Deuce was the lead singer of the mask-donning, metal-rap
band Hollywood Undead. After a rift between him and the band they parted ways.
And, yes, that’s the much abbreviated story, you can read more somewhere else. The
vital news is Deuce, who still dons a mask, is back with his debut album. “Nine Lives” set for release
April 24 and on the “Fight to Unite tour” with Blood on the Dance Floor and a
bunch of other “aggro-rap dance bands.” The tour hits the local area on April
18 at the Crofoot Ballroom.
Tell me about the
“Fight to Unite Tour” you’re heading out on
The tour is me, Brokencyde, Blood on the Dance Floor and
others like Haley Rose. I work with BotDF and Brokencyde. I’m actually going to
hang with them tonight (BotDF and Brokencyde) and chill at some bar in
Hollywood. It’s going to be a big tour, with a bunch of crazy people, like us!
One of tour’s
sponsors is M.O.B. (Musicians Opposed to Bullying)…
Yeah, we’re all anti-bully.
We’re you ever
bullied in high school?
Not really, I dropped out of high school early so I didn’t
get stepped on that much. I went into the music world at 16 for recording and
writing. That was more what I wanted to do. I was in Hollywood with a lot of
gang members, you know crips and the like. I was never in a gang, but I was
friends with guys who were in them and they always had my back if I ever had a
problem.
It’s good to align
yourself with people that are bigger than you.. .
Yeah, that’s what I did. I was always a skinny dude. So I
always roll with people bigger than me.
How did you get the
name Deuce?
I got the name Deuce
because my name before Hollywood Undead and during was “the producer” back in
the day. So, Deuce is short for “the producer,” you know, the “pro – duce-
a.” Because “the producer” was too long, so I’d just say
“Deuce” and it kind of stuck. People say
Deuce is like my alter ego, all crazy and stuff, but I say I am my alter ego.
Your video “Let’s Get It Crackin” is crazy. Was there a script for that?
There was (laughs) . I was working with someone from my
label, and we took a day to shoot it. It was just a whole bunch of naked girls
all around us and it just came out sick, you know.
I’m surprised nobody
got arrested while that was being made…
Yeah, I know, it’s crazy, but not that crazy, just a bunch
of titties. People were shocked because of it, but to me it was just normal,
having fun and stuff.
Are you trying to
reach a wider audience now?
Yeah, Yeah, I wanna reach everybody. I have rock songs and
some mainstream rock, hip hop songs and maybe like a top 40 feel to them with
pop elements. I’m not stuck in one genre. I have my own style that branches
into all that stuff. My old band was stuck into that metal-rap thing, but I’ve
evolved, this is Deuce, where I can do anything. I feel like I can show my
music to an airplane attendant and they are like “this is sick” and they are
like 40-years-old, and then I’m playing it for a kid and they are like “dude I
want to bump this.”
Your lyrics are let’s
say “NR-17” rated but your crowd is mostly under 17…
Most of my audience is under 17, but it’s all good, I just
write what I want to write. I have clean versions if it’s necessary. My writing
process is to ignore any boundaries and rules and have fun.
What is a typical day
for Deuce like?
We’ll be in the studio working a lot, coming up with ideas.
If we accomplish something, then we’ll go out and party. But, mainly working on
music. I’m working on the tour. Music and partying, talking to my fans of
facebook and twitter, and talking to people like you.
What do you think the
biggest myth is about being a rock star?
Well, the real rock stars work really hard and the fake ones
that just have a bunch of tattoos and dye their hair are really not rock stars.
Rock stars really do talk to their fans and work hard, that’s the truth of
it.
Tell me about you
live show?
Live, we got a whole show with little skits in between the
songs or we’ll do stuff that describes the song we’re gonna play. The band is
me, and B.LaY on backing vocals he’s like a bigger dude, Jimmy Yuma on guitar,
Ty Gattis on drums and Arina Chloe, she’s a DJ/Keyboardist that does backup
vocals.
Is there anybody’s
music you’re into right now?
I like everything right now, even that Goyte song, (ed. “Somebody that I Used to Know”).
New stuff whether its metal, rap, pop, I don’t care as long as it’s new and
fresh and has something cool about it.
This Post by Mikel O.D. of
