Regular lurkers on the Decibel site may remember Hellrad for calling out Decibel regular Kevin Stewart-Panko on what they felt was was an inaccurate review. It morphed into a very civil conversation between Stewart-Panko and Hellrad bassist/vocalist Herb Jowett about the state of music journalism, losing the Decibel banner at South by Southwest and Erik Rutan, because we like to keep the week’s theme going (this is my third reference in as many days, if you’re keeping score at home).
Anyway, Jowett reached out to Decibel because Hellrad have a new music video for the song “Staring at the Walls” from their Counting Sins EP. A brief chat with Jowett made a few things: Hellrad are completely DIY, they tour like crazy for being a completely DIY band and they have a clear vision of Philadelphia they want to convey in their music. The video for “Staring at the Walls” features plenty of motorcycles, partying and beer as the band tear through the city. Oh, and it’s definitely NSFW—nudity makes its way into the video around the halfway point, but the first half isn’t something I recommend showing your boss.
The video, shot by Tony Cruz and Los Banditos Pictures, encapsulates visuals inspired by Hellrad’s music: it’s gritty, fun and sleazy, written by a band that clearly loves to play music.
“We wanted to make a real rock and roll video that was fun and makes people laugh, and at the same time show people our version of Philadelphia,” Jowett says.
It looks like they succeeded. See it for yourself and be sure to check out Counting Sins on Bandcamp.
If you’re local to the Philly area, come see Hellrad with Eyehategod and The Obsessed on September 17.