Metal Sludge The Power and the Glory
10 Questions with Hollywood’s Stolen Hearts!
Dude! Anyone wanna read a fucking book? Didn’t think so. But Stolen Hearts a hard rock sleaze glam band from Hollywood California obviously thought so.
We told them keep it short, but they didn’t. Oh well it’s all about the rock n’ roll, so read on as far as you like. And if you dig Stolen Hearts – go check them out.
1. Who are the Stolen Hearts, who’s in the band, when/where did you form, what are the short and long term goals of the band?
Stolen Hearts are a new breed of traditional straight ahead Rock n’ Roll from Hollywood, CA. We’re an un-pretentious, genuine and honest band that proudly embraces everything American Rock n’ Roll stands for. Stolen Hearts feed the hunger in the LA music scene that desperately seeks a hometown hero everyone can rally behind and proudly call “their” band.
Stolen Hearts are:
Ashley Purdy – Lead Vocals
Josh Korry – Lead Guitar
Law – Rhythm Guitar
Tristan Trouble – Bass
NJ – Drums
We all came together in July of 07’ in Hollywood, CA. Specifically in a downtown, LA rehearsal studio amidst the hookers and bums. Literally having to cross police “do not cross” crime scene tape to get to our studio to rehearse at times from people being killed out in the streets.
We’re currently booking a lot of shows that are coming our way through word of mouth and keeping our stage performance tight. We’re also in the recording studio putting down more tracks as funds allow. Long term, obviously seeking representation on all levels to get to the next level.
2. What’s different about the music scene in Hollywood then 3-4 years ago? Has it changed, for better or worse?
A few years back there was definitely a lack of young rock musicians in this town, at least ones with talent, showmanship and image, thus a lack of good bands. Wasn’t until this past year that you see a lot of new / young kids out on the scene and new rock / glam bands popping up here n’ there. Definitely this is for the better, as years past it was very cut throat and not a lot of support from the scene or fellow musicians. Tides have changed though and you see / feel the hunger that been missing for soo long in the sense of Rock n’ Roll as we know and like it. But everything goes in cycles, so a lot of up n’ coming bands and musicians locally in Hollywood are supporting each other now to help build the scene and put Hollywood Rock n’ Roll back on the maps. All these bands have been booking with each other on the same bills as well for a greater draw.
Stolen Hearts = LA Guns meets the other LA Guns.
3. Some of you guys did the cover scene for a while in various bands, and had other projects. What bands did you guys play in before, and what have you done that the fans need to know about?
Yeah, members of Stolen Hearts come from Motley Crue and Guns n’ Roses Tributes. Ashley Purdy was in an original Glam project called Orgasm and then was in Children Of The Beast (Crue Tribute) which headlined Metal Sludge Extravaganza XI. Josh Korry and Tristan Trouble were in Hollywood Roses (GN’R Tribute). The tribute thing came about from Question #2. Because of the lack of musicians and trying to put together original projects to no avail, it seemed like an easy progression to still be able to play out live and get paid, while still keeping an eye out for players for an original project when and if they came around. At first I was against the whole cover/tribute thing until I found out how much money could be made and how well you were treated by the venues in comparison to a startup original project. So through the Tributes we got to know promoters and venues well that we prolly’ wouldn’t have otherwise.
4. What hard rock/heavy metal band should be dropped so you guys can take their place?
Don’t know about taking anyone’s place as there’s enough room for everyone, however, don’t know how a lot of bands get the exposure and popularity they do in any genre with either lack of musicianship, song-writing and/or image. Just let the Talent do the talking, that says enough, the fans know what’s good and what’s not regardless of what is out there in pop culture. Just give us a shot and we’ll show you what we can do.
5. Name 3 good things about living in Hollywood and name 3 bad things?
Good things: Center of entertainment capital, everything’s at your disposal. Can’t beat the climate and weather year round. And has the most beautiful girls in the world, hello?!
Bad things: Jaded, self interested people. It’s a machine and can eat you up and spit you out, so a lot of young aspiring models and actress’s become strippers and/or work in porn, god bless em’! So is that a good thing then? A lot of temptation all around, so can easily be misled. DANGER… this is Hollywood!
What do you get when you mix bubble gum, a 20 oz. bottle of Squirt, 5 pair of cowboy boots and an empty alley? Duh! Stolen Hearts photo shoot.
6. How have the following helped or hurt Stolen Hearts…
Guitar Center = The Hook up, saves us thousands w/ buds working there. Shit we need a G.C. endorsement.
MySpace = One of the greatest mediums invented for promoting your Art. You can reach hundreds of thousands around the world in minimal time. Shit, we only put up our page in August of 2007, so everything we’ve accomplished thus far w/ hits, plays, friend requests, etc. has all been done since that time.
Sunset Strip = Good and bad; its hard and competitive and the audience is fickle and is more interested in looking cool and seein’ who else is out, rather than actually supporting the band, so you really have to have your shit together to make it. If you can make the circuit here, you can make it anywhere. Definitely prepares you for the tough industry.
Jobs = These next two will go together a bit. Dude, I used to drive escorts when I had my first original band here. So not only doing the stereotypical cliché thing of living off strippers while in a band, but literally they were paying me cash and supporting me. I would even drive some pretty famous named Rockers wives or girlfriends. And know of some of these guys driving their girls themselves at times. Some of those girls are married to named Rocker guys today. And the other stupid musician jobs, like telemarketing. Man, I had telemarketing gigs where they would pay you $5 bucks just to show up for the day in cash at the end of your shift, and this is where I sold toner supplies with Paul Black from LA Guns. And also was at a telemarketing place selling military shit with O’Dean, Motley Crue’s singer before Vince.
Strippers = What would we do without em’..?!
This is your best photo so far guys. Tell her to call us we need an intern.
7. If you could tour with any 3 bands from the 80s, who would it be and why?
Original Crue, Guns n’ Roses and Skid Row. Just the heaviest and most attitude from that era’ that we relate to most and I think if you like any of those bands you’d dig Stolen Hearts.
8. Out of all the national acts you guys have opened for, which one was the coolest, and which one was the biggest bunch of dipshits you’ve ever met?
Well, this is a misnomer we frequently get. Because a lot of fans/people think we’ve been around longer than we have and I can only gauge their assumption by the effort and time we’ve put into our songs and over-all package. It’s quite flattering, because we’ve only been together a year in which we started the writing process from scratch. We’ve only been playing out since March of 08’, to which 03/21/08 was our first official show opening for Vains of Jenna in Riverside, CA. So we don’t have too much of a barometer to go by thus far, check back with us in a year.
9. What is the largest and smallest crowd you’ve ever performed in front of?
Haa… does this include the bartenders and waitress’s ?? Yeah, we would play un-announced shows outside of the LA area first to get tight live before we made an official debut and played locally. So the attendance was minimal. And on the other spectrum, again we’re just now starting to make waves and get momentum, so check back with us in a year as we’ll have more to report.
Stolen Hearts don’t drink and drive ad campaign.
10. Metal Sludge word association with old skool & new skool bands 1-10. You rate them and tell us why.
Aerosmith = 10 – Pioneers of American Rock n’ Roll
My Chemical Romance = 5 – what genre are they? Rock/Pop/Punk/Indy/Emo? Not yet the balls for today’s Rock we’re looking for.
Warrant = 8 in the day – I have a Cherry Pie platinum record award… haa…
Avenged Sevenfold = 7 – gettin’ there on the balls part but still wouldn’t say carrying the torch. Tristan loves em’.
LA Guns = 10 – Street, another Stolen Hearts influence besides GN’R & Crue.
Vains of Jenna = 9 – Buds, Rock n’ Roll imports, give em’ 1 to grow on.
Poison = 9 – I grew up in Missouri as a kid watchin’ “Mama’s Fallin’ Angel”, thinkin’, that must be what it’s like in Hollywood! And then way later at the Bow having CC tell me how pretty of a guy I was, and me thinkin’, “has this guy forgot what the hell he looked like then?” and telling him, he’s one of the reasons I look the way I do in the Glam sense.
BuckCherry = 8 – Straight ahead and keepin’ it alive and dirty.
Motley Crue = 10 – biggest influence, one of the greatest of all time.
Snakes of Eden = 4 – Triplets, work in progress, they got a new guitarist who’s helpin’ em’ work it out.
11. Bonus Round: Talk shit at anyones expense, get shit off your chest, who needs to be verbally abused and why? (band, club, person, etc..)
Eh’ we don’t have any shit to talk; we’re too busy making music to worry about what anyone else is doing.
But on that note, it is ridiculously annoying of those who do talk shit and don’t back it up; cuz’ there are those musicians around town who are in unknown bands or trying to start ones but have big ego’s already and some don’t even have full bands together and think they are the greatest. So to them, “quit talking about it, and be about it…!!” Stolen Hearts let our talent and music do the talking… check us out…!!
Http://www.myspace.com/stolenheartsmusic
Good job guys, keep the flag waving Weezer still sucks.
Metal Sludge
Stolen Sludge
