Doomed Confessionary: Joey, Jason & Jon (Hempire)
Hempire was born in southern Appalachia out of a mutual appreciation for riffs and rock & roll. Inspired by classics like Sabbath and Sleep, Hempire bring a fresh look and flavor to heavy psychedelia with grooving bass lines, screaming guitar solos, and powerful rhythms.
Recently making Asheville, North Carolina their new home, Hempire just released their new full-length album »The Weight« on January 24th, 2025. »The Weight« brings together a classic vibe from legends like Motörhead and Iron Maiden combined with late-aughts titans High On Fire, including a thematic nod to traditional country heroes like George and Waylon.
Inspired by the constant tug-of-war of life and death, Hempire levels the typical smoke show of rock to a relatable level playing field. This album is for those that burn it at both ends, those working hard to help those around them, for the weary traveler who only sees strangers, and for those who understand the seed sowers’ sorrow. It’s a hell of a thing, and you’re invited.
Hempire are Joey Shaw (vocals, guitars), Jason Watson (bass) and Jon Andre (drums).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Jon: What I learned in boating school is…
Joey: We’re loud, we like to have fun. I’ve always taken the KISS mentality.
The band, not the acronym. Live music is meant to be an escape from your day to day.
Jon: Loud enough, certainly – I really enjoy people’s faces if we get to do a soundcheck in front of a new crowd. You can tell who’s down for a face melting real quick. After a practice a while back, we found the term “hash thrash” and we’ve identified with that for a while. We aren’t exactly a hard partying band these days but we like to bring a good time no matter what.
Jason: Every show is like Madison Square Garden, whether we’re playing to 5 or 500.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Joey: Biggest challenge for the band has been relocating and keeping the momentum of live shows during the move. But, luckily we’ve been successful at doing so.
Jon: Absolutely. This season has been especially rough after Hurricane Helene. I had been working in the service industry in Asheville when the storm hit, and losing housing/employment at the same time threw a wrench into our plans for the fall. We’re fortunate to still have our equipment and practice space, but we’ve had to spend some time regrouping our personal lives before getting back into work for the band. 2025 feels like it’s giving more opportunity for us and we’re happy to be getting an album out and having a fresh start.
Jason: Environmental and geographic challenges, to state the obvious.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Joey: Making the move to relocate to a bigger place after living in Boone seems to be a milestone for us. We’ve been a band for almost 9 years now and I’m proud that we’ve been able to stick together for as long as we have. Just putting the album out has been a source of pride. This album acts as a timestamp of where we’ve been.
Jon: Definitely the album too. I originally was a guitar player in Hempire but after some trouble finding a drummer in 2018, I decided to pick up some sticks and figure it out. I’ve put a lot of work in the past few years trying to nail down the basics and be the drummer I would want to play with and that’s been so rewarding. I’m lucky to have bandmates that were willing to stick around while I was getting started with a new instrument. Anytime someone gives my drumming a compliment, I always credit my band for carrying me along because I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. No one knows I’m the other guitar player!
Jason: For me it’s getting out to a different town and seeing our shirts around.
What was your biggest regret?
Jon: Not buying Bitcoin in 2012. Hempire could be touring in a cyber truck fleet by now.
Joey: I try not to look at regrets as mistakes, but more so a lesson to learn from.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Joey: I really enjoyed playing Altered Frequencies in Franklin, NC. Great sound/lighting setup. Also the staff was great, as well as the bands we played with. Having an interactive crowd is always a joy.
Jon: I always love playing down there. That area in southwest NC has felt like a hidden gem for us and we have a blast anytime we make a trip there. Any of the smaller towns a little out of the way seem to really appreciate us.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Jon: Realizing that we’re traveling shirt salesmen. When we started focusing on quality merchandise, I was surprised by how much people liked our t-shirts. With music being as accessible as it is, it makes more sense to invest in merch and give people something cool to take home from a show other than tinnitus.
Joey: I was surprised by the level of acceptance from bands and fans from other genres. We’re comfortable playing mixed bills and it can help us stand out if we aren’t always playing with bands that “make sense” on the lineup.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Joey: My top three right now are Zach Top, Van Halen, and Howling Giant. Always got Waylon, Elvis, Possum & Jackson spinning as well.
Jon: I’m really loving the new Blood Incantation album. If I’m on a death metal kick, there’s lots of Obituary, Decapitated, Bolt Thrower. I’ve also been revisiting some hardcore and crossover with Mindforce and Power Trip.
Jason: Oh, god. Mutoid Man stays in there. A lot of UFO lately. Bodysnatcher. Living in Augusta there’s a lot of hardcore.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Jon: When I first moved to Asheville I had been playing drums with Sunbearer, which was a project that Ramzi from Weedeater had worked on some demos for – so we got to see him pretty often at our local shows. After our first gig, he told me something like “You have the ability to do this, but make sure you always have a back-up plan”. I initially took that as “don’t quit your day job” but I get the instability of being a musician and the importance of taking care of yourself financially and otherwise. If you don’t have your ducks in a row you won’t be able to invest the resources it takes to be in a DIY band.
Joey: “Don’t stop and let the crowd know you made a mistake. Or smile and do it twice, then the people will think you meant it.” – Eddie Van Halen.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Joey: I’m not guilty of anything!
Jon: I probably visit Bojangles more times than I would admit to a doctor.
Joey: I get plenty of pleasure out of building my Milwaukee packout system, and my constant changing of my pedalboard. But there’s not much guilt there.
Jason: Windrose, lately. I don’t allow myself to indulge in things. Who’s got the time for that?
Can you say something more about current music scene in Asheville?
Joey: There’s a lot of good bands out there. Lots of talented folks.
Jon: We chose Asheville because of the music scene. There’s plenty of great bands and venues and it’s more laid back than other music towns. There’s lots of support for bands and musicians with places like Asheville Guitar Pedals, HeyDay, and all the record stores in town. Lots of big and small names pass through here and there’s just more people to show your music to.
Jason: My brother lost his tooth at a Bodysnatcher show in Augusta.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Joey: We’re on the lineup for Doomerang at Lily’s this year, and we’re playing Holler of Doom in Kentucky.
Jon: We’ve definitely put touring on the back burner while we’re getting our lives together. You’ll definitely see us in NC throughout the year but for 2025’s touring season is still in the planning stage.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Jon: We’ve got an EP written that we are starting the recording process for. I’m really excited to show some newer tunes to everyone – we’ve been riding the songs on »The Weight« for a while. I’ve got a few little tricks and licks that I want to try out.
Joey: Really pushing the new album and getting it out there. Playing shows and getting our music to new ears. Sell some merch, meet good people, and put our best foot forward in all endeavors.
How can people best support your band?
Jon: Right now, bumping the new album. We’ve been getting good feedback so far but it’s one of those things where you have to fight through the sheer volume of music that’s out there to see if you’re doing something right or not. If we can get people in a room with us, we’ll make it worth your time. Showing up to the show and lending us a portion of your evening is support enough.
Joey: Throw the new album at anyone who will listen. Buy some merchandise.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Jon: With our music we try to inspire people to be who they are and do what makes them happy, no matter what any outside influence has to say. So, just keep doing your thing. Stay with it.
Jason: If you care enough, keep at it.
Joey: Thank you to those who have supported us so far. Other than that – “Do it right or do it twice.”
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well