(HED) P.E. To Return To Adelaide To Shake It To Its Very Foundation…

(HED) P.E. return to shake Australia to its very foundations and they are bringing NONPOINT with them. Celebrating the twenty fifth anniversary of their landmark album Broke, the band will deliver a full-throttle set packed with fan favourites like Bartender, Killing Time, and Feel Good; which featured none other than Serj Tankian (System of a Down) and Morgan Lander (Kittie) on the album. Expect pounding riffs, funk-infused grooves, and the unmistakable flow of frontman Jahred Gomes, whose stage presence turns every show into a riotous celebration of rebellion and rhythm. From their self-titled debut in 1997 to their latest release New and Improved, (HED) P.E. continues to evolve while staying true to their anti-establishment roots. Jahred Gomes talks to Hi Fi Way about returning to Adelaide.

Are you pumped for another Australian tour?
I can’t wait, buddy. Thanks for taking the time out. I’m so excited, bro. I have to get excited, because it’s a lot of work, it’s a fucking long plane trip, but I am so excited. I’m excited for the weather! Where I’m at right now, it’s below freezing today. I’m living in the mountains in Idaho, so I can’t wait to get there and enjoy some good weather, maybe even get to the beach. I’m really excited to get to Australia and play Broke, which is the record that gave us a market in Australia so long ago, so I’m very excited to do that. People have been asking for that.

What is it about that particular album that you think still resonates with fans even now, today?
The money that the record company put into promoting it? No, I’m just kidding. But that’s part of it. I don’t know, you know what? I think it was just the timing of it, for sure. The lifestyle reflected on the album, and when it came out, it hit a nerve with people who were interested in that lifestyle or living it. You know what I mean? Like, you can’t really predict or plan for those types of things, right? It came out in 2000, which was so much different to now, and different to, like the 90s too. I really think that the timeliness of the sound of the music and what I was talking about lyrically and the vocal approach just kind of touched a nerve in the year 2000.

What do you remember about when that album came out? Any significant events or things happening that make you smile now?
Well, you know what was going on was our first record came out in, like, ‘96, and four years between the two records. Such a long time, we were all out of money. Even though we signed what they call a million dollar record deal, but it wasn’t a million dollars in our pocket. It was like money for this, money for this, money for that. But four years had passed, we were completely broke, which is why the album was named Broke. We were, like, destitute, so I just remember, like… I swear I was couch surfing at the time, or living in different apartments, but I do remember couch surfing, listening to mixes of the record. But Broke really changed my whole life. Even though it wasn’t huge, it was big enough to give me a so called underground career in the music business.

Did it get easier from that point on?
No, not for me! No, I mean, look, dude, it’s not that glamorous. It’s (hed) PE, I can only speak for being at this level of a musician. It’s a constant grind and a constant hustle for me to try and use this, (hed) PE, as my only means of paying the bills. What’s interesting is at the time when the first single Bartender was taking off I actually remember thinking, oh, things are going to be much easier now. But boy, was I wrong.

No limos and private helicopters and private jets?
No, dude. Well, here’s the thing, it’s like before I signed the record deal, and just kind of working jobs and having a boss and clocking in, that’s its own stress. But then being your own boss is another type of stress as well. It’s a trade off, I think.

Do you play the album in full, start to end, on tour?
No, no, I’m trying to do an arc that’s more appropriate for a live setting. I don’t want to play it front to back. I want to kind of mix up the orders of things.

Are there some songs on that album that take a bit of work to make them work live?
Yeah! There’s a song called Feel Good that has two guest vocalists on it. The girl, Morgan from Kittie, and a guy, Serj from System of a Down, and so they’re not going to be there, so trying to figure that out is challenging, but it’ll work out.

Touring with the guys from Nonpoint, that’s a huge one for the tour as well. Must be really cool touring with those guys?
I love those guys. And you know what? You just brought them up right after that question, and it made me think that I should get Elias to do Serj’s part, if he would be so kind. I wonder if he’d do that? Thanks for that idea. I love Nonpoint, in the States, they’re huge and they take us on the road and let us open for them occasionally in the States. They’re a great band, and they’re just great guys, so I’m stoked to be able to have them with us in Australia and New Zealand.

After the tour are you thinking about the next album?
It’s got to come out this year, late summer or fall. I’ve been grinding out some guest features, vocal spots to keep the lights on, but I’ll get to it.

Are the guest features with anybody we might know?
Oh, no, just some amateur artists. I do a lot of work for rock bands in Australia. Just writing choruses and verses and stuff. Mostly all unsigned artists.

Is that a tough thing being able to balance experimenting with the (hed) PE sound, but also giving fans what they’re wanting or expecting to hear?
What a great fucking question, because sometimes I have totally failed at that by putting out a record that all my fans hate. So, I’ve learned that I can’t really experiment that much to be honest. I have to give my people what they’re expecting and what they’re wanting and that is what it is, and that’s fair. I’m happy to do it.

What can you say about the new album? Have you got any ideas down already?
I’m really excited about it. The last one was so well received. The new record, we’re going to put it out on our own label, so I’m going to make sure it’s really heavy. That’s where my heart’s at right now.

Does anything in particular influence that, or is that just the way that it evolves?
I just feel like the progression from the last album. It has to be more punk rock, more heaviness, that’s what I’m feeling. There’s a lot of it that just takes shape once you’re actually doing it, and it might become clearer six months from now. The evolution between what I thought I was going to do six months ago to now has been stark, a big difference. Everything changes, so that’s why I like to take my time too because I’m one of these self‑loathing artists, where as soon as I put out a record, I hate it. So, the more patient I am the better I’ll feel about what the end product is.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch (HED) PE on the following dates with Nonpoint, tickets from October Presents…