Mohrg: Zombie-fighting, anti-straight edge speed metal from Montgomery Sitting in a parking lot up Corridor G on a Sunday afternoon, talking on a cell phone, Mohrg guitarist Timmy Estep and bassist Nick Rhodes took some time to fill me in on exactly what they’re doing these days. The band (Clinton Scott: vocals; Jayme Keglor & Estep: guitars; Rhodes: bass; Mark Neil: drums), together for roughly five years, has been keeping busy with work, recording new material, and moving their music forward. The four friends, who all went to school in Eastern Kanawha County, have recently found an old source of inspiration for some new material, recently doing an outstanding cover of the Transformers theme song, and posting it on their Myspace profiles, to rave reviews. “Hell, we grew up watching the Transformers cartoon,” Estep said. The song was good enough to get some airplay in February on X106.3’s Loud & Local program, and Estep said the “grand scheme” was to get the song included on the upcoming movie, although they would have covered it anyway. “We used to want to play like that,” Estep said of the song’s more approachable rock feel, “but we were younger. The stuff that’s coming out now is our best material.” Mohrg has come a long way since their first show at a skate park. They’ll play just about anywhere, from Estep’s graduation party in his driveway -- the first “Hollerstock” show, to Jescofest, Skatopia (skate show), and area bars like the Sound Factory and, this weekend, the Blue Parrot in Charleston. And, they’re finding time to work on new material for the follow-up to their self-produced three-song demo. “We kind of do things in reverse,” said Estep, “we write every bit of the music, and go back and put lyrics to it.” Where exactly Mohrg fits in a musical world dominated by subgenres that most people never really hear of or pay attention to, is fairly easy for them to pinpoint. “We were all at the Slayer-Pantera show in Huntington a few years back,” Estep admitted. “Most of these bands that we grew up listening to (Ozzy, Pantera & Metallica) are becoming obsolete. We just wanted to come out and play some old school sounding shit, but with a new attitude,” Estep said. “If you gotta label it, call it speed metal,” Rhodes added. As the conversation turned from interview to conversation, Estep and Rhodes voiced support for the West Memphis Three, with both members chiming in. “It’s a really messed up tale,” Rhodes spoke up in Martha Stewart-esque tones, “anybody that can get behind them and support them, it’s a good thing.” From perceived devil-worshipping murder suspects in right-wing rural areas, to the subject of Satan himself, Estep and Rhodes had opinions. “Anybody that plays metal is going to be angry. Anger and evil go hand-in-hand, and that comes out in the music,” Rhodes said. Estep added “Worshipping Satan is a way of saying you don’t conform. I could give a rat’s ass if someone worships Satan. Why would you worship someone who, since the beginning of man, has tortured and hurt people?” Estep and Rhodes let slip their own (some would say misguided, or just weird) belief system. “We’re firm believers in the zombie apocalypse,” Estep admitted. “We’re going to be the sharp-edged blade of God.” After the writer voiced support for their rag-tag zombie-fighting efforts, the subject quickly turned back to local music, their show at the Parrot March 16, and their favorite places to play. One of these places would NOT be an all-straight edge venue for hardcore fans, ironically, seeking to exclude non-straight edgers from shows. “Straight edge people are pussies,” Estep bluntly admitted. The Blue Parrot, though? Estep said of the band’s treatment there: “They’re really nice. They give you free beer, and they pay you!” The duo gave thanks to area bands that have helped them on their way, including Stone Ka-Tet, Pure Grain, and War Creek Mafia. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohrg: www.myspace.com/mohrgmetal - Nick Harrah - [Myspace]