Ethan Hollan is a long time Old Crows Promotions allumni, having graced a number of line ups for us over the years. It's been a pleasure to watch him grow and evolve his sound and as an artist. It always feels like Ethan could take any direction with this music and it would make total sense. We were very happy for him to join the line up for GazeFest Belfast.
You can grab tickets at the link at the end of the interview to catch him Aug 26th!
What bands posters did you have upon your bedroom wall and what was the first album you ever bought and why?
I didn’t really have many band posters up on my bedroom walls growing up, but I would collect concert t-shirts from shows I had been to. The first concert my dad took me to see was MUSE on their “Drones” tour, and that’s when my “tradition” of collecting concert t- shirts started.
From memory, I think the first album I ever bought
was either “Ritual De Lo Habitual” by Jane’s Addiction or “One Hot Minute” by
Red Hot Chili Peppers. At the time, I was just starting to teach myself guitar
and I had a friend who was beginning to teach himself bass. We would often jam
to these songs either in school or at each other’s house, just making noise and
learning together. I really admired Dave Navarro’s playing style at the time,
and the tracks were extremely fun to play to. I guess you could say the albums
were a great investment towards my guitar playing.
Can you tell me what first inspired you to make music, what made you pick up a guitar, write songs and start a band?
The first instrument I learned was the piano. I
started when I was eight and was trained classically through to achieving grade
eight. My piano tutor then, Sharon Forte, was and is still so lovely. Achieving
grades gives you a lot of technical skill, but since so much time and focus was
being poured into the theory and practical exams, it didn’t really give much
headspace for songwriting. Although, Sharon really encouraged any ideas that
I’d make up.
When I joined first year in secondary school, the
music department offered many different instrument lessons. I tried out for the
likes of trumpet, clarinet, but the thing I was most drawn to was guitar.
Picking up the guitar came with it a feeling of new found creative freedom. I
did lessons for a short while with Ian Livingstone before ultimately deciding
to teach myself. I taught myself guitar by sticking on Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Jane’s Addiction, or Metallica CD’s that I had bought with whatever pocket
money I had saved. I stuck on the tracks and just listened to it on repeat,
having my ear out for the guitar parts and making shapes with my fingers on the
fretboard until it sounded right. I still learn this way, although I can play
any song I want now that I have Spotify. I even make up my instrumental parts
this way as well; When a motif or riff idea comes to me and I’m without my
instrument, I record myself humming into my voice memos and return to my guitar
or bass or piano and replace the humming with an actual instrumental part.
For a long while, I only ever pictured myself being a guitarist. It was very much my main instrument during my teens. I began making many ideas when I got my first loop pedal. Little guitar ideas layered on top of each other. I must have over 100 ideas saved onto my computer from that pedal. I ventured into lyrical writing a few times here and there but never committed to it. I had a terrible fear of singing in front of people but I could totally fill a hall with noise from my guitar.
Just before lockdown, I attended a couple local
gigs in Belfast. I saw Sasha Samara and Problem Patterns, to name a couple
artists. Seeing these talented local stars create so much energy on stage
inspired me to make something of my musical ability. It was then I realised
that I wanted to experience the energy on stage as well as inspiring others
just like they did. Lockdown came shortly after which as we all know put a stop
to many things including live music. But having completed my A-levels at the
time, it gave me a whole summer of nothing but song writing. With no routine
and poor sleep schedule, I found myself writing into the night, sometimes until
the birds started singing.
The band is
Ethan Hollan, you are, in fact, Ethan Hollan. Do you feel any additional
pressure given its your name on the masthead? I know you've worked with a
number of musicians live and in studio, in those situations, how collaborative
is it or do you come in with fully formed ideas/demos and they play the parts?
Ethan Hollan is my name. “Hollan” creatively made by my father, which was derived from the Cantonese name given to me by his mother. It’s part of my identity, a link to my family in the islands of Hong Kong, even though I was born in here. I’m proud of this country I was brought up in, and the country my grandparents migrated from.
The pressure is there for sure, especially when
you’re stuck wondering if people will like you and your music. You never truly
know how people will perceive you when you put yourself out there. But when I
see my name on a gig poster or festival lineup, I’m filled with an immense
sense of pride.
I usually spend some time coming up with parts
myself, not many things are written down - just “stored” in my mind. When it
comes to recording songs, typically, I’d record demos in my bedroom that would
later be used as a reference track for the drummer. I write and perform vocals,
guitars, bass, and keys in my songs. I’ve most recently had the pleasure of
working with James Foy when coming up with the drum parts for my upcoming
single. We had a very easy going collaborative session before the studio time
to iron out the kit.
When playing live, I have the very funky Dan on
bass, and the very cool Danny on drums. We got together for my first headline
gig at the Nerve Centre back in April and have been playing and hanging out
together since. The first time Dan and myself got together, I played him
through some of my bass parts I had written, swapping his bass guitar back and
forth, and also enjoying some fried rice for dinner. He’s such a quick learner
it was like hearing an echo. Danny came into our first full band practice
knowing all the parts which felt like a huge relief with just days before the
headline. They are an absolute joy to be with on and off stage and they are
just as much “Ethan Hollan” as I am, when we’re on stage making noise together.
You've
released a two of singles this year, 'Love Bite II' and 'Forest', can you tell
us a little about them, the writing process, recording etc.
The original idea for “Love Bite II” was to have an acoustic version of the original “Love Bite” released in 2021. Then I had a go at creating a piano arrangement for it since my other songs were so guitar driven, I wanted to spice it up a bit. My childhood piano teacher, Sharon, kindly let me use her piano for a morning before I had to go to uni. I played it each time all the way through and recorded the tracks on my laptop. I’m no expert in recording so you can hear some noise in the room and even the sound of my shoes hitting the pedals. To me, it really adds to the rawness and vulnerability of this version of the song. If you listen to the very end, you can hear the main riff from the first “Love Bite” this time taken up by the light piano.
The remaining parts of the song, the vocals,
harmonies, and bass were recorded at Tragic Magic studios. It was a very
relaxing vibe and the studio pretty much let me have free rein around the
place. It was so fun!
The track was then mixed and mastered by my
previously mentioned guitar teacher, Ian Livingstone. He had mixed “Love Bite”
and many other projects I’ve done so it only felt right for him to work on this
one. Each time he has done an amazing job to produce what you hear today.
Forest was one of the songs I had written during
lock down. Overlooking the trees from my bedroom window, the themes of
isolation and longing for nature inspired the lyrics for the song. About a year
onwards, Start Together Studio ran their “Ready to Rule 2021” scheme, funded by
the Arts Council, as an incentive to get people back into creating music. At
the time, I had only recorded a few acoustic demos straight into my voice memos
on my phone. I applied to the scheme with my voice memos, which caught the ear
of producer, and Beauty Sleep’s, Ryan McGroarty. Working with Ryan was
wonderful, and it was the first time I had ever been in a recording studio. If
I could, I would have used everything there. The guitar and bass amps were
blasting in a separate room, which was very different from the dinky little amp
that I had been playing on since I was 13. The track took two days to record.
One day in the main studio above the Oh Yeah Centre, recording all the main
instruments - starting with drums, guitar, bass, main vocals. Then a second day
in the smaller, cosy studio, where we added some final touches and “ear candy”.
I feel like the magical essence from Start Together transformed the very
stripped back demo into what now is a very full indie-pop track with many
layers.
Your sound seems to pull from a wide range of influences, having seen you live now a number of times, the shows can go from a crypt like silence to swathes of ambient soundscapes and everything in between. Can you tell us what influences, musical or otherwise, influence your song writing and is there a particular space or feeling you're trying to reach with your songs or during your performances.
When I first began gigging, just about 2
years ago, I played my first few gigs as a solo act. The performance was pretty
simplistic in nature as it was just myself, my guitar, and my loop pedal. It
wasn’t until I was booked for alternative and punk gigs that I felt like I had
to make much more noise on stage to be at the same level as the other 4 piece
or even 5 piece rock bands sharing the stage the same night.
My initial musical influences would have came from
the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Japanese Breakfast, or even Hayley Williams’ solo
albums. I just love the way these artists use bits of what I like to call “ear
candy”, that help create atmosphere in their music.
I often like to sample my surroundings to feature in my music just to add depth to allow others to feel connected through soundscape of the track. In the middle of “Forest” where it’s all instrumentals and harmonies, you can hear birds chirping throughout this section. This was recorded right outside my bedroom window, which I often think is a nice touch with it being so close to home.
When I’m playing live, I guess the centre of havoc
and noise would be my pedal board. I’ve been building upon it for a while now,
and I think my current setup will be the one I’ll keep for a while. I’ve been
listening to a lot of Wolf Alice and anything 90’s grunge lately, and the pedal
board is beginning to reflect that. It’s comprised of one Tube Screamer, a
Fuzz, a variation of modulation pedals, and of course my loop pedal. They’re
mostly pre-loved bits of kit, so it’s cool to be continuing its story by
bringing it out to gigs.
Can you tell us lyrically what your approach is, where do you take inspiration from or how do you approach lyrics for the tracks.
Lyrically, I take inspiration from how I’m feeling
at the time. Beginning with “Forest’, I’ve allowed myself to get much more real
with my emotions and putting to pen my personal experiences and thoughts.
There’s a certain headspace I enter when an idea for a song comes to mind.
Often times I begin writing poems that keep flowing, like I’m continually
scattering little ideas on a page, and then picking out the parts that I think
would be best included in a song.
The scene
both north and south seems to be stronger than ever, is there anyone you’d want
to shout out to?
I can’t express enough how much it means to me all the support that has been shown in the scene both north and south. There’s so many people I’d like to give a shout out to, because they’ve all been a great part of my journey so far. The past few months alone has felt like a dream.
I’d like to shout out Martin McGil and everyone on the Nerve Centre team for first having me play at the Nerve Centre and also continuing to have me on for Carnival of Colours, and Stendhal Festival 2023. It was great working with the team again and I am still so happy to have been asked to play the festival.
Diana Cheung, for having me feature on her documentary “Northern Chirish” and continuing to show support towards myself and my music.
I have just played my first official Dublin gig organised by EXOH Promotions, so I want to thank Alecksyy for putting together an amazing lineup of Asian artists and helping to bring our community together through live music.
Dan and Danny who have shown up to each practice
and played with so much energy ever since we got together in April.
Caitlin, who continuously hypes me up and showers with me genuine love and affection. Always reassuring me no matter the situation.
My loving parents who have gone to each of my shows, sporting my merch, and recording every step of my journey.
I’m sure there’s many more that I may have missed, but I am so grateful and thankful for each and everyone that has supported me along the way.
Truly, thank you so much.
Whats next for you, is there more music on the way, any shows?
For new music... I’ve just finished recording my
next single which is now in the final processes of mixing. All thanks to the
help of Ryan McGroarty! For those that have seen me live, it will be the song
that I usually end my set with. Super looking forward to having it out, so keep
an eye out on my socials!
I’ve got a few gigs in August, so depending on when this interview gets put out, I should have my first gig with Volume Control on the 17th August coming up, as well as playing Old Crow Promotions’ GAZEFEST on the 26th. Looking forward to playing at the Oh Yeah Centre for both of those shows!
For any fans down south... I’m so excited to play Ireland Music Week 2023 in October as a showcasing artist! It will be my second time playing in Dublin after the EXOH Promotions “Áise Agus Éire” showcase. Can’t wait!!
And finally
in the vein of Rob Gordon. What are your Top 5 favourite records.
Blue Weekend - Wolf Alice
Ritual De Lo Habitual - Jane’s Addiction
When The Pawn - Fiona Apple
Punisher - Phoebe Bridgers
One Hot Minute - Red Hot Chili Peppers
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