Hazard Perry draws from many influences

By John Benson

For any up-and-coming band, there are signposts along the way that tell the group members whether or not they’re on the right track.

Toledo-based rock act Hazard Perry recently had one of those experiences, which for the group was thankfully positive and eye-opening.

“We have two songs that really stand out right now,” said Hazard Perry drummer Jim Brown. “One is ‘Psycho,’ which is kind of agro rock with a cockiness and a swagger to it. I guess kind of like ‘Bad Girlfriend’ by Theory of a Dead Man with a really singable chorus.

“Our other song is ‘What I Become,’ and it’s slower but not quite a ballad. And it seems like every time we play those songs, the crowd has an extra level of excitement. In fact, we were at a show a few nights ago that was filled with teenyboppers. We were thinking there is no way the crowd is going to like what we do. And as soon as we played the opening riff of ‘Psycho,’ we saw these little pockets of people yelling because this was their song. It was a good feeling.”

Formed in 2006, the Glass City act describes itself as being alternative rock; however, in reality the quartet draws from many different genres to create what it feels is an original sound in the crowded local music scene.

“The comparison we get a lot would be more like Shinedown, but what you often hear is our music has a grungy feel,” Brown said. “What we try to do is mix the kind of riffs we like, the real heavy sound from the ’90s with the soaring melodies like Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden. You get a little bit of that in there, but we grew up listening to classic rock and loving Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. So of course we’ll pull in those influences when we write. The best way to describe it is it has something in it for everyone.”

Brown points out that successful Australian power trio Wolfmother is the band that, while not an influence, does encapsulate the Hazard Perry sound and mindset found on its upcoming debut seven-song EP, which the group hopes to have out this spring. In the meantime, the foursome is just playing out as much as possible.

Considering Hazard Perry makes its Youngstown debut Saturday at One Eyed Willie’s, Brown said he’s looking forward to expanding his band’s audience even further throughout the Buckeye State.

“From what I’ve heard about Youngstown, the music scene there is really appreciative of musicianship and professionalism,” Brown said. “It seems like a really blue-collar town, which is great for us. We’re a humble band that enjoys performing as much as anyone else, so it’ll be a really cool experience to be out in front of people who may not know our music but are really appreciative of good musicianship in the scene.”

He added, “I think if people are looking for a good hard-rock show, a good performance from four guys who love nothing more than performing, then they’ll like it. I think we have everything from the catchy lyrics to overly energetic riffs. If you like rock music, you’re going to like this performance.”