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It’s stiff competition amongst artists who need to be heard in the states but haven’t earned their ears. Steafán Hanvey or Ireland is one of those artists. Steafán Hanvey & The Honeymoon Junkies was recently released here in the states on October 25th after being released in Finland in 2005 & Ireland in 2006. Hanvey makes for a mix of his familiar 70’s singer-songwriter flashes of alternative vocal driven melodic rock. We caught him upon the release of his long awaited U.S. release, we caught up with Hanvey to find out more about his spark of melody and why dark rum and ginger best fits his sound.
I wanted to congratulate you on the release of Steafan Hanvey & The Honeymoon Junkies here in the states.
Thank you. It means a lot to have it out over there.
Why did it take a few years for the U.S to see a release?
The record (and video) were both self-financed and self-released in Ireland and Finland. After promoting it in both countries, I took a break to travel and write more songs, the pick of which, ended up on my forthcoming album ‘Nuclear Family’, due for release in 2012. During that time and in between album sessions, I took the opportunity to tour NY, VT, MA and IL, trying new songs out on new ears wherever possible. The US release of ‘Honeymoon Junkies’ was a happy accident. A guy from Fuse On Demand, (a free Video on Demand service in the USA, that is part of Fuse Music Network and Madison Square Garden) was at one of my gigs at Arlene’s Grocery and liked my stuff and offered to premiere one of my videos. I thought it’d be a good idea to release the debut in conjunction with the Fuse airing as a warmer-upper for my sophomore album mentioned above.
What has the general reaction been to it so far?
Very positive and encouraging.
Your sound is very easy on the ears and calming – I couldn’t imagine anybody turning your music off right away in search of something more pleasant. What do you credit this easy/calming sound to? Its not like your music is easy listening but it has a bit of an edge mixed with lots of 70’s singer-songwriter nods.
I’m glad you made the ‘easy listening’ part clear! I wrote a lot of ‘Honeymoon Junkies’ up in Helsinki where the winter nights were dead still and peaceful. It was a place where you had to actively seek out company and life. People leave you alone otherwise. Perhaps the record reflects some of that plus some of the melancholy that was present at various points over my seven-year stint. It’s a great place to reflect and take stock. I’m a child of the 70s and I’m delighted that my music reflects that.
Since this is your debut album- are these songs a culmination of years of writing or did they come about over a certain period of time?
A short period of time, I recorded a mini album entitled Sole in 2001. Honeymoon Junkies was my first Long Play. For the most part, the songs came together at the end of my time in Helsinki, a three-week stint in the south of Spain where my girlfriend at the time spent her days sunbathing and me with my fair Irish skin, up in the air-conditioned apartment, writing songs, drinking cheap Spanish wine and reading. The rest of the record was written upon moving back to Ireland after the Helsinki chapter.
Are there certain songs are you most proud of and which ones do you feel best define your sound? In your own words how would you define your sound?
I’m most proud of ‘Desperation’, the video of which was recently aired on Fuse On Demand. It continues to resonate with audiences and marked a turning point in my songwriting. Other favorites from Honeymoon Junkies are “Rooms,” “Hundred Days of Snow” and “Fair Weather Friend.” It’s alternative vocal driven melodic rock. I enjoy looking for colorful and new ways of expressing how events in life make us feel.
I think my forthcoming album ‘Nuclear Family’ is a much harder and leaner affair and is as you’d expect more a document of where I’m at right now as a songwriter. I wish I could share this record with you right now. But since it’s Honeymoon Junkies where talking about, I think it’s fair to say that record is more a songwriter being accompanied by musicians than a cohesive band sounding record, which ‘Nuclear Family’ on the other hand is. Where I’m very much a fan of songwriters like Simon & Garfunkel, Dylan, Mitchell, Morrison etc, I’m also very influenced by rock bands like Soundgarden, King’s X, Pearl Jam, Radiohead and the Black Crowes. I’m also a fan of Willie Nelson and Miles Davis. I would like to think my music reflects some of these influences.
You’ve been involved in music for some quite time, your debut album was released years after your started. What took so long and do you feel like it took awhile to gain the confidence needed to emerge as a lead voice? Was there a particular event in your life that encouraged you to go ahead and record?
My primary school teacher would often have me sing Irish folk ballads that I’d learned at home, to my classmates. A band I fronted in my teens, ‘50/50’ made a bit of noise and showcased for CBS 3 times. I did a lot of demos in my teens with various rock bands. I tended to end up as front man in friends’ bands in the early days where I was drafted in to sing lead vocals. I took a break and went to university and eventually got back into writing and performing, only this time in a solo capacity. I did a degree in American Studies and an Msc. in International politics. An exchange year took me to Seattle where I did a couple of sound recording classes and ended up demoing Pearl Jam wannabees, which made me eager to get back at the other side of the glass where the musicians were playing. I come from a musical-academic background. I started to sing the ballads again up in Helsinki and that along with a broken heart got me writing again, under my own name this time.
What are you biggest challenges as a singer-songwriter in terms of communicating your music to vast audience that may not have the same connection with your words as you do?
You can please some of the people some of the time… Thankfully melody is dear to me and hopefully when the lyrics aren’t doing it for the listener in question, the melodies and choice of instrumentation will help get the message through. I think the biggest challenge as a songwriter today is finding the platform to showcase your songs from. The internet has leveled the playing field, true, but the flip side means that everyone has access to the same platforms which means over-saturation and barely any quality control. It’s more about who can shout the loudest, be the most gimmicky etc. Music seems to have taken a back seat as the majors fight over the TV pop idols. But that’s for another time. I’m rambling.. I would be content in the knowledge that as many people as possible would have the opportunity to hear my music. Asking too much? Their opinions after that? Well, that’d be their call.
Do you ever write with the purpose of your audience in mind or do you write primarily based upon your experiences and thoughts?
No, I only write about what inspires me. But I think it’s in and around the big themes that occupy many of our lives.
Can you share with us some of your adventure or triumphs in the states? Do you have any good live music stories or are there any venues or gigs that stand out in your mind?
I had a showcase at Arlene’s Grocery in NY on April’s Fool, the day before Good Friday in 2010 and 2/3 of my Brooklyn based band ‘decided’ to get stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the gig which meant I had to delay, then start the show solo and sound check with the guys as they arrived towards the end of the show, during my set. We turned it around and had fun with it but they had me worried for a while as it was billed ‘full band show’. The audience and reviewer didn’t seem to mind though.
I opened for The Hothouse Flowers at Showcase Live in MA last year and the train from Boston to Providence (I love that) broke down and I got delayed by a couple of hours. Thought I wasn’t going to make the gig. I got off at my stop, went into a pizzeria and asked the guy if he’d call me a cab. He said, ‘you sing me a song & I’ll call you a cab and give you a slice”. I made it to the gig with a full belly and a story to tell and had a great time playing to a room of 500 people.
My best gigs in the states to date have been in Vermont, Chicago at Uncommon Grounds, Arlene’s Grocery & Rockwood Music Hall in NY, Boston’s NEMO festival when I played the Burren in Somerville and in a little bar in the lower east side called ‘The Scratcher’ where they host showcases every Sunday night.
As an artist based out of Northern Ireland – do you feel your music translates easier to other parts of the globe vs say the U.S.? Where have you found your music resonates best?
Thankfully, people react well to my music all over: Helsinki, Cork, France and America. The only difficult gigs are the ones where you’re trying to compete with a noisy audience on a holiday weekend or where venues don’t have other areas cordoned off well enough. U..S audiences are great though, there are so many places to play and a healthy interest in new music. I have had great shows in Burlington Vermont, NY and more recently at Uncommon Ground in Chicago.
Who are some artists these days who are really inspiring you? Are there any you’d specifically like to collaborate with?
It’s still very much a case of relying on the old faithfuls: Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Soundgarden, Kings X. I’m a fan of Irish band, The Frames’ album ‘For The Birds’: some exquisite songwriting on that record. Would be great to sit down with Glen sometime and see what would happen.
I would like to collaborate with Rufus Wainwright as there are very few if any songwriters coming close to what he’s doing right now. Also, French songwriter Bertrand Belin who played electric guitar on my new record, I love his style and mood. I would also like to try and do something with Irish songwriter Paul Brady.
What do you have planned for 2012 and beyond in terms of touring, festivals, writing and possible new albums?
I’m currently putting the jigsaw together for 2012 release/tour of my new album, ‘Nuclear Family’. If everything goes according to plan, it should be released in September 2012. I’m going to embark on a US coast to coast album tour to promote it, that will take in colleges, festivals, clubs, cafes, and peoples’ homes. So if you want me to come play in your home, get in touch! Before and after I’ll be demoing some new songs for the next record and round and round it goes.
What drink do you think best mixes with your music and why?
Dark ‘n’ Stormy! (dark rum and ginger) My surname, ‘Hanvey’ is Irish for ‘Son of the Stormy one’. My da is also a red head. There’s a lot in a name.
