Hoods is a Sacramento hardcore band, repeatedly described by Submerge as a hometown institution and "Sacto hardcore legends."[1] Fronted by singer/guitarist Mikey Hood, the group is rooted in the Sacramento scene and dates back at least to the 1990s.[2] The band was founded in 1994 in Sacramento, California, by Mike "Mikey Hood" Mraz, who assembled the initial lineup with Logan Murray, Tony Goodloe, and Billy Gaffney.[3]
At a glance
- Sacramento hardcore band; called "Sacto hardcore legends" and a "Sacramento legend."[1][2]
- Founded in 1994 by Mike "Mikey Hood" Mraz.[3]
- Fronted by singer/guitarist Mikey Hood, who also founded the Sacramento label/venue Westcoast Worldwide.[2][4]
- Debut EP Once Again released in 1996.[3]
- Discography includes Once Again (1996), Time...The Destroyer (2001), The King Is Dead (2005, Eulogy Recordings), Ghetto Blaster (2007), Pit Beast (2009, I Scream Records), and Gato Negro (2014, Artery Recordings).[3][5][6]
- Music sits between hardcore and metal, edging toward street punk; associated with straight edge.[2]
Origin and local status
Submerge consistently frames Hoods as a Sacramento band. A 2014 feature calls the group a "Sacramento legend" and recalls seeing a Hoods show "back in the '90s," establishing both the band's local origin and its long tenure in the scene.[2] The magazine's 2014 year-end albums list flatly labels them "Sacto hardcore legends."[1] Frontman Mikey Hood's other ventures are all Sacramento-based — his former venue Westcoast Worldwide, his label, and his barbershop True Blue Barber and Shave Parlour at 1422 28th Street in Sacramento — further anchoring the band locally.[2]
According to Wikipedia, the band was formally established in 1994 in Sacramento, California.[3] In a 2014 interview Mikey Hood described the band's relationship with its home city, noting that locally "people in your hometown don't appreciate you as much as they do in other spots because they have the opportunity to see you," which led the band to play locally less often to rebuild its draw.[2] This is treated as a hometown band managing its local market, reinforcing the local classification.
Members and personnel
Singer/guitarist Mikey Hood is the band's identified frontman and the figure around whom most coverage centers.[2] The band was originally founded with Logan Murray, Tony Goodloe, and Billy Gaffney alongside Mraz.[3] Vocalist Twig (Twig the Exfoliator) is also connected to Hoods: in a 2011 interview about his other band Kill the Precedent, it is noted that Twig was "on tour with Hoods" in Europe.[7] The confirmed 2014 lineup consists of Mikey Hood (vocals), Jon Korn (guitar), Marty Cole (guitar), Bryan Ball (drums), and Twig (bass).[3]
Recordings and timeline
Across the corpus, Submerge references several Hoods releases.[2] The band's debut EP Once Again was released in 1996.[3] The full studio discography, as confirmed by Wikipedia, is:
- Once Again EP (1996)[3]
- Time...The Destroyer (2001)[3]
- The King Is Dead (2005, Eulogy Recordings)[3][5]
- Ghetto Blaster (2007)[3]
- Pit Beast (May 2009, I Scream Records)[3][6]
- Gato Negro (Nov. 25, 2014, Artery Recordings)[2][1]
Label history note: The Submerge corpus describes Pit Beast as a Victory Records release, but multiple independent sources confirm it was released on I Scream Records in May 2009.[6] Hoods were on Victory Records from 2001 to 2005, during which Time...The Destroyer appeared; they were then dropped by Victory after a dispute over royalties and management, subsequently signing with Eulogy Recordings in 2005 for The King Is Dead.[5] The band moved to I Scream Records for Pit Beast and Artery Recordings for Gato Negro.[6][2]
For Gato Negro, Mikey Hood said some songs dated back to the Pit Beast era, with material reworked over roughly two years alongside songs written quickly in the studio (including the title track).[2] Submerge characterized the album as teetering between metal and hardcore and landing near street punk, "even heavier than" Pit Beast and as brutal as the debut.[2] Gato Negro placed No. 2 on Submerge's Top 30 Albums of 2014.[1]
Label dispute with Victory Records
In February 2015, frontman Mike Mraz publicly challenged Victory Records owner Tony Brummel, demanding the return of the band's albums and claiming approximately $10,000 per quarter in unpaid royalties.[8] The dispute followed the band's earlier separation from Victory — they had been dropped after a disagreement over royalties and management around 2005.[5] Capital Chaos TV reported Mraz's direct challenge to Brummel and documented the ongoing royalties conflict.[8]
Touring and notable shows
By 2014 the band reported continued touring abroad rather than constant U.S. dates. Mikey Hood described a roughly month-long European run of "22 shows pretty much in 22 days" across Finland, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Poland, Austria and France, plus a flight to Philadelphia to play Tsunami Fest on a bill with Cro-Mags, Sick of It All, Obituary and All Out War.[2]
He also recounted the "Street Brutality Tour" — Hoods with Shattered Realm and Donnybrook — spanning Los Angeles, Sacramento, New Jersey and New York. He described it as a tense, troubled tour, recalling that a person was killed during the band's set at Skrappy's in Tucson, Arizona, an event he tied (timing-wise) to the period when Dimebag Darrell was shot onstage.[2]
A Gato Negro release show was scheduled for Nov. 30, 2014 at Blue Lamp in Sacramento.[2] Hoods also appeared on local bills, including Havenside's Nemesis CD release show at The Boardwalk in Orangevale on April 27, 2012 (with Hammerfist, Maya Over Eyes and Your Own Destroyer).[9]
Scene relationships
Hoods sits at the center of a web of Sacramento hardcore connections:
- Mikey Hood / Westcoast Worldwide: Hood founded the Sacramento label/venue Westcoast Worldwide and is described as a scene "veteran." Havenside, on the Sacramento-based hardcore metal label Westcoast Worldwide Records, credited "label founder" Mikey Hood with mentoring and pushing the band.[9][2] As of 2014 Hood said he hoped to open a new venue/rehearsal-studio collective.[2]
- Kill the Precedent / Twig: Twig the Exfoliator toured Europe with Hoods and is a vocalist in Kill the Precedent.[7]
- Our Hometown Disaster: Hoods is listed among the prior Sacramento bands whose members went on to form Our Hometown Disaster, alongside groups such as Losing All Pride, Drowning Adam, A Borrowed Life, The Revelry, Five Victims Four Graves and Vomit.[10]
- Personal: A 2011 Blue Lamp benefit show raised funds for Alicea Peet, identified as the partner of "Mikey Hood from the band HOODS," after she suffered kidney failure; bills featured Kill the Precedent, Black Mackerel, City of Vain and Murderlicious.[4]
Style and identity
Submerge frames Hoods as an enduringly aggressive, "scary" hardcore band, contrasting the violence of its 1990s shows with a perceived softening of the broader hardcore scene over time.[2] The band is associated with straight edge — Mikey Hood references his "straight edge tattoos" and credits the lifestyle with keeping him "out of jail," even as he discussed years of marijuana use by 2014.[2] Musically the band is repeatedly placed at the hardcore/metal boundary with street-punk leanings.[2][1]