The Violent Hour – Carla Harvey And Her Band Come By WRIF

The Violent Hour is out on tour with Steel Panther, had a day off in Detroit, so came by the station to talk with me about the band, Carla's recent wedding, 2026, and more.

The band consists of Carla, Kiana DeLeon on lead guitar, her sister, Sasha on drums, Jewel Steele on bass, and Allie Kay on guitar. All five ladies came by the station and talked about how they got into the band, their influences, and more.

Carla had recorded the record with her now-husband, Charlie Benante (Anthrax and Pantera drummer), but wanted to tour with an all-female band, and that's what she did.

"So, yeah, out of necessity, you know, when I left Butcher Babies, I had basically myself and then an incredibly talented person that I happened to live with. So we worked together to, you know, to write all the songs for the Violent Hour. It was never going to be a Carla and Charlie project. I wanted a band, and that was something I was very passionate about. So as soon as I was done writing the first batch of songs, I set out to look for, you know, the perfect bandmates. And I really, really wanted to have an all-girl band. It's been a dream of mine my whole life to have an all-girl band."

Carla said things are going great out on the road with the girls. "I mean, it's going pretty well. Actually, I'm surprised at how well it's going. I mean, it's hard to get out on the road, especially if it's your first time on the road and just dealing with life stuff. Like, you know, getting up, finding your bathroom, doing all the things. And we're on a bandwagon. We're not on a full bus. So it's, we have beds at least asleep, and we've got, you know, all the necessities. But it is hard. It's a jar to your system to be out there on the road, and they're handling it so well. And, you know, I think the assumption is, is that girls can't, you know, coexist without being in catfights every day or getting on each other's nerves. But it's been really comfortable."

There are a couple of songs I wanted to ask the girls about. Two songs that included guitarists John 5 and Zakk Wylde.

Carla said John "owed her a favor" after she appeared in one of his songs, so she asked him to rip a solo on Sick Ones....which he did. "When I got, you know, John 5's solo back, I literally burst out into tears because it was the most wild, cool thing I had heard in so long. And I could not believe that it was for my song. You know, he sent it isolated to me in a text. And I just like, my mind was blown that that's where he went with that song. And it's absolutely perfect."

In the new year, look for some new music from the ladies. "So I think that the first, the first EP, I had a lot of things to say that I had bottled up, you know, and I had a lot of emotions, and I wanted to also explore sides of myself that I never got to, um, in Butcher Babies. So there's songs, like the Violent Hour, that are very different. Sex and Cigarettes, which is the first song that I wrote for the Violent Hour, is very different than anything I've ever written." Carla said. She added that she wanted to write songs that weren't exactly metal.

In case you hadn't heard, Carla and Charlie tied the knot earlier this year in a rock star-filled wedding. She said if you're going to do it, you might as well do it big, but she never gave it too much thought. "So I never, I'm not the kind of girl who ever thought about weddings or anything like that. I always thought more about my funeral and what I was going to wear to my funeral and weird stuff like that, but." She went on, "I figured that we'd throw a big party and everyone was traveling to Las Vegas. We had over 200 people go to Las Vegas to see it. So you got to show them a good time. Right?" That they did!

She later told me that she feels very fortunate in her life and wants to share it with friends and family. "I feel very privileged to have the moments that I have, but an even more so to be able to share moments like that with people that I love who may never ever get a chance to have a moment like that. Like I got more of a kick out of seeing my friends interact with him (Gene Simmons, who officiated the weddings). If that makes sense." It makes a lot of sense.

Carla is also in the Lords of Acid. Another project, different from The Violent Hour. She gave me an update on what's happening with that band. "So, I just finished recording the vocals for the new Lords of Acid album. Another, and that's another like pinch me thing. You know, I was obsessed. Growing up in Detroit. It's like, you've got such a weird variety of music that you love. So like Guns N' Roses, Pantera, and throwing some electronic weird dance music like Lords of Acid. But I used to sneak out and go to City Club, dance all night to Lords of Acid. And so when they asked me to be the Acid Queen, I was like, yes, yes, and yes.
And so it's great. It's low commitment. You know, they don't tour very often. But to be, have my voice on a record that means so much to me is huge for me!"

A big Thank You to the entire band for coming by the station this week!