I have been privileged enough to know
the guys in Half-Dead Hamster for some
time, and it is very exciting to see how
much they have truly grown as
musicians over the recent years. Their
origins trace back to late 2002 when
Josh Bult (bass & vocals), Jered
Piepenbrink (drums & vocals), & Brett
Pascal (vocals) joined together out of a
mutual love for music. A few weeks
later Al Hoffman (guitar) tried out for
the band, becoming an integral part
that completed the lineup for Half-Dead
Hamster. I was impressed by their first
show at 10K Auto Sales in Manteno.
What I enjoyed most, and still do, was
their diversity of covers ranging from
The Turtles' “Happy Together” to
Rancid's “Maxwell Murder”. The crowd
could tell that they were not afraid to
try different styles, and nothing has
changed now that they have forged
their signature sound.
In spring of ‘03 Brett left the band, and
his position was filled-in by Bill Vlahos.
He was a very suitable replacement
with great stage presence. When Bill
left the band Al took over the role of
vocalist. Even though they were left
with just three members, each
individual talent shines strong. Al is a
great guitar player - “A Fire is Burning”
demonstrates his talent for creating
catchy riffs and memorable solos.
When I delivered pizza with him and
there was no work to be done, he
would always sit out in his car and play
his acoustic. Even in a parking lot he
put on a great show, simply because he
was playing for himself. He loses none
of this passion on stage.
I have and will always enjoy watching
Jered play the drums. In high school I
would jam out with him in his parents’
basement. What I remember most was
his skill and ambition (and how loud he
sounded in that small room). Back
before he was in a band he was
thinking about whom he would thank in
his album credits. He is a gifted
drummer and has advanced his
technique over the years. Josh always
pushed him to play Led Zeppelin’s
“Moby Dick,” until one day Jered
learned the song to simply prove he
could do it. Everyone works very well
together because they push their
talents to the limit, never settling for
less.
Out of everyone in the band, I have
known Josh the longest. He’s the first
person I go to whenever I have any
obscure question involving music – he’
s done his homework. The first time I
visited him in middle school I was
amazed that he managed to fill a fifty
disc CD player with his own albums. I
though he had a lot of music then - now
he easily owns hundreds of albums,
tons of music paraphernalia, and more
music equipment than anyone else I
know. From the long car trips to school
and the many hours of delivering pizza
together, we’ve had countless
discussions on music. I’ll never forget
the time, this being another parking lot
performance, when he played Maxwell
Murder on his unplugged electric bass.
Every minute of practice and
dedication is revealed whenever he
picks up an instrument.
Together these three fine people form
Half Dead Hamster. Over the summer of
'05 they rented out Jered’s
grandmother’s house and recorded
their first album. I visited near the end
of their recording sessions and
received a firsthand glimpse at many of
their songs. I was blown away by the
quality of their work, as well as the
organization put forth. Josh informed
me that “all production, mixing,
mastering, engineering, tech work,
management, and arranging was done
without assistance. I’m very proud of
us for this.”
Of all the local concerts I’ve attended,
Half-Dead Hamster has always been my
favorite. Their originals, choice and
execution of covers, presence;
everything they do on stage emanates
a great vibe. They play music out of
adoration for the art form and fans, and
you can feel it in every note. The future
looks bright for HDH, especially
considering Jered’s positive attitude;
“The three of us will take advantage of
every opportunity that is presented to
us. At worst, we will just be three guys
doing what we love to do on the side of
work.”

Long Time Friend and Fan, Rob Geiger
September 24, 2005
http://www.halfdeadhamster.com Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.