TGEFM got to soak up the sun and roll the dice with Howi Spangler, singer of Maryland beach rock vets, Ballyhoo!. Having just released their ninth studio album, Shellshock we got to discuss the new record, being completely and truly DIY thanks to new technologies, and whats next for the surfside quintet.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congratulations on the new album ShellShock What can you tell us about the new tunes?
Thank you! The new songs are a deeper look into the madness in my head. A lot of dark subject matter like depression and music industry tales. We’ve been at this for a long time. There’s a lot to talk about that I haven’t gone into before. We’re just trying to write the best songs we can in the end.
What stood out most to you with this recording compared to your previous trips to the studio?
“Holy shit, we can do this on our own!”.
How, if at all, did this writing and recording process compare to your previous albums?
We’ve doing a lot of home recording for the last few years. I had been learning how to mix and use Pro Tools for about 10 years. There are so many great plugins and tools that make releasing a home recording way more realistic. If you know what you’re doing you can make a little basement recording sound like you did it in a big studio. I’ve spent many, many hours at YouTube University. All the guys just record their parts in their own spaces, it goes up in a Dropbox folder and then I pull it all in and make sense of it. It’s really great to not be on the clock and be able to sit with the songs for months at a time and get them the way we want them.
Does the high bar you’ve set for yourselves in the past help, hinder or affect the music you make today and to what extent?
I’d say yes to all of that. I have a big problem with doubting my abilities and overthinking things. (I’m working on that.) There have been moments over the last 2 decades where I thought I should “write more songs like that”, referring to big songs on the radio. But over the years I’ve realized that writing for the radio is just never gonna get us on the radio. Unless you have some big relationships and big money to fund the campaign, you’re not gonna break through. We can’t all be Imagine Dragons, am I right? 😉
So while I still put my best foot forward, I don’t care to play that game anymore. BUT I still can’t help but go for the biggest hooks and melodies I can think of. We’ve been very successful in the last few years in that way, getting picked up by Spotify Editorial Playlists and such.
The scene, and music industry in general, has changed dramatically over the last 5-10 years or so. What has been the most difficult to adapt to and where do you see things heading over the coming years within the industry and scene?
The power has shifted to the artist…we’re just waiting on the money part to shift over here…
You can say ‘fuck the gatekeepers’ now and it actually means something. Anyone can jump in the game now. If your music is good, people will stream it. TikTok is breaking artists all the time. Nobody I know, but you see it every week. If you love what you do and you’re willing to put in the work and the time (decades), you can really have a great career under the radar. I think it’s just going to get better for artists in the years to come. The trick is to stay on top of the new mediums and new ways to connect with your audience. 20 years ago we were all watching and listening to the same things. Today, there are tons of services and artists out there. You just have to carve out your little island for you and your fans.
Every artist has a few, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
I turned down a chance to play guitar and sing with Goldfinger about 10 years ago. Feldy called me to do a few shows in Hawaii and I turned it down because my band was starting a tour that same weekend and I didn’t want to let everyone down. Looking back, I was stupid and I should’ve done it. The Ballyhoo! Tour had some great turnouts but our trailer broke and we got robbed, ended up losing thousands of dollars on that one. I guess the universe was punishing me for not taking such a great opportunity. LOL
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some of the bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should know about?
The Harbor Boys
Tunnel Vision
Bumpin Uglies
Joey Harkum
Kyle Smith
All great artists putting in the work.
After “Shellshock,” whats next for you and Ballyhoo!? Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
We’re heading out on a fall tour with our friends Jimmie’s Chicken Shack.
I have a podcast called ‘Tales from the Green Room‘ where I talk about my experience as touring musician. I also stream daily over on Kick and YouTube playing songs and bullshitting. It’s been a lot of fun.
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
