HOT SPOT
Break out those skin-tight leather pants, black eyeliner, and blow out your hair — the fifth annual Metal Bash featuring the Hatchett Brothers’ band, Fortress, is slated to go down at the Cal Neva on Saturday, March 19. The creation of twin brothers Dave (guitar) and Mike (bass) Hatchett of Standard Films, along with longtime friend Brian Harrison (guitar), Fortress is a musical side project with no ambition except to rock out on stages across Tahoe. But don’t mistake these guys for amateurs. The Hatchett brothers have skills beyond snowboarding and they’ve teamed up with some serious fist-pumping talent.
Moonshine Ink caught up with Dave Hatchett to talk about Fortress and the upcoming Metal Bash. Read on to learn about the Hatchett brothers’ second love in life: metal.
Moonshine Ink: Tell us about Fortress. Where’d you get your start?
Dave Hatchett: My brother and I have been playing in the band for about 20 years here in Tahoe. We just started as some local kids in Incline and played at Humpty’s [in Tahoe City]. My brother and I had a 40th birthday a few years ago. We decided to throw a big party and play … It was going to be a one-time thing, but it went over really well with the crowd and everyone loved it. So we decided to turn it into an annual local party [the Metal Bash]. [Performing music] is pretty much just a hobby that we do. Fortress itself has no aspirations of trying to go further or do more. It’s just a local band.
MI: What’s your musical background?
DH: My musical background was definitely in metal. My favorite bands were Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest. We (Dave, Mike, and Brian) got together out of high school … We got pretty good. We played at Humpty’s and recorded originals … [The recorded music] was pretty good. But it made me realize how hard that road is. It showed me that I didn’t want to do it professionally.
MI: What was Standard Films doing at that time?
DH: That was right about the same time as Standard Films, which started around ‘89/’90 with ‘Totally Board.’ That was another huge factor, too [for not pursuing music professionally]. Snowboard filming was such a lucrative business because we were the first people to get into it.
MI: On stage, you guys are dressed to the T in cutoffs and leather pants, and you’re totally rocking out. What’s it like to be on stage?
DH: It’s awesome to perform. It reminds me of snowboarding and rock climbing in that when you play live, you have one chance to nail it. The cool thing to me about live music is that you never really know what the final result is going to be until you play it. That’s my favorite part, the rush and trying to make it happen. Playing your part and playing it right.
MI: Does Fortress just perform covers or do you write original music, too?
DH: We try to do at least half a set new a year, so at least 50 percent of our songs will be new. This year we’re going to also do one original, ‘Beginning of the End.’ It’s one of our old originals recorded back in the day … Jeff Martin wrote new vocal lines for it and put a new twist on it.
MI: The annual Metal Bash: What’s this event all about?
DH: It’s just a fun party. We get a big sound system and a lot of lights. It’s definitely a rock concert atmosphere. We usually get about 500 people. And part of it, for sure, is that everyone gets dressed up in their ‘80s gear.
~ Julie Brown
Info: Doors open at 8 p.m., show starts at 9:30 p.m., tickets $15/advance, $20/door, tickets available at Thin Air Motor Sports and the Cal Neva, Crystal Bay, (800) CAL-NEVA
