Human Waste Project
E-Lux Review
February 1998 (4 of 4 Stars)
Review in Q Magazine
Human Waste Project

E-Lux
Hollywood/Polydor

Debut of the latest noisily intense rockers to emerge from America's West Coast
Human Waste Project's tigerish frontwoman Aimee Echo has the advantage over some of her shoutier sisters in that she can actually sing. Purring and hiccoughing her way with a sick sensuality in Exit Wound, she can also confidently hold her own when pitting herself angrily against the pounding onslaught of Slide. Her band proves similarly versatile, switching moods from the harddriving intensity of Dog to the dreamy Electra with ease. All this plus songwriting skills that produce the memerable choruses of Disease and Hold Me Down makes Human Waste Project sound like they have much more than this one good album in them.

Human Waste Project
E-Lux Review
February 1998

Review in Metal Maniac
METAL MANIACS (Feb '98 issue.) Human Waste Project is no LA hairband. Its campy horror-movie vibe... over the course of 14 tracks with names like "Graverobbers From Mars", "Disease", "Exit Wound", "Drowned", and "Dog"... lets vocalist Aimee Echo alternately bellow, screech, spit, slur, and purr. The Scott Ellis/Jeff Schartoff drum/bass team is surprisingly effective. Guitarist Mike Tempesta knows how to use dynamics to create an oftentimes otherworldly texture (that is when he's not powerchording like crazy or splitting the seams of the mix with seconds-only bursts of Guitar God histrionics). It's this attention to detail that ultimately makes HWP intriguing. Tempesta's no Yngwie Malmsteen. And he knows it. He keeps his upper-fretboard flights of fancy so short, if you blink, or clean some wax out of you ear, you'll miss it. But it's ultimately Aimee Echo's show. Her eerily sexy vocals tend to get under the skin. And she's no slouch in the vocal dynamics department either. Although she goes a little too heavy on her favorite topic of "tortured fuck-up relationships," her wry commentaries on everyday life, coupled with her obvious mythological interests, make her lyrics worth straining over to hear. Echo's got the muscle, the chops, and the, uh, balls to carry it all. Unlike Karyn Crisis of New York City's Crisis (whose lion's roar is just too constant) or Jessicka of Fort Lauderdale's Jack Off Jill (too purposefully obnoxious, Aimee Echo has it down. Call me a fan. -Mike G

Human Waste Project
E-Lux Review
December 1997

Review in Modern Drummer
Imagine what Courtney Love would sound like if she were really mad, warped, and placed in a agro band. You'd have Human Waste Project, a rare female-fronted rock group that can make you forget about gender. Raw, aggressive, muscular drumming from Scott Ellis is just part of the HWP equation, which also includes a nod to Jane's Addiction and heavy-handed dashes of B-grade horror flick kitsch. Ellis's drum sound is distinctive for it's pop-y snare and warm tom tones; stylistically, he seems limber enough to bend wherever the band wants to lean. Soft strokes move into a head-first romp in "Electra," while a cool, tom-based groove leads to a couple of ripping open stroke rolls near the close of "Disease." And Ellis's top-down approach to the kit, `a la Jimmy Chamberlin, comes into clear focus on "Slide." To shape its signature in the studio, HWP repotedly turned to everything from electric fans and moped spokes to karaoke microphones. No matter. The results speak for themselves. While Electralux dishes up a textural smorgasbord, the effect is a cohesive rocker from start to finish. And that's something even Courtney Love can't yet lay claim to. --Matt Peiken

Human Waste Project
Fragile Human Organs
Dec 12, 1997

Fragile Human Organs Sleep depravation, gigs in redneck hell holes, sexual harassment, and a diet of coffee and cigarettes. Welcome to life on the edge with America's hottest band - Human Waste Project.
Words - Mike Peake.
A motel on the outskirts of Baltimore, USA. Midnight. Signs on the wall remind patrons that prostitution is illegal, and the one-armed man at the dismal looking reception sits behind a wall of toughened glass for protection. Across the road, at a single storey detached venue called Mickey's, Human Waste Project are playing to a crowd of mullet-headed locals who look like they haven't been out in a while. Police sirens cut through the air, and rednecks in pick-up trucks pull up outside the venue slugging beer. It's a godforsaken place. Mercifully, Kerrang! isn't staying here tonight. A six-mile ride through crack-alleys and ghettos which make our car driver tremble with fear, and we're back at our 'luxury' hotel. But Human Waste Project will be here at the motel for the next 12 hours. And they've got one stinking, wood-panelled room between them and their hotly tipped tour-mates, Snot. "This is luxury compared to some of the places" says effortlessly cheerful HWP singer Aimee Echo. "At least we get to take a shower." Travelling across the States on board the Snot tour bus, there's little room for privacy, modesty, and quite possibly, sanity. Guitarist Mike Tempesta- brother of White Zombie drummer John - is missing his personal space more than Aimee, drummer Scott Ellis and bassist Jeff Schartoff. He was particularly upset when someone farted on his head, while he was in his bunk a few nights ago. "There's no privacy at all", says Aimee. "I mean, nudity? Forget it. I just want to be naked! Somewhere! On the bus, there's a degree of nudity that I'm comfortable with. I'll take off my shirt and change if I'm wearing a bra. It's funny, cos the guys get more uncomfortable about it than me." "I'll go, 'Okay guys, I'm just taking my shirt off, I got my bra on, and it's not see-through', and they go, 'Argh! she's naked!' "But what I can't stand is when we're onstage and someone shouts 'show us your tits!'. It happens every night, almost without exception. If I got up there and took my top off I wouldn't necessarily think that was a bad thing, but if someone goes 'Get your tits out!', I'm not gonna go 'Whooo!' like some party girl". Jeff explains, in some detail, why it's actually a very bad idea to be the person in the audience giving Aimee a had time. "One of us, or our crew, or any of the other bands, will always go up to the guy and say, 'Er, I think you should leave, cos there's about 20 people who are going to kill you'. It seems to do the trick." "I'm so safe it's not funny" laughs Aimee. "Brothered, smothered ... but I like it"
Formed four years ago in Los Angeles, when a then red-headed Aimee was working at her own body-piercing studio in Huntingdon Beach, HWP originally started out with two singers - the other a bloke who wasn'thappy with the direction the band were taking, and quickly legged it when he realised that Aimee was stealing the limelight.
After piercing Korn singer Jonathon Davis' eyebrow (as well as her bandmates rather more private parts) Aimee met legendary LA producer Ross Robinson, and the five of them put together HWPs first demo. Robinson also produced the band ferociously trippy debut album 'E-Lux', which was recorded earlier this year, but doesn't hit the shops in Britain until early in '98. It's very much a metal album for the millenium - the kind of noise that is helping push HWP and Geffen signees Snot to the forefront of the Californian metal explosion - but there's some surpisingly subtle sounds on 'E-Lux' which cleverly offset the rest of HWPs frantic sonic soundscapes.
The band love it. And all of them remember the day they signed theirdeal with Hollywood Records. "June 16, 1996", says Aimee, "we signed it here in Baltimore." "We were supposed to sign the day before in New York," says Scott, "but we had so much champagne celebrating that we forgot!" Which possibly explains the bands no-drinking rule before they go onstage. Although, there was one notable exception ...
"This place was nearly empty", says Aimee, "and I knew it was going to be a bad gig, so I said, 'Screw it, I'm gonna have some fun', and I got completely out of my mind. I was stumbling around going 'Aaghhieee!' like a drowned cat".
On board the Snot tour bus, Aimee is cuddling up to a special new friend. 'Reservoir Dogs' is playing on the video up front, and Girls Against Boys' 'Venus Luxure No 1 Baby' CD is playing in the back. Jeff, Mike and Scott - none of whom, surprisingly partake of the demon weed - are inside the club, knocking back shots, Jeff doing especially well out of the club owner, who is offering the bassist all he can drink. We think this is because he fancies Aimee. An hour earlier, a hundred people watched the five foot nothing bleached blonde siren screaming her guts out onstage, all of them apparently resisting the urge to shout 'Show us your tits'. "That was a cool show", says Jeff later. "Next time those people will bring their friends, and there will be twice as many there". Several weeks ago, the band accidentally discovered a novel way of selling extra CDs while on the road. "I lost my voice" explains Aimee. "After the second song I had to stop. I apologised to the crowd, and I've never seen such a symapthetic response from fans ever. They were saying 'You're so cool, that took so much courage ...', and we sold as many CDs that night becauseeveryone wanted to know what we sounded like!"
Talk turns to Aimee's odd-ish name, and she whips out her passport toprove that it's genuine. "I got rid of my old surname three years ago in a witchcraft rite. Echo's the name my mother gave to me. In witchcraft, you takethe name your mother gives to you." She spots our bewilderment.
"Yes, I'm a witch!" Aimee says. "A real one. No bones about it. It's not about spooky hocus-pocus crap, it's about the way I live my life. I create my own realities, and that's what it's about for me" "I have a strong connection with God, or whatever you'd want to call it, and I've taken a lot of things from different traditions like Buddhism and even Christianity and applied it to my own way of living." "And", she winks, "I can fly!".
Washington DC, the following day. Aimee hasn't slept all night, and still looks picture perfect. "Most people start work at eight in the morning", she say, "and they're ready for bed late in the evening. Our days start at about 8pm, so we're just about 12 hours behind everyone else". Scott - in an unspeakably creasy T-shirt - Jeff and Mike, emerge from the bus, and start thinking about places to take a crap. "There's a no-dumping rule on the tour bus" explains Aimee, and some horrific horror stories involving dodgy plumbing and Jeffs inability to pee standing up (something to do with a pierced todger) ensue. Tonight, Human Waste Project will play a venue called The Bayou, which is tastefully located underneath a motorway flyover, it's view of the river sealed off with police 'do not cross' tape.
There's little glamour to the Snot/HWP 'Fuck All Y'all' tour. Aimee is currently the rich one in the band, having saved a little over $100. Still, the future looks good. UK tours with Coal Chamber - and possibly with their old mates the Deftones - will put HWP in front of scores of new fans, and their debut single is in the shops this week. But isn't there a temptation for Aimee to say ""fuck it all", and bypass this no-frills, grass-roots slog with some sort of 'get richquick' spell?
"It's not about money," Aimee shrugs. "I don't know what keeps me going. Sheer force of will, and coffee and cigarettes, I guess" And the goal?
"World domination!"
Which means?
"Absolutely nothing!"
The band pose for a final bunch of pictures, and we wander around looking for a house that we've been told was used in the legendary horror flick 'The Exorcist". A woman in a department store tells us it's about eight blocks away, and we give up, settling in a nearbybar, and trading stories about near-death experiences at the hands of local cab drivers. "I can't wait to get back to the UK," says Aimee, sipping coffee. "Everyone there was so nice, and they were so into the music." "And you know what?" she says, raising her sunglasses and sucking on one of Scotts cigarettes. "No one asked me to get my tits out".

- Fact file:

Human Waste Project, fond of Sushi and sheet metal...
Name: Aimee Echo
Age: "I don't believe in linear time, therefore I have no age."
Previous Occupations: "Body piercer, waitress, receptionist at a lawoffice, and some other things I can't mention."
Likes: "Coffee, cigarettes, PJ Harvey, my mom, sushi."
Dislikes: "Cigar smoke, cranky people."

Name: Scott Ellis
Age: "I'm 28"
Previous Occupations: "Screen printer. I worked in the art department."
Likes: "Music, art, girls, fashion."
Dislikes: "Drama"

Name: Mike Tempesta.
Age: "Too old"
Previous Occupations: "Guitar tech for Anthrax. I used to work in a sheet metal factory."
Likes: "Girls, guitars. And I used to like booze until last night."
Dislikes: "Rude people, bad food, bad bands."

Name: Jeff Schartoff.
Age: "Twenty seven human years."
Previous Occupations: "My last job was the coolest I had - working at Verotik comics, Glenn Danzig's company. I've also worked in a factory, I've done construction work and excavation work."
Likes: "Movies, Stanley Kubrick. 'Twilight Zone.' Bands, books and alleyways. Getting a shower after a show."
Dislikes: "Not getting a shower after a show. And not having our CD available in some record stores."

Human Waste Project
Part Of The LA Invasion

Article from Metal Hammer, December 1997 issue
Human Waste Project ...Part of the LA Invasion
LA has been sending a whole mess of cool bands our way, and Human Waste Project ands another one. Fresh from their first set of UK dates, Chris Ingham finds out all about them.
You may not have heard anything by them, but I'm betting you've heard the name Human Waste Project more times in the last six month than you're comfortable with, considering that the band have never released a record in the UK. But all that is about to change. Following those frighteningly charged gigs with fellow City of Angels terrors Tura Satana on their recent tour, HWP will release their debut UK single 'Powerstrip' on December 8 and are already talking about returning for a support slot with Coal Chamber next month.
One of an emerging group of energetic and colourful bands springing from the current Californian scene, HWP are fronted by the soon-to-be-pinned-on-every-male's-wall figure of Aimee Echo. But first things first, let's do the introductions:
"Scott (Ellis, drums) and I grew up together in Huntingdon Beach, which has been a hotbed of music since we were kids," coos Ms Echo. "We grew up around music, and he and Jeff (Schartoff, bass) were playing in garages and stuff since for ever". "I never considered singing as such, but I'd come to their rehearsals and say, 'Why don't you let me have a go?' and they'd just laugh. I don't know who heard me sing, but someone did so Scott gave in. I had a go and it felt great. We hung out together for about a year, writing stuff and playing in the garage, and then Mike Tempesta (guitarist and brother of White Zombie's John) came in, and that was the final piece of the puzzle."
It's an unfortunate fact that whenever a woman fronts a band, she receive's the lions share of attention: think No Doubt, The Nymphs, Garbage and Man ... ahem, Tura Satana. Aimee is aware of this, but she's keen to present HWP as a band at every level. "I know it's a corny thing to say, but it's true: we really are like a big family. Creatively speaking, we work amazingly together," she states, before conceding with a giggle, "Okay, so maybe there's a bit of arguing, but it's nothing serious, and if we do argue, I win, cos I've got the biggest mough and I can scream louder than the rest of them!".
HWP's debut album, E-Lux, has been out in the States for some time now (scheduled for release in February '98 here), and as those who caught them earlire this month will testify Aimee sounds as if she's got a lot to say.
"This first record is the result of years of thought and frustration building up that was gonna come out no matter what. There is a lot of 'life sucks' mentality on there sure. But at the same time, I think there is enough 'life is amazing' to balance it out. People talk about my passionate lyrics, but I would hate for anyone to think it's forced'." Even a cursory glance at the albums lyrics would lead one to believe that Aimee has a thing about relationships, or, specifically, the dirtly little mind games that are part'n'parcel of the 'ol liquid swap.
"Love is torture, but it's amazing torture, and it's also the mostimportant, incredible and immense thing that exists. Once you get into the duality of love, you can write lyrics forever!" she chatters.
There seems to be a lot of power play going on in your lyrics; would you agree?
"I don't know about power play, that would imply some kind of fight. Sometimes I want to get my power back, and I use my music to dothat, which is an option a lot of othe women don't have. Somebody once said that the best revenge you can get on someone is to write a song and put it on a record. That way, the whole world gets it, and I certainly believe in that!"
It sounds similar to something that other tigress of the boards, Tarrie B, would say ...
"I've known Tarrie since 1992/93, so we're really good friends ... we're like photo negatives of each other. I wear a lot of light colours, and she's always in black - she calls herself my evil twin. We're both from LA, we both front aggressive bands and we're both strong women, so yeah, there are similarities, but I don't think it would be accurate to say that, as bands, we share the same visions. Tarrie is really hard, her strength is amazing - she scares the hell out of me for sure!"
Any examples, purely in the interests of shit-stirring and blackmail opportunities?
"Er - let's just say that woman can pack a punch!"
Even down the phone, Aimee has an infectious personality; her mischevious laugh would pierce the guard of the most austere party pooper. In fact, on a recent tour with scene darlings Deftones, the Sacramento headliners got more than they bargained for when they playfully threatened her with the usual end-of-tour shenanigans.
"When we went on stage, they pelted us with eggs and flour and hit me with pillows. So later on, during their set we got our revenge in style. When Chino does his vocal breakdown in '7 Words', we started throwing hundreds of tortillas at the stages, and covered them with whipped cream and as much junk food we could find from the local store. Just when they thought we'd finished, we let six live chickens loose - they didn't know what to do!"
Like Coal Chamber, Deftones, Far and Incubus, HWP have managed to bring their own take on this Californain thing to our shores. However, Aimee's own tips for the top are American nutters System of a Down.
"System ... are probably the heaviest, yet still interesting live band I've ever seen - they are totally amazing! There are a lot of bands coming out of California at the moment, but (Korn / Manhole producer) Ross Robinson has also picked up on bands from Florida too, like Limp Bizkit and Cold, who're just great!"

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