Hed PE

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(hed)p.e.
(hed)p.e. in 2008. From left to right: Anthony "Tiny" Biuso, Jackson Benge, Mark Young, DJ Product 1969, Jahred Shane.
Background information
Origin	Huntington Beach, California
Genre(s)	Rapcore
Years active	1994 – present
Label(s)	Jive Koch Suburban Noize
Website	Official website
Members
Jahred Shane aka M.C.U.D (Paolo Sergio Gomes) DJ Product © 1969 (Doug Boyce) Mawk (Mark Young) Jaxon (Jackson Benge) Tiny Bubz
Former members
Devin Lebsack Moke (Mark Bistany) Chizad (Chad Benekos) B.C. (Ben Vaught) Wesstyle (Wes Geer) Sonny Mayo The Finger (Ken Sachs) TiLo (Tim Murray) Christopher Hendrich Brier Crain

Hed PE (usually written as (həd) p.e.) is an alternative rock / rapcore band from Huntington Beach, California.

They fuse punk rock energy with hip hop lyrics and instrumentation to form a sound they call "G-punk" (a combination of G-funk and punk). They have also been known to experiment with various other musical genres, such as reggae and funk.

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

Hed PE was formed in 1994 by Brazilian-American MC Jahred Shane (aka M.C.U.D.)(Mc Underdog) and lead guitarist Wesstyle, both of whom saw each other in attendance at many of the same shows in the Los Angeles and Southern Californian underground scene. They began writing songs together and teamed up with Mawk (bass guitar, who had previously been in a California-based funk band with Jahred), Chizad (guitar), B.C. (drums), and DJ Product 1969 (turntables) to form Hed PE on New Year's Day. The same year (1994) they released their first 8-track demo, containing "Stitches" (available only on this tape), "Hill" (the same version later released on Church of Realities) and "Epilogue" (also released on the "Serpent Boy" single). The band also recorded three tracks before Church of Realities and were released to the public by former bandmate The Finger.^{[citation needed]}

The band's first album was the Church of Realities EP, produced by Wesstyle & released independently in 1995. Upon signing to Jive Records they a their self-titled album which included re-recorded versions of many of the Church of Realities songs. These earliest recordings have a gritty, striking energy to them which members of the band have attributed to their use of amphetamines.^{[citation needed]} Their album Broke, featured guest appearances by Serj Tankian from System of a Down and Morgan Lander from Kittie on the track "Feel Good". The band released the first single of their second album, "Bartender" which got some air play on MTV.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Later years

The band pursued a more accessible, mainstream sound on 2003's Blackout.^{[citation needed]} It was not as successful as Broke had been, and in its wake some of the original members left the group. Sonny Mayo, formerly of Snot and Amen (and later of Sevendust), picked up guitar duties for touring after Chizad left the band. Hed PE also parted ways with Jive at this time.

After signing with indie label Koch Records and adding guitarist Jaxon and drummer Moke (formerly of Otep), Hed PE frontman Jahred reworked some material he had originally written for a side project with Fenix Jones and released the album Only in Amerika in 2005. Hed PE continued to pursue their energetic, profanity-laced rap-metal on this album as well.

Near the end of 2005, Hed PE signed with Suburban Noize Records, and released a single, "Get Ready", and album, Back 2 Base X in 2006.

During 2006, they toured Western Europe and the United Kingdom alongside Anglo-Welsh band Weapons and labelmates OPM. They also played with Papa Roach and Eyes Set to Kill on the 2006 Zippo Hot Tour.

Jahred Shane was a guest performer on the Twiztid album Independents Day which was released on July 3, 2007.

Hed PE released Insomnia on Suburban Noize on July 17, 2007. They released another single, "Suffa", and joined Kottonmouth Kings, Tech N9ne and Blaze Ya Dead Homie for the Strange Noize Tour from July 6 − August 27, 2007.

Hed PE has begun recording their next full-length album, which will feature a heavier sound , similar to a mix between their first record and Only in Amerika.^{[citation needed]} The new album will also feature guest appearances from Dirtball and Mower.^[1]

In a recent interview in Circus magazine,^{[citation needed]} Shane discussed touring and the band's seventh record. When asked about influences for the record, Jahred stated that: "on our last album I was listening to a lot of stuff that came out in the seventies like punk, classic rock and some funk. On this record I am listening to more metal stuff like Slayer and Pantera. With Tiny aboard, I think as a band we have grown, in a sense, heavier, as far goes music." The interview also stated that the band has recorded demos while on tour. Shane said, "we have a small little work station in the back of our bus. Mostly it's my bassist Mawk and guitarist Jackson coming up with ideas and bits and pieces for the next album. We do have some demos for the next album recorded. But like I said, myself and the rest of the members still have to add our input." Jahred also said he hopes to finish the album by late spring.

[edit] Band evolution

During their formative years, Hed PE was largely considered a touring band,^{[citation needed]} devoting significant energy to performing in live shows, spending years producing albums.

Shortly after being dropped from the label, lead singer Jahred declared that it was "the best thing that's ever happened" to the band (though some critics disagreed).^[2] The band's sound evolved once again with the release of Only in Amerika on Koch Records, incorporating a stronger punk rock influence; this has continued on subsequent releases with Suburban Noize.

[edit] Name

Hed PE's name has evolved over time. Originally they went by the name Hed, but were forced to add the "PE" to differentiate themselves from another band called Head. At the time of their self-titled album, they went by Hed Planetary Evolution. Starting with the 2001 album Broke they expressed interest in having the meaning of "PE" change with each album, and went by Hed Planet Earth for some time; they retained this name for the 2003 release of Blackout as well. On 2005's Only in Amerika, the logo changed again, losing both the parentheses and the upside-down 'e', with Hed in all uppercase letters.

For their 2006 and 2007 releases, Hed PE reverted to the name and logo which they used for their self-titled album, with the slight difference of using "P.E." (still meaning "Planet Earth") instead of "PE". The album cover for the pre-release version of Insomnia spelled the band's name without parentheses.

[edit] Members

[edit] Current members

• Jahred Shane aka M.C.U.D (Paolo Sergio Gomes) - vocals - Original member
• DJ Product © 1969 (Doug Boyce) - turntables/back vocals - Original member
• Mawk (Mark Young) - bass guitar - Original member
• Jaxon (Jackson Benge) - guitar - Joined after Blackout tour
• Tiny Bubz (Anthony Biuso) - drums - Replaced Devin Lebsack

[edit] Ex-members

• Devin Lebsack - drums / Joined after signing to Suburban Noize Records, left after recording Insomnia
• Moke (Mark Bistany) - drums / Joined in 2004, left after Back 2 Base X
• Chizad (Chad Benekos) - guitar / Since beginning, left after recording Blackout/(creative differences)
• B.C. (Ben Vaught) - drums / Since beginning, left after Blackout release /(creative/personal differences but still has good relations with former bandmates)
• Wesstyle (Wes Geer) - guitar / Since beginning, left after Blackout release (for a lifestyle change)
• Sonny Mayo - guitar / Joined only to support Blackout tour
• The Finger (Ken Sachs) - keyboard / Since beginning, left after Church Of Realities, but still has good relations with band
• TiLo (Tim Murray) - back vocals / Hed's roadie, later joined Methods of Mayhem)
• Christopher Hendrich - drums / Played only on demo versions of "CBC", "Stepping Stone" and "War"; these versions were featured on hedrocks.com in early 2004.
• Brier Crain - drums / Played on demo versions on debut album.

[edit] Discography

Main article: Hed PE discography

• Church of Realities (1995)
• Hed PE (1997)
• Broke (2000)
• Blackout (2003)
• Only in Amerika (2005)
• Back 2 Base X (2006)
• The Best of Hed Planet Earth (2006)
• Insomnia (2007)
• D.i.Y. Guys (2008)

[edit] References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Hed PE at MySpace