Count D. talks about the new Haxans record and tells us what scares him
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| Photo courtesy of Count D. |
If Halloween music had a scent, your nose would lead you straight to The Haxans.
"It’s pumpkin-spiced rock music. It’s like autumnal music for autumnal people," said Count D., founder of the spooky Goth-pop band. "Especially the new record. If I could have scented the MP3s that will fly through the air, I would have."
Count D., also known as Piggy D., bassist of nearly two decades with Rob Zombie, is joined in The Haxans by Ashley Costello of the rock band, New Years Day.
The Haxans released its debut album, "Party Monsters," in October 2017. The second album, "The Dead and Restless," is set to drop this fall.
While "Party Monsters" features fun Halloween party songs and a few covers, Count D. said the new album, mostly written at the same time as the first, is a bit more mature with a bit more wisdom. It also includes more personal songs and no covers.
"This record is less conjuring, less plastic pumpkins, and more clove cigarettes kinda fall," he said.
The union between spooky season and The Haxans led to a residency in 2021 at the popular California haunted attraction, Knott's Scary Farm, in which the band played 50 original and cover songs a night, three to four nights a week.
Prior to the residency, the band had only played one live show, Count D. said.
"You could smell the funnel cake in the air as we played," he said. "It was a unique challenge for a band who had only played one show to dive into that."
The Haxans also filmed a video during the residency for its cover of David Bowie's "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)."
"To be able to really roll around in that vibe, musically and environmentally, was a treat," he said. "There is something about playing music like that, in that weather, in that world that’s really magical. I’ve made Halloween playlists and mix tapes for years. We literally played every song I ever used on those. So fun."
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| Photo: Haunt Hunters App |
Count D. said he considers The Haxans to be an art project that serves as a mood board for the ghoulish interests he's had since his childhood. His love of "Scooby-Doo" led to a love of monsters, and the movie, "Frankenstein," left an impression on him when he was young.
"By the time I was 14 and interested in playing music, it just took one Alice Cooper concert, and I was on my way to doing what I’m still doing today," Count D. said.
The elements of danger and adrenaline present in both rock music and the horror genre is an attractive combination for those entertained by the dark and macabre. It's a pairing that Count D. says will be around for many years to come.
“Even though you didn’t always get rock and horror together, they gave a lot of us the same adrenaline rush, or a similar excitement,” he said. “Once the two began to decorate like each other, we officially had put our chocolate into the peanut butter. Now we have a world full of horror-themed bands that aren’t going away anytime soon.”
This story is featured in the book, Halloween Haunts, by Chuck Mound with Tara Adams, which will be released in Fall 2023.
