HMTV Canada Interviews H.A.R.D

 www.myspace.com/hardhungary

HMTV Canada: Hi H.A.R.D. I guess everyone in the band is excited for their main event on February 11th.

BZ: Hi yourself! Yeah, we are very excited because it's a live TV show with mostly pop artists - Fonogram is mostly an awards closing gala event, where many important people are present from the music industry, but mostly pop "artists" can be found. So, our job is to represent some real rock music...

HMTV Canada: Can you tell us about H.A.R.D.'s appearance on Fonogram?

BZ: We will play a brand-new ballad called "Anna's Song" - this piece will be featured on the next H.A.R.D. record and this is the first ever live appearance of the song. It's a kind of a power ballad with a piano intro which transform into a monumental chorus thing.

HMTV Canada: What was the band’s reaction at the time when they found out Traveler was nominated as the best rock album of the year on the Hungarian Music Awards?

BZ: We were really excited because - as I've mentioned - Fonogram is mostly about pop music, things that can be sold easily. To be there with a nomination, as a band that plays real music with real instruments, filled with real thoughts and feelings - it's a pleasure that the nominators realized that there is still a need for such bands and albums.

HMTV Canada: Can you tell us about your Album Traveler the collection of songs and the journey this Album has taken from the recording to mixing process?

BZ: The songs were recorded by a previous incarnation of the band - that thing was called simply Hard, without the dots, and featured a legendary local singer, but the songs were in Hungarian language. Later on, after two albums, the band decided to make an English version for the best songs form the two albums, and they have asked me to do the translation. When I've sang demos for the songs, they realized that my voice and accent fit the songs more in this language, so the band was kinda "divided", there was the original Hungarian language band and us, H.A.R.D. in English. Later on Hard just disbanded and now we are "the" band... :-) So, the recording process was easy, because I've had full instrumental versions, I've just had to go toa studio and sing the new versions with the necessary modifications - of course the lyrics are brand new, so they aren't the translations of the originals, and for most of the songs I've made totally new vocal harmonies and chorus lines.

HMTV Canada: Traveler lives up to the 80's classical rock influence, but there is a hint of blues and some of the dirty guitar riffs are hard and heavy with the mean drums this album has its own defining style.  Was this Album recorded live or digital with computers?

BZ: It was made in a studio where we could mix analogue and digital tools, but the fact remains: what you hear on the album is 100% "human-made", so as I am singing in "The Voices", it's true: "there were no voice-machines, no tricks for computer screams..." :-)

HMTV Canada: Was there anyone helping with the Engineering and mastering of Traveler?

BZ: There is a really talented guy at the recording studio called Jaya Hari Das - he is a good engineer and also a bass player and singer, so he could help us to create  a nice sound.

HMTV Canada: I really dig the songs from your Myspace page www.myspace.com/hardhungary Little Runaway caught my attention it reminds me of a memory your song themes seem to be based around inspiration, desire and dreams.

BZ: This Runaway thingy is the first demo we've made for the forthcoming album. Yeah, the lyrics are positive nowadays, because this is the mood like in the band! The lineup is strong, the songs are great, and we just love what we are doing, so somehow, we can't write sad grunge songs together. (I have other bands to do all these) :-)))

HMTV Canada: Do you have any plans to produce any music videos of your songs from Traveler?

BZ: As we are deep into the next album, our plans are a bit different now. We havejust made a simple live clip for the song "Stay", but now we are focusing on the next record - I'm sure, that we will make great videos for those songs!

HMTV Canada: What inspires or motivates the band to come up with their upbeat positive lyrics and who writes your songs?

BZ: The lyrics are mine, and actually, they are "wtiting themselves". When we are jamming and a new theme comes up, we are playing it again and again, and I'm singing something that's just coming out from my head. As the time passes, there are some words or phrases that are keep coming back, so it means, that they "want to be" in the song - so, I let them. They will be the foundations of the final lyrics.

HMTV Canada: Traveler is only available in Hungary currently will H.A.R.D. be making this Album available for digital downloads soon through iTunes so international fans worldwide can enjoy this release?

BZ: Actually, Traveler is present now in many countries, from France and Germany to Japan and other places overseas. Internet is a great tool for distributing music, and as we speak, more and more distros are ordering stocks from the CD. Our best partner is AOR Heaven, one of the biggest European distributors of this kind of music, but there are other partners worldwide, and their number is growing continuously.

HMTV Canada: Classical Rock is a very popular genre of music in both the USA and Canada that receives lots of airplay are there radio stations in Hungary providing H.A.R.D. airplay for Traveler?

BZ: Not really... Here we have mainstream pop and some "bubblegum-rock" stuff, where people look like rockers but the music is some plastic pop-rock. So, I'm really glad that there are places in this world where this music can survive!

HMTV Canada: Can you tell us a little bit about the current lineup of band members and what great rock legends they have played with?

BZ: Our guitarist, Zsolt Csillik has been played in local glam bands (Dance, Jack Daniel's) which were really famous in the early 90s. Gbor Mirkovics played the bass in one of the most famous Hungarian hard rock bands, called Edda. Our drummer, Zolt n V ry was a member of another local legend called Sing Sing, but he is also playing in the biggest European KISS cover band, called KISS Forever Band - but he is Paul Stanley there! As for myself, I have many other bands, like the modern metal Wendigo, the contemporary progressive After Crying and the prog metal Stonehenge. And yeah, we've been playing with many great names, like Deep Purple or Jeff Scott Soto, just to name a few - these people don't accept beginners or crappy musicians as guests, so it shows us, that we are on the right path.

HMTV Canada: How did your last concert go with Jeff Scott Soto and Tempest and have you played any live shows since that last concert?

BZ: It was really great - the gig happened just around the release of Traveler, so many people didn't really know, who we are - but in a blink of an eye they were singing and smiling, so they have been "conquered" easily. 

HMTV Canada: How did you land the opportunity to work with music producer Beau Hill who has worked with other great Artist like Europe, Ratt, Winger, Warrant and Alice Cooper?                               

BZ: It was really simple but also a great surprise: He was the one who wrote us that we could work together! It's a great honor and it was really hard to believe that it's really him - later he told us that he used to surf the web and find new faces, new bands because he has the opportunity to choose the ones that he wants to work with. It took a while until we could start actually working together but the process went really smoothly. We have played the songs again to fit the technical requirements and Beau did the rest in his LA residence. The outcome is... Just fantastic.

HMTV Canada: What was Beau Hill's reaction to your Album Traveler?

BZ: He kind of liked it, that was the reason he contacted us. He made a few suggestions, because he lives there, he is inside the international rock business, he has a different view on this music, but all of his suggestions are good, so we are trying to implement those into our music.

HMTV Canada: I understand that you will be remixing some song tracks from your Album Traveler with Beau Hill will you be working with him on any new material that the band is currently working on for a second Album?

BZ: We have made three songs with him, you can listen to them on our MySpace page. And yeah, if we will have the chance to work with him again, we will surely do! We've been chatting with him since the new mixes happened, and he is also open for it, so I think, there is a strong chance that it will happen!

HMTV Canada: How is H.A.R.D.'s main website going when do you plan to have your site completed?

BZ: Nowadays we have www.myspace.com/hardhungary - it is a great starting point, but we are just making www.hardhungary.com as our official website. This will be completed along with the new album, as it will use the album's artwork and other features. We will indicate it on our MySpace page, when it's ready!

HMTV Canada: Do you plan to sell CD's and H.A.R.D. merchandise online through this new website once its completed?

BZ: Of course - I think, no one can miss the opportunities that the web provides, and it seems, more and more people use this method for purchasing music and related thingies.

HMTV Canada: Does the band have any upcoming tours to promote Traveler in 2009?

BZ: As we are in the making of our new album, we are focusing on that, so we won't have a complete tour, but in the other hand, we will have concerts and festival appearances for sure!

HMTV Canada: I understand that H.A.R.D. is unsigned what does the band look for in a record, distribution deal or will the band stay independent?

BZ: H.A.R.D. has a label for Hungary only for the album Traveler, but we have some offers and invitations from international labels, so as soon as the new album will enter the recording phase (and it will be very-very soon), we will also have to choose the best possibility.

HMTV Canada: Before we wrap up Phase 1 of our Online Text Teaser Interview does the band have any shout outs or announcements?

BZ: Well, we have to thank you and your audience for listening to this kind of music - you are the reason why we are still playing and hoping!

HMTV Canada: Thank you, H.A.R.D., for this Online Text Interview in Phase 2 of our Audio Interview I look forward to talking about your event at Fonogram and get more into talking about the bands plans for 2009. You Rock.

BZ: We also thank you, and we are looking forward the new questions! Keep on rocking and stay h.a.r.d.! All Questions answered by Zoltan Batky.