HOWITZER BIOGRAPHY

After leaving their native New Bedford, MA and settling in South Florida, brothers Jay and Russ formed Howitzer in ’95. Frustrated by trying to scratch out a living, and residing in places in the Sunshine State that you don’t see on postcards, the brothers needed an outlet. With the upbringing of Boston hardcore, metal, punk, rock ‘n’ roll, later country music, oi, and the lack of anything of the like in South Florida at the time, it was their destiny and out of necessity to create the band. With Jay’s tortured singing and raw guitar sound, and Russ’ take-no-prisoners, hardcore style vocals and no-frills bass playing, Jay and Russ combined their songwriting skills to form a tough new form of street rock unlike any that had come before. They gained notoriety wherever they played with their no bullshit, streetwise approach that somehow still managed to be a good time for all who attended.

After falling out with other band members along the way, the brothers teamed up with long time friend and fellow statesman Lance to step in on lead and rhythm guitar. Lance’s heavy-handed rhythms and straight-ahead lead playing, gave the brothers what they were looking for to complement the Howitzer sound without sacrificing their vision. Being from Massachusetts as well, Lance shared the same Yankee theories, politics, musical influences, and delusions of grandeur as the brothers. They had the sound and vision they were looking for, but needed the driving force to take it to the next level.

Enter Steve. Steve, whose early influences were much the same as the band’s, stepped in with machinelike mechanics that gave the Howitzer songs a new life. Steve, a seasoned professional whom had played a variety of styles, adapted to the group’s sound as if he’d been a member of Howitzer all along. He added strength and heart to the songs, and gave the band a tighter, more professional sound. Steve had also grown up in New England which didn’t hurt matters either.

Howitzer’s mighty sound is fronted by three singers Jay, Russ, and occasionally Lance, but the term "singers" is used very loosely given the band’s strong hardcore influence. Their philosophy is simple. Play good songs that they want to hear, and what they believe will earn the respect of their peers. They feel the old songs need to be heard again, and the new songs won’t disappoint the old fans.

The new album "Police State" was self-produced and recorded in Howitzer’s own multi-hundred dollar recording studio. The band derived their do-it-yourself mentality, since local level engineers are usually bitter, washed-up failures who try to mix your band the way they think you should sound, and milk your time and money. If anybody was going to ruin their sound, never mind paying someone else to do it, it would be the band themselves. It worked out though, and they eventually produced an album that sounded like Howitzer was meant to. Until now, the guys hadn’t been able to capture their live sound on record. Fueled by this desire and excessive amounts of alcohol, they cut their tracks in minimal takes and maintained rawness in the mixing process. The cover art is based on one world government conspiracy "theories" one can find on the internets, and reflects what many of the songs are about.

All that shit on the radio sounds the same. Thank the F.C.C. you won’t hear Howitzer.

Fuck the administration.