Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

Hooker Spit was formed by myself and Daniel in 2018 however we didn’t establish ourselves until 2021. Dan and I discussed current pop culture and how anime keeps increasing in popularity as well as the similarities between some of that material and classic death metal artwork. So we thought it would be cool to mash those two worlds together with a nice polished look. We decided on an episodic artistic concept where every album has a different lady/ mascot. The name Hooker Spit came to be by our reaction to the first rough draft of our artwork that Daniel whipped up before we sent it out to our long-time artist friend PaleaRaptor. Jose loves playing Jazz on bass and is a huge Firm Software fan. Devin is a heavy-duty mechanic and absolutely loves Gundam and Naruto. Scott loves skateboarding and thrash metal. Daniel is huge into esotericism and video games. I am a huge Star Wars nerd and love rally racing and offroading. -Vlad

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

We currently all live in the same area but all of us come from different walks of life. I am originally from Romania and moved to Canada as a kid. Daniel is from Bonavista, Newfoundland. Jose moved here a few years ago from Mexico, and both Scott and Devin are from Red Deer, Alberta. I originally moved to Red Deer in my mid-20s for school and met Daniel through a common friend that I went to festivals with over the years. Dan and I became really great friends right off the hop and decided to form the band. We both met Devin at our local venue in town called The Vat during a show. Showed him our demos and he hopped on board. Daniel and Scott’s sister are really great friends since high school so Daniel has known him for a long time. We actually scouted him out for a few years and eventually, one of his bands broke up so we scooped him up before anyone else did hahaha. From there Scott introduced us to Jose after a few months, we all vibed great together so he joined us which is practically the abridged version of how we all got together. -Vlad

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

Definitely the Gothenburg scene! Bands like Bloodbath, At The Gates and early In Flames had a huge impact on what kind of music I wanted to write myself. Some of that early stuff sounded like it was written with a Metal Zone distortion pedal but it sounded so great and chunky. Still some of my favourite bands to date.
-Vlad

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

Absolutely! It’s been a dream of mine since I was a teenager. The reality is there isn’t much money to be made in metal but I mean that’s why we all still have day jobs hahaha. It does bring me great pleasure that everything came together and we’re doing what we’re doing now. – Vlad

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

Hell Comes Home – Arrival of Autumn, Dementia – Era – Devin
Single Album – NOFX, Desperate – Nocturnal Blood Lust – Daniel
Slaughter of the Soul – At the Gates, Heartwork – Carcass. – Vlad

Do you sing in the shower?

I always sing in the shower, normally it’s not metal though. It’s usually lounge music. That’s my guilty pleasure. – Dan

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

Yes, we are releasing our debut album on July 28 and supporting it with a Western Canadian tour. Next year, we plan to do a bigger tour and continue to work on the second album. You can catch us on tour this year at the following dates:

Tour Dates:
July 21 – Edmonton, AB – Temple Room
July 28 – Red Deer, AB – Vat Pub
Aug 5 – Drumheller, AB – Loud as Hell Festival **
Aug 10 – Calgary, AB – Modern Love
Aug 12 – Stirlingville, AB – Grover Fest
Aug 25 – Vancouver, BC – Astoria ++
Aug 26 – Kelowna, BC – Dunnezies Pizza++
Aug 27 – Kamloops, BC – Blue Grotto ++
Sept 4 – Edmonton, AB – CEMR MetalFest**
Sept 15 – Medicine Hat, AB – Mainliner Pub
Sept 16 – Lethbridge, AB – The Slice
Sept 30 – Saskatoon, SK – ACT Hall
Legend: – ** Hooker Spit only, ++ Select Dates with Augurium
-Dan

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

Yes, we are releasing our album on July 28th and we have a few singles we are drip-feeding prior to the release. – Dan

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

Wacken without a doubt. We all hope to someday make the trek to Germany and play Wacken Open Air. That would be a dream come true for all of us. -Dan

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

Lateralus for me. I discovered Tool late and they have a special place in my heart. – Dan
I think I would have to say Blood Drunk by Children of Bodom – Devin
I will also mention Alexi and say Follow the Reaper by Children of Bodom – Vlad

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

If have to be honest, I love a lot of really old blues, lounge music, and Japanese city pop -Dan
If I was to pick something as a guilty pleasure I would have to say Masayume Chasing and What Does the Fox Say? – Devin
Ozone are our hometown heroes back in Romania, that first album was bangin’. – Vlad

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

It would be a bit of a mixed bag but it would be really cool to see Gwar, Black Dahlia, Gutalax, Cannibal Corpse, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Revocation, Tool, As I Lay Dying, All That Remains, HIM, and Aqua on the same bill. – All the boys

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

My first CD purchase was all five System of a Down albums at the same time. I still have them and I cherish them. -Vlad

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

We would love to thank every degenerate that chooses to buy our album and continues to support us. Being musicians is hard and you put gas in our tank both literally and figuratively. – Dan

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

Yes you can follow us at the following links:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/52aimkPPOsGUrEolBZHlMv?si=bJygEvx3Ri26q7UfrouG4Q
https://hookerspitofficial.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hookerspitofficial
https://www.instagram.com/hookerspit.official/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/@hookerspitofficial
https://www.hookerspitofficial.com/
-Vlad

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

Yeah, just a few things. The Moon isn’t real. The Earth is Flat. Ketchup belongs on steak and mustard belongs on hashbrowns. Barbecue sauce is just fancy ketchup. A hotdog is a sandwich. God put dinosaur bones in the ground to test our faith. –Scott

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum