Firetalkers: Interview With Steve Seabury of High River Sauces
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One of the newer sauce creators of 2011, Steve Seabury of High River Sauceswas casually introduced to many of us chilehead bloggers at this year's Peppers at the Beach, where we were first introduced to his own Hellacious Hot Sauce (review to come soon!). During that event, he and I mutually discovered that we were fellow metalheads, and graciously gave me a copy of his Mosh Potatoes cookbook, which features dozens of juicy recipes from a bevy of well-known hard rockin' bands. Under the High River Sauces banner, Steve also produces sauces for other parties, and is slowly expanding his own condiment line at the same time.
Scott: What's your professional background?
Steve: I currently work for a record company called eOne Entertainment. For the past 17 years I have been honored to work for various management, marketing and record companies.
Scott: And a lot of what you do is focused around heavy metal music. What do you like most about metal?
Steve: I love the "F*** YOU" attitude in heavy metal music. Most people are terrified to say what they want because of the PC Police. I say crank it up and give the middle finger to the system. Metal is all about having balls and about conforming to your own beliefs.
Scott: What instrument(s) do you play?
Steve: I have been playing music since I was 8 years old when I first picked up the saxophone. Right now I currently play bass guitar in this doom metal band called Moth Eater. To me playing heavy music is like eating a ghost pepper while chugging many beers. Once I plug in all the stress in the world just goes away. Playing music is in my DNA and it takes me to another place.
Scott: What was your very first concert?
Steve: When I was 16 years old my parents took me to my first concert to see the Moody Blues. I am still in awe by the level of professionalism and musicianship by this band. Incredible!
Scott: Having been a huge Van Halen fan, I have to ask you who you prefer as lead singer: Dave or Sammy?
Steve: I am a purest at heart. Van Halen to me is 100% David Lee Roth. Women And Children First is probably on of the greatest records of all time. Once Dave left the band I never gave Sammy a chance. I never bought any of the Van Hagar records. I just wasn't interested.
S**t, I never bought any of the AC/DC records with Brian Johnson [their new vocalist after original vocalist Bon Scott passed away in 1980] either. It took me forever to buy Black In Black. Bon Scott is a rock n' roll outlaw.
Anyway...when Van Halen kicked out [bassist] Michael Anthony and then claimed their reunion tour with Eddie's son, Wolfgang, I was so turned off. It actually made me sick. I went to the store and picked up the Sammy material and realized how bad ass he was! Maybe I wasn't ready for it back in the day but Sammy is one true bad ass. Now I know why they sold more records with him in the band and not with DLR.
Scott: I felt the exact same way when they kicked Mike out of Van Halen. I never wanted to spend another dime on Van Halen ever again. What do you think of Sammy and Micheal's new band, Chickenfoot?
When I heard about the first Chickenfoot record I had to buy it. It was an instant classic to me. Just a great Rock & Roll record. The Chickenfoot III record is probably more Van Halen than the so called new Van Halen will be. I love it. I am glad that Michael and Sammy stuck together as a brotherhood of rock. They written and recorded an amazing record. I think the fans are really going to enjoy it.
Scott: How about this metal match-up: Priest vs. Maiden?
Steve: This is a tough question. I am a total Priest fan. Sad Wings of Destiny was one of the first albums that got me into metal. But once I heard Steve Harris play bass and Bruce [Dickinson] sing, I was like, "WOW!" Maiden became one of my all time favorites as well. I think at the end of the day I am more of a Priest fan though. Sorry all you Maiden fans, but between the dual guitar attack of K.K. [Downing] and Glen [Tipton] and Rob’s [Halford] voice you just cant beat it. Oh yeah. Can you say Painkiller?
Scott: Who's your favorite guitarist of all time? Favorite band?
Steve: To me Angus Young is god. I would love to see him and Lemmy [of Motorhead] do a side project together. His playing and just watching the dude jam on stage is heavenly. Plus the guy knows how to write some of the most bad ass riffs in rock & roll. To me he is the greatest guitar player to walk the earth and AC/DC is by far the greatest band to ever rock the stage. Highway To Hell and Powerage are stupidly amazing. Yes I said stupidly amazing.
Scott: When did you first get involved in food and hot sauce?
Steve: My first jobs in high school and college was working in the restaurant world. Slinging pizzas, making pasta, firing up some burgers or just working the line was my way of life. When ever I was in the kitchen working we always had Metallica or Slayer cranking. It was the perfect home for me. Loud music, food and the smell of beer in the air. Its doesn't get any better.
When I graduated college I was a broke punk trying to make it in a band. I was stuck eating Taco Bell almost every night. It's very affordable and not bad after a good night of boozing it up with your buddies. The only thing I hated about Taco Bell was the crappy hot sauces. Fire? Really! You call that "Fire"?
In between gigs, playing video games all night and eating cheap fast food I turned my crappy apartment into a prison kitchen. My friends and I would conjure up some pretty decent hot sauce experiments. Taco Bell started to taste a whole lot better. I would bottle it and share it with my other musician friends. I never thought in a million years that I would actually start a hot sauce company. Glad I did though because its been a total blast and its been a pleasure meeting so many cool and gifted people.
Scott: What's the story behind the Mosh Potatoes cookbook? How long did it take to put together?
Steve: Mosh Potatoes came to me one night after a good night of drinking with Zakk Wylde. He was in town doing promo for his new record called Mafia at the time. I stumbled home super late and had the munchies. Too far to walk, White Castle and Taco Bell was just not an option to feed my needs. Being a bachelor at the time you can only imagine what was hanging out in my refrigerator. Yeah, it was scary. I said to myself "What would Lemmy do in this situation?"
The next day I woke up and the light bulb came on. I emailed Lemmy’s manager and pitch him the idea of a heavy metal cookbook. He loved it and sent me a recipe. The next thing you know I had over 300 contributions. About six years later, Simon & Schuster called me up and said they loved the concept and wanted to release it. It was a great day indeed. I love the book, the idea behind it and the proceeds go to the Meals on Wheels Charity. Something very dear to my heart.
Scott: What's your favorite recipe that's in the book?
Steve: There are so many amazing recipes in Mosh Potatoes. All of these bands have traveled around the world and have experienced cuisine that most of us would never get to try. I am a big fan of the Lita Ford "Black Bean and Salsa", the "Stuffed Poblano Peppers" by Trevor from Obituary (who makes some serious BBQ sauce), the Guns & Roses Chili, the "Spicy Shrimp & Sweet Tomatoes" from Scott Ian of Anthrax and I really love the Pecan Pie from this new band called Naam. Amazing.
Scott: What's the story behind teaming up with [Ratt lead singer] Stephen Pearcy to make Detonator Hot Sauce and Top Fuel BBQ Sauce?
Steve: When I was putting together the cookbook I became friends with a chef named Chris Santos from the Food Network show called Chopped. He is a massive metal head and we spoke about one day working together. Fast forward a couple months…..
Stephen had reached out to me about working with him on a hot sauce. I called up Chris and told him the good news. Chris was like, "dude, this is one of my favorite 80’s metal bands". So I said, "why don’t you guys work on a sauce together and I will release it through High River?" He loved the idea of collaborating with one of his favorite bands on this project. It must be a metal thing because this what its suppose to be about. Collaborating with friends you respect.
Now the sauce is sent off and will jump on the line very soon. Its probably the most flavorful sauces that I have ever had on a taco. I can't wait to unleash it.
Scott: How long did it take to perfect the recipe for Hellacious Hot Sauce?
Steve: It took about five months of tweaking to get the recipe to where I wanted to get it. I was working on it with a friend. You know when you make a new sauce. Add this, a little of that, and handful of something. I wanted a sauce that would taste amazing on anything walking through the woods that say "moo!"
Scott: I agree; it's great on steak. What about Tears of the Sun or Hillbilly Hell Fire Sauce?
Steve: Being that I work in the music industry, I decided that it made the most sense to market my sauces through my contacts in the music industry. I didn’t have the contacts to get my sauces into the grocery stores or specialty shops so I decided to use the concert venues as a pop up store. My sauces are sold every night in a different city at various concerts. These concerts are my distribution channels.
My next goal is to get my sauces on the shelves of the various hot sauces stores through out the country. It would be the honor to share the same shelf space next to some of my favorite hot sauce makers. One day I hope and I will keep working until it happens.
Scott: Do you have any other upcoming sauces or collaborations with musicians can you discuss right now?
Steve: When I put together the Mosh Potatoes cookbook I realized that there were so many musicians that shared the same passion for quality food and sauces. High River Sauces to me is about hooking up with friends, firing up the grill and drinking some beers. I just want to have fun and share the good times. Working with my friends has been my vision of this company from day one. There is nothing more METAL!
Scott: What's your favorite chile pepper?
Steve: I am a big fan of both the Poblano and Habanero Peppers. But when I make sauces I like the using the Orange Habanero. It has a great taste with all sorts of food, the aroma makes my mouth water and they have that perfect heat. To me they are the essential classic hot pepper. I know the scene now craves the hottest peppers for their sauces but I would much rather cruise down the highway in a '68 Mustang than some government motors hybrid.
Scott: Favorite beer?
Steve: Right now as I do this interview I am enjoying the nice flavors of the Ithaca Apricot Wheat. It's a beautiful beer and I love using it in my BBQ sauce too. It’s just a great beer for chilling and grilling.
Scott: Besides your own stuff, what's your favorite hot sauce?
Steve: I love putting hot sauces on everything I eat. Right now in my hot sauce holster I am loaded up on Heartbreaking Dawns 1841 Ghost Pepper Sauce, CaJohns Bourbon Infused Chipotle Habanero Hot Sauce, Bigfat's 508 and the Csigi Salubrious Savina. There are so many great sauces and hot sauce makers out there but this is what I am rocking out to now. Today I just got the new Heartbreaking Dawns 1498 Cauterizer. I am a huge fan of the original so I can't wait devour this bottle. Johnny McLaughlin is the man.
Scott: Being relatively new to the fiery foods world, what's the biggest lesson you have learned so far?
Steve: Everyday is a new lesson. I just pull up and sit at my desk and plug away. I am getting the old fashion school of hard knocks style of learning in this business. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t want anything handed to me. I want to earn it.
The Chile Pepper Festival in Bowers, PA was my first festival show as a vendor. Talk about a learning experience. I got schooled big time but still had an amazing experience. I got invited to dinner with a bunch of other vendors and it was a total honor. I got to meet the people who I worship in the sauce world. CaJohn was super cool and he gave me so much insight about the business. It was an absolute honor just to sit at the same table.
I also got a great lesson when I visited Peppers in Delaware in May of 2011. Chip Hearn threw down some wisdom on me about retail and the various distribution models. Just the fact that people of their experience and caliber actually took the time with a newbie sauce maker just makes me want to be in this business even more. It’s such a family vibe and all of the other sauces makers have been so helpful.
Scott: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
Steve: I just want to have fun in this business and put out quality artisan sauces. So in 5 years I hope to attend more festivals, become a respected member of this community and that Chip from Peppers will bring in my sauces.
Scott: As hinted at on your Hellacious Hot Sauce label, you have a disdain for "fake" metal. What is "fake" to you, and what defines "real" metal?
Steve: I am a blue collar guy that works hard and busts my ass everyday. This same philosophy is how I like my music. I love musicians who can actually play their instruments and don’t hide behind a gimmick. Its about music, the song writing and the personal relationship with the true fans. A wall of Marshall amplifiers cranked to 11 and a cooler full of beer backstage. I've never understood posers. They just follow trends and never make them. I am a lifer and they are just sheep. The Hellacious Hot Sauce is for the men and women who share this same belief in music and live their life to a different beat. "Beers Up" to them!!!
Comments
2011-09-26 04:49:04
~ Cheers, Joe
2011-09-26 09:41:24
Thank you once again for taking the time to sit down and do this interview. Its a great honor and it was a bunch of fun. Thanks again!!!
Beers Up!
Steve
2011-09-26 12:15:52
2011-09-26 12:52:16
2011-09-26 14:27:50
2011-09-26 14:57:34
2011-09-26 15:16:11
2011-09-26 17:07:47
2011-09-27 12:19:51
And Steve, keep doing what you're doing! You are definitely a welcome member in the hot sauce family!
2011-09-28 20:24:13
2011-10-01 08:30:31
Marc
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