Friday, October 15, 2010

Interview: Hello Hollywood






So it's been a while since I've been able to post an interview on here just because of my commitment to Music Remedy and everyone but I wanted to try to get back into it again. I don't know what I'm thinking considering how crazy life has been lately but I wanted to give it a try and the first band to be on here is Hello Hollywood. I missed doing interviews with fun pictures and everything so here we go!
I first found Hello Hollywood when I was flipping through an issue of Alternative Press as one of the artists you should know/hometown heroes idea and after listening to a few tracks off their myspace, I definitely wanted to do an interview with them! The band first started in 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona and have grown in their scene to get to the point where they're currently recording their full length record after their great EP's that they have put out in the past. Read on for our exclusive interview with guitarist Stephen Simpson!

You've shared the stage with modern day scene favorites like The Maine and the Cab. If you could tour with any three dream bands, who would they be and why?
I would have to say the Rocket Summer, Something Corporate and Jimmy Eat World. They're all extremely talented bands that I have looked up to for a long time. It would be amazing to tour with bands like I, and the rest of the guys, draw so much inspiration from.


How did Hello Hollywood come to be?
Mike and I started Hello Hollywood as an acoustic project after a band we were both in broke up. We wrote a couple songs and decided we wanted to be a full band, and just kinda ran with it.

Why Hello Hollywood for the name?
Well, when Mike and I started everything we were originally called Hollywood High. When we decided to be a full band we wanted to change the name but really liked the HH initials. We tossed around some names and Hello Hollywood just stuck.

How does the band typically go about the songwriting process? Is it one person, more of a collective effort?
Usually Mike and I will write something acoustic. Then we bring it to the other guys and we'll jam it full band, change some things and polish it up. Every song has everyone's creativity and input by the time it's done.

I read on your myspace blogs that you're working on a new record and it said you were recording this month. How is that process going? Is it looking like an EP or a full length?
It's going extremely well. We've all grown a lot as people and as musicians over the past two years and you can certainly hear that in the new music. When we first went into the studio we planned on doing another EP but we all decided it was time to do a full length.

You've put out two EP's in the past. How has the fan's reception grown to the music?
So far we've put out two EP's. We got a great response from the first EP we put out. The second EP was all acoustic with three acoustic renditions of older songs and three new ones. Having an energetic full band record and then a stripped down acoustic one really offers two sides to the band. I think that's helped us grab the attention of more fans. This record will definitely be a lot different then anything we've done in the past. We're excited to see how everyone takes it all in.

Through your myspace and online social media, you've really grown a huge fan base over North America (&more!). How do you believe online social media has really helped you guys?
Social networking sites not only gives bands the opportunity to spread their music across the world, but to also connect with their fans on a more personal level. That's something we as a band really strive to do, and I can honestly say we enjoy doing. We try to spend as much time as we can interacting and getting to know our fans. That simple fact has greatly helped the success of our band.

What can fans look forward to with in these next few months from you guys?

Our new record! Which means a new single, new promos and a possible tour are all in the works!
What would you say is your favorite treat?
Anything dark chocolate! I can't get enough of that stuff.
If you could do a music video for any of the tracks you've put out so far, which would you choose and what's the craziest concept you could think of?
I'd say "Believe In Love". I would want to shoot it in New York City and have everyone walking around with shirts that say believe in love. Have it painted on cars, buildings, and us playing through out the city. I think that would be pretty sweet!




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