Hong Kong Blood Opera Interview: SXSW 2010

In Hermosillo, Mexico there are not a lot of hardcore, electro, punk bands, but that didn't stop Hong Kong Blood Opera. In just under four short years they have played shows in Sweden, the UK, Mexico, and the US, and have created a following with their blend of punk, industrial, hardcore, in your face music. With just the right touch of hip hop thrown in for good measure, they have a recognizable sound that slightly blurs the lines of many different genres. After releasing two EPs, the band now has it's first full length recording 'Not For The Faint Of Heart' and will be performing material from that album at their second SXSW appearance.

Describe your sound in your own words.

We always say we are not complicated and we don't get into any deep meanings. We are a punk rock band, but at the same time we pay homage to certain musical genres, like hip hop, hardcore, funk, digital hardcore and industrial music. At the end of the day, we are a punk rock band paying homage to other genres.

How did your band form?

The members of this band already had a couple of different projects, but it was completely different music. We had a punk/indie thing before in 2003, we had a hardcore project in 2005 and then we decided have a couple of ideas for new songs, but they don't sound anything like the past projects, so let's make another band. The real reason we made the band, was because a friend of ours from Mexicali had a show here in our home town. He told us, "Okay, I've got a spot for you in the show if you want to play." We told him we don't really have a band right now, and he was like,"I don't care, you can have the spot if you want it." So we said okay, let's make a band for the show. So literally two weeks before the show we started making music. We made four songs in two weeks and when we played them -- it went very well. So we said let's keep on doing this and see where it goes.

What are your musical influences?

Ummm....I don't know. We like all kinds of different music. Personally my favorite bands include The Pixies and Queen. However, for the band it would be Refused, Ministry, The Hives and Killing Joke. You know, those kinds of bands.

How did you come up with your band name?

Well, I love the old 1980's John Woo action flicks, like 'The Killer' and 'Hardboiled.' Those movies and the sub genres of those particular types of action movies are called 'Hong Kong Blood Opera.' At the end of the day, the combination of the words Hong Kong Blood Opera feels right with the style, with the music and with the aesthetic of the band. The John Woo movies are over exaggerated, bloody and fun, and I think that fits with the style of the band. The name of the band came before we even wrote any of the songs. I thought the name Hong Kong Blood Opera sounded cool for a band name, so I went to the guys and said, "Hey, we're going to start a new band and it's going to be called Hong Kong Blood Opera," and they said okay.

Where does the inspiration come from when you are writing songs?

Well, the music is written just from impulse, or really raw feelings. The lyrics come from what the music is telling you. We have no ideology behind the band, we just do things for fun and that's about it. So with the lyrics, if the music is making you feel angry, you write angry lyrics. If the music makes you feel sad, it's a sad lyric. The music is the most important thing in song. After that, the lyric must flow along the lines of what the music is telling you.

What is in your festival survival kit?

First off, a lot of water and vitamins. Because, frankly you will not be able to sleep well. You will be going to bed at 6 am and at 12 pm Motorhead is playing and you can't miss that show. That is just an example. Have a schedule and obey it. Because later you will kick yourself if you didn't catch a certain band or a certain movie. And more water.

What is your biggest vice?

We party a lot, but only on the weekends. So I wouldn't say drugs or alcohol, because that's silly. I'm more of a geek myself, so I would say movies and music. Those two things. Maybe anything that has to do with comic books. The same goes for the rest of the band. We tend not to dig into real life, but get hooked up in music and film.

What is your musical guilty pleasure?

I have a couple musical guilty pleasures. One of them might be - don't get mad at me, please - but one of them might be Green Day. The second CD I ever bought was Green Day, so whenever they come out with a new song, I'm there. That might be one of them. Sometimes maybe regional Mexican music and people are like, "What the hell man, aren't you like all punk rock?" Also recently, I'm really digging Lady GaGa. From a production standpoint, the songs sound so kick ass, and she is very, very talented.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

In Austin, there was this pizza place that was playing this funky 70s disco music and they just kept playing it. We were out front drinking and thought they had a really kick ass dance play list. So out of the blue we started dancing and people started gathering. So the people in the pizza place started giving us free pizza, just for dancing outside. That's how we ate that day because we were really short on money. They were actually giving us pizza for attracting customers.


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