The group's lineup consists of Haley's longtime friend and TV star Diggity Dave – from MTV's Pimp My Ride and Battleground Earth, on which he appeared with Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee– rapper HYPE, vocalist Kris “7even” Aragon, guitarist Brian Jennings and drummer Daniel Adam Parker.
Hollywood Gods N' Monsters have yet to release their first music, though based on their new promo shots and the backgrounds of the musicians featured, we're getting a distinct nu-metal vibe.
(Image credit: Press)
“We are not a cover band,” explains Diggity Dave. “This is original stuff we're creating, and it's a living, breathing history of music. We equate it to what DJs are doing, but in the form of a full band smashing together the songs every generation has grown up with.
“What other band is mixing the '70s band Chic with Queen, Aerosmith, Sugarhill Gang, Blondie and DMX?
“Also, kids want to see rock stars again... larger-than-life entities on stage that mirror the atmosphere. Think of us as a bigass American jukebox, where all the records in it have melted together.”
“This generation, the one before it, and the one that's following are ripe for a band like us,” adds Haley. “It's about losing yourself in the music, about dancing, about feeling alive.
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“That's why the DJ scene has conquered music – because people want to go to a show and identify and recognize the songs they're ingesting. They just want to be enveloped in the music they know, their friends know, and hell... even their parents know.”
Regarding his departure from Steel Panther, and the formation of his new band, Haley continues: “I am very proud of what I've accomplished with my other band. Nothing can take away the memories and the camaraderie that existed for all those years, but I just felt it was time for something new. When I heard this music, I knew this was the group of friends and the music I wanted to collaborate on.”
Adds Diggity Dave: “It's not like he ever thought he wasn't challenged by the copious amount of talent that resided within Steel Panther; it's just that he wanted to explore different kinds of music and was intrigued by some of the music I was sending him.”
Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.
