Hail the Titans won’t be your usual band lineup this weekend at Hijacking Music Festival at 529. These guys have taken the road less traveled and opted to go without a lead singer. The all instrumental band talked with us at AMG before their show this Saturday.
How did you come up with your band name?
The band name actually took awhile to come up with. We had already played our first show – on Halloween 2010 – without a name. We had thrown around ideas for weeks, but sometime in November of that year, we discussed it and finally decided on “Hail the Titans.”
What is the strangest thing a fan has done for you? or at your show?
We played an outdoor festival last year, and the band area was under a tent. During our set, a naked man streaked through the tent. What made this so strange, however, was that after streaking, he stayed naked and just hung around, drinking and talking with people. In fact, we all took a band photo with “Naked Dude.”
What is your favorite gig you have ever attended?
It’s really hard to narrow that down to just one show, but one of the many great shows was when all of us went to see Mogwai last year at Workplay in Birmingham. I was able to see a band that I’ve wanted to see for quite awhile with my band mates. It was great music and great company.
What was the best gig you have ever played?
There are actually two shows that really seem to stand out. Earlier this year, we opened for legendary punk band Agent Orange at a venue called the Squeaky Lizard in Ocean Springs, MS. It was a packed house, and the crowd was awesome. Because our music changes mood so much, we never thought anyone would actually try to mosh to it, but at one point that night, some people in the crowd were doing just that. The other show that really stands out was our tour kickoff show in our hometown of Montgomery this past July.The crowd and the energy that night were amazing. We also got to share that show with our friends in Nigredo. After they killed it, we set up and walked off stage for a few minutes to prepare. When we came back in, the crowd went wild; it had to be one of the best hometown greetings that I have ever experienced.
Any pre-show rituals you can’t go on stage without doing?
Since this band began, we have had a pre-show ritual where we have a band huddle. It’s like the start of a football game or something. I don’t think we’ve played a single show without doing that, so it’s become somewhat of a tradition.
