Interview with Heavy Jack...

5th April 2009

Heavy Jack are comprised of the 'band of brothers': Ben Falk (Vocals, Guitar), Adam Falk (Bass) and Jon Falk (Drums). They chuck all their 70s and 80s rock influences into a blender to serve rock 'n' roll with a wake-up call and a half... They took time out to answer some questions:

The album's been out for couple of months now, how has it been received?
For the amount of promotion that we have put into it - mainly Jon the drummer doing the internet promotion - we feel it has been generally well received.

I particularly like "Bandits in the Night" off the record - how has that been going down live?
Well that song was recorded live first take on a lazy September afternoon with a 2-track setup no over-dubs and we were separated in the dark -- literally no lights. As a live song we use it as our playground to test out new riffs and rhythms. There is a live version floating about on youtube at the moment.

Whereabouts are you based at the moment?
We are currently based out of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada.

What do you find yourselves opening and closing sets with?
When we do land a chance stage - the live scene in Vancouver if you've read the news is not what it used to be - we usually open with Jumpin’ Jack Flash and close by trying to resurrect the dead with Voodoo Child (Slight Return).

Do you see yourself as a live or studio band?
Both with equal merits. In the studio we like to get a live take first and work with it - as a live band we don’t like trying to recreate what was done in the studio we try to elevate our musicianship so that we can deliver it in a trio format with the same intensity.

I saw Ben said in a previous interview that music has to have been up on the shelf for about 20 years. Is your aim in ignoring recent musical trends to make HJ timeless, or avoid being dated to what's happening now?
Ben: Present day music is so available it’s hard to ignore it -- as well as music in general just being so accessible thanks to the internet -- I find myself just digging through the past more. I’m not ignoring musical trends, I just don’t subscribe to trends in general. Only time will tell if Heavy Jack gets a spot on the shelf.

"Rock and roll ain't dead" - that's one a hell of a mission statement! To build on the last question, what does the 'tried and tested' rock and roll formula bring to music that is left out in these new trends?
Rock & Roll is an attitude more than a genre of music. The earliest incarnation of the punk movement at least reminded us of that true grit that can only come from a cut-throat rock band. Unfortunately, one of the trends that took hold in the mainstream was a less is more approach in the delivery of instrumentation behind music with an emphasis on really acting out the attitude. We aim to have the musicianship to back the ‘tude!

The "band of brothers", democracy or dictatorship?
Utopia.

How do you see your sound evolving over the next few years?
We strive to improve our musicianship, write more songs, and for greater depth in the mix of our studio albums.

Any tours lined up, the UK maybe?
Heavy Jack, Union Jack, Heavy Union Jack ... either way you put it together it seems like a win/win! Now it’s just the technicalities of getting us over there. But we’d love to come.

What are you guys working on at the moment?
New songs, New Covers, and something big which will be revealed in time on Heavy Jack TV.

Finally, who is the single greatest artist of all time?
Ben: At the moment Joe Pass, but for all time Jimi Hendrix.
Adam: I’m listening to Nick Drake quite a bit right now, but for all time -- it’d definitely be The Doors.
Jon: Led Zeppelin has always been my favorite band -- as for the Greatest of all time its got to be Muhammad Ali.

I wish you guys all the best with the music!
Cheers, thanks for the interview!

See also:

Heavy Jack album reviews
Check out Heavy Jack on MySpace