Pic courtesy of: Head on Collision "I’m out there to play music, make new friends and enjoy the company of people who have similar tastes and interests that I do. That’s a rare thing for me in St. Louis. To be honest, I’m pretty oblivious to any girl that might be coming on to me. I’ve been out of the game for so long that I honestly don’t even care. I’m in this for the music, not the pussy."

HK: Wassup Head on Collision? Do any of you smoke pot or are the three dudes in the band straight edge?
Pat McCauley: Does not smoking pot make you straight edge?

HK: Between the three of you, who has got the hottest chops with their chosen instruments? How long have you been banging on guitars and beating on drums?
Pat McCauley: I think that's all a matter of opinion. I personally wish I was a better player. I've been playing guitar for over 20 years now. Jason has been playing drums for 11 years. While John has been playing for nearly a decade, I believe.

HK: It’s always been just a threesome in the band? Do you take a car or a van when going to gigs?
Pat McCauley: We started as a four piece in 2004. John joined in 2005, making it a five piece. Then we parted ways with the original bassist, drummer and the third singer. That lineup never toured. We hardly even played out. Towards the end of that lineup, we hardly even practiced. We played one show that was about an hour and a half away from us. After that, we were a four piece for about a year and a half, until right before "Ritual Sacrifice" came out. Our second bassist quit because he was so old that touring hurt his bottom, so John moved to bass. We’ve been a three piece for the last six months or so. We hope to find a fourth member, but we're not rushing it. We don't want to be stuck in another situation with a weirdo, quitter, or chicken shit. We tour in a 24-foot mini-bus.

HK: How would you describe the band’s work ethic? Would you admit to being lazy or is your practice hectic and intense? Are you perfectionists in the studio and the stage?
Pat McCauley: We practice usually two to three times a week, sometimes more. We strive to be perfectionists, but we haven't quite achieved it as of yet! To be honest, there was a lot of things that could've been better on our 1st album, but as soon as that line up was together we were gigging nonstop and writing new songs consistently. We practiced really hard for it, but I remember everyone being really nervous and maybe even a rushed feeling when we recorded it. We hadn't even been playing together a year when we recorded that album.

HK: If I’m not mistaken you’re on a national tour right now. Do you consider yourselves veterans when it comes to this kind of work?
Pat McCauley: No.

HK: What were some of the worst conditions you’ve played in?
Pat McCauley: Most of the places were totally playable, but there have been a few where the promoter didn't do his job, or even bother to get other bands or anything. Jughead’s in Phoenix on our June tour comes to mind. The promoter hung a poster up in the venue’s restroom and that was it. He didn't get other bands like he said he would. We played to the bartender that night. There have been a few of those. It wears you down, but you get in the van and move on to the next town and hope for the best!

HK: On the flipside of the previous question, which gigs were so good, where the band was so well looked after, that you wished every show from then on was like it?
Pat McCauley: Denver, Colorado was pretty killer. We played there twice. The band Havok found a good promoter both times and put really good shows together for us. We played two dates in Seattle in June that were pretty great. Seattle was a great example of how awesome a DIY booked show can be. Austin, Texas has treated us the best. We played Room 710 in June with Blunt Force Trauma and others that was a pretty full house and a great time. I wish more shows were like that. We also played the Minneapolis Mayhem 3 festival with Tankard, Hirax, Raven, Omen and several other great bands. We were the newbies on the bill, so we played for food, basically, but it was an incredible opportunity and we were treated with great respect.

HK: Has Head on Collision set it sights on doing shows outside the country? Would a tour in Japan be a dream come true? Or is South America better?
Pat McCauley: We want to play all over the world. Yes, we want this to happen, but it is honestly too early in the game for us to have even established the right contacts to make this happen. We want to play everywhere for anyone that would like what we do. We have a lot of growing pains to go through before this becomes reality.

HK: Honestly now, you don’t have to give names, but have you ever had sex while on tour? You see, I want to confirm or explode a myth that says touring bands who’ll only be in town for one night usually cause the local women to be extra frisky. Please don’t get annoyed with me. This other band I interviewed once said “pulling ass is not a problem.” So do guys on tour do get to have sex on the road?
Pat McCauley: I don’t. I’m happily married. I don’t even look for the opportunity. I’m out there to play music, make new friends and enjoy the company of people who have similar tastes and interests that I do. That’s a rare thing for me in St. Louis. To be honest, I’m pretty oblivious to any girl that might be coming on to me. I’ve been out of the game for so long that I honestly don’t even care. I’m in this for the music, not the pussy.

	Pic courtesy of: Hatchet "I feel like I’ve sacrificed a lot to make this band happen and that album is the result. Although I’m not completely satisfied with the results, I am quite fond of it."

HK: So . . . how did the band end up joining a punk label?
Pat McCauley: I sent out our “Arise From The Wreckage” demo in 2005 to every metal label imaginable. Metal Blade told us, “your band is really good, but we aren't pushing your style of music right now. Please stay in touch...” That's most likely a cut and paste response. Several labels really liked what we were doing, but Thrash wasn't the cool thing at the time, so they decided to decline. Being from St. Louis might not have helped matters. I think seeing a band live tends to seal the deal. Also, at this time, our lineup wasn’t able to do very much. Practicing was even a chore, so it was hard to present a band bio that said what our intentions were. That lineup wasn’t ambitious at all. I don't see a label putting money into a band like that.
As I was sending out these demos everywhere, Beer City got a hold of it and liked what they heard. I had worked with Beer City with a prior band of mine. Beer City's owner, Mike, made it clear that he wanted to work with me again when I got the right guys playing with me. The early Head On Collision lineup then also included a couple members from my last band. When Beer City found out those guys had left the band and I had found some dedicated people, they made it clear they wanted us to be the main focus of their label.

HK: Were any of you previously involved in punk bands?
Pat McCauley: Yes. We all have been in punk or hardcore bands. I was in a band called Very Metal for over eight years.

HK: What does your latest, “Ritual Sacrifice” mean to you? Is it something you’ll show your grand kids? Or is it the realization of your musical urges?
Pat McCauley: If I ever have grandkids, yes, I'll be proud to show it to them. They’ll probably just think I’m some dated old geezer, but of course I’ll show it to them. Although the lyrics don’t reflect it, "Ritual Sacrifice" does have another meaning to me. I feel like I’ve sacrificed a lot to make this band happen and that album is the result. Although I’m not completely satisfied with the results, I am quite fond of it.

HK: What kind of pitch would you throw at metalheads who might dig your sound? And why does the song “Electrocutioner” kick so much ass? It’s my favorite on the record.
Pat McCauley: “Electrocutioner” is probably my favorite as well. It’s a crowd favorite. Several people have told me “that's your hit single.” I wrote the music to that song in about an hour. I can’t really explain how the music to that one came to be. Me, John and a friend of the band wrote the lyrics to it. I had an idea for a song about the “guy who flips the switch on the electric chair.” I thought “what a great, cheesy title...Electrocutioner.” My pitch for metal heads is simple. If you want bare bones, no bullshit, full throttle Thrash Fucking Metal, give us a listen. We’re not on some platform saying we’re the best musicians in the world. We’re not technically gifted guitarists that can play leads that will make you wish you were as gifted as we are. We’re not saying we have the fastest drummer. We’re not saying we have the most impressive gear, or the coolest looking guitars. Unfortunately, we’re not from families with a lot of money. We also don’t have much of a support system when it comes to business. We do most of this shit ourselves. We work with what we have and try to get the most out of it that we can. We aren’t a bunch of floaters that just discovered this music and decided to do it. We love it and live for it. We’re as genuine as it gets. We're not out to insult your intelligence. We’re just doing what we love to our fullest potential.

HK: Who did the cover art of “Ritual Sacrifice”? Was there a lot of interaction with the artists or did you just tell the guy to do his/her own thing?
Pat McCauley: Joe Petagno did the cover art. He’s most famous for his work with Motorhead. His resume’ is endless. I'm not much of an artist and neither are the other members. I just thought the lyrics of “Ritual Sacrifice” would really look good if an artist could portray them properly. After reading the lyrics, Petagno came up with a few sketches. We picked our favorite one. The sketch looked really awesome, but we were literally shocked with the final result. I think it's really incredible.

		Pic courtesy of: Head on Collision "I don't care for the competitive nature of a lot of musicians. Are we playing Rugby or are we making music? You'll never see Head On Collision “compete” in a battle of the bands type of thing. I hate competitive attitudes in music. We should all work together and try to make cool things happen."

HK: What are the bands in your hometown like? Are you in good terms with the highschoolers trying to break into the bar circuit?
Pat McCauley: St. Louis is a Blues based town, so naturally punk and hardcore have always been the main focus of underground music here. More rock and roll related stuff. We have had our share of great punk, hardcore, and crossover bands here throughout the years. I guess the biggest metal band we’ve had here was Anacrusis, who was on Metal Blade at one time and toured quite a bit. There are many good crossover bands right now. Cross Examination, Whoppers Taste Good, Dude Nukem come to mind. I am hopefully in good terms with most people in the St. Louis scene, but you never know. I’ve become quite reclusive over the last several years, so I don't know how many people around here actually even know who I am, other than the local fans of ours. I give any band a chance, even if I don’t like their style of music. If I don’t like it, someone else might. I don’t think I’m qualified to be a super music critic just because I play in a band. To me music comes from somewhere deep inside of you, or at least I think it should. Who am I to condemn someone else for their musical expressions? Also, I don't care for the competitive nature of a lot of musicians. Are we playing Rugby or are we making music? You'll never see Head On Collision “compete” in a battle of the bands type of thing. I hate competitive attitudes in music. We should all work together and try to make cool things happen. Any band of any age is cool with me. It takes guts to perform in front of an audience. If I don’t like it, I don’t listen. I don’t have to condemn everything that’s not like me.

HK: Regarding bars, are there any strip clubs near your place? Ever been inside them? How much money did you spend?
Pat McCauley: Yes, there are strip clubs. I went to them on occasion years ago. One time I spent $8 on one beer while I watched a couple friends of mine spend their entire tax returns in about an hour. I never have the urge to pay a female for false attention and ego stroking.

HK: How does the band get by when the music isn’t making any of you richer? Are there other things you’re passionate about outside the music?
Pat McCauley: We all do what we have to in order to do what we do. I miss out on a lot of shit in order to do this. I can’t go sit in a bar and drink with my friends. I can't go spending loads of money on records and merch like I love to. I don’t get to go see a great movie in a theatre that often. I wear cheap clothes. I’ve had the same vehicle for the last 15 years. I don’t have the latest technology or the most incredible stereo system. It’s not often I can go out on the town and blow money. I'm always saving up for tour or prepaying my bills. I can stretch a dollar and I’ve lived poor, so the way I’m living now isn’t all that bad.
Also, I have an incredible wife who stands behind what I do and helps make it possible for me to do this. I don’t think she’d ever approve of me quitting this. She believes in what I do and gives me the support and push I need.

HK: Do you watch TV often? What are your favorite programs? Do you ever dream of being a guest in a talk show and talking about your band?
Pat McCauley: I don’t watch a lot of TV. I’m only interested in music these days. So if I’m reading a book or watching TV, you can pretty much assume it’s something involving music. I dream of deep interviews like this.

HK: Thanks a million for this exclusive interview opportunity Head On Collision. Would you want to warn anyone about the intensity of your music?
Pat McCauley: No. I’d rather they be utterly disgusted when they hear it, whether it be in a positive or negative way. Go buy “Ritual Sacrifice” and see for yourself. If you’re a band or honest promoter, bring us to your area.