Today, “Hell or Hollywood,” the brand new music video from Carla Harvey’s upcoming project, “The Violent Hour,” (Megaforce Records) is released. Featuring Zakk Wylde, the video was shot at West Hollywood’s iconic Rainbow Bar and Grill, a location that literally was the reason Carla moved at a young age to Hollywood from her Detroit home. You can check the video out HERE.
Directed by Industralism Films’ Vincent Cordero (Black Veil Brides, Kat Von D), the video explores Harvey’s experiences and emotions from when she first moved to Los Angeles, and has been described as a “swampy metal induced rocker” that captures the chaotic, gritty, and euphoric aspects of her L.A. journey.
“Shooting the ‘Hell or Hollywood’ video at the Rainbow was a full-circle moment for me,” said Carla. “As a kid growing up in the Midwest, I saw the Rainbow in rock mags and iconic Guns N’ Roses videos…it exuded that gritty, dangerous, rock ’n’ roll lifestyle I craved. When I moved to LA, I practically lived there. I made my first friends at the Rainbow, found my first bandmates there, and got into plenty of trouble. The Rainbow is more than a backdrop; it’s a living, breathing piece of rock history. This video tells the story of chasing a dream to LA (both the pleasures and the pitfalls) and toys with the question: do you have to sell your soul for rock ’n’ roll? Is this Hell or Hollywood?
The answer reveals itself at the end of the video. It was important for me to have Lemmy (played by Luke Edwards of Killed by Death) in the video as one of my “tempters” because of his iconic presence at the Rainbow. You’ll spot a Janis Joplin too (actress Shannon Corbett) and I had to throw in a little tongue in cheek humor as well with a Kurt Cobain lookalike (Gabe Maska) because let’s be real, if Kurt showed up at the Rainbow, you’d definitely be in hell.”
“Carla grew up loving Guns N’ Roses, and since they were so heavily influenced by Aerosmith, I wanted to write something that paid tribute to both,” added Anthrax’s Charlie Benante who wrote the project’s music and played all instruments on the EP. The riff on ‘Hell or Hollywood’ is the kind that stands on its own — even without vocals, it’s got a swagger to it. And having Zakk Wylde on the solo? He brought this raw, six string grit that rips through the track. You hear it and instantly know—it’s him.”