Sunday, January 5, 2020

Interview with High n' Dry



Describe your band, telling a little about it.
We are a Def Leppard Tribute band, specializing in music related to the band Def Leppard. We recreate the ‘Def Leppard Experience’ for all that love and enjoy this type of music.

What are your member names? / Who plays what?
Chris Elliot – Lead Vocals
Isaac Ott Collen – Lead and Rhythm guitars, background vocals
Andy Clark – Lead and Rhythm guitars, background vocals
Brian ‘Sav’ Savage – Bass, background vocals
Paul Allen – Drums, percussion

Have members played with any other bands?
Yes, Chris is the lead singer of Dying Breed, previously featured on OV Live.

Do you write your own music or perform covers?  Has it always been this way?
Mostly Def Leppard, with a few Def Leppard inspired covers

Where is bands home?
Pittsburgh, Pa.

What's your style or genre, what inspires your music?
80’s hard rock.   Def Leppard, obviously 

How often do you rehearse?
We try to rehearse as much as we can get together which is every other week or maybe more.

What gear do you guys use?
Brian Sav Savage uses Ampeg and Mesa Boogie bass gear and Ephiphone bass guitars

Have you done any covers live?
Yes, we have included a few covers that Def Leppard has done in the past

What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs?
We always seem to get a good crowd. Maybe one of our other members may be able to more accurately answer this question.

What ages are most of your concert attendants?
30-50 yr. old range

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary?
We keep the same core group of songs for every show, esp. the hits. Other slightly lesser known songs are usually rotated in and out of the setlist.

Do you have a regular place you play live often?
We often play the Mousetrap about 2-4 times a year.

What was your first gig like?
My first gig with the band, if I recall was an interesting experience, I think it was called “Thunder on the Strip”, an all day party in Ohio, with live bands all day. We had the larger outdoor stage outside, but due to inclement weather, we ended up playing inside that day on one of the other stages in the bar. We met a lot of great bands and people.

What was your latest gig?
That would’ve been Jergels with Say Ahh and Yinz n Roses  -  Pittsburgh PA show.  A really nice venue, had a great crowd, great sound……..an overall great place to play. We’re looking forward to playing there again.

Have you had to cancel a gig?
We’ve turned down a few offers, due to other member commitments, but fortunately never canceled any booked shows

Where have you played live this year?
Mousetrap – Bavington, PA.
Hard Rock Café – Pittsburgh, PA.
R. Kelly Automotive Stadium – Butler, PA.
Washington Wild Things Stadium – Washington, PA.
Crafthouse – Pittsburgh, PA.

Where do you plan to gig the coming year?
We have a few places in the works, such as returning to the Hard Rock Café and the Mousetrap. Hopefully we are able to take advantage of traveling to places outside of the Pittsburgh area and perhaps some larger outdoor festivals this upcoming summer.

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale?
Started, not sure when. We are discussing resuming merchandise sales and perhaps getting additional items that not been sold in the past.

Where can people buy your merchandise?
Stay tuned to our High n Dry facebook page for more info to come soon! Also, give us a like to stay up to date on the latest news on merchandise as well as future shows!
https://www.facebook.com/highndrypit/

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days?
I personally think this is a two edged sword. On one hand you have an online outlet to get your music out to bigger masses of people and to help spread the word a little better/faster. On the other hand, people do “download” music, especially music that was originally written but is not getting sold, so the artists have to have some creative ways of supporting their time and effort of their craft.

How do you think the music industry have changed because of this?
I do. It forces artists to rethink their strategies and has you refocusing on different ways to achieve your goals. Whereas in years past, artists have primarily generated more income from people purchasing physical media such as records, CDs, and cassettes then now a days. In today’s market, more and more of music is downloaded and thus negates some physical media sales. I think it’s a lot more important for artists to adapt and change to fill in the role of what it has become.

Do you have any role models or idols?
As the bassist for High n Dry, I have some non-traditional role models, idols such as Neal Peart the drummer from the band Rush to more traditional ones such as Les Claypool, Roger Waters, Getty Lee to guitarists such as David Gilmour, Alex Lifeson, and John Petrucci. I’ve personally always been more inspired in the syncopation of different rhythms, the groove and how music makes me feel as opposed to how fast someone can play something.

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today?
I think equally both. I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from older classic bands such as Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, Rush, DLR era Van Halen, Scorpions,  Motley Crue, and of course Def Leppard. Also, there are a lot of newer bands now a days that I love listening to such as Vertical Horizon, Porcupine Tree and Ghost to name a few, there are excellent songs that I could listen to all day.

What have been your biggest obstacles?
I think, as a band one of the bigger obstacles has been getting the 5 of us, who all have other things we do whether or not with family or other bands together on a regular basis. We do make it work, which I think is important. Everyone supports one another in instances where we cannot make a rehearsal or a get together.

What advice would you give other bands or artists?
Never give up and stick to what you believe in. Follow your passions; if you’re not feeling it, then it makes it much harder to do what you want to do. Find others that support your passions and work hard.

How do you get psyched for a gig?
I don’t really have any routines to have to get me psyched for a show. I’m in that certain mindset when I show up for a gig. I setup, go over the gig routine in my head and mentally prep for the show before going on stage.

What are your web sites/ social media?
https://www.facebook.com/highndrypit/

How can people reach you?
By clicking on the following link: https://www.facebook.com/highndrypit/
then clicking on the ‘send message’ button near the top right hand side of the page.

What are your plans for the future?
Hopefully getting more shows and bigger places to play. We look forward to some traveling as well.

What do you think of my work?
I think this is a great way to spread and let others know about their local music scene as well letting the people that may be interested in your line of music know who you are, a little behind the scenes knowledge about the artist or band. Definitely great job to you Bill for putting the time and effort in to doing something like this.

How do you think that this interview could help you in the local music scene and beyond?
I think this helps to spread the word about the bands and artists that others may not know about. To get them a little or lot more interested. Every little bit helps. From the merch, to social media, to live shows to this interview, the more the merrier.