Interviews
Interview w/ Hurt
With a sound that infiltrates modern hard rock stylings with the textures of layered strings and harmonies Los Angeles band Hurt are far from being this year’s drop-d darlings. Singer J. Loren, drummer Evan Johns, bassist Josh Ansley and guitarist Paul Spatola are a driven band willing to take the path less traveled if need be to get their music to the ears of the public. Hot meals and solid ground be damned: Hurt is on a mission…a Mission that brings the band to the Red Lion Pub on February 2nd with Stereoside and Hot Lava Monster. Lokal Loudness had a chance to speak to Loren via phone during a band break in Abilene, Texas.
LL – Congratulations on the success of your latest CD! (Vol. II released September 25th on Capitol Records)
JL – Well thank you. We worked really really hard on it.
LL – Was it any easier to record Vol. II with the pressure of recording and promoting your major label debut behind you?
JL – Absolutely not! If it starts getting easy then it it’ll be time to walk away. Probably way more difficult, if anything.
LL – What would you say was the biggest difference between touring to promote your debut and touring for Vol. II?
JL – I would have to say the fact that we have more people at the shows now which thrills me but I’m going to play the show anyway whether there’s 20 people or 2,000 people.
LL – In your official bio Evan concluded a quote by saying “our bank accounts are literally empty but we are the richest men alive”. How so?
JL – Let me first say gratisfaction is fleeting. Money can’t really fill a void. My bank account IS literally empty but it doesn’t get to me because tomorrow I’ll be playing my music for a bunch of people.
LL – Surely the lack of food and/or money tested you guys while you were recording Vol. II. What was the toughest hardship to overcome in making that CD?
JL – Saying “enough is enough” and finalizing the CD. We waited until the last day to turn it in. I truly know what I intend to do and the hardest part was moving on. We spent all of our funds that we made from Vol. I recording Vol. II and it was tough to walk away.
LL – When speaking about the affect your music has had on people you have stated “I’m happy to be that distraction. I’ve wasted my whole life to be that.” Can you explain that because it would seem like, if your music is making that kind of connection with your audience then your whole life surely has not been a waste.
JL – In the end we just have a little bit of time on this earth and who’s to say what I’m doing is better than what anyone else is doing? If our music has a positive affect on people then that’s great but I can’t lose fact that at the end of the day I’m just an entertainer.
LL – Do you really tote your violin around with you everywhere you go?
JL – I always have A violin with me but my personal violin is in safe-keeping. Patsy Cline’s first guitarist made that particular violin and there’s only two in the world like it but yes, I always have a violin around.
LL – In the band’s bio a critic is quoted as referring to Vol. II as “Gothic, confessional, soul-searching…”. Would you consider that to be accurate or merely a minimal description of your CD?
JL – If people want to say that the CD is gothic or soul-searching then that’s for them to say. I know the album is to me: It’s my life. It’s my music. If someone say, is going to call me a virtuoso that’s their right but I’m a musician, that’s it.
LL – With Evan practically growing up within the production side of the music industry what advantage, if any, did he bring to working in the studio? (Evan Johns father is producer Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell), his uncle is Glyn Johns (The Who, Kinks, Eagles, Faces) and his cousin is Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Rufus Wainwright)).
JL – I would say it was good AND bad and it has actually been a disadvantage. People don’t realize that we hired Evan because he’s an amazing drummer. We even had to refuse to work with his father because when you work with a producer you constantly want to strangle him. You can’t do that when it’s your drummer’s dad.
LL – Finally, what do you most hope to achieve with your music?
JL – I suppose I just want to get something right for the first time in my life and then see what affect it has on other people because I know what it means to me.
To check out the band Hurt visit: www.hurtband.com
Random Articles You Should Check Out
Categories
Recent Comments
- nick / jams on Larger All-Ages Shows Coming to Augusta
- Guapo on Larger All-Ages Shows Coming to Augusta
- reed on Larger All-Ages Shows Coming to Augusta
- David Bradberry on Debt of Nature & Friends Sonic Size Sky City
- someone with ears on Mad Margritt - Animal
Discussion
No comments for “ Interview w/ Hurt ”
Post a comment