Hailmary launch their new EP, Navigate The Sunrise, this Friday, June 27, at the Rosemount Hotel (with This Other Eden and Bayou), and Saturday June 28, at the Prince of Wales, Bunbury, (with Hundred Acre Wood). BOB GORDON reports.
Hailmary released their debut album, Choice Path Consequence Solution, back in late 2012. The band didn’t want to wait too long to put out another release and support that new material on the road.
Hence the release of two EPs for this year.
“The plan for 2014 was and is to release an album’s worth of material over two EPs,” explains vocalist, Kevin Curran. “The first being Navigate The Sunrise which we released in May and have been touring across May and June and we’ll kick off work in the studio on the second EP in July.
“Our schedule for 2014 was really tight and such we wouldn’t have had the time to record once in again in the States. So, given our drummer Vas (Shevstov) had recently built a studio at his house – aptly named Vasectomy Studio – we thought we’d give the engineering side a go this time around. It was certainly trial and error, but we are stoked with the result.”
Given the songs on Choice Path Consequence Solution are this point some several years old, the chance to perform new material that has been released is a must for any touring band. It’s certainly how Curran sees it.
“I feel they are a step above the songs on the last record,” he notes, “certainly we have a clear ‘Hailmary’ sound now and there is no doubt they are super fun to play live. They are a fair bit more grittier and have been received really well.”
Navigate The Sunrise was co-produced by Curran and Vassya along with famed us producer Jeff Tomei (Jerry Cantrell, Smashing Pumpkins, Skid Row), who is by now a long-time Hailmary mentor and collaborator.
“This is the third release that Jeff has worked with us on now,” Curran notes, “so we have infinite trust in Jeff and the part that he plays in the Hailmary sound. It’s very much a team effort in delivering the final product, despite being located in two countries, the process worked really well.”
With former bass player, Nairn McKay, departing before the recording, Karnivool’s Jon Stockman stepped into the studio to help out the band.
“It was pretty amazing to be honest, and he certainly blew our minds in the studio,” Curran recalls. “Jon is a super nice guy and it really awesome to have him play on this EP. His bass is like another arm in the way he plays and he really brought some awesome stuff to this record.”
Melbourne bassist, Mick Quee (Dead City Ruins), has stepped into the bass boots for this tour and it sounds like a good fit.
“He’s a killer player and has bought such a strong dynamic to the band,” Curran says, “both onstage and off… he’s a funny bugger. He’s road-hardened after multiple tours through Europe with his own band and we’ve really enjoyed playing with him.”
Hailmary head back over East for some shows at the end of this month, before hitting the studio the record the forthcoming second EP for 2014. That release will itself take the band across the country late in the year, with Europe beckoning in 2014.
In the meantime, it’s all about finishing off the national Navigate The Sunrise tour here at home.
“It’s been amazing,” Curran enthuses, “14 shows done so far across five states and we just finished the Victorian leg last weekend on a massive high with our best show of the tour at the Rock N’ Load Festival at The Espy. The energy and support that has been coming from the punters has blown us away.”
