The only excluxive interview from and with: HALLION

Hello dear Gav and band, i salute you and welcome you to my world of rock n roll. The last time we talked (via interview) is such a long time ago it was back in 2005. So now we need to do another one thats for sure. Here are some questions for you:


* GAV RUADH *

1. Gav, please introduce your band HALLION anno 2010 to us!

Gav: Hallion, for those who we are still new to, are a hard rock band. We throw in a little glam and old-school metal in there too. Based upon my "storytelling" style of songwriting. Honesty has always been our policy. We are the band that we always wanted to be. What we thought a real rock band should be. Not chasing whatever the media says is the thing to be. After 8 years of keeping our flag flying in spite of the odds, we deserve some attention. Maybe even some admiration.

2. Has the musical style of Hallion changed within those years since we last talked or is it still the same? Have you changed anything?

Gav: I hesitate to say that our musical style has changed too drastically. Writing material is still the same natural process it has always been. Recreating the full song that I hear in my head. Although we have definately learned to express ourselves a lot better in the recording studio. Trial and error is how I learned and those skills have improved. New equipment for my studio has helped too. The sound is clearer. When things are clearer, you can hear the detail. That's why I said that I wanted to go back and remaster our older albums. The songs were good, the performances were there, but the sound quality wasn't.The new album musically does have a few noticable differences to past efforts. The first thing that you will notice is what players Mikey and Andy are! They can be heard easier with the current three piece line-up. "Forgive Never Forget" will be their first studio album that they have recorded on. Another thing you will notice are my vocals. In 5 years since our last album, you'll notice that I have a bit more of a "gravelly" tone these days. There's more dynamics, and thanks to the numerous live shows we did for "Rhythm & Bruise", I discovered that I can roar! LOL Despite my critics I'm a lot more confident with it y'know? LOL I do laugh though, after 18 years of playing guitar, when people say, "Gav! Your guitar playing has really improved!" "Not really..." I reply You see, due to playing in two guitar bands all my life, I have always restrained my playing to focus on keeping the song solid. Not letting it descend into a solo fest. Especially in Hallion, where Dane didn't like to play "straight rhythm" too much. I'm finding I can be heard now too, as Dane did like to be the loudest thing on the stage LOL I have to adapt my playing to fill the space made by losing a guitar, but it's no big deal.

3. Is there a line-up change lately

Gav: Yes, as everybody noticed we're running a three piece line-up since Dane's departure, and have been since mid 2008. Firstly, why we decided to become a three piece. The first rehearsal we did without Dane we noticed immediately that without the roar of two guitars that we could hear "the engine" of Hallion so much clearer. The bass and the drums together were like a fine tuned machine. It was such an inspiring sound! Working with one guitar was a format I'd never worked in before. I won't lie to anybody, I was as equally nervous as I was excited by it. We were to beocme a three piece?! Three is a small number for a band! Would it look right? Would it sound too thin? Live, could I handle all the guitar work and front the band too? All this was happening at the wrong time for me personally. The band as a whole was feeling a little "burnt out" at the time. We performed a handful of shows that year with the three piece and I was happily proved very wrong. It did work. Why shouldn't it when you consider all the 4 piece bands with one guitar that we liked? Pantera, Crue, Hardcore Superstar, Van Halen etc. Then the great 3 piece bands, such as Motorhead, Therapy?, ZZ Top, Hendrix, early Thin Lizzy etc. We may revert to a 4 piece with another guitar player in the future. It's not something we're ruling out. If we do, it will have to be a guitarist that we see as being a true member of the Hallion family. Regarding Dane's departure, there has been a few varying stories about it. Without descending into petty exchanges, myself, Mikey and Andy haven't been on speaking terms with Dane since mid 2008. Relations with Dane and the rest of the band, both personally and in the band, could sometimes get a little strained. I know you should expect that sometimes, but things never were with any other members past or present. We enjoyed the "second family" feeling in Hallion, that extended out to band member's partners and family members. First thing I said to (Mikey's wife) Laura when he joined was to give her a big hug and say "Welcome to the family". That's how we are. Unfortunately, Dane's behaviour often upset not only people in that circle, but also a lot of people that worked at the venues and some that could have helped our career. We lost a few opportunities to be honest. We would try to resolve things with Dane on many occaisions as we wanted to keep the band as it was. It had great chemistry. Unfortunately, things were getting worse and worse. After some uncalled comments that I did not deserve one evening, I arrived at rehearsal and said to the guys that I refused to work with him anymore. Final straw as they say. Mike and Andy agreed with me and after another heated argument when he arrived at rehearsal, it was quite clear that Dane was not to be working with us any longer. I've spared everybody the more unpleasant details, but we'll leave it as "irreconcilable differences". I very much doubt we'll ever work together again. I know he still resents me and will describe me still as the tyrant of Hallion. Something else I never felt I deserved. I just hope he does what he wants to in music and is happy. Despite a lot of fun times, I don't know if he was truly happy with us.

4. What was the best experience you had with your band?

Gav: Any musician, especially these days with so many different acts around, that has somebody actively take an interest in what they do should consider themselves extremely fortunate. So to us, whenever we recieve compliments or see good words online toward Hallion, we're full of joy. Like somebody's given you a birthday present that you've always wanted.Yeah, part of me thinks that we deserve something for all the hard work we've put into this, but when it comes down to it, any praise is taken very humbly. I love performing live, we all pride ourselves in being a solid live act. Give us a responsive crowd and we truly come alive! On a night like that people that are out there will leave the venue at the end of the night thinking we're the world's best kept secret LOL Writing and recording is probably my favourite aspect of it all though. Hearing that song inside your head and trying to get it recorded in my studio. It's a science that I'm learning more of every day. Creatively there is no better feeling. It's the reason that I do this.

5. And what was the worst experience with your band since it came into existence?

Gav: The worst is something that Hallion is just coming out of. Not too distant in the rear view mirror. We've all had our own individual struggles in our own lives. Also, a lot has changed for the three of us, and as much as I hate the term, we've all "grown up" a little. Marriages, mortgages, babies, and not having the luxury of time to put into Hallion as we did in the beginning. Not as those changes are bad things. We're still adjusting to it. I look back at photos and videos in our archive and feel like so much has changed since we were a bunch of eager guys with nothing to lose. I would love to be able to work on Hallion all day every day, but things change. For me, and I have never said this publically before and my band mates only found out recently, for the last 18 months, while working on "Forgive Never Forget" and the covers album "To The Horde", I have been suffering from "a crisis of confidence" regarding music. Not helped by our abscence I'm sure. I have been second guessing my abilities in all departments; vocals, guitar, songwriting, studio work. Wondering if anybody would remember or still care when we came back. Not a pleasant state of mind to be in when music has always been your life, and you're trying to make the best album you can.

6. Have you ever thought of splitting up in all those years? I mean was there a point where you said: No, this is it... theres no more Hallion?

Gav: Two occaisions. I remember them well. Before we released "Rhythm & Bruise" (2006), the lineup had collapsed. I recorded the album myself and put it out there regardless. To Hallion's great fortune, Andy and Mikey both wanted to be a part of this, and we not only continued but moved up a gear. This was not so much a split, although I announced it as such at the time, more a 6 month hiatus when I look back. More recently, as I said before, the 18 month "crisis of confidence" period, I went to sleep thinking about it and woke up thinking about it. Giving it up would be heartbreaking for me, but maybe I should "give it up" and deal with the emotions sooner rather than later. Despite feeling like I still hadn't produced my best songs yet and still had more to give. Hallion is very much a D.I.Y. effort. Doing everything ourselves, from music to every aspect of buisness, combined with listening to too much negativity from others, it all got too much. Especially during our lives all changing as they have. I've come out of that depressing period now, reminding myself that I still haven't written my best songs yet. Although, this new album is getting close.

7. So whats Hallion doing at the moment? Working on new material?

Gav: A lot! Punching in overtime now! Our 3rd studio album, "Forgive Never Forget", will be released sometime late October. While recording this we also did an album of cover songs with them both too, which we will release at the same time as the remasters of "Born Of Fire" and "Rhythm & Bruise", entitled "To The Horde..." It's studio recordings of all the cover songs that we have performed live over the years. Our aim for Hallion now is to publicise our new album and back catalogue on a fully international scale. We've been short sighted in the past by only targetting a handful of countries. The U.S. has been our biggest market so far. We have a smaller group of supporters here in the UK, but are accepting that we'll probably not grow much more here than we are already. We just aren't what the general public wants when I see what's popular here. Once we have Hallion established again, I will record and release my solo album, "To Anyone Who'll Listen". Musically, it will be in an acoustic folk/Irish music direction. Crazy thing is, that if I play "Retribution Be My Name" or "Ain't My Generation" on an acoustic, it doesn't sound far from an Irish folk song. All triplets an minors LOL.

8. The Hallion Tank Tops are really nice and lovely.... have you planned to do further merchandie can you already tell us something on this?

Gav: Glad that you're still wearing it and that the print stayed on! LOL. There will be new designs when the online store returns to www.hallionuk.com I'm also very sure that we will be out-sourcing the t-shirt printing to re-stock. I don't think our wives can handle us dominating the kitchens printing Hallion clothing anymore. Paint everywhere! T-shirts drying on every surface.

9. Since we last talked the HALLION HORDE came into existence... can you tell the people which aldready didnt know bout the Hellion Horde whats it all about? And who had the idea of building it?

Gav: Due to the band's name and my last name being Irish words in themselves, I needed a word to describe this "army". Gene Simmons would've sued our asses into destitution if we had called it "The Hallion Army".... Besides, I remembered that Irish and Scottish amies were usually called a "horde". It sounded perfect to me! Supporters as wonderful as our's deserve a perfect name. I noticed in the early days of myspace that some of our supporters were doing publicity for us on their pages and in bulletins. Purely out of the goodness of their hearts. I was so touched by this that I wanted to give something back. We were broke and couldn't give away merch as whatever money we had was tied up in that. All I could think of was to create a sort of Fan Club. I created a gallery in their honour. Creating a community and our supporters felt like they belonged to something in it's early stages. I married my wife Chelsi, thanks to The Hallion Horde. Who I will take over a gold or platinum record everytime.

10. What about the TV special you are doin on the scandinavian Tv? Is it already taking place? And whats it all about?

Gav: At the time of writing I don't know of any Scandanavian TV special. We did one for the US and another for the UK so far, but they were a couple of years ago now. If there is, it's not anything that we have been involved in making. Very interested in seeing it though! There is another Hallion out there. A Japanese act. Totally different to ourselves, so there can be no confusion. I registered the band name back in the beginning, so we can't be forced to change either way.

11. Well... now i want to know which favourite albums do you have 2010... which have you listened to mostly since now?

Gav: If you had said 2009 I could have given you quite a list! So far this year, I can't recall much that's blown me away. Then again, I haven't been looking as much this year. W.A.S.P's "Babylon" was outstanding! I liked Slash's solo album, the songs were solid. Reckless Love's debut was good fun too. Finally checked out Testament's "Formation of Damnation", a couple of years late. Good to hear Chuck not only beating cancer but with his voice better than ever. Looking forward to hearing new ones from Ricky Warwick, Iron Maiden, Michael Monroe and Tom Waits this year though! Anything to recommend?

12. Last but not least... some final words from YOU... what else do you wanna share with us?

Gav: Firstly I would like to apologise to the Hallion Horde and all our supporters for sticking by us. We've been gone far too long. We make no excuses but it hasn't been all our fault. We can't wait to bring you not only a great new album, but also our back catalogue sounding as I always wanted you to hear them. To our critics, there's a few songs on the new album just for you. See if you can find them... Thank you Susi for allowing us to tell everybody what we've been up to. You're the only journalist we wanted to have this exclusive. To all thank you, cheers and see ya all soon!
Gav Ruadh


www.hallionuk.com

Gav, I thank you so much for this exclusive interview, it means a lot to me! I wish you and Hallion all the best, hope we can see you live over here in Germany some time soon. Please come over and rock Germany, All best wishes yours Susi - you rock !

© 9/2010 by Rocket Queen *Promotion*