Welcome to Positive Publicity – Philly’s own The Heavy Hive. The Heavy Hive is a female fronted original Soul/Hard Rock band from Southeastern PA with Psychedelic, indie and Blues influences. Combined with an energetic rhythm section, and thunderous lead vocals, the Heavy Hive strives to bring about a new generation of sounds.
The band’s lead and rhythm guitar played Eric Gockley chatted to Positive Publicity about their new self-titled EP. Some fun facts about Eric: He enjoys eating my French toast cold with a disgusting amount of syrup, Got drunk and rode a camel once in the backyard of a college party, and Coldplay’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head” is one of my all time favorite albums.
Check out The Heavy Hive on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Spotify (below), and keep on reading for Eric’s interview!
To begin, how did you all meet and form the Heavy Hive? Tell us more about you.
It all started to take shape early summer of 2019! The band formed quickly with different members then what the current lineup is now. We needed a singer. Our first and only audition was none other then COURTENAY TERRELL (Lead Singer, and Founding Member of The Heavy Hive). She shows up at the door with a PA System, beer, cigarettes, and a big smile. The moment she plugged in and sang the first note, BOOM!! That was that, she was in without question.
Now the story of our quest for the perfect drummer is another article all together. No exaggeration we’ve probably went though 10-12 drummers (that I can remember). During that journey we brought aboard the one and only MARK ROSEMAN who happened to be an old friend of Courtenay. Funniest dude ever, and outstanding bass player. As the rollercoaster continued for drumming royalty, 2020 started well you know…..not well haha. During all that chaos and confusion we finally found KYLE BARBARETTA this summer. Like finding real gold earrings at the 5below, Kyle is by far well worth the wait! Amazing drummer and person.
The band was officially completed in the summer of 2020 to make a short story long haha. I guess you could say we’re still pretty fresh but what we lack in time, we make up for with fierce songwriting and musicianship.
Tell us about your Debut EP – The Heavy Hive EP. What was the process like creating this/when did you create this?
The craziest part was going into the studio with only a few months under our belt as a complete band. Most of the songs on the EP Courtenay and I had written together back in late 2019. Kyle and Mark were quick to catch on and add their own flavors to the songs taking them to the next level. We started recording in late August 2020 at TriForce Studios in Lancaster, PA. Going into this with the mindset of bringing the most raw energy we could to showcase a small indication of what is to come on our DEBUT Full Length Album (2021).
This EP was recorded in the style of Live Tracking, which means we all played together at the same time (in the same room besides vocals) and pressed record to capture the vibe and energy of a Live Performance. The second song on the EP ” Dancing with Leeches” is just the first take and only the first take. We didn’t really edit down to much and kept most of the mistakes in there to show our soul and honesty through the music. We want our fans to listen to the real us and not what we sound like when pro tools takes over. It was a lot of fun!
What makes Philly such a special music town?
I don’t know, I think there’s something in the water! Philly to me has always been at the forefront of musical progression. Even just scrolling through Love Park and hearing the local sidewalk drifters playing for change, the vibe of the city is definitely one of one. Ive always found comfort in the street lights, it seems inspiration just crawls out from under the sewer vents into the minds of some of the most talented musicians. This city is just electric! Also we’re all just Bat S@#! crazy here too, which makes for great music.
What do you hope is next for The Heavy Hive?
We’ve had alot of things happen to us since the EP has dropped and it doesn’t look like we’re slowly down anytime soon. We’ve been grateful for the press coverage that followed from sources Including WXPN Radio, and Roadie Metal (Brazil’s Top Rock Blog). We’ve been added to multiple Spotify playlists, and sealed an amazing deal with our New Manager from “Word is Bond Inc”.
We’ve been offered shows but unfortunately with things still having strict limitations some shows have been postponed. We’re soon gonna be recording our new single “Crescent Moon Killer”, going into the studio on December 13th and working on a music video for that as well for the coming year. We’ve got new songs making their way to the album as well as a possible guest on the record (no hints). We’re trying to do as many livestreams as we can and just simply having fun making music with the homies. I think merchandise is in the works as well for the future. The most important thing we’re focusing on is continuing to create good music for our upcoming Full Length Album (2021).
Till live music is a thing again, FOLLOW all of our craziness on our social media platforms and stream our music pretty much anywhere you want on any platform as well! Hopefully everyone stays safe and healthy for the holidays!
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