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November 9, 2011
Howdy folks, here's a little interview with Tempe Carnivore blog about 'Darkness Descends', and the magic metal year that was '86. Enjoy! Check it out here.
October 24, 2011
Hey everybody, I just did a clinic at the incredible Sweetwater complex in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. What an amazing place, and thank you to all the staff there who made it such a fantastic day! Check out 'The Sweetwater Minute'. Errr, all 22 of 'em, here.
August 12, 2011
Hey everyone, as some of you know I'm booking my first "WORLD WIDE DRUM CLINIC TOUR," and if you would like to see me in your city please go to or call your local musical instrument store (they've gotta be a Pearl Drums dealer, so here's a list, http://www.pearldrum.com) and make the request. Hell, get your cat and your neighbor to call them too. LETS MAKE THIS HAPPEN IN YOUR CITY!!! I'd love to see you all, and let me tell you this clinic is going to be BADASS!!! On another note, anyone interested in joining the Gene Hoglan street team please contact: streetteam@reversedrecords.com For those who qualify we may just sneak you in to a few shows and get some free swag and collectables from time to time. HELL YES!! Thanks for your support, GENE
July 31, 2011
Hi there everybody! I hope this finds everyone in good spirits, I know I am. It's been a hectic last couple of months as usual, but things are slowing down just enough to at least fire off this blurb anyway. What have I been up to, you ask? Nonstop jaw dropping metal, my friend! In April, I toodled over to Yurp with my bros in FORBIDDEN, to play a couple of festivals, namely Norway's Inferno Fest, and Germany's Metropole Ruhr Fest. What a 'Metropole Ruhr' is and why it gets a fest named after it is anyone's guess, but hey, it was a fun time all around. I love helping out my FORBIDDEN brothers any way I can, so when they called, I came a-runnin'. There's some decent YouTube drumcam footage kickin' around of the Inferno Fest, taken by my buddy Dave Kincaid from Borknagar that is worth checkin' out. FORBIDDEN's latest, "Omega Wave" is a storming offering, and I suggest all metalheads pick it up, you'll be stoked when you do. Early June found FEAR FACTORY on the road (of course), this time across the southwestern US. This tour was a load of fun, and my personal highlight was that I got to visit my Mom's gravesite in El Paso, Texas. It was my first visit since she passed in '08. Hard to believe that in the 2 1/2 years since she passed, this is the first time I've been to El Paso. My very cool cousin Allen picked me up at the bus, took me to visit my Mom, then took me to the one health food store to be found in El Paso. This town is basically 'burrito heaven' folks, so I was thrilled to be able to stock up on some healthy vittles for the rest of the trip. The shows were great, and it's always fun to see the playful side of Dino and Burt come out onstage. The banter between those guys onstage is pretty humorous, and seeing it on display on this relaxed tour was really awesome. Dino's self-deprecating humor and some of Burt's bons mots were true classics, only I don't remember any, so I can't cite anything. Oh wait, on that 70,000 Tons cruise a few months ago his onstage salutation of, "Greetings everybody! Or should I say, 'Ahoy'?" still cracks me up. The man can moonwalk like a motherfucker too, lemme tell ya. Oh, and one can't forget the poledancing onstage in Tuscon, either. The day after that tour was done, I scurried up to the Bay Area to start laying down tracks for the new TESTAMENT album, "The Dark Roots of Earth". A day or so before FF hit the road I got a call from Eric Peterson explaining that Paul Bostaph had suffered an injury, yet they had a recording deadline to meet, would I be interested in recording with them, and would I be available in the next two weeks to start? Fortunately, I had the time available, so we put the wheels in motion to make it all happen. Now, in my first go-round with TESTAMENT, I learned a great deal from Eric. He taught me how to rely on the 'less is more' approach when trying to serve the song best. I've been able to refer back to this method many times in my career since, especially with the Devin solo stuff, and any 'non-metal' projects I've been involved in. On "The Dark Roots...", it was much the same. With "Demonic", we had the luxury of a few months to grow and cultivate the tunes, but with "The Dark Roots...", we had two weeks. Two weeks to make the songs live and breathe like they've been honed up and down for months. This meant some long hours in their jam room/recording studio of course, but hey, making metal is fun dammit, so long hours don't seem so long when you're having fun making metal. Eric, Greg Christian and myself holed up at Soundwave Studios, in the roughest part of Oakland, and jammed for a week or so, and when Andy Sneap showed up, we got down to bidness with the tracking. After a few days, my tracks were done. I played my bag off, and I think the dudes were stoked. I think TESTAMENT fans will be, too. There are some blistering numbers on this one, and I'm sure the fans are gonna be well pleased with our efforts. It was my first time working with Andy, and he was a real pleasure to work with. The day after I finished tracking with Eric, I hopped in my Honda Accord (Have you ever seen my car? It's the pimpiest Honda Accord you've ever seen. I shit you not. Hey you in the back, stop laughing!), drove home to San Diego, which would have NOT taken 11 hours if they hadn't shut the I-5 down to one lane, kissed my girl, passed out for a few hours, then made the 3 hour trek back up to Hollywood to commence jamming at SIR with my DethkloK fambly. We had the one Rockstar Mayhem show to play, as well as an unannounced 'secret' DK show with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani the following night. We crammed the set as much as possible into the three days of rehearsal we had, and the show went off without a hitch. Man, here's ANOTHER show I'd love to see, but I don't get the chance, 'cause I'm stuck playin' them damned drums. I was always envious of anybody who got to watch STRAPPING, and I'm the exact same way with DETHKLOK. What a fun show this must be to see! Ahhh, the price of drumwhoredom. As always, playing with Mr.'s Small, Beller and Keneally was such a blast! And in front of a packed Mayhem crowd, what a thrill indeed. Not that I even got to pay attention to the crowd. Except for the burly, exploding bonfire someone started-in the pit forchristsakes. Impressive, Mayhemcrowd, impressive. Jeez, and it was the quickest 45 minutes ever. I remember there being a nice breeze on the stage, so I didn't even break a sweat til I got off it. A great night, absolutely. The next night, we opened the show at the House of Blues LA, a benefit for Combat/Relativity Records guru Cliff Cultreri. Of course the obligatory mentions of headlining for 30,000 the night before, to opening to a dozen hundred tonight were made, but this show was a hoot, too. A devastating set of DETHKLOK numbers, capped off with a pretty spiffy version of ''Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan. An 'as-close-to' version as we could muster, only Steely's version was woefully lacking in ballistic double bass at the end, so we gleefully provided some. A couple highlights of the night for me were Steve Vai goin', "Holy Christ Gene, have you lost like a ton of weight, or what?!" and my buddy/Sabianmate Chad Smith of RHCP sittin' down and shootin' the breeze with my girl and my sister like they were long-lost family. Yeah, I know I dropped a couple things there, but I just couldn't help it. Oh, and I got to re-connect with my ol' bro and ex-Dark Angel manager Scott Givens. Scott's one of the funniest guys I've ever known, as well as the trustworthiest guy I've ever met in this business. He was a big part of Roadrunner's rise to fame, and now runs EOne Records (formerly Koch) and is doin' a damned fine job of it, too. As soon as I got home, I started producing a lead for my bandmate Laura Christine, for the upcoming MEMORAIN album. Let me tell you, her lead is full-on devastation, as she's one of the best on the planet. MEMORAIN is a bit of an 'allstar' project out of Greece that's the brainchild of my good bro Ilias Papadakis. Cats like Steve Digiorgio, Dave Ellefson, James Murphy, Ripper Owens, Jeff Waters, Ralph Santolla, The Heathen from Zimmers Hole, and a host of others are all making an appearance, and we're real proud to have Laura Christine's fretboard gymnastics on prominent display on the album. I would say to look for this release, Evolution, by Fall. Before I go, I'd like to thank all you wellwishers out there who've commented on my current weight loss. I've been holding at about 135 pounds lost, but I've been doing it all correctly. My woman has me eating well and I've been hitting the gym rather religiously the past few months. I must admit, I've been so busy this past bit, it's now been 2 months since I've been to the gym. I have been stoked and rather baffled at how my weight has been able to remain in stasis while I've been on the road and eating as foolishly as I have been these past few weeks, when it just occured to me, "Gene, you dipshit, you're now losing MUSCLE!" For those of you who workout, you know of course that muscle adds weight to you, and if you stop working out, that muscle depletes, giving you the impression that you're losing weight when really all you're doing is losing muscle. Or in the case of this dumdum yours truly, my muscle loss was in direct offsetting correlation to the amount of blowing it I was doing with my most recent eating habits. My weight has remained the same this whole time, stuck at around 270, only now I've lost probably 25-30 lbs of muscle. Damn, and here I thought maybe my metabolism (which has been shot for years) just started kicking in. Jeez, I'z a idjit sometimes, yo. Ah well, back to the gym for me, I guess. But, thanks for noticing, folks! Take care everybody, thanks for reading this tome, and I'll catch you in a few days when I release the clinic dates! Gene
June 22, 2011
Howdy everybody! As some of you may know, I'm in the Bay Area, laying down tracks with my pals in Testament. A short time ago, Eric Peterson gave me a ring and explained that Paul's injury rehab is gonna be bit lengthier than expected, and a deadline is a deadline, then asked if I could I do it. I'm always down for helping out my buds, and fortunately the Schedule Gods were smiling down on us right then, so we were able to pull it together pretty quick. We're down here at the friendly confines of the mighty SoundWave Studios (where there's only been three body dumps this year!), owned and run by the extremely cool, affable and friendly Al Lucchese, who is the the unofficial Mayor of Oakland, or at least it's music scene. Boy, the amount of awesome bands and acts, from Faith No More to MC Hammer (well, one is awesome, the other, an 'act', I spose), from MIRV (the best band in the world), to Exodus (Our Fathers) have cranked it up in this joint, and I'm leaving out a massive amount of stellar funk, soul and R&B luminaries. Hell, even ol' Dedly Jedly mixed the Tenet record outta the Testament studio here. My favorite part is the giant FNM poster from 'The Real Thing' era, where Big Jim Martin wrote, "Dear Al, you are a greasy fat fuck. Fuck you and any relatives, living or dead. Sincerely, Jim Martin". God, I get a chuckle outta that every time I pass it. It takes a lotta love to pull that off, I tell ya. And that poster hangs near a gigantic Metallica poster with suitably snide comments from all those guys. Everybody here is awesome, and it's always a pleasure to be here. Hell, I've been in three different rooms here in the past three months with three different bands, Fo' Biddin', The Kehoe Nation, and now the all-powerful Teste Men. Speaking of which, the new tunes are crushing, and I think Testament are gonna rip a whole new pile o' cornchutes on all o' ya with this new opus. I think it's gonna kill, and I think you will, too. Andy Sneap is out here, too, twiddling knobs. This is gonna be Testament's best album ever, totally! As always, there's a ton of stuff I could blather on about, loads of stuff to update everyone on, but as it's after 4 in the morning as I write this, I should be snoozin'. I'll be in touch soon, everybody. Thanks! Gene Oh, ps! Under the guidance and inspiration from my incredible woman, I've now lost 135 lbs! Can you dig it?! You can now call me Gene Slimmin'z...
February 3, 2011
Howdy folks! The kind folks at Modern Drummer magazine have nominated me as 'Best Metal Drummer' for their 2011 ballot, how exciting! I suppose I am now here to attempt to drum up some votes,
so if you deem me worthy, please cast your vote for me @ http://moderndrummer.com/contest.php?id=800000084.
Then enter a bit of info, find my name, check the circle, and away we go! I've also been nominated in the category of 'Best Recorded Performance'
for DethkloK's "Dethalbum II," don't forget that one! I've been informed that there are also two write-in categories where I would
appreciate your vote: for 'Best Educational DVD,' please write my DVD, "The Atomic Clock," and for Best Clinician/Educator, please
write my name if you agree. The voting ends February 15! Thanks loads, Hoglanites! You rule!
October 1, 2010
At a very nice dinner that Metallica was gracious enough to invite us to, I did get to relate to James the story of how we met 30 years ago, at a backyard party, when I was a 13 year-old metalhead, and he was the first person I'd ever seen wearing a Maiden shirt. A homemade, one color print of the first album, but nobody knew Maiden in these parts, let alone had a shirt! So I, being the punk that I was, followed him around that party all night, pestering him to make me one. Of course he told me to fuck off. Repeatedly. This year has been a whirlwind of activity in the FF camp, as well as mine, and we've still got a couple of months to go. FF's touring cycle has had us to Europe four times (five, maybe?), Down Under twice (watch out Tasmania, you're liable to be added to the list next time), across the States three times (four? Is it four?), a cross-Canada trip (I think Terry Fox still might've made it further than us), roughly a couple hundred shows, one passed-out-behind-the-wheel bus driver, and one burned-to-the-ground bus. And only a few screamers outta Ol' $eely. As for me, I (with the help of the Minions here at GHI) got this fun new website out, as well as "The Atomic Clock" dvd. I would like to take a moment to seriously thank any of you who has bought it. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. The response has been pretty mighty so far, and I'm really happy that people seem to dig it. Again, I thank each one of you very much. To those who have merely stolen it, well, all I can say is that I and people like me, will keep self-funding our own projects, losing money more often than not, just to keep ourselves happy and your thievery business booming. We'll keep Hell packed with your fresh souls. Okay, that's a little harsh, but you get my drift. If you bought it, I thank you. If you stole it, I can't.
And in other breaking 'Shameless Pluggery'-OH MY GOD! I ACTUALLY MADE THE COVER OF MODERN DRUMMER! Holy moly, can you believe that?
Lemme just say, that after plugging away at this career of mine for over 25 years, and this being the absolute highest honor a drummer could imagine
for himself, I am still in shock at this unmitigated distinction. And I thank David Ciauro and all over at MD for bestowing upon me
this incredible privilege. This mag has been the Bible for us drummers forever, and it would have been completely unfathomable to me 27 years ago when
I picked up my first copy that I'd ever be on the cover. Needless to say, I am QUITE stoked! Hey, any time any bit of the mainstream acknowledges metal
in any way, I get stoked.
Mom, I made the cover! 
Hello everybody! Well, after a couple years of lethargy and neglect, I am so proud to announce; "THE ATOMIC CLOCK DVD IS FINALLY HERE! AND AVAILABLE! YESSS!"
Hey, no foolin', I'm having a hard time believing it myself, but thanks to the many folks who lit the fire under my booty to just GET THE DAMNED THING OUT, it has finally arrived, in a nice, neat, shiny package.
It's on sale here for $30 (plus S/H). And you won't believe some of the extra/bonus goodies that you'll get when you order it, some fun stuff indeed!
I tell ya, I am real proud of this thing. A whole lotta love and fun went into the making of it, and I'm real stoked to be bringing it to the public. Those who have seen it have seemed to really enjoy it, and like I've said all along, you don't even have to be a drummer to get a kick out of it, I swear. And to those who have purchased the 'special limited edition' that we've quietly had on sale for the past little bit, I thank you massively. And to those who intend on purchasing the 'real deal' itself, I thank you in advance as well. 'THE ATOMIC CLOCK' is two hours of me showing you how I do what I do, without a whole ton of boring, stale rudiments to bog you down. I feature 9 full songs (5 from the mighty MECHANISM alone) from some of my projects, plus a few different improvised solos, and tons of tips and tricks from my arsenal to help anybody out there become a better drummer. And human being. No, wait a minute, that 'better human being' bit will come from my upcoming, "How to Kick Ass, Motherfucker, like an Ass-Kicking Motherfucker" line of motivational dvd's that are soon-to-come. Yeah...right. But seriously, I am really pumped to launch this thing, I hope all who see it, dig it. While I'm at it, it has been suggested that I mention something about these Revolver Golden Gods Awards, and how I am up for best drummer. Now I'm not one to really 'vote grub', but hey, if you find me worthy of your vote, I guess it can't hurt to ask you to do so in my favor. And for FEAR FACTORY as well, in the "Sexiest Bastards Alive" category, I think. We should win that one, hands down, no doubt. Hey, we're over a half-ton o' metal gastronom-ery (gastronomishness? Wtf would be the word? Gastronomism? Hell, spellcheck sure isn't helping...) and we know it. Hey, I can even make it easier on ya. Here's a link: http://www.goldengodsawards.com/vote.html It may even let you vote more than once, but, as the show itself is on April 8, 2010, you don't have much time. Hey, just to be nominated in such a class of fine tub-thumpers is sweet enough in itself, let me tell ya. Back to the dvd for one second, my sister Lisa has been/is still working her buns off behind the scenes to get the orders of all my merch out to you guys in an expeditious manner, and I owe her a giant debt of gratitude for caring so much. Thanks Lisa. Oh yes, in all this excitement, I almost forgot to mention that even my website has been revamped and fortified with a brand new look, as well as tons of new content, with more to come real soon!. Thank you to Erick Paquin and erickpaquin.com for designing my kick-ass new site! And thanks to Cain Gillis for designing the 'AC' cover and inserts. As I write this, I am out on the road with FEAR FACTORY, and I'm really enjoying myself. To all those in South America, Australia, Europe and the States who have made us feel so welcome, we thank you. And, just for your information, if you've been wondering, "Hey, where are my town's dates? I live in New York/Detroit/Chicago/etc.", please understand that we are merely on our first American leg, and since this journey has seemingly just begun, keep your eyes peeled for some second American leg announcements in the near future. I'm sure there will be. Well, everybody, I guess that's it for now. Thank you to everyone for your gargantuan amounts of patience in waiting for 'THE ATOMIC CLOCK'. Our wait is now over. It is time (Get it? Hee hee.). Wow, those last four paragraphs seem like a pile of sucky suck-uppery. Gotta give thanks where they're due, though. See you on the road. Thanks, (Dammit! One last act of suckuppishness. Fuck.) Gene ps. The word I was looking for was GASTRONOMY! YES! |
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Hey there everybody, I hope you all are doing well! I know I am, just getting off 12 months on the road out of the last 13.
We, being Fear Factory, just ended a pretty non-stop run this year so far with a few shows in Australia, New Zealand and Japan with Metallica.
The shows were unbelievable and enormous, and we were treated extremely well by the men in the band as well as their crew.
Well, except for the dude who yelled at some of us for leaving our plates behind in catering. Woops, my fault. Food. It'll always get ya in trouble somehow.