Hi there guys, how are you today and where are you?
Hey, we're doing very well thank you, I'm in
How does it feel still to be in the band after all these years, job done or always looking forward?
It's great, I took time off to be a stay at home dad for the last 10 years to raise my son, so getting back to it now feels like it's brand new again, and playing live is extremely rewarding because the fans are so appreciative. I hope to be doing this for a long time to come.
What was the driver to create a new album and get back on the road for a European tour?
Our songs are continuously being referenced in Pop culture, on The Simpsons, Glee, Beavis & Butthead, in commercials, movies, etc...and I hear a lot of 80s influences in the new music being put out today, a lot of synthesizers and big drum sounds. Plus I was just itching to get back out there, I love doing this.
Was there any different approach taken when recording the new album and what is your song writing process, are there any particular stories you would like to share behind the songs on the new album?
Producer Dave"Rave"Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy, Marilyn Manson) and I wanted to make a record that sounded like it was recorded a week after the Safety Dance. We used most of the same gear that we used back then, and tried to imagine that we were working with 80s technology in the recording process, like limiting ourselves to 24 tracks, and not using midi or too many sequences. I tend to write the music first, and then add words. Lyrically, the new record is a lot more personal than the others, and is loosely based around the break-up with my second wife.
Are there any unrecorded songs still in the vaults from the 70’s & the 80’s and are you in contact with any contemporaries from other bands of that period still making music?
Unfortunately our vaults are pretty much empty, there may be a couple of songs hidden somewhere but definitely no treasure trove. On tour I've been getting to hang out with The Human League, DEVO, The B52s, Bow Wow Wow, The Romantics, A Flock Of Seagulls and Belinda Carlisle to mention a few, all great people I might add.
When on the road next month, who is going to control, what is played on the tour bus, any favourite albums for the road?
We all take turns as DJ, and last tour we listened to a lot of Voivod, Michael Jackson, Kraftwerk, The Indecent, stuff like that
During down time for the band, what does everyone get up to?
Lou Dawson (keyboards, vocals) owns a restaurant/showbar and is very active in promoting live music in Vancouver, James Love (guitar) runs his own studio here on the island and Rachel Ashmore (keyboards, vocals) is a studio engineer in Vancouver at the legendary Mushroom Studios and plays in her own band "By Starlight". I spend my time writing, playing and enjoying music.
What is the best piece of advice you can you give to new bands taking their first steps into the music industry today?
Carpe Diem, ("seize the day") and that's not just for music, it's for everything!
What is your favourite radio station today and why?
My favourite radio station is YouTube, it always plays exactly what I want to hear
The band has just confirmed a new concert in
Buy Online: www.eventim.se Södermalmstorg 2, 116 45
For tickets to Men Without Hats European Tour Dates, click HERE
Love in the Age of War is the new studio album from Men Without Hats.