The Next Generation Of Metal, It's Here In Tulsa: She Hates Me Not, The Four Piece Teenage Metal Band from Tulsa, OK
By: Goldie Krautheim
You are walking down N Main Street in Tulsa, suddenly you hear a shredding guitar and a crowd chanting ¨Re-Spect-Walk¨ coming from the Vanguard, so you look inside. You expect to see a 30ish-year-old Pantera Cover band; instead, you find four teenage boys owning the stage. You hear the crowd shouting the lyrics along with the band. The feeling of the ground shaking from the rumble of the amps. There are flashing lights that move with the song, for added effect. The first thought that comes to mind is: who are these kids?
The band is She Hates Me Not, also referred to as SHMN, which consists of four members: Jett Fleeman, Eighth grade, Cade Baldwin, Junior, Nico Stevens, Seventh grade, and Alec Lim, Seventh grade. As you can see these guys are a big deal because the Vanguard is a historic and very well-known venue. But that's not all, these boys have been everywhere performing at Cain's Ballroom, The Shrine, and multiple events in Arkansas. Each performance proves that they deserve to be on each stage.
¨The Vanguard is special, in the way everything feels on stage and it’s small enough so everything you see comes back to you from the crowd, and it was very cool to open up for a band,¨ said Stevens.
Stevens at Sunday afternoon practice on April 2nd, 2023
In spite of their meteoric rise the band, SHMN did not just appear out of thin air. It all started when Fleeman, a kid in music school, was just trying to explore his passion. At the time he was in 7th grade doing things he loved to make his passion grow. Then at Oklahoma Music Academy, he met Stevens, and they ´riffed it off.´ Stevens is a great guitarist, as is Fleeman, but they knew they would work better together. So they joined up, Fleeman as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and Stevens on lead guitar as well. They had been “shredding” together for a while, but you can't have a band without drums. They began looking around for someone, then they found none other than Cade Baldwin. Baldwin is a fantastic drummer, so once the guys saw him play they knew they had to invite him to join. The only thing left was to find a bass player, and as a newly regrouped band, they set out to find the best out there. The three of them looked around for a while, but it all stopped when they saw Alec Lim. They were at a show at the Vanguard. Lim was doing a showcase for his music school, School of Rock, and he was performing with a makeshift band from some of his peers. He had something fresh to offer to this band, something they hadn’t seen before.
¨When I first saw Alec on stage I knew we had to recruit him. His stage presence is enough to be seen but not steal the show,¨ said Baldwin.
Lim at practice on April 2nd, 2023
He was noticed by the whole band. Fleeman saw his talent, and like Baldwin, he knew right away that they needed to have Lim, so they made it happen. Now there is Lead Singer and Rhythm Guitarist Jett Fleeman, and Nico Stevens as Lead Guitar player, and the new additions are Bass player Alec Lim and Drummer Cade Baldwin. These guys each have great skills on their own, but together they have raw expert talent. One thing to note about SHMN just by looking at their age is, they are kids. They are truly like any other friend group of guys, but they are performers.
Fleeman playing with 'stank face' in the studio
This logo was designed by Jett Fleeman for SHMN
¨It’s all fun and games ‘till someone loses an eye, then it’s just fun you can’t see,¨ said James Hetfield, Metallica's Lead Singer and Rhythm Guitarist.
Metallica is a big inspiration to the kids in SHMN. When they practice, they joke and laugh. On stage, they perform, interact with the audience, and have the fun they should. You could say they have fun that you can see.
¨The four of them are the goofiest bunch of knuckleheads out there, but when it's time to work, they absolutely kill it. They look like kids, talk like kids, walk like kids, but play like professionals,¨ said Christy Fleeman, Jett Fleeman's mom.
¨We get along well, and have a great life of music ahead of us,¨ said Stevens.
Now you have four insanely talented guys, ready to take on any stage out there. But they aren't playing for the thought of fame, they are playing with a driving passion for music. I mean why wouldn't they? Who wouldn't want to show off a skill they love?
¨To me, it’s not about the music I play, I just love to play it. I want to be happy with what I have done in the music world,¨ said Lim.
The music they play may throw you for a spin. The genre is thrash metal. These guys execute perfectly, with every note spot on. Anything metal is difficult to execute, and it takes extensive training to get down. Because of their age people may assume that they are nowhere near mastering skills. But SHMN presents otherwise.
Baldwin practicing on his electric Roland set on April 2nd, 2023. In preparation for the studio the following week
Cade Baldwin playing drums while recording and original song April 8th, 2023
When you have master skill you must put it to work and present it to all, so SHMN writes songs. Each original song is meticulously put together to create the perfect product. Fleeman and Stevens start off by making a guitar riff, whether it was on accident or on purpose. Then they start up a chorus on guitar and a layout for the song. Once that's set, Baldwin and Lim start writing Drums and Bass at the same time so they are ‘locked in.’ Once all else is good and working together, they write the lyrics. As for lyrics inspiration, it comes from anywhere. Fleeman is a creative mind that could turn any situation into a song. He writes the story, making the title the situation, and the lyrics the experience. Then they take it to a stage and tell the story to the audience.
“Performing on stage is weird, you're really nervous when you're about to go on, it's pure adrenaline. Then after the first few songs you relax, you don't even think about being nervous because all you can see and hear is people screaming and cheering for you,” said Baldwin.
But you can't work together without practicing together. Every Sunday they are guaranteed to meet for practice from 1-4 pm at the Fleeman's home. They go in there and play as hard as they can. But that's not all. On occasions, they have an all-night-long jam session. These guys consistently work hard toward their goals and they will not let anything stop them. Whether it's their age, stereotypes, or a tough song, they will continue to push and do what they do best.
“They work really hard, and they are very driven. I have seen them learn very difficult things in just one or two practices, which shows the level of commitment each of them have,¨ said Micheal Fleeman, Jett Fleeman's father.
On April 8, 2023, these guys took a big step up the ladder. They went to The Church Studio in Tulsa, OK to record a few original songs and one cover. SHMN worked all day from 9 am-10 pm with one little break. Their day began at breakfast in their favorite spot, Waffle House. They fueled up for the day and then headed off to the studio. Upon arrival they went to the front and met the team they would be working with. Shortly after that they were all unloaded and started to set up for their day of success.
The kids being kids in the studio before recording
It starts with Baldwin perfectly setting up his 5-piece DW (drum workshop) drumkit and 7 different Meinl cymbals, so it makes the perfect Metal sound. Now Fleeman’s haul includes his newest addition a 1990 Gibson Flying V 67' reissue guitar, LTD Bela Lugosi Super Strat, Black ESP Explorer, and over five different pedals. Stevens brings his Modded Tagima electric guitar which he calls, Nikaghanistan Mark 1, with a Quad Cortex and his Morley Waah pedals because that's how he makes the perfect sound. Lim brings in his Jackson 5 string Bass, to jazz up the music, just Lim and his strings all day long.
They started by warming up to prepare for the recordings. The recording was a very tedious and extensive part of the day, as expected. But the bumps they faced while recording did not top the products they would leave with. For hours they pushed themselves to get the best takes possible, which caused some stress among the guys. Sometimes one person would record a take and pick it apart to find any mistake, which is understandable because they want the best sound out there. They had some time to take it slow and really think about what they are doing. They recorded separately and together all day long and left satisfied but not done. They plan on returning to the studio to clean up some parts and have Fleeman record new vocals to finish up the original songs.
¨I'm excited about the music we are currently writing, and to see how we can stir up the Tulsa metal scene,¨ said Stevens.
They will have a few original songs coming out on Apple Music and Spotify in the coming weeks, be sure to take a listen. There is a lot of interest in SHMN from many influential people in the music business. You will see them up there sooner rather than later.
¨We are going to take this one day at a time and just see what happens,¨ said Micheal Fleeman.
Music always has a story; whether it's in the song or in the person, She Hates Me Not is writing theirs. Hop on the bandwagon early! You can follow them on:
Instagram @shehatesmenotofficial
Facebook @She Hates Me Not
YouTube @She Hates Me Not Official
