Jon Hardy of MEXICAN APE-LORD – “Everyone hates the sound of his voice”

Following the sad end of the highly underrated Meliah Rage, guitarist/songwriter Anthony Nichols and The Bags’ singer/bassist Jon Hardy joined forces with drummer Steve Fry and lead guitarist Dan Dykes to form Mexican Ape-Lord, who have just released their third album, “Blunt Instrument,” available here via Unable Music Group’s new label 10-31 Records.

Nichols and Hardy had been friends since high school and found success in various branches of the Boston rock scene in the late ’80s. After signing with Epic Records in 1988, Meliah Rage released nine albums and built a loyal fan base over the course of numerous international tours. The Bags won the 1989 Boston Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble, released six albums, and their song “Cavemen Rejoice” was featured in the PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero.

Just days after completing work on their debut, The Late Heavy Bombardment (2014), Nichols suffered a serious wrist injury and was told he would never be able to play guitar again. After several surgeries and years of rehab, he returned to writing music and gradually worked his way back into top form. This material became the basis for Mexican Ape-Lord’s second album, Survival Cannibalism (2020).

In 2022, the band released Burn Pit, a four-song EP that tackles some classic Mexican Ape Lord themes: inner demons, dangerous work, ritual bloodshed, and apex predators. “We didn’t want to stop making music just because the world was ending,” says Nichols.

And here we are, staring at a Blunt Instrument, an album where two worlds collide: Nichols’ thrashy roots and Hardy’s hardcore punkiness. So how does it work? How do you work with such a masterful guitarist, who can master any riff and create an atmospheric mosaic of heaviness?

“With every record, he tries to do a mix of moods and tempos,” Hardy tells BraveWords on Streaming For Vengeance. “There are some major chords on this record, which is a little unusual for this style of music. It always blows my mind when I get new material from Tony. A lot of it would just pass as an instrumental piece. Not to mention that our lead guitarist (Dan Dykes) and drummer (Steve Fry) are just great musicians too. A lot of times I feel like – and it’s not that I lack confidence as a songwriter – but I thought if I had the option to just stay out of it, I probably would. Let’s just make it an instrumental piece. That’s so great. I want to hear every detail of the drums. I don’t want to sing over it. But that’s my job, so I’m just going to take it.”

BraveWords: I don’t think I’ve ever heard it explained like that. “Why would I ruin a song with my voice?”

Hardy: “Yeah, exactly. You get tired of hearing your own voice. Everyone hates the sound of their voice.”

BraveWords: Rob Halford, for example, talks openly about it in his books.

Hardy: “I think it’s almost universal. People say you hear your voice in different ways. Everyone feels like they have this deep, booming voice. But when you hear a recording of your voice, you think: Whoa! That’s not me.”

BraveWords: You come from a punk and hardcore background. How did you approach the vocal style when Tony introduced all these more heavy metal ideas?

Hardy: “I actually asked Tony for advice, and that was one of the reasons I was hesitant to join the band. I know how to be in a punk band, but I’ve never been a singer in a metal band. You know, that’s a little harsh. And Tony said, ‘Dude, you’re an outsider, so just accept it. Just be an outsider.’ There’s nothing rockier than that. No matter how big you get in this world, if you like that kind of music, bro, you’re a little bit of an outsider. I always grew up like that, and I was kind of an outsider. With our taste in music not quite in the center or mainstream. ‘Yeah, I can play the role of an outsider.'”

Mexican Ape Lord singer and bassist Jon Hardy’s chat with BraveWords’ Streaming For Vengeance airs tomorrow (Saturday, June 6) at 3:33 p.m. EST.

“Worm Moon”:

“Kentucky Meat Shower”:

“Blunt instrument”: