The band formed in 1985 with Ugly Mike on guitar/vocals, Hideous George on bass/vocals, Proud Mark on drums and sitting at the front of the stage providing (as Mike puts it) "psychic uplift" was Kim McCool. Heavily influenced by such metal giants as Motorhead, Black Sabbath and early Metallica, they began writing their own original tunes and booking gigs around town. Their first "official show was at the Falcon Lounge in Detroit with Detroit punk rockers Angry Red Planet. Their first release  called "Kim Never Forgets" was released to cassette in 1985 and was remixed in 1986. They followed that up with the legendary "Knuckles From Nowhere" 7 inch E.P. on the
Depression Records label in October of 1987 with their final release being "Bein' Ugly is Alright", which was released to c.d. under Proud Productions in 1994. Other members over the years included Joel Burns as well as Charlie Richardson who appeared on the "Bein' Ugly is Alright" disc and their current lineup consists of Ugly Mike (guitars and vocals), Sean Awful (bass) and Proud Mark (drums)

  Recently I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Ugly Mike himself about their humble beginnings in the early Detroit scene and the state of things in the scene today. The conversation went as follows: 

1)  What was happening in the scene when you were first getting involved, who were the local heavyweights in the scene that you guys looked up to? 

"We pretty much became a band in 1985. The hardcore punk scene was still in full swing, Metallica and Slayer and all that was coming on strong. Locally the metal scene was
happening, bands like Seduce and Halloween were the heavy hitters playin Harpo’s. We gravitated more to the underground, mainly because we were just a bunch of clueless punks with no money! We just wanted to play. places like Falcon Lounge, the Graystone, Blondies, that's where we cut our teeth with other local acts like Gore, Deathcorp, Abuse, Feisty Cadavers, tons of wild acts. It was a glorious time, the 1980's."

2) Like with all fledgling bands just starting out, I’m sure you have some horror stories about your early gigs. What were some of the gremlins that plagued some of those first shows?

"Shit, what didn't happen? We used a spare tire to hold the bass drum in place once, broken strings, drum heads, and moshing knuckleheads bashing into ya. I had a guy smash into my mic stand, hit me right under my nose, I thought my damn teeth
were knocked out! Batteries, vehicles, amps crapping out.... you name it, it happened to us!"

3) When did you finally feel like you guys had hit your stride, what was the moment you felt like u had become relevant in the Detroit scene?

"I don't think we worried too much about being relevant, we just wanted to play and have a good time. And eventually be famous ( he laughs).  We were very competitive, maybe too
much sometimes. But we always made sure out of town headliners had to work harder. We watched wrestling a lot, maybe that affected our mindset, I don't know."

4) Was the scene as cut-throat early on as it can be today? If so what factors do you think are at play?

"I don't know about now but i don't remember the scene being particularly "cut-throat". We were on good terms with club owners, Scary from Graystone and Ruzavelt from Blondies hooked us up with good opening slots and the occasional headline gig with other local bands. We would go to each other’s gigs and hang out, house parties and such. It was a good time. Had a lot of good people around." 

5) I know you guys were able to extend your reach beyond just the local area, what were some of the more memorable out of town gigs and what advice do you have for up and coming bands that want to venture out beyond the "D"?

"We played some great shows in Toledo, Cleveland, Muskegon and Lansing but our farthest stretch was our ill-conceived but film worthy trip to San Francisco. We left town in a 1970 Ford Econoline that had no intention of coming back, got there seven days and a starter later. Had a gig at the Chatterbox two days after getting there and I can honestly say we blew their fucking minds! We were hungry and in 1989 at the peak of our game. We played three shows at the Chatterbox , and another at the Gilman Street Theater. All great fun, but we had to come back because we had no money and no way to make any. I couldn't see freeloading as a viable way to make it out there.
Advice? Talent is not enough, it takes dedication and MONEY. Don't wait for
someone to help you, they won't. Don't fuck around with dumb shit and put every dime you have into your product. The days of being "discovered" are long gone. Ya gotta sell yourself."

6) How have things changed for a band trying to make their mark on the scene these days compared to when you first started out? I mean, it seems to me that these kids today got it pretty easy as apposed to how things
used to be.

"I think bands today have more tools available for promotion, what with social media and all. You don't have to drive around town dropping off flyers to every record store ( what are those? Ha!), ya just post on Facebook or whatever. And home recording? Shit, back in the day we didn’t have Pro Tools. A Fostex was state of the art! Christ, we still had two inch tape (he laughs)! If you wanted a professional recording you had to schlep your shit to a studio, deal with some guy that had no idea how to mix a thrash metal band, mix the two inch down to quarter inch, send it to a pressing plant, what a fucking production. Now you just record a 24 track mix in your basement and upload it to the web and you have a fan club in Paraguay!”

7) Eventually, things slowed down for you guys and you went on an
extended hiatus, what lead to such a long break?

"Things didn’t slow down, they came to a grinding halt. Not just for us either. The Seattle grunge thing was the death knell for metal as far as I’m concerned. But metal will never die and it's back stronger than ever.”

8) I don't know that it had anything to do with it but with the recent resurgence of the thrash movement and the massive growth in the metal scene in general, you guys couldn't have picked a better time to resume doing shows. It must be a great feeling to be able to go back at it after all those years and still be relevant, still make an impact. how does that make you feel and what does that say about the state of metal in Detroit these days?

"Yeah, we didn't set out to be the "Blues Brothers" and "get the band back together". In 2008 we decided it was twenty years since our "Knuckles From Nowhere" E.P. had been released, so what the hell, lets have a reunion. It was at the Token, it was an absolute blast and we've been playin a few shows a year ever since. Obviously we had to get another bassist as George lives in California now so our old friend Sean Awful ( who played for us back in the 90's) signed on and has been with us since 2009. He's actually been in the band longer than George! It’s great to play but speaking for myself, I ain't as young as I used to be!"

9) I for one hope you guys don't hang it up any time soon, what does the future hold for Ugly But Proud? Can we expect any new recordings, maybe an E.P.? 

"At this point in our lives we don't have any illusions of trying to "make it" or some shit like that. If by some fluke something happens, I'll be the first to soil myself with joy but i think we will always be up for an occasional bash. It would be fun to open for some of the bigger acts commin’ through town. I'm sure we could still teach 'em a thing or two about old school thrashing!”

Of that I have absolutely no doubt! Thanks a lot Mike, I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me and take this trip down memory lane metal style!

"My pleasure, brotha!"

  Ugly But Proud's relevancy then and today is what it is because they are the real deal. They weren’t contrived or trendy for trendy's sake and they blazed a path for many Detroit metal acts that would follow. They were one of a handful of early Detroit metal bands that helped set the bar and kick open some doors in the process.  If you are into classic thrash this band is right up your alley and if you weren't fortunate enough to catch them live back in the day, your in luck! They play a handful of select shows per year at the usual metal clubs in the area and sound just as good as ever!

To those who have yet to figure it out, local bands shouldn’t be so easily dismissed just because your buddy isn’t in the band. You might be quite surprised to know that a band doesn’t have to be signed or out on tour to be able to put on a show worth your hard earned money. So don’t cut yourself short, go check out a local show! You never know just how relevant a band could be ten or twenty years from now. As for those who have been hip, keep doing what you are doing and the scene will keep getting better and better.