Fort Collins band, Head Injuries, Kicking Ass and Taking Names

Jenn Cohen | February 1, 2013 | 0 Comments

by Jenn Cohen

Another great punk band from Fort Collins . . . what’s in the water up there? I recently saw Head Injuries, comprised of Jared Russell (vocals, guitar), Zack Hill (guitar, vocals), Conner Hampton (bass), and Jer Wood (drums). Russell was kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions.

CMB: Let’s start with how you all met, and when you got started.

JR: We started Head Injuries in October of 2011 because we’re not good at anything else. How we met, that’s actually a funny question. I met our guitarist, Zack, in 6^th grade, and I just hated that guy. I called him a poser punk cause that’s what you do in middle school. But time passed, and he asked me to play in his band, so I did. It wasn’t until 8^th grade that we met Jer, who we just knew instantly was going to be our friend. Then, about six years, a few lost virginities, and a couple bands later, we started Head Injuries. I met Conner at the local skatepark. He had a Black Flag shirt on, and I asked if he played bass. Before I knew it, we we’re having practice and he was living on my couch.”

CMB: How’d you come up with the name?

JR: Well when we started the band, we were brainstorming with a few ideas for names that were just terrible, and then Head Injuries came up and we didn’t hate it! We weren’t quite sold on it though until our buddy Brandon’s band played a show with Weezer. He mentioned us to their bassist, Mikey Welsh, and that very night he died; that’s gotta mean something, right? But, I guess to answer your question we have a lot of skateboarding influence in our music and the name fits right in.”

CMB: How has the Colorado music scene treated you so far?

JR: We have only been playing in this band for a little over a year now, and everyone has been amazing to us. We have played in many bands before this, but this is by far the most fun we have ever had. We have had an incredible amount of help and promotion from our good friends A Place to Stay out of Fort Collins, and everyone that has been in the punk rock scene for 20+ years has been more than willing to help us get a leg up. We have been working so hard at this, and it seems like everyone is catching on.”

CMB: You mentioned some pretty impressive names on your Facebook page that you’ve shared the stage with.

JR: “Well, it’s hard to say for all of us, but we have gotten lucky enough to share the stage with Teenage Bottlerocket several times and that has meant a lot to us. When I was 13 I saw TBR at a small venue in Fort Collins called The Starlight at the time. They were a blast, and one of the many bands that have influenced us. So becoming friends with them and getting to play on the same stage is always a good time. And I guess opening for Descendents and getting to sing “I Wanna be a Bear” with them wasn’t too bad either . . .”

CMB: What do you guys have coming up?

JR: We are releasing our first album, self-titled, on February 9, 2013. It will be on iTunes, but if people can find a way to steal it, all the better! We will be playing an album-release show in our hometown of Fort Collins, CO, on February 16 at The Art Lab, and everyone that gets in gets a free copy of the album SO BE THERE!!

Their songs “Greatest Felony” and “Deadbeat” are available online.

Online: facebook.com/headinjuries