Hollowstar: Q & A With Phil and Joe

New single ‘All I Gotta Say’ is about walking away and making a fresh start, something that a lot of people will identify with. Is it based on personal experience, or more of a general observation? “You see a lot of people hanging on to something toxic because it has become comfortable. Be it a relationship, a bad habit or something else. This is about being able to say goodbye to those things without sadness. I think a bit of personal and a bit of observation in this one.” The accompanying video is very slick. How much time, effort, and cost goes into making a music video today? Did you call in some favours? “A lot of time, effort, and cost goes into every aspect, and the video is no different. Tom Norris and his team at Icarus Films are very easy to work with, and often share our vision, so that makes life easier!” The single comes nearly ten months after the debut EP ‘Some Things Matter’. How have Hollowstar developed in that time? Nearly a year older and wiser, more experienced? “Every day we learn something new. With the industry changing a lot over the past few years and continuing to do so, it is massively important to come up with your own plan and work tirelessly to see it through. The past year has been about making sure everything is in place to keep the momentum going.” What came first with ‘All I Gotta Say’, the concept, the lyrics, or the riffs? “The opening riff was something Tom was playing round with at a rehearsal. It was quite quickly put together once we had nailed the chorus… from there, everything just fell into place! We’ve always found some songs happen fast and others can take months to get right!” We are constantly told these days that if a song doesn’t grab someone within 30 seconds, people will skip to the next. Does this figure in your songwriting at all… that it has to be almost instant? It is a shame, as a lot of great songs have long introductions. I was listening to Holy Diver by Dio just this morning! A perfect example of this. We tend to construct a full first draft and then ‘cut the fat’, as we call it.” Although the song possesses multiple earworm moments and some fantastic hooks, the music is massive. Is it difficult to get the balance right? “We always think about structures and the flow of a song. Too much of a good thing kills it, and not enough takes away the hook! The main thing we want is a huge sound that people sing along with, so if that’s what you have picked up on we are very happy!” There is a Soundgarden influence in the Hollowstar sound. Can you believe Chris Cornell is gone? I struggle with the fact that I saw him on his solo tour the year before, and how warm and funny he was. “It’s a massive loss to the music world, and highlights some things that we all should be more aware of. His ability to think outside the box when it came to songwriting was incredible. That’s before you even mention the voice!” We recently had the sad death of Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit. One thing that came out of that was so many bands coming out and saying people don’t understand the pressure that comes with being in a band. Have Hollowstar experienced these pressures first hand? “It takes a massive strain on you mentally. It’s a constant journey of highs and lows, and there aren’t the same financial opportunities that were there in the past. Often, it cost bands a lot of money each year to get to a stage where they can even consider taking this on as a sustainable career. There is a lot more focus on the next generation of rock music coming through though at the moment, so let’s see what happens.” Hollowstar have got a busy time coming up; Camden Rocks on June 2nd, followed by Wildfire Festival on June 24th. Who are you looking forward to catching at both? (The questions were posed before the news that Wildfire Festival was cancelled this year) “Camden Rocks will be a blast and there are so many good acts on! The Bad Flowers, Mallory Knox, Massive Wagons, Tequila Mockingbyrd! Hard to choose where to be when! Wildfire was one we were massively looking forward to and the sad news this week that it has had to be cancelled is hard to hear. Hopefully we see it return in the future but do appreciate what goes into these things!” Hollowstar then head out with Graham Bonnet on a handful of dates. Have you brushed up on ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ and ‘All Night Long’ on the karaoke? “Haha! I think we all know them word for word!! It will be great to see them live and get the crowd ready to sing along!” What’s the plan regarding more new music? “We already have some ready, and we are finishing off even more! It’s all about getting the right plan and team in place now to take this forward. Exciting times ahead, and we will let you know more as we can!” Looking forward to it, cheers guys! Questions: Dave Band image on header: Sally Newhouse Connect with Hollowstar online.  For more information, forthcoming tour dates as follows – HOLLOWSTAR 2018 UK TOUR DATES *SUPPORTING GRAHAM BONNET BAND Camden Rocks Festival Saturday 2 June Loverocks Music Festival Friday 15 June NFest, Needingworth Saturday 30 June Daxtonbury Festival Saturday 7 July Robin 2, Bilston Thursday 12 July Cambridge Rock Festival Saturday 28 July *The Assembly, Aberdeen Thursday 9 August *Bannermans Bar, Edinburgh Friday 10 August *Louth Town Hall Saturday 11 August *Trillians, Newcastle Sunday 12 August Leicester Rocks Festival Saturday 18 August Rock the Lakes Festival Sunday 19 August Fire and Forge Festival Saturday 15 September The Iron Road, Evesham Saturday 22 September Four Sticks Festival Saturday 6 October Kaiser Bill Festival Friday 12 October Rock ‘N’ Roll Charity Xmas Bash Saturday 8 December    ]]>

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