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Here we catch up with Paul Logue, bass guitarist and singer with Cry
Havoc, to find out what the band have been up to recently and how things
are progressing with the new album.
MM - Can you give us a little bit of
background on the band and how you all came together?
The band was formed by guitarist Graham McLeod and myself, in 1994 out of
the ashes of our previous band The Unlawful. We were playing Metallica
type stuff at the time and when we split up Graham said "I wanna start a
Melodic Rock band, are you in?" and I jumped at the chance. We put adverts
up in the local music stores and that's how we met Stevie A. Durrand (Lead
Vocals & Guitar) and eventually Davey Harkness (Drums).
MM - The band were originally called Cry Havoc, then changed to Age of
reason, now it's back to Cry Havoc again. Why the return to your original
title? Is this your final offer or could this change again?
The name will definitely remain as Cry Havoc. Basically, when we were
signed to Now & Then Records a band from Holland, called Cry Havoc,
brought out an album and our label didn't want any confusion. We had also
just hired a keyboard player, and the sound was more AOR than the harder
edged rock that Cry Havoc played. So it was the keyboard player's idea to
use the name of John Farnham's album Age of Reason, and it also
abbreviated to AOR!
When we were searching for the new deal it was the original line up back
together, as a four piece again, and as we never heard anything about the
Dutch band, we decided to use the old name. I also think all of the guys
preferred the havoc name, and we begun building a fan base in Glasgow
under the new name.
MM - Where did the bands name come from
originally and is there any deeper hidden meaning behind it?
It was actually suggested by our very first drummer, Colin Chapman (ex –
The Promise), when we were looking for a name. Everyone loved it. I
believe it is also the name of a famous role playing game, in the Dungeons
& Dragons mould, and of course there was a famous Shakespeare quote that
went “Cry havoc, and let loose the dogs of war”. There are no hidden
meanings, it just suits our style of music.
MM -For anyone who isn't familiar with your
blend of music, how would you best describe your songs to them? Also how
does this compare with the material you released under the name of Age Of
Reason?
The music is very much guitar based 80s styled kick ass rock – in the vein
of Winger, Tesla, Dokken and Y&T. Huge Guitars, soaring lead vocals, huge
backing vocals and a pumping rhythm section. Also to inform you, the band
has never had any material release, under either moniker - except for a
couple of demos, so this album will be our debut album, even though it’s
five years in the waiting!
MM - Who or what inspired you to play rock
music in the first place? Who were your idols?
I don’t think anyone in particular really inspired me from an early age. I
just digged rock music and wanted to play in a band. I knew I had quite
good rhythm, so I started as a drummer, but I couldn’t do very much.
Slowly but surely, I learned to play guitar and eventually graduated to
the bass when we could never find a decent bassist. I have never looked
back.
I remember going to see Winger and Kiss of the Gypsy when I was 16 and
they really made me say “I wanna do that”, so they kinda inspired me to
carry on in the pursuit of better things, where a lot of my band mates in
previous projects fell by the wayside. I was a music-a-holic though. I
would spend all my time listening, recording and writing, which has
improved over the years. However, the major improvement in my playing and
writing really took off when I hooked up with Graham McLeod and Stevie A.
Durrand – I am ten times the player I was, thanks to those guys.
MM -The band have recently signed a deal with Chavis Records. This is a relatively new and exciting label to be involved
with and they really seem to get behind the bands 100%. How did you come
to hook up with them?
A good friend of ours, Fred Monster, who runs www.magesticmagazine.com ,
advised me that we should try them when we were shopping for a new deal. I
sent the CD off and Bill Chavis came back and convinced us that he was the
right man, and the right label to take us forward.
MM -Your debut album on the Chavis Records
label is pencilled in for a Summer release. Would you like to tell us a
little bit about it and about the songs that feature on it.
The album is called “Fuel that Feeds the Fire” and it features 11 songs,
that are mostly mid paced, with a big sound, loads of melody, twin guitar
attack, soaring vocals, big 80s styled backing vocals and a hard edge to
them. We have a mix of raw in your face rock like “Holding onto your
dreams”, melodic stadium rock like “I’ll Be There”, bluesy rock like
“Paying the Price”, or groove rock like “Heart on my Sleeve” and even a
melodic ballad like “Rescue Me” – a good mixture! The band wrote all of
the songs on the album, collectively or individually.
MM - Does the band have any plans to tour when
the new album is finally released? Will we get a chance to see you chaps
put these songs through their paces live?
I am not sure about a tour, you’d have to ask Chavis Records about that
one, but we’d love to go out on the road with this record, however it all
depends on demand and how successful it is. Touring is something that this
band has never experienced and I know for sure we’d love to do it, but at
the same time we are realistic and we know that the days of Melodic Rock
bands touring all over the world are long gone. We’d play anywhere, where
anyone wants us, as long as we don’t make a loss - all they have to do is
ask and we can see if we can make it happen!
MM - When was the last time the band played a
live gig and do you feel nervous at all at the prospects of going back out
on the road?
The last gig was, as Age of Reason, at The Gods 1999 at Maximes in Wigan
(England). We opened the Saturday bill and backed up Johnny Lima on Sunday
evening. Graham McLeod had left the band before this gig so it felt as if
a big part of the band was missing. I can’t remember the last gig we
played as Cry Havoc though – probably some grotty pub in Glasgow! I don’t
feel nervous about going back out on the road again – in fact the complete
opposite – I cannot wait !
MM - Are you pleased with the end result of
the new album and what is your personal favourite track of it?
I haven’t heard it since it has returned from being mastered, so I cannot
truthfully answer that question, but everyone at the record company has
been raving about it. Of course I have heard it in its pre-Mastered format
and I was happy with what I heard. There are still loads that I would love
to change or add, if we had more time and money – but you know us
musicians, we are never 100% happy with the end product.
I have so many favourite tracks on the record, like the title track “Fuel
that Feeds the Fire”, or the funky “Heart on my Sleeve” but I will go for
the mid paced ballad “Rescue Me” which I wrote with Stevie. This song is
about a guy in Glasgow who goes to all the rock gigs and clubs, in his
wheelchair. Stevie and I went for a few beers one night and we saw him
being pushed around the dance floor to AC/DC by his friends. I just
wondered how much that guy would love to be jumping around and head
banging with his pals. Really it’s a song about the little things in life
that we take for granted.
MM - Is there a song written by someone else
that you love and wish you'd been the one to write it?
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” for monetary reasons, but I wish I had
written “Spell I’m Under” by Winger.
MM - What do you think of the rock scene in
general at the moment. What's your opinion on all these commercially mass
produced bands being pushed down our throats by the likes of MTV and other
music channels?
The rock scene that's really being pushed at the moment on MTV is better
than all the pop manufactured crap - which is an insult to hard working
writers like myself and band, but it really doesn't do anything for me. I
don't hear a Nickleback tune and say ... 'man that rips'.
There’s something about the singers isn’t there ? They all have that
monotone singing voice, and most of them sound the same. When I hear
Winger, Tesla or Van Halen for example I go 'God that kicks ass!'. I don't
bother watching any music channels, maybe with the exception of CMT, as
there is nothing on them that interest me.
MM -How do you see the present state of the
Hard Rock music scene? And what kind of music have you been listening to
lately?
I think there is definitely the potential to get rock music back to where
it belongs but something needs to really kick start it. I would like to
think that the "Rock Star" movie helped in some ways, but I still think
people think that hard rock is dead.
There is definitely a good underground scene in Europe, it's still strong
in Japan and so many bands from the 80s like Tesla, Ratt, Cinderella and
Winger - are all reforming and touring the US and pulling in the crowds.
So there is a market out there, but the key to success has still to be
found. I listen to mostly late 80s / 90s stuff and a whole host of newer
rock bands like Harem Scarem, Jaded Heart and Pink Cream 69 to name a few.
I have Damn Yankees, Van Halen and Tesla in my car CD at the moment.
MM - Are any of you regular cyber surfers and
if so do you tend to hunt around the web for different sites, or do you
tend to check out the same old favourites?
Most of the band is really into the web. I can only speak for myself but I
check out a few Melodic rock sites, favourite bands, favourite football
teams etc. and it's great for buying music gear.
MM - What was the first concert that your ever
attended and did you ever think that one day you'd be the one standing on
the stage in front of all those crowds of cheering people?
My first concert was at the age of 16, Winger in Glasgow. That set me up
and gave me a goal to aim for. I am still tying to get a little further
too, in order to reach that level of playing to good crowds of people
every time I gig. I am fortunate enough that I have managed to play in
front of a few good audiences but not enough times for my liking. I know I
have the band around me to help succeed and reach that goal, and I
couldn't be happier with the type of music that I am writing and playing.
MM - Have you ever met a fellow artist and
been totally star struck by them and unable to talk/behave normally
towards them?
No, not even my hero Kip Winger. I did exactly what I thought I would do
if I met him - talk about how great his band was, how great 'Pull' was and
when they are gonna get back together and do a new album, and of course
Basses!
MM -What are your long term aims for the band
and what do you personally hope to achieve?
I don't have any long term aims for the band anymore, and that is down to
bad experiences with previous labels and how long it's taking for this
album to see the light of day. Right now my aims are pretty short term-
get this album out first and then see how it goes. We do have a wealth of
material written and ready to be demoed for our 2nd album, but right now
we are gonna take it one album at a time, as this band has done nothing
but wait, and wait and wait! So, personally I just want 'Fuel that Feeds
the Fire' to come out and the public thinks it's been worth the wait and
we’ll see what happens from there.
MM -In three words, how would your best friend describe you?
Humorous, Loyal and skinny.
MM - If you were marooned on a desert island
without any food, which member of Cry Havoc would you eat first?
Definitely Davey our drummer, as he's by far the healthiest and there's
enough on him to get a good feed!
MM - Lastly, is there anything you would like
to say to all the readers out there?
Yes, keep up to date with all the developments at
www.chavisrecords.com or
stay tuned for our new website www.cry-havoc.co.uk , or why not join Cry
Havoc's Haven at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cry_Havocs_Haven/
and
finally....We have a dream that we all share, hand in hand and the world
don't care, seems like we're running up against a wall, when will we know
if it's stand or fall....YOU'RE THE FUEL THAT FEEDS THE FIRE !
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