Today we’d like to introduce you to Hair Metal Giants, a band that bills itself as “A Tribute to 80s Rock”, who has become one of Austin’s most popular cover bands. They sat down with us recently to share their story with us.
Hair Metal Giants is an 80’s rock tribute band based in Austin, TX that plays throughout the Central Texas region. Formed in January 2019, they trace their roots to a previous band called Emerson Giants which formed in 2014. Band founder Paul Ross led Emerson Giants through music format changes, stylistic changes, and several member changes looking for that right combination of talent, showmanship, and personality… but never achieved the success that he knew was possible. By late 2018, the band had settled on being a Hair Metal tribute and had been fine-tuning the band’s look and material. But what was still missing was the contacts into the venues and somebody to help sell and market the band. Paul needed a partner. Somebody he could share both the creative and the business-of-running-the-band burden with. The band had tried working with a local booking agency, but the shows were few, far-between, and below-market pay scale. And, then, their drummer quit!
Needing to replace this departing member, and after running a handful of drummers through the audition process, Paul was introduced to drummer JD DuPont by a mutual friend. The guy could play the drums! But what they found was not just a drummer, but somebody who had previously led another band through a similar transition from an ok bar band to an in-demand show band. Paul had found not just his new drummer, but his new partner. On his part, JD saw the same potential for success that Paul saw – bigger stages, bigger shows, and a chance for the band to become a brand.
In very short order it was clear this partnership, with Paul leading the musical and stylistic direction of the band, and JD leading the sales and marketing efforts of the band along with all of the bookings, was the formula that would take the band to the next level. To fully separate itself from its past and to have a marketable brand that more closely matched the band’s direction, the name was changed to Hair Metal Giants, with new logos and branding created and an even finer focus on the material they would perform. Hair Metal Giants debuted in March 2019.
Over the next year, HMG underwent 2 additional personnel changes; first, adding Jack Kittrell on guitar, then a few months later bringing in Carlos Salinas on bass, a long-time collaborator of Jack’s in another local band.
This is where “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” has never been truer. Individually each member of the Giants is very skilled on their instruments. All have had success in previous projects. But together, there’s just…. something. The band feels it on stage, and the audience has responded in kind – making Hair Metal Giants one of the busiest and most in-demand bands in Central Texas.
In March of 2022, JD stepped down from the drum throne, and the band brought in drummer Jungi Padilla. JD remains the band’s business manager, working closely with the band and area venues and talent buyers to keep the band busy, busy, busy. And it’s paying off. 2022 is bringing more and bigger shows, from 2 headlining spots at the Haute Spot in Cedar Park to public festival performances for the City of Belton, the City of Temple, and the City of Cedar Park, along with residencies at the best local venues in the area like Shooters, Bar620, Vincent’s on the Lake and Woody’s Tavern.
If you haven’t seen Hair Metal Giants, you don’t know what you’re missing!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
“Easy? Definitely not. Defining yourself in the Austin market is not easy. There are a lot of bands that are billed as 80s bands, hard rock bands, hair tribute bands. Each of us knew that to stand out, we needed to STAND OUT. We studied books and videos of the artists we were covering to replicate the hair, the makeup, the clothing, the stage moves of the Hair Metal era. We invested – both money and time – in better PA gear, in automated lighting, even in video production. We carefully selected the images of the band we would publish, the video clips we would release, and the songs we would perform. We’re not just a band of musicians; we’re a band of artists, of marketers, of tech geeks who own the whole process end-to-end”.
All of this comes together with 1 simple fact: they’re just flat-out FUN to see on stage.
Like most bands, the pandemic that started in March 2020 caused a lot of immediate show cancelations and missed rehearsals. But, unlike most bands who not only took the foot off the pedal but slammed on the brakes – many of which ceased altogether – Paul, Jack, Carlos and JD never stopped their pursuit of continuing to improve as a band, growing the fan base, and delivering something unique to the local music scene. So even while isolating, the band used their own home studios and technical know-how to learn new songs, have practices via Zoom, and even put together 2 full-length cover song videos. They also were unafraid to take some risks; when music started back up after Memorial Weekend 2020, the band was one of the first back out on stage, playing private parties and venues with outdoor stages, picking up almost as many new gigs as had been previously canceled. This helped them grow their reputation and fan base dramatically. “One group of our die-hard fans even had custom branded Hair Metal Giants masks made for us”, they told us. “How’s that for a loyal fandom”?
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
“Our marketing message is simple: ‘Bringing the 80’s arena concert experience to the small stage’. And we do exactly that”. Watching them live brings this to life: this is not a band you see looking like they just came off the golf course – this is a long-haired, leather and spandex-wearing band that looks like they just came off tour in 1987! This is not a band that stands in 1 place the whole night looking bored – this is a band where every member is wireless and spends the show moving around the stage interacting with each other and the audience. This is not a band you ever look at and wonder if they’re having fun or not, because you always know it’s a party on the stage!
Then there is their stage production, which was described to us by a local venue owner as being “the most sophisticated and elaborate stage show in Austin”. “It takes about a dozen computers to run our show” they told us. Every single song has sequenced, automated lighting scenes. Every single song has a full video, many of which JD and Paul created, that plays during the performance. And if the venue doesn’t have a video wall, the band carries 2 huge flat-screen monitors with them. To set up their show takes almost as long as the show itself. But you won’t hear them complain. “That’s our value add”, they said. “That’s what we believe the audiences deserves. The 80’s wasn’t just about musicianship, it was also about showmanship. So every time we take the stage we strive to bring the audience the best darn show possible”.
There’s simply not a band in town that does what these guys do.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
1. Understand the type of band you want to be and pick something that makes you unique and makes you stand out, musically, performance-wise, etc. But also do your research to see if there is a market for it, and have a plan for how you will market it.
2. Start with the goal of putting together the best product you can – meaning pick the right musicians who share your goal and vision.
3. Spend the time and money to present yourselves as a professional act: get some professional pictures taken, as well as prepare a short promo video (sizzle reel) showing what you can do. An electronic press kit (EPK) is vital – it’s the first exposure most venues will have to your band!
4. Network with your peers. The scene is fairly tight, many of the local bands know each other, hang out together, and support one another. This means getting out to see other bands too!
5. Understand that you need to build a following, that’s what makes you valuable to venues — if people will consistently show up to see your band -> they will eat and drink at the venue -> venue owners will want you back. They’re in business to make money and pay their staff and bills. That can take some time to build up.
6. Be professional to the venue owners and talent buyers, always.
7. Be kind and open to the people who come to see you, always. Give the same show to 10 people that you would give to 100 or to 1000 people.
8. Know your worth, and understand the difference between compromise and settling.
Pricing:
- Venue performances: $1500-2500
- Private Parties starting at $2500
- Corporate events starting at $3500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hairmetalgiants.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hairmetalgiantsusa/
- Facebook: facebook.com/hairmetalgiants
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/hairmetalgiants
- Youtube: youtube.com/c/hairmetalgiants
Pam Barron
June 23, 2022 at 2:06 am
I have known Jack Kittell since high school. He is without a doubt one of the best guitarist when it comes to 80’s music, hard rock, Jack has the whole package. You have to see him perform to understand his talent and passion.