Stephen Hargreaves
MANAGING EDITOR


Creators of the horrorbilly, delivery boys of infamous live shows and apparent servants of the devil himself, The Matadors made their first return to the Rose City last Friday at Villains Beastro. The band last played in Windsor in 2008 with frontman, Hooch Parkins, then girlfriend Kenda Legaspi’s band, The Creepshow, at the university’s Thirsty Scholar Pub. We caught up with the band behind one of Canada’s most notorious Lucifer driven and booze fuelled bands in the small staff bathroom, behind the kitchen at Villains before he took the stage.

STEPHEN HARGREAVES: First off, what is horrorbilly?

Hooch Parkins: Horrorbilly is a designation of music that I made up, because we were being called psychobilly in 2000 and I had no idea what that was until we opened for Tiger Army. Then I knew right away that I did not want to have that label on The Matadors … for obvious reasons.

SH: Why is the Matadors live show so infamous?

HP: Because no one puts on a live show like The Matadors, we simply play better and perform better than anyone else you’re ever going to see. We have a good time up there. Most bands are fucking dull and have this weird idea that you are there to see them like you owe them something. Not us, we are there to see you, we have to play to our full potential every night. Sure I might get drunk and insult the audience, but that’s funny. What pisses people off is that The Matadors do not take ourselves very seriously. Other bands work so fucking hard and still fall way short of the awesomeness of The Matadors and it bothers them that we aren’t even trying. Well, fuck them. I sold my soul to Lucifer in 1993 in exchange for super human prowess on the guitar and I alone have to live with that.

SH: Who are the Lucifarian Brotherhood of Baphomet, how did you connect with them and how has that connection changed the band? … Your personal lives? … Your sex lives?

HP: They are a shadow organization that exists in the background of every facet of everything around you. Largely they are a group of people that are working to bring Lucifer into power and overthrow God, long story.

SH: Why have you been so afraid of the 401? You’ve not played Windsor in ages!

HP: Couple of reasons. One, that drive sucks, it’s boring and I’m wicked lazy. I love Windsor I have a lot of really good friends here and I hope we can come back more often. And as for the other reason … no one ever asks and I don’t go sniffing around for work.

SH: You haven’t released an album since 2008, what gives? Is there something new on the way?

HP: Yes, there’s a lot coming down the pipe right now. We have not put out a record because there was a lot of bullshit going on. Put it this way; there isn’t a square inch free for another dagger at this point. I have two new full-lengths written and one recorded, we redid Horrorbilly 9000 [originally released in 2006 on Stereo Dynamite] because the record company that put it out fucked us over and I have not seen one dime from that record. We have a rarities and b-sides thing coming out called Lucifarian gospel Hymns Volume One.

SH: What can we expect on the new Matadors records?

HP: Songs about robots, Jersey Shore douchebag bros, being abducted by aliens and having your asshole probed, songs about satanic ritual killings for fun and profit– typical Matadors fare really.