ROCK MUSIC UNITED BAND SPACE

14 Jun 2008

Q: For the record what is the name of your band or are you a solo artist?
I'm Gav Ruadh, from Hallion. What started life as a solo artist became a band.
The first 2 records, "Born Of Fire" and "Rhythm & Bruise" were solo projects done by myself under the name of Hallion. After the release of those two, Hallion became a band. Bringing Dane (guitar), Mike-E-B (bass) and Andy "The Animal" Edmonds (drums)
However, recently following Dane's departure, we have become a 3 piece.
Something we're really enjoying at the moment.

Q: And your name and what do you play in the band? (if solo artist do you play any instruments?)
I'm Gav Ruadh, frontman and songwriter for Hallion.
I sing and play guitar, although for the previous albums I also played bass, drums and piano.

Q: Can you please tell how us how your band became a band/how you became an artist?
Well, toward the end of the sessions for Born Of Fire (2003), it became apparent that this was my musical future. From a creative point of view, the level of satisfaction I got was way in excess of other bands I had been in. I'd created the kind of musical project I always wanted to be a part of, but could never find.
Dane had been a part of a previous incarnation of Hallion, and I recruited Mike-E-B (bass) and Andy Edmonds (drums) December 2005.

Q: Where are you/or the band originally from?
We're all based in Essex, England

Q: How would you categorize your band or music? (Hard rock, metal, rock, pop, death metal, punk)
At this point in time I'd say we're taking parts of hard rock, glam and old school metal and mixing it up.
Other musical styles will be surfacing in the future I have no doubt.
I would love to take this to somewhere where Queen were. Where they could take any form of music and make it work.

Q: When did you/or the band play their first concert?
Hallion's first live show would have been late 2002.

Q: What is the biggest crowd you and/or the band have ever played for?
So far I would guess 200-300. They're usually the capacity of the venues that we're invited to play.

Q: So what is your favorite song either that you perform or you like from your album/s?
That changes depending on the mood.
Sometimes we'll do "Leave Me Alone" and every negative emotion comes pouring out. Some nights "Retribution Be My Name" feels like a battle cry.
Those two are ones that I never fail to enjoy playing.

Q: So what can people expect to see at one of your shows that have never seen a show of yours before?
We try to bring a show that feels like the ones we all saw as teenagers. The ones that inspired us to do it ourselves.
Those levels of crowd interaction and the feeling of watching a band give their all. We pride ourselves on that.

Q: How many times do you perform a month?
There's no set amount usually. It depends what we're up to.
We'll probably play locally 2 or 3 times a month, playing shows further afield as and when as opposed to doing full tours.

Q: What is the weirdest thing a fan has done for you?
There's not been anything that disturbing so far haha
To be honest, the supporters that write to us and we meet have all been very sweet. The hardcore fans in The Hallion Horde become friends of ours. (I'm even marrying one of them! haha)

We're very down to earth guys, and very grateful for the support we recieve.

Q: Do you think myspace is the place to help undiscovered musicians and solo artists?
Without a doubt! Although it's still a double edged sword.
On one hand, you've got a huge international potential fanbase out there if you put the hours in to reach people.
On the other hand, so has everybody else! haha
So the competition is now on a much wider scale, to be noticed amongst thousands of other bands.
It's daunting, but you just have to run what you got up the flag pole and see who salutes it.

Q: What are your music goals?
To be able to kick back in my retirement years and when people ask me who my favourite bands were, i want to be able to include my own one in there.
I just want to create music that is honest, real and to be proud of it all.

Q: What's one thing you would suggest you need if you want be in music biz?
Well, there's what the individual/band needs and also what the music business is sorely lacking.
For the individual/band, they need patience and a sense of unity and belief in what they're doing. All those will be tested without a doubt.
What the music business needs to do is way in excess of the interview space here.

Q: Was music your passion since you were young?
I've loved music my whole life. I only really started to pursue making it in my mid teens, but from that moment on, I knew music was going to be my life.

Q: Are there any new artists out there you like or recommend to people?
Jump on myspace and take a listen to the first one you come across. Make the most of that accessibility.
10-15 years ago in the UK, if you wanted to hear the latest rock and metal releases you had to set up the VCR for the weekly rock show at 4AM or listen to a 2 hour show each Friday night on the radio....
Pretty desperate huh?

Check out some of our unsigned buds in The Hallion Horde, or the links to other bands we're providing.

Q: Whats one question that you tired of people asking you?
I don't get tired of questions, but I always dread that "desert island, three things you can't live without" thing.
Is it in this interview here? Oh shit, so it is..... haha

Q: Who are you influences?
Way too many to list, everything from The Rolling Stones to Slayer. Then there's all the Irish music I love.

Q: Who is the one band you would like to tour with?
Alice Cooper. Probably the biggest reason behind why I became a musician

Q: What do you think of the major record labels nowadays? Do you prefer independent or major? And why?
They're all in trouble now I think.
Since somebody began printing records, the big record companies have been fleecing the public and the recording artists.
Now that sales have dropped dramatically, bands and artists have greater pressure to sell their music or lose their deals.
Whether to take a major or a smaller independent deal really depends on being realistic regarding the size of your audience. Most rock bands in our genre make more money from independent deals.

Q: Where do you see the band or yourself in the next five years?
Who knows?! I'm sure we'll still be producing music as Hallion. Regarding future success, we hope for the best. With our DIY ethic, we're resourceful enough to deal with the rapidly changing industry I think.

Q: What does your band or your music sound like? Or how would you describe your sound to someone who has not ever heard your music?
I've usually said that if you take some old school Metallica, mix it up with some WASP, Hanoi Rocks and Alice Cooper..
Nobody has disagreed yet.

Q: If you could be one animal what would it be and why?
I'm borderline obsessed with wolves, so there's your answer there. I'd love to get involved with their conservation later in life.

Q: Do you ever get compared to any band?
Everybody hears and sees something different.
The comparisons are more flattering if they're "a hint of". The last thing I ever wanted to be was a clone or tribute of.

Q: Do you think your band/music can make a difference in the music scene and if so how?
Maybe I'm getting jaded but so many things out there seem so contrived in order to fit demographics and such. The whole "pre-packaged rebellion" thing.
We never cared for that obviously. Be what you want to be is our motto.

Q: What is so different about your band/music that should make people want to listen to your music?
If there's one thing i'm sure of, it's that we're bringing something out of our hearts, being ourselves and we just don't care for fitting the latest flavour of the month.
Our fans recognise that I think.

Q: Do you enjoy what you do or did you start out doing it because it was the “cool thing to do” (be honest, some people just do it to get laid/drugs etc)
Y'know, sometimes I curse that book "The Dirt" Motley Crue brought out.
The lifestyle portrayed seemed to create so many appalling Nikki Sixx clones without his songwriting, that brought that whole style of music into the ground.
We've all gone through that lifestyle, but we avoid bragging about it cause we don't want to be associated with those Crue-Clone bands haha.
We all make music for the love of it. Pure and simple.
Besides, life has changed for the members of Hallion in the last few years. Andy became a dad, Mikey got married, I'm getting married too.
Hallion is still a major part of our lives, but it's not the only thing anymore.

Q: Best thing you like about music?
It's ability to be a soundtrack to life. An accompaniment to the highs and the lows. Real life inspires my music, so its a nice circle.

Q: Best thing about your fans?
Anybody that has people take an interest in what they do is very lucky. To have people like our Hallion Horde that help promote us and spread the word on top of that is something else!
We stay in contact with as many as we can and they're a wonderful, varied and kind bunch that's ever growing.

Q: Favorite aspect of being a musician?
With Hallion, I get the opportunity to tell the things I see in life to other people on the vehicle of music.
I see what I do as storytelling with decibels.

Q: Your greatest accomplishment:
When I first decided to do this solo project, you wouldn't believe how negative some people could be.
Proving them wrong on two occaisions was like one big middle finger.
Turning that into a band and having people follow it was another.

Q: Hobbies & interests besides music:
With a band like Hallion, which is very much a DIY ethic, we do everything ourselves, it's very important to have things outside of that. If you don't, you'll go nuts.
When I do have time outside of that...
I'm really into old cars. A lot of rockers are.
I have this late 70's Ford Capri that I'm restoring and customising. It's "very Gav" as people say.
There's socialising of course but I read a fair bit too.

Q: Your most prized possession is:
I have a few Explorer guitars, but my ESP Explorer that you see in hundreds of photos is highly treasured. Froze my arse off working on a market stall for months to buy it as a kid.
Almost totalled it at the last show when I took a tumble. Only minor damage though.
My car I mentioned before too.

Q: If there was one person in history dead or alive you could meet who would it be and why?
Celebrity never really impressed me, but anybody that made a difference to society for the better.
That or Billy Connolly as am sure I'd have a laugh there.

Q: If there was one musician or band dead or alive you could meet who would it be and why?
Either Alice Cooper, Blackie Lawless, Tom Waits and Keith Richards.

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things could you NOT live without?
Oh boy....
My favourite sunglasses so I can see a damn thing, Factor 50 sun cream being a redhead, and a decent phone signal so I could get the hell off it.

Q: First album you ever bought?
My dad gave me his old vinyl copy of Alice Cooper's "Billion Dollar Babies" after I asked my dad about him.
A life changing moment when that needle hit the grooves for sure!

Q: Do you have any hidden talents?
Not for me to say haha. Ask anybody that knows me.

Q: What is currently playing in your ipod or cd player?
Last thing I listened too was Slayer's "Christ Illusion", a definate return to form. Only really listened to it properly recently.

FAVORITES:
Favorite food: Pizza

Favorite book: Can't pick a favourite, there's far too many.
Although the one sitting open right here is the service manual for my car... haha The carburettor is still a riddle to me.

Favorite movie: Return Of The Jedi

Favorite song: Poison - Alice Cooper

Favorite album: Billion Dollar Babies

Favorite quote: "It's all going to hell in a handbasket", one of my grandad's that is going to make an awesome song for sure

Q: When you were growing up, do you remember listening to any bands in particular?
As a young kid, my folks played a lot of Stones, Bowie, Thin Lizzy, Queen, Meat Loaf and Irish music. I loved those then and now, so I progressed from there really.

Q: Do you think any band should give it up and call it a day? If so, why?
A lot of great bands go through at least one bad patch where they put out weird, misguided or just plain bad albums. Years down the line, they sometimes find new appreciation.
If they believe in what they're doing and making people happy, credit to them.

Q: Lately who is your favorite band?
I always thought that Finland and Sweden put out great bands, but they're really dominating this decade for me.
Hardcore Superstar, Lordi, Lullacry, Loud N Nasty... Hanoi Rocks new incarnation are putting out great albums too.

Q: What do you think of the local music scene nowadays?
Our local scene? I'm not sure you could call it a scene as it's pretty fractured.
Cookie-Monster-Metal as I call it is very popular, lots of Emo/Screamo/whatever too.
We have bands that are friends of ours, but we're all very different in what we do. There's no big united thing.

Q: Do you have a website people can check out?
Yep, we have a website at www.hallionuk.com
(That'll be recieving a much needed update soon)
Also at myspace at www.myspace/hallion
The three of us have our own personal pages too.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?
Many thanks for some interesting questions and the interest in Hallion. Hope to do it again sometime.
Best wishes to ya all!
Gav Ruadh