We love this shit!: Interview with HARD

The new HARD album – second in a row with Swedish singer Björn Lodin – will be released soon, on 18th March. We have talked a bit with Björn, Gábor “Zserbó” Mirkovics and one of the new members in the band, Zsolt Borbély about what has happened since the last time we met. You will realize, if you read the interview, that actually quite a lot! In addition, you can listen to two brand new songs before the official release date, just here, on Hard Rock Magazin!

HRM: Let’s go back in time a bit, ‘cause last time we talked, you just prepared the previous album ‘Time Is Waiting For No One’ with Endre Csillag. But finally, someone else (Thomas Larsson) played the guitar solos on that record. Tell me more about this, please!

BL: Well, Endre wasn’t quite up for it at this time. He struggled with some health issues and wasn’t at his peak. We had a deadline to keep and things kept dragging on… We managed to write some great tunes together though, and I hope we get another shot at working together at a later date. So, we asked Thomas Larson to fill in and do the lead guitar parts. And I think he did a very good job.

HRM: I agree. You had worked with before, hadn’t you?

BL: I know Thomas for a very long time. We played together in a band called Six Feet Under. We were only sixteen-seventeen years old when we started that. He’s also been playing with me in Baltimoore, in different line-ups. I knew he was the guy who could do this for us. It was an easy decision to ask him and we are very happy that he could do it.

We had actually thoughts about having Zsolt Vámos, who joined us meanwhile, to play on the album, but by that time we had got so far with the recording and the creative process that it did not make much sense. So we started to learn the songs with him instead and do the rehearsals for the upcoming release concert.

HRM: There were other personal changes, for example Balázs Hornyák was also replaced. What was the reason for that?

BL: He’s a great guy and a great “gomba hunter”…, but we were not 100% sure he was the right choice for us. He did not have the same foundation, same schooling as us and that can create friction that is of no good to anyone. It was not an easy decision, because we had gotten very close and sweat a lot together… but sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, in order to get things going forward. Borbély Zsolt was available and we are very glad he wanted the job!

HRM: Are you satisfied now?

BL: Very.

GM: I have played with lots of good drummers during my career, but Zsolt Borbély is amongst the best I’ve played with, I must say. (Similarly to Zsolt Vámos, he had worked as a session musician with several well known Hungarian pop/rock artists before he joined the hard rock scene as a member of The Rock Band and Mobilmánia in 2007/2008. – editor)

Truth or Dare:

HRM: Last, but not least, we can’t recognize Zsolt Csillik on the most recent promo photos, which is surprising, since he’s one of the founders of this band. What happened to him?

GM: Zsolt – due to private life reasons – has decided to quit the music industry. His first child is on the way, he’s got his own enterprise, and simply does not have time for the rehearsals and the concerts any longer. He’s my friend from childhood, but his life has taken another turn. We’re still the best of friends.

HRM: Why haven’t you made any official announcement on his departure?

GM: Well, we just haven’t thought of it. We’ve been busy with the new album. It will be released in a few days, so everyone will realize that we’re four right now. We have a new rhythm guitarist who will play with us on live shows - he’s name is Zoltán Kárpáti. Vámos Zsolt brought him on board and he is finding his place in the band very well.

HRM: How did the song writing change this time?

BL: Both Vámos and I wrote songs, approximately 50/50. Zsolt brought both heavier riffs and nice soft acoustic elements into our music. This is one of the reasons that made him the right person to replace Endre Csillag. He is creative and we wanted this energy in the band. Although I write a lot, I need the feedback and ideas of others. He is very focused, so it’s easy to work with him in the creative process.

HRM: Where did you record the album? In Sweden again?

BL: We recorded most of it in Sweden. Some of the guitar solos Zsolt recorded in his own studio. The mixing was done here in my studio in Budapest.

HRM: Really? Do you plan to take other Hungarian bands under your label as well?

BL: No, not under my label. I’m through with that, it’s too much work. But I’m available for mixing/producing/songwriting etc. I’ll continue to work with Ildikó Keresztes, for instance.

HRM: Will you live in both countries as of now?

BL: Yes. I’m here for a longer period now, and I’ll travel back and forth as required. I know we have not played live a lot after the first album, and some folks in the “music police” have accused us for not being a “real band”, because of that.

HRM: And you want to prove that they were wrong?

BL: Well, I don’t give a damn, what anyone says 🙂 I know what we are: we’re a hard working band. The logistics are somewhat a problem working against us, sometimes… but we will most likely play more live shows in the future.

HRM: Any plans already?

GM: Summer is on the way, so we're focusing on the festivals. But first priority now is the release party on March 18^that Club 202. The new line-up is extremely powerful! We’d like to show this on March 18^th. I hope many people will come and see us!

HRM: Björn, I must say, it’s not too common that a foreign musician comes to Hungary to play hard rock, it’s rather the other way round. So you’re quite unique in that sense.

BL: I think it’s healthy for every person to change the scenery for a while. You go and try your wings… For me coming here is different, inspiring and educating. If you’re an artist, you need all three of those things.

And we take this seriously, somehow. Although, we know it’s just pop music in the end and we won’t change the world - we love this shit! We have an idea of how we want it to sound and stink and we want to give it our very best.

HRM: Now that you live in Budapest, do you see any major difference in the Hungarian mentality, behavior versus Sweden or the rest of Europe?

BL: I don’t think I have a good answer to that. There are so many new things for me here. Budapest is a big city and I haven’t lived in a big city for over twenty years. I suppose it’s the same in all big cities. The Hungarian mentality I actually don’t know. I haven’t yet figured out what that is, because I don’t socialize much with Hungarians. I socialize with musicians, and for all I know, they’re pretty much all the same everywhere! (He laughs.)

HRM: Back to the CDs – how well was the previous one received and was there any concept this time, to make something different?

BL: We got fairly good feedback and some air-time on major radio stations and lots of internet rock radios. We did not hit the roof with sales, of course, not only because it’s difficult to sell nowadays, but we were not out touring and promoting - we decided to write new songs and make another album instead. The feedback was mainly positive from the ones who discovered us.

Personally, I wanted to make a harder album this time. The overall impression might be that it is more aggressive, with a bit heavier sound. We got a new songwriter in the camp, who for sure has put his mark on these new tracks. Although, these kinds of riffs can be found on the first album as well, they probably are a little bit “angrier” now. On the other hand, we have a song with acoustic guitar and strings only, and one track in Hungarian, so it’s a bit of everything… We play by NO rules!

HRM: At the beginning you were not that enthusiastic about the Hungarian song, but finally you made it. Was it difficult?

BL: I would not say it was difficult - it was rather frustrating! The challenge in itself made it worthwhile, though. I really wanted to do it and I had great coaching from the guys and Attila Horváth (the writer of the lyrics – editor), alone I had no idea if I was on the right or wrong track – I often had to stop and ask. Back in school! (He laughs.)

HRM: Last time you had a distribution agreement with Escape Music, is it the same now?

BL: This time BLP Music has a new distribution partner. It’s a German company. Without going into the details, we’ll have good distribution. Everybody who wants to buy this album, will be able to buy it. It can also be bought from our website and all the major digital download sites.

HRM: I remember that approximately 2 years ago Beau Hill has remixed some of the HARD songs from the Traveler album. I think that was an eye-catching action. Haven’t you thought about continuing that relationship?

GM: Been there, done that. It was worth giving it a try and it did get us some extra attention. With this album we feel we want to do it ourselves. All in all, it would not open any new doors for us, I believe. It all comes down to the songs in the end.

Scream Out to be Heard:

HRM: Zsolt, you have worked with quite a few artists during your carrier, was there anything special in Björn’s method of recording the drums?

ZsB: We had one week for the recording, so everything was extremely relaxed. We did one song in the morning, had lunch, tracked another song, or maximum two in the afternoon/evening. We walked a lot in the woods, etc. There was no stress. It was a nice and friendly atmosphere. We got along very well from the beginning personally as well, so I had a great time there!

I’m pretty unpredictable!: Interview with Björn Lodin