Heywutchadointonite - M Hodge

M. Hodge


"It's not just to you that I sing, it's me."


Music? Some gauge a musician's worth by how successful they are at inserting themselves into the public conciousness. Anyone who really listens to music with any type of discerning ear knows that as with any art, it's not whether the work wins a popularity contest but, does it actually hold some merit? Does it stand out in it's originality?

Multi-Instrumentalist M. Hodge is an artist whom over his career, has strived to dash musical stereo types, fly in the face of convention, and come through it all to intriguing results. Growing up one of four children in a military family, and having no traditional hometown, the family constantly rallied on the Persian rug in front of the JVC receiver,turntable, and reel to reel. Hodge says "moving alot and having no hometown, you look to your family quite a great deal for entertainment."

In the childhood homes of M. Hodge, music had always been a welcome diversion from the rest of the days goings-on. 45's or LP's stacked on the pole would drop, creating a varied sound track from the likes of Beatles(my sisters 45's),Harry Nilsson, Herb Alpert, Wes Montgomery, and Bo Diddley, and Earth Wind and Fire to name a few favorites. The Radio was also of big interest in those days, Hodge is a self admitted disciple of Kasey Kasem who's weekly syndicated American Top 40 never missed a weekend on the Hodge radio even on roadtrips. From Germany to Alaska and the places and years between, Hodge listened Kasem's greatly varied show with the main attraction being just that, a wide variation of styles being put on display weekly. M. Hodge- "The Radio now is a comparmentalized purveyor of various formats that promote commonality and various stereotypes,satiating less critical listeners, as is their aim I'm sure.

Having listened to his sister successfully master flute, young Hodge tried his vocal cords out singing in choir in elementary school and when eventually in junior high in Anchorage AK, as his father and he sat in the office of the conselor deciding on the schedule, the question of elective course came up. HMMMMMM? Woodshop or Band? Anyway. He became a percussionist, building a foundation for himself musically, of which he'll tell you,"really solidified my sense of rhythm and dynamic."

Flash forward to Northern California 1985. Hodge arrives in a little, country town about a half an hour north of San Francisco and at this point had well shaped facets of his musiscal identity. Prior to arriving in California, the Walkman had not just played Top 40 and Soul but, the cassettes where now holding Herbie Hancock, Art Of Noise, David Bowie, Afrika Bambaataa, Prince, Run DMC, and The Gap Band to name a few. In California This part of Marin County was still heavily into 80's Hair metal, as Hodge recalls being asked by an enthusiastic Hair Metal drummer "what type of music you like?" Hodge says "I like Funk alot," Hair Metal Drummer says, "Funk? What's That?"

At fifteen, a friend lent Hodge a guitar and he soon found that he could make it do a few things. That Christmas, Hodge received an electric guitar and small practice amp. Along with the amp was a little song book with chord diagrams with songs by such artists as, Donovan, Bob Dylan,and Simon and Garfunkel to name a few. Although still a percussionist in the school ensembles and having his own drumkit in his room, Hodge gravitated to the guitar and eventually bought a bass too. Not forsaking the drums for guitar but gaining an interest in composing, that's excactly what Hodge began doing, also playing and singing in a few groups.

Hodge went to University at Sonoma where he was a Music major studying recording technologies as well and finally was for the first time feeling the power of original art, playing live for people and recording early compositions. M. Hodge- "In Sonoma, I was over The Funk. All my local contemporaries, that only years earlier had mocked The Funk as black and ignorant, were now all trying to be the next Red Hot Chili Peppers. Even in some cases during this time, I played in a punk outfit and I heard more than once, "black guys don't play guitars."

After Hodge left Sonoma, it was time to absord some more metropolitan musical ideas closer to and in San Francisco. Hodge on occassion would attend an open blues jam with legend Luther Tucker who years before was a sideman of many of Hodge's heros such as Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, and Robert Lockwood Jr. to name a few. Also during this time, with car trunks full of instruments Hodge and some of his outsider associates would high-jack art openings, parties, and any other function they could get wind of.

During this period in San Francisco it would seem that The Funk had given way to House music DJs and Funk's debatably more sophisticated brother, Acid Jazz. Hodge wanted something more than these thin veils of trendy schlock and a scene of musicians which in a lot of ways harkend back to the originators of what we today call Jamband music. M. Hodge- "Either a band jams or it doesn't. Don't call yourself a Jamband and expect to automatically jam, cuz chances are you can't."


94' while some of Hodge's friends were on the road to becoming famous techno-artists or world class super DJs, Hodge was at a crossroads and wondering which turn to take. After drunkenly committing to a trip to New Orleans, months later was held to it and hopped in a gold Cadillac and a week later, (sans Cadillac) almost penniless arrived with some cohorts in New Orleans, La. M. Hodge- "I had 40 bucks and 5 strings on an old black Hohner acoustic, as soon as I got another string I could eat."

Eventually Hodge and company found a room they shared, up on Magazine St.and Hodge began to seek out players of any sort, anyone who needed back up or colaboration. Within his first year in town Hodge had played The Maple Leaf, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Cafe Brasil and a few other's. He did all this as bass player in a country band. Going on to play around also backing other musicians and performing his own material around town. Hodge also played in E. Green's blues band and was on his album "The Last Thing I Do" also while in New Orleans.

Using the drummer from Nine Inch Nails(prick)kit to practice, Hodge also joined a noise outfit whose bassist David Reynolds was also in the process of opening a full service recording studio in the Carrollton neighborhood of New Orleans with his classmate from The Recording Institute, Jimmy Augustin. Dave and Jimmy impressed with Hodge's musical history knowlege and combined instrumental abilities, shortly after an initial barroom meeting, decided to record with him.

M. Hodge- "Jimmy and Dave's place Noiselab was an incredible two-level home in Carrollton, with a the control booth,tracking spaces, and mastering suite, all on the bottom level. Real state of the art. Me and Dave would do the playing of various parts on the tracks, save for a few special guest who got price breaks on their own recording time for helping out with the project. Dave also drove the sessions a great deal and was great soul to bounce ideas off of. Shit, at Noiselab I also got to record with George Clinton and hang out with other cool folks like Jesse Johnson from the Time and Howard Scott of War, Barry Cowsill of The Cowsills to name a few.

Jimmy being a bit wiser than us, had a definite spin on the production also, not only driving some himself but, being that he had thousands of records around the studio he always had the odd bit of inspiration to pull out. The album that would eventually become OOH! was recorded. I ended up leaving New Orleans, back to the Bay Area with a heavy heart. Originally, we were going to add more songs but, due to personal & financial hardships and natural(Katrina)disaster which eventually destroyed Noiselab. I was to be back in New Orleans to record some more with Jimmy (as Dave had also returned to his hometown Buffalo, NY a year before) the day it all went down.


Broken and back in The Bay Area, Hodge would still record the odd track with his friends and play a little gig here(with Freaky Chakra for instance) and there, sidemanning but, he got the bug to actually go out and play the music that he recorded in New Orleans,the album "OOH!", as he was never properly afforded the chance back then. Hodge would actually name the new group OOH! Since 2009, M. Hodge have been performing in various venues around The Bay Area most notably The Great American Music Hall in San Fransisco and the hallowed Boom-Boom Room in that city as well. If you want to know more I am sure Hodge would love to tell you in person and even play a show for you.

M. Hodge "OOH!" @ itunes.com

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