their beliefs down our throats. What are your thoughts?
JESSE: Personally, I don’t care to discuss politics or religion with anyone. Some people like to pick and choose what 'facts' they choose to believe now days. So, it makes an intelligent conversation increasingly difficult.
10. James Hetfield Calls Woman Who Used Metallica’s Music To Fend Off Cougar
MPAP: A young lady, was out walking her dog when off in the distance a cougar began to stalk her. She eventually played a Metallica song on her phone to scare it away, and it worked. She definitely had luck and the power of music on her side, right? What song of yours do you think would scare off a hungry cougar?
JESSE: That’s awesome. I’m sure I have plenty of Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal songs in my iTunes that could scare off dangerous wildlife.
11. While She Sleeps Release Free T-Shirt Design To Clue Fans Into How Much Streaming Doesn’t Pay
MPAP: This is what the design said: One T-shirt is the equivalent to 5000 streams on Spotify. 76% of all music is streamed and not bought physically or digitally. Band merchandise is the most direct way of supporting a band. Sadly, buying music isn’t the same anymore. Back in the day, it used to be fun to buy an actual album or CD, don’t you think?
JESSE: It’s the truth. I think it’s great. It’s important to support physical / merchandise for artist you like otherwise they will not be able to continue to create those songs you love.
12. David Hasselhoff Teams Up With Ministry Frontman For "Sweet Caroline" Cover
MPAP: All I can say is, this should be interesting. Hopefully, it’s not a train wreck for the Hoff. It's worth a listen to when it comes out though. What do you think of this collaboration?
JESSE: That should be interesting.
MPAP: What tv/movie actor would you like to cover a song with someday?
JESSE: I’d love to do a parody song with Adam Sandler.
MPAP: On behalf of Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Jesse, for taking the time to answer these headline questions. We look forward to what Beneath The Hollow does to finish out 2019 and beyond. Any last words for all your fans out there?
JESSE: Thanks so much for having us. This was one of the more interesting interviews I’ve done in some time.
Beneath The Hollow/ October 22nd, 2019/ Headlines #27