BALTIMORE (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Ballyhoo!’s sound, devotion to the road and to their fans,
partnered with their “life of the party” approach have pitched them into the
position of America’s feel good party band. They didn’t get here by accident;
rather, they have single-handedly grown their empire through unparalleled
hard work and dedication until Jan 2011, when they got a well-deserved nod, signing with the Hawaii-based indie label LAW Records. Yesod
Williams of the dub rock music mega-sensation PEPPER and owner of LAW Records
says of his newest addition, “Having Ballyhoo! join the LAW Records family is a
perfect fit. They are an incredibly talented band with a really catchy style”.
Now, with the backing of LAW, 2011 promises to be a paramount year on
Ballyhoo!’s trajectory.
Ballyhoo! has toured the country with some of the biggest and most respected
names in the reggae rock genre – 311, Authority Zero, Pepper, The Supervillains.
“It’s always intimidating when playing for another band’s crowd, you never know
how they’re gonna react,” explains front man Howi, “but then you see that
they’re enjoying it and the worry goes away. You’re free to rock at that
point!”. Ballyhoo! will start their tour of the southeast with fellow label
mates Iration in February 2011. Their rigorous, nonstop nationwide touring
schedule has certainly been the catalyst for the exponential growth in their fan
base. Ballyhoo! fans are some of the most loyal and enthusiastic fans out there
and their love for the band runs deep.
1 – Where did you come up with the name for your new CD, DAYDREAMS?
Howi Spangler: It came from a lyric in one of the new songs called
"Sandcastles". "Just like a daydream, it feels so amazing, don't wake me up."
Basically started thinking about how music can take you away and put you in a
better place. This is relatable to daydreaming at work or school, its always
better in a daydream, ya know?
Then the art work came to mind. I had this vision of a moon and a sun,
representing the dark times and the positive good times. The floating "yellow
brick road" in the sky is a fret board which stands for music taking you to that
place.
2 – What was your inspiration for the whole album?
H: We didn't really have a direction or theme for the album at first. We started
out with about 21 songs and jams. As we worked through them, I started getting
ideas for the lyrics and subject matter from the way the music made me feel.
What we ended up with were songs about the feelings of dealing with life coming
at you. Questioning love life, seeing people for who they are, good and bad.
I've always been a bit of a pushover and getting older, I've learned to stand up
and speak more than ever.
We took all of that and tried to make a positive, uplifting piece of music so
listeners might feel like we're on their level. The last song on the album,
"Ricochet", says simply "Don't look away, you're gonna make it there someday".
It's straight to the point and can be related to any issue someone could be
having. It’s our "coming-of-age" album. Ha ha….
3 – Are you doing anything special to celebrate the release on September 6th?
Scott Vandrey: Well I’m sure we’ll crack a bottle or two of bubbly or something
to celebrate on the 6th! It will be the second day of tour with Pepper so we’ll
definitely get those guys in on the celebration. As for an actual record release
party, we won’t be able to do that until we’re back home, and we’re planning on
tying that it with our 5th Annual Halloween Monster Bash at the end of October.
It’s a big costume party / show that we’ve been doing in the Baltimore area for
a while now (guess how many years!). It’s usually our biggest show of the year
that we put on, so adding a record release celebration to it should make it a
helluva party!
4 – What is your favorite track off the album?
H: "The Getaway" is a slammer. I love that one. It's one of those songs I always
wanted to write. I had the intro riff and the basis for the chorus and we
started jamming in the studio. JR came up with the Soundgarden/311 bridge line
and it turned out awesome!
I love "Evil Penguin" for the same reason. Just slams all the way through.
S: My favorite has been rotating since we recorded; right now I’m really
feeling ‘The Getaway.’ It starts out rocking, has a driving verse that reminds
me of an old western horse chase, a huge chorus, and it finishes with an
anthem-like chorus reminiscent of ‘Bro Hymn’ by Pennywise, who have been one of
my favorite bands since the mid 90’s. It also has one of the most randomly
awesome and awesomely random drum fills ever right in the beginning. Finally,
it’s the only song where I’ve been able to fit in some cool sounds that I can
say were influenced by my days of producing Drum and Bass tunes.
5 – The first single, "Say I'm Wrong", is out now and there is going to be a
music video for it coming out soon…when and where will that be released and
how was it shooting your first music video?
S: The video will be coming out a few days ahead of the record. Initially it
will be exclusive to MusicBailout.net for a few days, but then it will be on all
of the typical online hosts (YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, etc.).
I had an absolute blast shooting the video! Basically spent a perfect day in a
cool beach town in Florida, riding around town on a scooter with a beautiful
girl! Hard to complain about that… The ‘acting’ scenes were a little weird at
first, as was the lip syncing and playing with nothing plugged in for the live
shot, but we got used to it all after a couple takes. Definitely a new
experience! Looking forward to the next one for sure.
6 – You are getting ready to head out on the Last Calls & Liabilities tour with
The Expendables and your LAW Records label mates, Pepper…what are you looking
forward to most?
S: Definitely looking forward to hanging with the Pepper guys again, have
played a few shows with them in the past and had a great time both on and off
stage. We’ve been playing the same circuit with The Expendables for YEARS now,
but have never met the guys or played a show with them, so very stoked to
finally do that. It’s also going to be a nice change to do a big national tour
as an opener. I love headlining shows, but there’s certainly something to be
said for getting done early and being able to crack a beer, relax, enjoy the
other bands, and mingle with the crowd after our set.
7 – If you could do a national tour with any 2 bands (still together or not),
which ones and why?
S: Hmmm…excellent question… SLAYER AND SLIPKNOT!!!! I think their fans would
LOVE us!! And I would never get sick of watching their sets…
Realistically, I would love to do a tour with RX Bandits. Have been a big fan of
their music for a few years and have seen a couple live shows, which are
absolutely fantastic. Their energy level on stage is through the roof, and
that’s something we strive for ourselves. It’s always easier to achieve that
when you’re touring with a band whose performance pushes you to take it to the
next level.
We’ve done several shows with 311 in the past, and based on those experiences, I
would love to do a full national tour with them. Besides the obvious reasons
(big crowds, great band, compatible music, great fans, nice guys, etc.), they’ve
been doing it for so long now that they and their crew are absolute
professionals at every aspect of touring and putting on shows. Every time we’ve
done a show with them, we’ve learned something new about the behind-the-scenes
part of doing big tours.
8 – If there was ONE thing about your band that you wanted everyone to know,
what would it be?
H: We can change a tire fast as shit! We're seriously one rachet-turn from being
a fucking pit crew!
S: WE AREN’T GOING AWAY!! We’ve been at this game for a long time. It’s been
a crazy and often times difficult journey, but it has always been progressing
onward and upward. Thanks to all our fans who’ve supported us along the way!
CHEERS!
9 – Any last words?
S: Beware the Evil Penguin.
Ballyhoo!
Availability: Call for
Availability
http://www.ballyhoorocks.com
Agency
Union Artists Group
Agency Relationship: Exclusive
4619 Saratoga Ave
San Diego, CA 92107 United States
Phone: 619-795-8775
Fax: 619-795-3272
http://www.unionartistsgroup.com
Responsible Agent: Zack Johnson
Direct Phone: 619-795-8775
Fax: 619-795-3272
E-Mail: zack@unionartistsgroup.com
Management
Fly South Music Group
189 South Orange Avenue Suite 1100
Orlando, FL 32801 United States
Phone: 407-841-6169
Fax: 407-835-3669
Responsible Manager: Mor Krivinsky
Direct Phone: 407-841-6169
Fax: 407-835-3669
E-Mail: mor@flysouthmusic.com
Publicity
EMA Public Relations
Florida, United States
Phone: 407-756-0073
Fax: 407-749-0086
http://emasite.com
Responsible Publicist: Angie Ema Deruell
Direct 407-756-0073
Fax: 407-749-0086
E-Mail: angie@EMApublicrelations.com
Record Label
LAW Records
LAW Records
Hawaii, United States
