Gun Hoes Embrace the South Florida Sleaze: "It's Really About Fun for Us"

If a band could sound like a drunken sex party on the beach, the Gun Hoes are it.

Busting out song after song of surf-tinged, fuzzed-out garage punk, singer/guitarist Gabe Miranda, drummer Anthony Hernandez, and one of a few bass-playing friends, get the late-night crowds dancing all over Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

The rock and roll duo have known each other for about six years. The most significant pre-band memory Miranda remembers is of Hernandez showing up to high school "randomly" wearing a Winnie The Pooh costume. The great irony of that is he spends a lot of time behind the set shirtless, representing those of us with a healthy field of chest hair.

The hair may or may not speak for the band, and who knows what its visibility says, but Hernandez bares it on the cover of their jangling 2012 EP, 1%er. Miranda promises a new album is coming this summer, and says the month-old single "Satisfy Me" is proof that he's got a whole lot of songs written that just need to be recorded.

The Gun Hoes are one of 19 South Florida bands playing the Block x Blog festival in Fort Lauderdale on April 20. Winnie The Pooh won't be behind the drums, but the meaning of the term "cock rock" is probably going to be redefined once or twice.

See also

- The Gun Hoes' Gabe Miranda on Horrible Early Recordings and LSDoom

New Times: How'd the band get together?

Gabe: Anthony wanted to record some cover songs, and like a good friend, I recorded him. I went through the drum tracks at home, found this little part I liked, I looped it, and then wrote three songs with it. I showed Anthony, and then, boom! We were a band.

Anthony: As I recall, Gabe was crying about how no one listens to his music. I remember laughing at his pathetic synth drum loops. Eventually, I took pity on him and graced him with some of my musical expertise.

The first time I saw you guys, there were only two of you. You sounded good, but after bringing in a bassist, the sound got a lot more full. Why'd you decide to add a third?

Gabe: I don't know how Anthony feels about it, but I never wanted the band to be a two-piece. I dread playing as a two-piece. When we first started, we didn't know anybody that understood what we were doing, so we decided to just strip our songs down and do it just the two of us. It stuck, and I accepted it.

After a while things felt a little flat for me. I wasn't confident about our live shows. Luckily, we got our friend Greg (from the Jellyfish Brothers and Audio Junkie) to help us out on bass, and we've been killing it with him every single time. We have also had Lauren Palma from the Astrokats help us out on bass once. We still occasionally get stuck playing as a two-piece though.

Is there a good story for how you came up with Gun Hoes?

Gabe: The name the Gun Hoes came from the term gung-ho. I think one of the names we had floating around at first was the Lovebuckets.

Anthony: I remember when Gabe first suggested the name. Right after practice, he was leaving my place, and goes:

"Hey, what about The Gun Hoes?"

"Are we gonna spell it like 'Guns' and 'Hoes?'"

"Yeah"

"It's perfect."

That seems to go well with the subject matter of most of your songs: Sex. Why are so many of your songs about sex?

Anthony: Because Gabe is a pervert. We've been described by a close friend, Greg, as "Cock Rock." Thanks, Gabe.

Gabe: That "Cock Rock" term is pretty derogatory, I'd hate for people to get the wrong idea, it's really all about fun for us. But you're right, sex is a constant theme in our songs, and I'm not really sure why. Miami is a sleazy place.

It may be sleazy, but there are a lot of great bands down here. How come nobody talks about just how much cool shit is going on in South Florida?

Gabe: I, like most people, think there's a lot of talent down here, and I find most bands to be extremely supportive of one another too. Broward can be cool. Miami has a legit underground community of fucking freaks. They always surprise me.

From warehouse parties to your average Wednesday night show the freaks are always out. Got any great stories of crazy show antics?

Anthony: We've been lucky to land some awesome gigs like the last two Death to the Suns, and the Audio Junkie Art Basel Distraction. I remember one time in Orlando, after an Uncle Lou's show, I caught some dude trying to break into Gabe's car in the Denny's parking lot. I almost had to choke a bitch. My drums were in there.

Gabe: I remember at Death to the Sun 4, I was so loaded, that I knocked the amp I was using down and crashed through the drum set in true rock 'n' roll fashion. Maybe that's not that crazy, but it made me feel awesome. I like it when people get on stage and dance to our songs. That's by far the coolest thing.

There's always people dancing for you at the local shows. Have you guys blown any national bands off the stage in the last two years?

Gabe: Our friend Christian Clarke from the Riot Act tried to get us to open for Dick Dale. It didn't happen, but I was so ready to show that motherfucker how it's really done.

Anthony: We're constantly blowing other bands off. Wait, that didn't come out right. What I meant to say was: We are always performing oral sex on other bands. It's how we keep getting offered bigger and better shows. Our band motto has always been: "It's not who you know, it's who you blow."

Block x Blog with Holy Ghost, Jacuzzi Boys, Krisp, Lil Daggers, and others. 8 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at Revolution Live complex, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Visit subcultureus.com. Purchase tickets at jointherevolution.net.