By Katelyn Faye Winters

The name Michael Jackson may not make you think of metal music, but Legrand Haughton insists the King of Pop is the reason he started a metal band.

“[In] ‘Black or White,’ there is [Slash’s] heavy guitar part where Michael is going crazy, hitting all these notes and such. That’s when my love for guitar and metal came out.”

Though he started in a four-piece band in 2005, Haughton’s frustration with his bandmates’ lack of dedication led him to become a one-man show. Originally from Philadelphia, he came to Worcester to study music at Anna Maria College.

Haughton performs as Halls Tainted Red, a band name he admits doesn’t really have a meaning at all. “People recognize it, fans like it and other metal bands and artist and people in the industry like it. So Halls Tainted Red will stay.”  He uses a pre-recorded drum machine he calls the “Devil’s box” to keep pace with live vocals and guitar. “Any rhythm or beat I can hear in my head, I can reproduce via the machine,” he says, which allows him more freedom in his compositions. He also points out that since the drums are all pre-recorded, they are always consistent, making his shows run more smoothly. “Honestly, I don’t want any members in my band. Call me greedy, but I am just focused on being successful and I cannot have anyone hold me back from that.” He considers himself self-taught when it comes to metal, though he has taken the occasional guitar lesson.

Haughton has toured on a small scale with various metal bands, including Death Immortal. His album Mind of a Gentleman is dedicated to his mother and late father who passed away in 2010 and will be released sometime this spring. The album is “…a story about the weakness of people who chose to not press on with life and watch as people are being oppressed and do nothing about it.” He adds,; “Do what you want, question everything and make sure you live a life as royalty. The happier you are as an individual, the happier we are going to be as a nation.”

Keep an eye out for Haughton as he plans to tour ~ solo, of course! ~ in support of Mind of a Gentleman this summer.

For more information on contact, albums, or tour dates, Legrand Haughton can be found as Halls Tainted Red on Facebook, Twitter, purevolume.com or last.fm.