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The Road Hammers

“It doesn’t matter if you drive a car or a Harley… a mini-van or an 18-wheeler – it all comes down to basic human nature,” says Jason McCoy. “There’s a bit of Jekyll and Hyde inside all of us. We want to be domestic animals, but on the other hand we have this natural urge to set out and conquer new worlds. You’ll find this in the heart of the highway.” That’s exactly where McCoy, and fellow Road Hammers Clayton Bellamy (vocals/guitar) and Chris Byrne (Bass and Backing Vocals) found inspiration for their new record, The Road Hammers II. Equal parts blazing southern fried rock and deep country soul, The Road Hammers II has all the ingredients that made their debut the perfect driving record. Born on the road, forged in blood, sweat, concrete and steel, the new album features 11 no-nonsense tracks that are sure to cement the Hammer’s reputation as one of Canada’s most compelling country acts. Road Hammers II finds McCoy and company stretching out some. It’s sonic and lyrical depth built on a solid, four-year foundation of writing, recording and rolling down the highways together. Where their first record featured trucking favourites like Jerry Reed’s “Eastbound and Down” and Del Reeves', “Girl On the Billboard,” (which hit #1 at CMT Canada), with the exception of a signature Hammer take on the John Martin Summers’ classic, “Thank God I'm a Country Boy,” the new record is weighted heavily in favour of original material. The Road Hammers II features raw, riff-heavy anthems like “Cowboy ‘Til I Die,” “No Time for Long Goodbyes” and “Freewheelin’,” complete with Skynyrdesque dueling guitars, wailing Hammonds and the band’s signature harmonies; McCoy’s deep country drawl speaking from the heartland, Bellamy’s trademark urgency bringing the rock, and Byrne’s sky-high harmonies soaring above. There’s ample wry humour, too - songs that find the Hammers cracking wise about everything from “Getting Screwed” by the taxman to the joy of finally finding “A Girl Who Loves To Truck.” Recorded in Nashville’s Sound Emporium, Airstrip Studios and the Electric Sandbox with McCoy’s long time producer and sonic midwife, Scott Baggett, at the wheel, this second trip down the highway is an even stronger take on what the Hammers do best. It’s a no holds barred, rough and tumble ode to the road that walks the line between celebrating life working the highway and straight talk about the damage done along the way. "We're not all 19-years-old and leaving nothing behind,” Bellamy says. “You're trying to keep the band going and make sure your wife's happy and the kids are looked after.” Correspondingly, the record spends as much time on the rewards of tearing a strip off the highway as it does the risks of holding two separate lives together, ‘one to make a living and one to make it all worthwhile.’ Tallying up the wounds on songs like “I’ve Got the Scars To Prove It,” and taking a longing, if tongue in cheek, look back home on “Workin’ Hard At Lovin’ You” and lead single “Homegrown.” Still, there’s not much call for staying at home if you want to play 6 nights out of 7 – “Touring,” says McCoy, “that's where music comes alive.” Especially for a band that routinely leaves everything on stage, night after night after night. “Coming off a solo career, working with a band really energizes you,” McCoy says, by way of explanation. "All of a sudden you’re starting from the bottom again. It reminds you why you got into this in the first place.” That may be, but it hasn’t taken long for The Road Hammers to rise to the top. With their undeniable chemistry; their high-octane live show energizing a growing fan base across North America (and prompting an on-the-spot invitation for second play at the Grand Ole Opry, before the sweat even cooled from their first one); their self-titled 2004 debut yielding 4 Top 10 hits, including the #1 Country Radio smash, “East Bound and Down,” and domestic sales in excess of 80,000 records; sharing the stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Roy Clark; inking a US deal with Montage Records; filming back to back seasons of their hit TV series (which air repeatedly on GAC-TV in the US and returns to CMT for another run in February ’09); and picking up an unholy head of steam and their fair share of hardware along the way (including CCMA’s for Best Group or Duo two years running in 2005-06, best video for 2006’s “East Bound and Down” and the 2006 Juno for Country Recording of the year) - The Road Hammers have put some serious miles between themselves and the bottom. Not bad for a band that McCoy started as a bridge between his own solo efforts. Still, he’s frustrated by the time it’s taken for the band to get a follow up record into Canadian hands. “The wheels were moving so slow. We’ve been sitting down in Nashville, writing songs and being ready for this record for two years.” In the end though, "We got more in the can because we were sitting on our cans,” he adds, laughing. That said, make no mistake, The Road Hammers have lived every mile of this record personally – McCoy, hitting the road at 18, and racking up a mess of CCMA’s and Junos as a successful recording artist in his own right; Byrne, ditching high school at the eleventh hour to take an out of town recording gig, and Bellamy, a self-described motor head, hitting the road, first as motocross racer, and then with his own project for several years. While it was toss up between racing and music for Bellamy, just like the rest of the band, it’s in his blood to be on the road. “It has to be torn from the flesh,” he says. “You have to live it, or have lived it, to be real.” That’s what The Road Hammers bring to the stage and the studio, a realness and rawness stemming from a long, steady love affair with the highway and a willingness to bet the farm on it, repeatedly, to see what’s around the next corner. Not to say it’s always a smooth ride. “We call it the blessed union,” McCoy says. “We can hate each other all we want on a Tuesday and by that night it's like ‘oh yeah, that's why we're here.” “It's like a gang,” Bellamy adds. “We can mess with each other…” “But,” says Byrne, “try and stand in between us and there's hell to pay.”

Latest bulletin 08.12.09

New Single!!

The new single 'Goodbye Dust' is at radio August 20th!! Take a listen on the website, post your comments!

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Apr 21, 03:39 PM

The tour so far...

THE TOUR SO FAR.....

Well, we've been on the road for about a week so far and we are having a blast! The weather is good and tonight is the last night in ontario for a while. Its great to see the fans come out to say hello. Touring our home and native land is such a privilige and a joy. We've each been crossing the country for years in one form or another and I never get tired of it. Driving across the Canadian Sheild is jaw dropping(but not in winter!). This country is so beautiful.
Headed out west next and hope to see all the hammerheads in the west come to the shows. Thanks again to all for the support!!!!

CHRIS
Mar 26, 11:29 AM

Holiday...

My Tracy Dawn is coming in to nashville to meet me for a little holiday and we're both pretty excited. The Canadian dollar isn't doing well at the moment but that doesn't stop us from hitting the shops when she's here. We find stuff you just can't get anywhere else and we have a lot of fun lookin' at stuff! If I could I'd give her the world but since I aint rich a sweater or two from Macys will have to do!
Thanks to all of you for the great response we've gotten about the second record. In my eyes its our best and it sure was fun to make. Looking forward to seeing you on the upcoming tour!
Chris
Mar 24, 11:54 AM

Are You Ready??

ahhh, Springtime, my favourite time....smell of flowers stretching to the sky, the trickle of water running from the melted snow, and of course, a rough draft of our new video treatment peaking it's little head out of my inbox....I just saw a rough cut of the new video for "SCARS", and it looks fantastic...we look like movie stars...k, not like the Brad Pitt kind, more like 'Booger' from Police Academy, or Larry from 'The Newhart Show'...but movie stars non the less....here's a sneak peak photo....I'm the one in the middle...jm
Mar 24, 11:52 AM

Birthday Boy!

Birthday Boy!
Well Boady's Birthday was a huge success! 4 Years old already. Man how time fly's. We had some fireworks and lots of junk food and kids going crazy hi on sugar. And alot of friends we are very blessed to have in our lives. We also had my parents down from Bonnyville to visit. Boady was so excited and so were we. Now back to the grind, getting ready for the tour and making sure everyone in the world gets a new Road Hammer II CD. It's a tough job...but somebody's gotta do it!
Clayton.
P.S. For all you World wide Hammer fans who can't find CD's in Store got to www.itunes.caand get a Canadian itunes account. it takes 5 min and won't cost a thing. Then u can buy all your new Road Hammer songs!
Mar 19, 01:10 PM

New Bike!

I got Grace her first 2 wheel bike, what a day. It's amazing to see a baby grow into a walking talking beauty, and then to see her ride off down the street (training wheels of course) her hair blowing in the wind from under her little pink helmet.... unbelievable.... pure love man..... whenever I find myself staring at my computer for hours on end, I realize I'm wasting my life without shutting it down, going outside, and going for a bike ride with little G...now, back to that bike ride!
Mar 12, 02:21 PM

Bloggolicious!!

wow, thats all i gotta say is WOW! Today was an amazing day. We were filming a new video for our song "I've got the Scars to Prove it" in Toronto. We worked our butts off but it was worth it! Working with Christopher Mills Geoff McLean and Katharine Wilson was a real treat! We filmed the video in a boxing gym. The same one that Lennox Lewis trained at for the Olympics! We had a bunch of contest winners appear in the video as portraits of real people with Scars. I can't wait for you to see the final results! Eric Paul drummer for Thornley sat in with us for the shoot and he did a great job. The record is #9 in the country right now thanks to you. Keep calling and emailing and it will keep climbing! The video is on it's way to #1 and the cd is one of the top selling right now. Thank you Thank you Thank you. Please check it out if you haven't yet and please tell all your friends! We want to put this baby over the top! Hey if you haven't got your tix for the Hammer tour better get crackin the tour starts April 14th! See ya out on the road. I am hitting the sack. I have to fly out to Nashville at 3am. C ya April 14th!
Clayton.
Mar 11, 02:01 PM

New Hammer VIDEO!!

Well, filming one tomorrow. We are in Toronto where tomorrow the Hammers do our 5th video for our upcoming single release, 'Scars'. The set involves a boxing ring, so between shots me and Jason are going to gang up and beat the crap out of Clay in a one-time-fight to the death-cagematch EXTRAVAGANZA!! I've been watching wrestling on T.V for a long time and I think I have all the moves down. I mean, if this music thing doesn't work out I can already get my new career off to a good start tomorrow. What else is a 145lb guy gonna do? DING DING! Let's rock!!
Mar 04, 12:52 PM

What is up ya'll!

Hey everyone! the first week of the new Road Hammers II has come and gone. I hope everyone is happy with the new cd. If you love it, tell us! If you don't tell Our record Lable! HAHA! Anyway, we are going to Toronto on the 10th to film our new video for Scars. The Hammers first ever ballad! I know crazy, but this song has alot of meaning behind it and everyone has Scars in life. And nobody gets out alive!!! Get it...you don't get out of life alive... Well keep posting and telling all your crew about the new cd cause it won't do a thing if we don't shout it out to the world! Thanks for making Home Grown top 10 and our video #4 this week on CMT! Hey did anyone see us on Canada am? Hope it sounded good. It's hard to be cool at 6 in the morning. Have a good week. Clayton.
Feb 24, 11:28 AM

New Album in Stores Today!!

Our new Canadian album "The Road Hammers II" is now available! Get your copy today! Available on itunes, MapleMusic.com, and everywhere great music is sold!!!!
Feb 19, 03:15 PM

YIKES! Audio love goes unrecognized!!

As you all know, the new Road Hammers II album comes out in a few short days....we always credit everyone who worked on the recordings, as each and every person has a unique and special talent which makes the album what it is....well, old JM here must have been too consumed with himself, cause between circle drumming and knife throwing classes I forgot to recognized the invaluable engineering talents of Mr Dave Kalmusky....That's like forgetting your wife's birthday in Musician world....so let it be known henceforth until the next printing of our liner notes, that Dave is the sole reason the planet continues to spin, and he is currently working on a plan to bring stability to the Middle East....I am going outside to fall on my sword
Sorry Dave
jm

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The Road Hammers

Latest bulletin 08.12.09

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