Previously known as DAMA to legions of faithful fans, Dive Bomber is the musical brainchild of lyricist Erik Hatchett, guitarist Catfish, bassist Redmug, and drummer Toad. According to the group the change was brought about by a desire to explore new varieties of music and booty. With the arrival of their latest CD “Pin-Ups & Parachutes” looming ever closer, I had the boys over, after happy hour, for an impromptu interview. Then we got high.

Written by Morgan Huestis

SM: “So recently you guys changed the name of your band from ‘DAMA’ to ‘Dive Bomber’. What was the reason behind the switch?”
EH: “Well... We had been playing as DAMA for a while with some success but even though we still have the same lineup our style has evolved or is in the process of evolving into something different. So it seemed like the right move.”

SM: “Where did the new name originate?”
EH: “Well we were in the studio warming up and by this time we had been thinking of new names for a while with nothing that really sounded right coming to mind when Catfish lets loose with this gnarly descending/ascending low E string scrape which coincidently prompted me to respond ‘What’s up with the Dive Bomber bro?’ Tom screams out ‘That’s our new name!’ and it has been ever since. Kind of a strange genesis for a group name but we feel that it captures our style. We come in fast and hard, blow the place up and get the fuck out. Like a B-52 without the loveshack.”

SM: “If someone were to describe your music style to someone who hadn’t heard it before, what do you think they would say?”
EH: “Heavy metal alternative funk-punk-grunge.”
SM: “Holy shit I’m glad that I’m recording this ‘cause that was a lot of words you just said there.”
EH: “I know that sounds a little broad but we pull influence from many different sources. We have a ... System of a Down / Rage against the Machine heaviness with a little Alice in Chains and Jane’s Addiction in there.
RM: “Another big influence is The deftones. The most important thing is to blend them all together into our own unique style. Our drummer is a huge KISS fan though we don’t hold it against him.”
CF: “Jimi Hendrix is sick too. I know it’s a generic answer but the guy was revolutionary. It’s even more amazing if you’re a guitarist and you can understand just how difficult his music is to play. Those finger positions are insane and he played them with mind blowing speed.”

SM: “You were recently featured on the ‘Smash Magazine 2005 summer sampler CD along with artists such as Unwritten Law, Bowling for Soup, and Mower. What was it like being added to a roster of that caliber?”
EH: “Well since I had a hand in passing out at least 10,000 of them on the Warped Tourâ I know for a fact that they were good exposure for us. Not only were there a shitload of great bands on it, but we know Mower, DFrost, Honeybucket, Butane and of course the world famous Rap Bastardz. We’ve all played together.”
RM: “Everyone loves that cd. I have to say it’s nice to have people listen to your music by the thousands.”

SM: “So who else have you played with and where?”
EH: “Alien Ant Farm at Canes was pretty fun.”
RM: “We got to open for Danzig in San Antonio. That was fucking cool. We opened for Blue Oyster Cult at 4th & B in San Diego. Wow I think we opened for Tesla a long time ago at 4th & B too.”
EH: “Shit you’re right I remember that! That was fucking hilarious because that audience didn’t know what they were in for when we got on stage. We were so loud I bet they couldn’t even hear Tesla because of the ear damage!”
RM: “That’s a great venue. It’s an old movie theatre that has a huge stage and an amazing sound system. There are some good, smaller So.Cal. spots too like Winston’s and Blind Melons. Those little bars are a lot of fun to play. Dream Street in Ocean Beach has shown us a ton of love too. Smaller places seem to do that more.”

SM: “You want to explain the “OneNiceGuy” thing Hatchett?”
EH: “Well I can’t really remember where the whole ‘One’ thing originated but Erick’s girlfriend Heather, or OneLuckyBroad, tells women I’m one of the nicest guys she knows so she made that my Belligerent email address. There are other ones too. You’re OneHotDude aren’t you?”
SM: “Yes, I am. Good of you to notice.”

SM: “So what do you have playing in you car right now?”
EH: I have this band called ‘Tomahawk’ playing at the moment. It’s one of those bands that is comprised of members from other popular bands who get together and play awesome music. Let’s see, I think it’s Mike Patton from Faith no More, the drummer from Tool the bassist from The Melvins and the guitar player from Jesus Lizard. Their music is really out there. They play locally too, Brick by Brick… Canes, they have a great live set.”
RM: I’m riding with my old lady here and she has a shitty reggae mix playing.”
RM’s old lady: (muffled and distant) “Fuck you! You said you liked that!”
SM: “HA! You’re busted bro! But I’m just going to put Tool anyway ok?”
RM: Thanks man.”

SM: “So how was the Warped TourÒ?”
EH: “Oh man… that was so much fun. I got to go with Belligerent: Intoxicated Products on a bunch of stops and we had a fucking awesome time. So much in fact we almost got kicked out twice for lewd and disruptive behavior. It could be that the stripper stage on wheels we brought and a bunch of rowdy-ass kids was the reason but I have to disagree. It was those things combined with liquor.”

SM: “You have a new album coming out soon, how’s it coming along?”
RM: “It’s coming out October 31st and it’s going to be called ‘Pinups & Parachutes’.”

SM: “What can we expect from this latest offering?”
EH: “It’s going to be really diverse. We tried a lot of different styles on this one and we’re really happy with the result. It flows nicely.”

SM: “How did you manage to pay for all of this?”
RM: “Our album is being funded by our website heavymusic.com. We have some Google ads paying us every month and it’s financing everything from the studio to the producing to the CD pressing. It’s nice to not have to pay for things yourself. Especially when you’re broke.”

SM “Alright, what do you guys have planned for say, the next 5 years?”
EH: “I want to spread the Divebomber sound all over the land and keep doing what I’ve been doing for the last 14 years. I’m not going to beat around the bush or any thing but we’re in this to make a living along with our love for the music. It feels great to make a living doing what you love. I hate when people say they are only into music for the music. That’s bullshit. When you can do it as a job, that tells me you’ve made it.”

You heard it here first. Check out heavy metal alternative funk-punk grunge at heavymusic.com and you can contact Hatchett and oneniceguy@belligerentproducts.com
And send feedback to me at onehotdude@belligerentproducts.com.