About Me
This is the ONLY offical Holy Terror myspace page....Run by Sir Loco & Kurt !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The band was formed (created) by Kurt. What year? I have no idea. But in August of 1985, he hooked up with ex-Dark Angel drummer Jack Schwartz (boy are there stories to tell about Jack.) Anyway, I knew Jack since I was about 12 years old. He eventually asked me to jam with him, Kurt and Floyd. Kurt initially wanted Juan Garcia from Agent Steel. I don't remember what was up with Juan. I think he didn't want to leave Agent Steel at the time. I jammed with the three of them and the next thing I knew, I was part of the band. It definitely wasn't my musicianship at the time. I think it was more of the enthusiasm I brought. Kurt and Floyd had been playing a while longer than me and they were truly better musicians then me back then. The four of us jammed for several months and from my opinion, Kurt knew exactly what he wanted to do. At the time I was more along for the ride. Keith was found through an add in a local paper called The Recycler. I remember Keith showing up on his bike with a trench coat on. He must have ridden 10-15 miles to get there. He was an immediate fit. The demo was recorded in March of '89. I almost quit the band then because Kurt recorded over my solos. It was hard for me to admit that my solos back then really sucked! Jack was replaced a few months later by Joe.
Kurt........................................................
................................................OK here goes,,after a giant day of
fighting at a show in San Pedro that ends with me
getting punched out by the security fucks at a place
called the dancing waters ,,,Abbatoir also played ,,,I
quit Agent Steel ,,and started looking to put together
my own band I already had an idea for a band called
Holy Terror which is a slang term for a problem child
,,,I also liked the religious overtones ,,, so I get
Jack Schwartz`s .. from some one I can`t remember ,,He
had just been kicked out of Dark Angel ,,,,at the time
my friend from Seattle Floyd Flanary was playing with
Thrust ,a band from chicago who re-located to LA ,,,I
called him about jamming ,, also Jack had a friend
Mike Alvord ,,who used to be in a band called Black
Rose or something like that who had been on Metal
Massacre 1,,,,, I had most of the material already
written for what would eventually became Terror and
Submission ,,we played as a four piece and then
realized if we wanted to do this right we should try
and get a singer ,,so we ran an ad in The Recycler and
after quite a few tries ran into Keith Deen ,,I
actually had to go to his house and convince him to
play with us ,,he was more of a Bon Scott,,Roger
Daltry type guy ,,,so we go to my buddies little
crummy 16 track studio and cut the only songs we had
down,,and promptly sent this thing out all over the
place ,,lots of magazines and labels ,,fanzines etc.
To my suprise the magazines started putting our
picture and reviews of the demo in ,,I personally
always hated that demo but for some reason it got a
certain amount of action ,,,A little while later we
started getting fan mail and amongst the letters lo
and behold was a letter from Mark Palmer from Music
for Nations UK asking us if we wanted a record deal.
The first thing Jack does is get on the phone and
strike a deal without talking to anybody and we
receive a couple of contracts with Jack's name on them
,,now we were already getting real fed up with Jack in
general ,,but this was the last straw ,,so I kicked him
out of the band but he won`t leave which leads up to
me socking him in the nose ,,something I regret but
can`t change ,,,so we try out some different drummers
one of which is Jordon Lieberman who now plays with
Strung Out a Fat Wreckchords band ,,we didn`t find anyone
so we run an ad in the Music Connection ,,,Joe
Mitchell is one of the guys who answers I play him
Slayer - Hell Awaits and tell him about speed metal. I`m
not really sold but our singer Keith likes him
,,,[good choice Keith]. We were already booked for
studio time and six weeks after Joe joins we go in and
begin work on Terror and Submission ,[this was not the
original title I wanted to call it Holy Terror but the
label guys wanted a title other than that ,,,
From the beginning, we realized we weren`t working
with people who knew what Speed Metal was and had a
very difficult time getting it to sound like we wanted
it ,,,this pretty much brings us from the inception of
the band in summer 85 to fall 86 ,,
So we practice away in our little rehearsal studio
and start working on new material we played a few
shows but LA was difficult at that time to get gigs as
a speed band ,,,,,,,,,over the summer we get a manager
and start talking to MFN about going to Europe to tour
because of the fact that MFN was an English label all
the records in the states were import only ,,,so we
talk to Road Racer Records and they want the next album
for the US but we make them take the first one
also,,,, the deal with Road Racer is for 5 records
,,Starting after the 2nd one they would have us world
wide,,,,in the fall of 87 we go on tour with DRI in
euro ,,armed only with a little VW van and borrowing
backline from DRI we make every show and things went
really great ,,,,they`re one of my fave bands and
really cool guys ,,,,when we get home we get ready to
release the Terror and Submission in the states and
get Casey McMackin to re-mix it ,,it sounds more like
we wanted it but was inherently fucked because of the
way it was recorded,,,,we were getting closer
The idea was to make an epic metal record so with
all the improvements and a bunch of new songs we went
into a better studio again with Casey ,,whom we`d had
a chance to work with on the remix,,,,we tracked at
The Music Grinder in LA a very expensive [for us
anyway] automated studio and then continued tracking
at Track Records ..
by this time because of the need to work super long
days and partying alot both speed and heroin started
to rear their nasty heads ,,,along with weed, alcohol
and just about any other things we could get our grubby
little hands on ,,,,we edited at West Beach Recorders
,Bad Religions studio and then took it back to The
Music Grinder to mix ,,,
the mix down was a long hard process that started
costing more than we could afford so to make up for it
the rates went down after 10 hours so we would work
18-20 hour days ,,by now the speed was every where all
the time ,,,,,,,,,,I think we finished what was to
become Mind Wars in something like 17 days ,,we never
used any digital devices on it all the echoes and
reverb was tape delay or analog. We really wanted to
get the old 70`s type metal sound to it ,, this didn't
go over very well with the label, they wanted what every
one else was doing ,,,hard panned right and left
brittle processed guitars ,,no bass and really loud
drums.
My attitude was fuck em, we`re doing this for a
reason leave us alone ,,,this was the beginning of a
bitter disagreement between myself the band and RR records,
in fact if you look on the back of Mind Wars there is
a bunch of letters all strung together
this was an abreviation for NO THANKS TO ROADRACER
RECORDS followed by the first initial of every one who
worked there kind of a punk thing to do but that`s how
we felt ,,,,,,during the summer of 88 we went on tour
thru America with DRI and Kreator ,,,by this time I
was a full blown drug addict in fact I was having shit
Fed Xed to me out on the road things were bad for me
but I was having fun,,,,,,,,anyway we came home and
bought a bus so we didn`t have to rent a vehicle and
headed out on the road again ,,, well. the bus blew
out the tranny south of San Fran and we towed it to
get fixed ,,,not having the $$ to have the shop fix it
we sent the band plus one roady to play a couple of
shows while me and Robert stayed behind to try and fix
the bus ,,,,,,,,,,,,,this was an ill fated decision
we got the bus fixed almost aweek later ,,we had
to change the tranny twice! this thing weighed 900
pounds ,,,,it was a real 40 foot bus ,,,,FUCK!!! by
then they were in Arizona or New Mex or something so
we headed out and tryed to catch them ,,,getting as
far as barstow the oil cover for the steering came
loose ,,,,stopped, fixed it, headed out again and got to
some miserable place and the power steering drive
sheared off FUCK!!!,,,,by now they were in Kansas
FUCK!!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but wait it gets worse
,,,,,,,,,,so we head for home and as we come to the
Grapevine which is like a pass coming into LA the
throttle is stuck wide open we shut it off and dick
around with it it turns out to be a stuck injector
but we didn`t know that at the time ,,,not being able
to fix it we drive up and over the pass with the
throttle stuck. So we come to the top of
the pass and start heading down we did almost 70 on
the way up and we were flying on the way down at one
point I looked at terrified Robert and yelled we`re
all gonna die !!!!!! I really think he believed me
,,,,about half way down there were no more brakes so
we came grinding to a halt in a cloud of smoke with
all the air brakes on emergency lock-up,,,,,we got a
ride back home waited for a while then went back to
retrieve the bus ,,,air brakes wont unlock until they
cool down ,,,by now the band is in New York or some
thing I get so mad I kick out the bus door window ,,it
was like Kung Fu or something ,,,,,,,,,so the band
comes back from the mini tour that they did without me
and we get a few dream shows. WE GET TO OPEN FOR
FUCKING MOTORHEAD FOR 4 SHOWS !!!! including the Santa
Monica Civic Auditorium ,,,,apparently because of the
constant touring a booking agency was getting us shows
,,,hell yeah !
Shortly after X-mas 88 we get ready to go on tour with
Exodus, and Nuclear Assault in Europe
things are going along pretty well until another
ill fated night in Germany [ Nuremberg I believe }
apparently our drunken singer in an interview early on
in the tour had said that we had signed to RR records
and the person from the magazine called MFN to verify
this ,,,,Holy Shit hits the fan ,,,,,,,,because we`re
on an MFN sponsored tour with one of the big wigs as
the tour manager.
So we get informed that we`re kicked off the tour
and our last show would be Zurich the following night
this was the night before the biggest show of the tour
to be broadcast across Europe so I`m on the phone home
trying to get shit straightened out ,,,
Supposedly we have contracts, all they can do is
prevent us from using the backline ,,,,,the next day
in Zurich I`m on the phone some more but things are
looking really bad ,,I tell the guys to remain on the
bus and don`t leave,,, I get back on the phone ,,
I told those guys make them physically remove you
until I get back ,,I come back out and all our gear is
in a pile in the rain in fucking Swiztzerland ,FUCK!!
and all those guys are standing there ,,and some one
tells me they said to get off or else ,,,,,fuckin
pussies ..........so the the little pug faced English
bastard Jim ,,the roadmanager from the record label offers
us a ride in the equipment van to the Swiss airport
but our tickets are for 3 weeks later out of England
,,,,,fuckin wanker ,,,,,,OK here we are at the airport
with all our shit ,,,me being the fight n fuck that I
am, decide we`re going to push our way back on the tour
so we rent a van.
Missed that killer show with the radio broadcast and
headed for Augsberg Germany and try to get a hold of
Kreator to borrow some gear ,,we start drinking early
and driving ,,,,we pull up to the show ,,you should of
seen the look on Jim`s face ,,,
we were going to stand up there and get paid cause
we have a contract ,,,,,,,fuck these people
So I`m told we don`t have a contract and I get back on
the phone ,,finally our manager comes clean and tells
me yes he said we were on RR records and no he hadn't
signed the faxed contracts because he'd never had a
problem before ,,,,,asshole,,,,,,,,,, So like I was
saying we had been drinking all day and our roady Tim
is the guy they make the shirt ,,,"Instant Asshole just
add alcohol" ,, about ,,,he spits on Jim ,,,that's my
boy !!!,,,,,,Jim goes into a rage and I chase him into
the club as the replacement band is starting
,,,,,we`re on the side of the stage and Jim picks up a
piece of wood and tells me to get the fuck out ,,,,I
tell him you shouldn`t mess with someone who has
nothing to lose ,,and punch him in the nose ,,right
then this big German security dude runs at me with his
metal flashlight ,,,,,,I tell him that he tried to hit
me with the board so he runs after Jim then Jim tells
him he`s the tour manager so he runs after me ,,,so I
tell him ,,,yeah but he tried to hit me with that
piece of wood ,,,,,so he turns to Jim and I run away
,,,,all I can think of is a bunch of Gestapo guys
coming to take me to jail ,,,,,,,,,,out the door we go
and jump in the van ,,,We go to some Pizza place and
Mike informs everyone that he doesn`t like violence
and is quitting the band ,,,,,,,I personally thought
it was pretty great ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but Mike telephones
his mom and gets a ticket home calls a cab and that
was that ..we spent the better part of 2 weeks in
Munich living in the van,,,,,Keith got really sick so
we rented a room for a couple of nights ,,,,,,,,,We
tell our roady Tim to stop wandering off and leaving
us to wait for him in the van ,,,we warn him we'll
leave him he wanders off again we wait ,,we leave and
Tim spends a few days at the US consulate calling the
states trying to find out where we are
,,,,,,,,,,finally we open a credit card Platinum Visa
in my girlfriends name charge $7000 worth of airline
tickets and head for home ,,,,,,,,,,,that was the
longest 17 hours of my life that trip back
,,,,,,,,,When we get back I go on the Super Bender
Drug Rage ,,,,,,,,,,MORE TO COME
