After recently opening for gold-selling metal she-devils Kittie, Steve Puccia, guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the Boston area band Killgrip, is optimistic about his band’s future. Killgrip’s brand of “friendly metal” has been serving Puccia and the band well on the local scene for the past two years, and they don’t plan to stop anytime soon.
Killgrip formed in fall of 2000 as a result of Puccia’s frustrations with bands he had been involved with in the past. “I got sick of being in other people’s bands and playing other people’s music,” he explains. “So, I said, screw it, I’m gonna start my own band and do my own thing.” Since its inception, Killgrip evolved into a quartet with Puccia providing guitar and vocals, co-founder Lauren playing drums, singer Chico adding his unique blend of hard-core and punk influenced vocals, and six months ago the most recent addition of Sean as bassist.
Puccia has been playing guitar for about ten years. He says, “When I was about ten or eleven I got into Metallica and just taught myself how to play by watching their videos and watching where their fingers were.” Steve’s love for Metallica is evident in Killgrip’s material. He says, “A lot of people say that they hear a definite old Metallica influence because the songs are so guitar-oriented.” He continues, “I’m a huge Metallica fan and it really shows in my playing.
Aside from his guitar and vocal duties, Steve is largely responsible for Killgrip’s sound. “I write music and do the arrangements. …We [Steve, Puccia, and with drummer Lauren] will write a song, make a tape of it, and give it to my singer. He does whatever the hell he wants…he’ll be able to pick apart where the verses and choruses should be because he just knows my writing style.” Puccia says he doesn’t have a consistent formula for writing. “It really depends, sometimes it’s planned out and sometimes it’s spontaneous. I think the best stuff comes when it’s spontaneous because you don’t really expect it. It just kind of happens. That’s where the magical thing is in playing with other people and vibing off [them] when you’re writing.
On October 22, Steve Puccia’s 23rd birthday, Killgrip was afforded the opportunity to play at Lupo’s in Providence, RI with the successful metal group Kittie. Puccia says, “It was the best birthday I’ve ever had. I’m a huge Kittie fan; they’re in my CD player right now. They’re really good friends of mine… [Kittie] are really supportive of us.” The show was a good source of exposure for Killgrip. Puccia says plans are currently underway for Killgrip to join Kittie on their next tour, as well as work with some other artists signed to major labels.
Puccia’s love for music is obvious in his enthusiasm for speaking about it. When asked what the best thing about playing in the band is he responded, “My biggest passion has always been music and I just live for playing loud and rocking out. That’s my favorite part, just getting up on stage in front of a bunch of people or even playing in a room with just the band-it’s that magic of having something you created from nothing, having songs that wouldn’t exist if I wasn’t a musician. …[Also] after a show when people tell you that they really like you. …It makes all the headaches and all of the pain- in-the-ass-stuff that goes on behind the scenes and nobody gets to see worth it.”
According to Steve, Killgrip’s “headaches and pain-in-the-ass stuff” sometimes stem from disagreements within the group. “It’s like being married to three other people. There’s a lot of give and take. When we have little internal issues it’s always like, ‘well we’re a lot better than fighting over this, let’s just settle it like adults and get on with doing what we’re here to do.'”
Despite any minor setbacks that may arise, Puccia is confident that Killgrip is moving in the right direction. “In two years I see us being huge,” he says. “I started my band to make a career out of what I love to do…Back in the eighties…every huge band seemed like superheroes to me onstage. That is what I have always wanted to do, if something gets in my way I’m gonna keep plowing through until I succeed. So I see us being pretty successful, and if I’m not you can smack me with that.”
Killgrip currently has five new songs written and plans to write three or four more before the spring recording of their second EP. Sound clips, biographical information on Steve and the rest of the band, photos, and show and contact information can be found at the band’s website: www.killgrip.net.