MEET JD

Forrest is my friendly bartender at Boardners. He is rather proper and resembles Clark Gable. He told Tammy and I that we should go to the Lingerie to see HTTH. So there we where I had seen the drummer with his red Mohawk in the dark of the bar but I never spoke to him. I had seen the rest of the band at the Rock City News BBQ’s and had grown fond of their political metal rock style. When this drummer issue arrived I decided no one hit harder than JD. He’s not a big man but he’s a strong man. He was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. JD told me that Corpus Christi meant” Body of Christ”. I asked JD how he knew that and he replied “Hey, that’s like who do you think you are of Latin descent His hair is Fire red and black. He looks like a cross between Valentino and Robert Downey Jr. His eyes are super large and filled with stories. He was their 10th drummer but HTTH swears he is their best. Lead singer, Gerardo told me so at lunch at the Rainbow. JD and I are driving to Long Beach so I can witness rehearsal after a small hiatus. Along the way JD plays the wheel of his car to Prince’s Musicology album, “It’s the bomb” sez JD, the first Motley Crue, Ramstien, Public Enemy, HTTH, and Frost formally Kid Frost of La Rasa fame.

          He is worried about his Afro, I laugh because he doesn’t have one, it’s clear that the mirror is his friend. Someone on the road pulls into our lane “Security!!!” yells JD I asked about his past and how he got here. “I left all my Albums in Texas. I left them with a friend who started to smoke crack, he did’nt want to tell me, there all gone now. “I got my first drum set when I was 9 or 10 years old I was in my first band at 12. When I was little I watched Buddy Rich on Johnny Carson I would stay up late just to watch him play, I liked Focus, Hocus Focus album, Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad and Deep Purple.” Yes, indeed JD always liked it hard and fast. I moved to Hollywood in 1986-87 I came here with a band. We were about to sign to Metal Blade records, but things got all screwed up. Let’s not talk about the past, this band is important to me now.     “I was in so many bands where the singers call the shots; you need a team to succeed, that are what they don’t realize.”
HTTH does understand and work as a team they have a store in Long Beach called No Regrets at 511 N. Pine St. I asked what kind of drums do you use? One set of Monster Puke Green Sonore for rehearsal and one set of Black DW drums I use Sabian Cymbals and Vic Firth sticks.” They’re Fucking Awesome!”

In front there is a crowd of punk kids, just happy to be somewhere cool together the way it use o be, just like it always was. ‘I just want to say that I think this is a massively awesome band and I love them.’ HTTH has an original style and philosophy great songs and a look at ghetto metal political resurrection unlike anyone else I’ve seen or heard. In rehearsal, they listen to each other. They are very democratic and work on the songs together They are playing Voodoo fest in New Orleans, if he hurricane don’t blow it. They ready played two Vampire Bazaars in a row for the Ultra Hip here in Hollywood, right Here in Los Angeles. JD admits to being vain He seems to take good care of himself than he aid on one hot Hollywood afternoon. ‘Don’t get me wrong I drink a lot. It might look like I take good care of myself but I don’t. But with this band I really have I really have a good time.

The tightest gig recently was Club Vodka. The gig was out of this world. With help from pals Juan F. Leon, the stage and props that are out of this world and very devoted fan. There are a lot of hot girls from every walk of life climbing on stage to dance to Psalm 69. The girls knocked his drums all over the stage, fell from the amps fell on their ass , and all over each other .They laughed and danced and danced some more. Security!

JD tells me when he’s playing Psalm 69 he uses the old Buddy Rich elbow lick that he learned as a child . What’s old is new again. I asked JD to tell me a joke. He makes one up on the spot. “Why are drummers like Rodney Daingerfield? They just can’t get no respect.

H*T*T*H*
Heavenly Trip to Hell
Great ‘UnderGround’ Sound
by Tequila Mockingbird

Keyboards - Vicki Vicious

Vocal - Gerardo Christ

Bass - Sergio Natas

Guitar - Scott C
Batteria – J.D. Flores



‘MEET J.D.’


I had seen this drummer with his red Mohawk in the dark of the Boardners bar before, but never spoken to him. My friendly bartender at Boardners is Forrest, who’s rather proper and resembles Clark Gable. He told me to go to the Lingerie Club to see H*T*T*H* where down at the front of the stage there’s always a crowd of punk kids, just happy to be somewhere cool together … the way it use to be, just like it always was.

When this ‘Drummers’ issue came up, I decided no one hit harder than J.D. Flores! He’s not a big man, but he’s a strong man of Latin descent. His hair is fire red and black. He looks like a cross between Rudolph Valentino and Robert Downey Jr. His eyes are super large and filled with stories. He was the 10th drummer for H*T*T*H* but they all swear … he’s their best. I’d also seen the rest of the band and had grown fond of their political metal rock style.

J.D. and I drove to Long Beach so I could witness a rehearsal. Along the way, he plays the wheel of his car to Prince’s ‘Musicology’ album. He sez “It’s the bomb!”

Tequila Mockingbird : “What’s your story and how did you get here?”

J.D. Flores : “I was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and I moved to Hollywood in 1986-87 with a band. We were about to sign to Metal Blade Records, but things got all screwed up, so let’s not talk about the past. I was in so many bands where the singers called the shots! You need a team to succeed and that is what most bands don’t realize. H*T*T*H* does understand and works as a team. This is the band that’s important to me now.”

TM : “What kind of drums do you use?”

J.D. : “I use one set of Monster Puke Green Sonor and one set of Black D.W. drums. I also use Sabian Cymbals and Vic Firth sticks. They’re fucking awesome! I got my first drum set when I was 9 or 10 years old and I would stay up late just to watch Buddy Rich play drums on Johnny Carson. I also liked Pierre Van Der Linden of Focus, Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad and Ian Paice from Deep Purple. I was in my first band at 12 years of age. Yes, I always liked it hard and fast.”

TM : “I think this is a massively awesome band and I love that H*T*T*H* has great songs, which is the #1most important thing, as well as an original style and philosophy and a look at ghetto-metal political resurrection unlike anyone else I’ve seen or heard.”

J.D. : “In rehearsal, we listen to each other. We are very democratic and work on the songs together. We played the Voodoo Fest in New Orleans! We already played two Vampire Bazaars in a row for the Ultra Hip in Hollywood.”

TM : “Drummer’s have a notorious reputation for being party animals but you seem to take good care of yourself … do you?”

J.D. : “I drink a lot. I admit to being vain so it might look like I take good care of myself, but I don’t. Still don’t get me wrong because with H*T*T*H* … I really have a good time.”

TM : “The tightest gig recently was at the Club Vodka, and with the help of your pal, Juan F. Leon, the stage and props were out of this world! That night I noticed H*T*T*H* had many very devoted fans.

J.D. : “There were a lot of hot girls from every walk of life climbing on stage to dance to our song ‘Psalm 69’. They knocked my drums all over the stage, fell over the amps, fell on their ass and all over each other. They laughed and danced and danced some more. When I’m playing ‘Psalm 69’ … I use the old Buddy Rich elbow lick I learned as a child. What’s old is new again!”

TM : “Tell me a drummer joke.”

J.D. : “Why are drummers like Rodney Dangerfield? They just can’t get no respect.”

Info available at www.htth.net

“Welcome to the Fire” on DVD with a March 5th release.

Available at ‘No Regrets’ located at 511 North Pine St. Long Beach, CA.