Matt ‘Wildcard’ Henderson is the guitarist of southern Califonia hardcore band THE EUOLOGY @eulogyhc. He also played guitar in bands like BLIND APPROACH, AGNOSTIC FRONT @agnosticfront, MADBALL @madballNYC, H2O @H2Ogo and a couple of others I wasn’t aware of. Last year the EULOGY released a split 7″ with German hardcore legends RYKER’S @rykershardcore on Unity World Wide Records @uwwpma.
The band you are in right now is called THE EULOGY from California. Who is in the band and how did the band get started?
The band members are: KEVIN NORTON @kevin.norton.7906 on bass (EYE FOR AN EYE, 454 BIG BLOCK, STRAIGHT FACED), Sergio Carlos Chavez @scchavez2 (BEST known for being a STRAIGHT FACED local fan and doing guest vocals with them), Adam Blevins @adam.blevins.75 (my apologies, but I forget what bands he was in before), Marc Jackson @xmarcxiex (THROWDOWN and other SoCal heavy hitters) and Matt Henderson @matt.henderson.58118 (KISS, JUDAS PRIEST, THE METERS).
The band basically got started by Kevin who is a long time friend of mine from Boston, MA. We both wound up living here in Long Beach, CA and made friends with other local guys in the scene as mentioned to create the band. We are all great friends first and foremost, and we have a great time making music and playing shows when we can afford the time to do so.
Last year THE EULOGY released a split single with RYKER’S from Germany called “Kasselfornia uber alles”. Who came up with the title?
The title was created by Billy @sven.gunther.520 from the World Wide Hardcore and Chris @chris.luftonovic from RYKERS. I think it’s a great play on words covering both bands’ hometown locations.
THE EULOGY has released four great singles so far. Does the fact that you are under no pressure to create new music improve the quality of your releases?
I am going to say YES! I am SUPER PROUD of what we have released, and yep, we do take our time. Mostly because we can and have no official release date to commit to.
How do you write music these days? Do you guys meet on a regular basis or do you send ideas around until something sticks and take it from there?
We get together in a rehearsal studio to jam it out. Sometimes somebody comes in with an idea from home to work off of, and sometimes we create it together on the spot. We have a good time at the studio – again no pressure.
Are you working on any new music at the moment? Has the pandemic interfered with any plans you had for the band?
There are always riffs and ideas floating around, but unfortunately the pandemic did put a big damper on everything and we have yet to get back together to jam again. It will happen soon I’m sure.
In 2019 you played a couple of shows with H2O. Were you just filling in or is there something more going on behind the scenes?
Well, I am an honorable member at this point. I was asked to fill in, which is something they need from time to time and it was a good run of shows I did with them. Todd Morse @toddmorsepersonal is the official member I was filling in for and he get’s first option to play the shows so when he’s available he plays. I’m sure I’ll play again with them at some point here or there.
Do you sometimes miss going on tour or it that something you can easily do without?
I have great memories and am lucky to still go on short tours every once in and a while, but with my three sons I’m very happy to not have touring as a regular part of my life.
Are you still involved in AGNOSTIC FRONT or MADBALL in anyway, as a producer, a writer or a consultant?
Again, honorary member for life. We are all brothers and I have contributed in various ways over the years after I officially left the bands as a full time member, and I figure it will happen still here and there, but it’s a limited amount. Its not that they NEED me, but we have created some great shit together and that opportunity still comes up one in a while. VERY grateful for that!
Looking back at all the music you have written over the years, are there any songs that stick out, that have special meaning for you?
Yes, too many to mention. I’m proud to say that my brothers and I MEAN WHAT WE SAY and we write songs that mean something to us. Not every song comes out as great as others, but I stand by everything we have done as being sincere and genuine.
When did you move to California and what are to pros and cons living on the West Coast vs. living on the East Coast?
I moved to Long Beach, CA in 2005. This was years after I quit MADBALL and was focused on starting a family with my wife who grew up here. Her parents, my son’s grandparents, are very active in my boys’ lives so there is a huge pro right there! Also, there is a lot of us East Coasters out here so its been great so far.
How did becoming a father change your life? I know you and your boys are all huge baseball fans but are they also fans of your music?
All three of my boys enjoy a wide range of music, hardcore included, however they have developed their own tastes, which is exactly how it should be. My oldest, 15 year old Tanner, is playing guitar, keyboards and drums, and has real potential for it to take it further if he chooses to. We will see!! As far as baseball, yep we have a good time with it. It’s a great sport and they enjoy playing as much as I enjoy coaching. Its much more about being part of a team, dealing with and overcoming pressure, learning how to develop character, and for me as a coach, helping young kids work through all of that. The goal isn’t to be star athletes as much as it is learning and taking those lessons to whatever you do in life.
You are coaching your kids little league baseball teams. What is easier to manage, a baseball team full of kids or a bus full of hardcore bands?
HA! I’ve never thought about that before. I’d say that there are definite parallels and I’ve learned a lot doing both!
