Award-winning rockers Hero's Last Mission (HLM) are wrapping up their third album, a self-titled EP that guitarist Luis Hurtado describes as "a little heavier, a little more melodic" than their previous two albums.
"Our other stuff was more pop," claims lead vocalist Lee Hurtado. "A lot of growing happened." Their first two albums - You're Better Off to Know and Road to Recovery - are currently available for download off of iTunes. The new EP is scheduled for release in January 2010. Lee writes the majority of HLM's lyrics, and notes that the new EP will reflect on the added maturity that has come over the years.
"There are songs about heartbreak, situations that I see," he says. "It's like one of those things where you fall into a pity party, but then you're learning from this and becoming stronger from it." Examples of this maturity are found lyrics like the ones in the song "Everyone Knows":
You never budge, you just hold your grudge
Against everyone, you’re the first to judge
People change, you better do the same
Or just waste away in the life you made
The new EP will also feature a more amped-up version of their song, "Baby Your Are Something," originally found on their 2007 CD Road to Recovery. The song landed them the top honors at the West Coast Song Writers competition earlier this year.
For nearly 30 years, West Coast Songwriters has held regional competitions throughout California, Oregon and Washington with a grand Band Performance Showcase topping things off at the group's Annual West Coast Songwriters Music Conference in September. One of the association's claims to fame is Sara Bareilles whose hit single "Love Song" reached the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart and won Grammy awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Song of The Year in 2009. HLM is set on riding a similar wave of success. These Northern California virtuosos write and perform material that is nothing short of high-quality rock and roll loaded with energy and danceable, young spirit. The new EP promises nothing less.
The current lineup has been together since April 2009 and includes Lee, Luis, bassist Quentin Garcia, guitarist Art Padilla, and drummer Julian Mendoza. The guys believe their sound is stronger than ever and has everyone performing at their peak.
"The solidified line up brought on a progression," Mendoza says.
"With everybody here now, we know what we can do," Padilla adds.
Their new album is being recorded at Pus Caverns studios in Sacramento, where Cake's famous Fashion Nugget was recorded in 1996. The album reached the 36th spot on Billboard's Top 200 chart, and the single "The Distance" spent 25 weeks on the Billboard charts, finally topping at the number four position in November of that year.
"Fashion Nugget is what made me want to play bass," Garcia claims.
HLM formed its roots when the Hurtado twins were teenagers attending Amador High School in the tiny rural community of Amador County located 40 miles east of Sacramento. They had grown up singing along to Disney tunes and got their first taste of a musical instrument playing trumpet in fifth grade.
Although Luis started playing acoustic guitar at the age of 14, he didn't actively pursue the instrument until a year later when Stevie Ray Vaughn caught his ear for the first time. Lee started playing guitar too, "just to do the twin thing," he says, but then moved on to bass so he could do something different. After spending a couple years playing with other musicians, Lee finally decided he wanted to sing lead, so the guys found a friend to take over on bass.
At their high school graduation party in 2004, a band called Nuclear Blast was on stage. Five years later, two of the members from Nuclear Blast - Mendoza and Padilla - have joined forces with the Hurtados. With the addition of Garcia, the new lineup has the determination and the talent to make their mission succeed.
Padilla has been playing guitar since the age of 10 when he would periodically steal his father's six-string.
"I was always getting caught sneaking into my dad's closet and playing when I wasn't supposed to," he remembers.
He cites his biggest influences as Rick James, Michael Jackson and Dio. Mendoza's musical journey began in seventh grade."I had no friends because everyone was into hip hop," he says. "So I became a DJ. I was at a friend's birthday party one time and he had a 14-drum drum set and I just started to play. I really didn't know what I was doing." The self-taught drummer also plays bass guitar and sings.
Garcia comes from a musical family who started him with voice and piano lessons at the age of 7. In sixth grade, he added saxophone to his repertoire, violin in seventh grade, and bass guitar at age 16.
"I had one (bass) lesson," he notes. "I've been self-taught from there." Mendoza, Padilla and Garcia live in Sacramento while the Hurtados still reside in Amador County. The group gets together twice a week to practice.
The name "Hero's Last Mission" was inspired by Loony Toons character Marvin the Martian. They have made it their mission to eventually do the music thing full time. "We want the opportunity to inspire through music," Mendoza says. "Even if we're not getting top dollar."
Their strategy for making this happen is to practice steadily, continue writing solid material, and aggressively book gigs. They've even gone so far as to play to fans waiting in the entrance line at Van's Warped Tour in San Francisco and Ventura, California. HLM used a roving cart with portable microphones and amplifiers to perform. They also sold CDs and t-shirts while they were there. The San Francisco gig lasted three and a half hours, but security guards at Seaside Park in Ventura kicked them out after only five minutes.
"We sold four CDs in those five minutes," Garcia chuckles. "And [the crowd] loved us for those five minutes."
To learn more about Hero's Last Mission, visit myspace.com/heroslastmission. The site includes uploaded songs, videos, a calendar of upcoming shows, and contact information.
