2009 is set to be the year THE ANSWER take the music world by storm. Following 100,000 worldwide sales of debut album ‘Rise’ and white-hot shows with legendary bands like Aerosmith, Whitesnake and The Rolling Stones, the hard rock quartet are on a roll, currently touring the US in support of the mighty AC/DC, featuring on the forthcoming installment of the mega-selling Guitar Hero videogame series and preparing to unleash their more dynamic new record ‘Everyday Demons’ (release date Feb 16th 2009).
Formed in the small seaside town of Newcastle, Northern Ireland, the band quickly became live favourites on home soil and for years remained one of Ireland’s best kept secrets until Albert Productions snapped them up and released their explosive debut ‘Rise’ in June 2006. Their unadulterated, bluesy classic rock struck a chord with music fans long starved of visceral, no frills rock thrills and catapulted them from the Irish bar circuit to sharing stages all over the world with music’s elite.
After creating a buzz with a storming performance at this year’s South By Southwest showcase in Texas, the band are back in the US on a mammoth 42 date tour with AC/DC that will take them right through to February with the view to extending the support billing across Europe and beyond. According to front man Cormac Neeson though, the two bands share more than an affinity for killer licks.
“Where we’re at now,” he says, “is a lot like where bands in the 70’s like AC/DC were when they had released their first few albums. We’ve had a similarly steady momentum and hopefully we can build just like they did. We just need that extra nudge to take us into the top tier and maybe this tour will do it. This is the kind of opportunity we’ve always dreamed about and everything is in our own hands now.”
With the US being the market of focus for the time being, it’s fitting then that the band feel a special connection to the land of opportunity, having worked on their sophomore album ‘Everyday Demon’s’ in L.A. earlier this year. Recorded under the tutelage of renowned producer John Travis (Kid Rock, Buckcherry, Static X) for five weeks at Seedy Underbelly studios, ‘Everyday Demons’ came to life with a work hard and play hard attitude, as the band knocked back tequila and enjoyed the benefits of life away from home after long days spent capturing the essence of their live sound in the studio.
“It sounds like the four of us playing live in a room,” says Mahon. “It’s a little rawer and punchier than Rise, with better songwriting, better playing and big, anthemic songs.” “And we’re better looking now too,” adds Neeson, laughing.
While every effort was made to harness the band’s incredible live power, this album also represents The Answer in more reflective, darker form, which may surprise fans of ‘Rise’ who know them as a hard-rocking party band.
“No life is a permanent party and these songs are about the everyday fight,” explains Neeson. “It’s about the two faced motherfucker who laughs at your jokes one minute and talks shit about you the next. It’s about the guy at the bar who goes out and spikes a girl’s drink. It’s about the little doubts you have in your mind, about waking up and wondering what the fuck am I doing here?”
“It’s not invented angst,” he continues with a frown. “We’ve all been through some personal shit and can backup everything we write about but in spite of the songs’ inspirations, this is an uplifting, optimistic record.”
With the huge worldwide exposure offered by having ‘Rise’ track ‘Never Too Late’ featured on the next Guitar Hero game, the thousands of American fans catching them on the AC/DC tour and ‘Everyday Demons’ ready for release early next year, 2009 is a pivotal year in The Answer’s history. No wonder their optimism is at an all-time high.
“Cormac wants to be as big a star as Bono,” says Paul Mahon, with his tongue wedged firmly in his cheek.
“Oh yeah, I’d love to be as big as Bono,” smiles Neeson. “I’ll buy the Hilton in Belfast and we can play on the roof and everything.”
The way boyhood dreams are being fulfilled for these four hard-working, ambitious lads at the moment, don’t rule anything out.
