|
INTERVIEW WITH EIRÍKUR HAUKSSON As most of you know, the lead vocalist & guitarist in Ken Hensley’s current band Live Fire is Eiríkur Hauksson who is also a solo artist in his own right and
involved with several other music projects. In May 2007 he represented his
home country Iceland in the Eurovision
Song Contest finals in Helsinki, Finland. I managed to get an interview
from him despite of the busy schedule thanks to my friend Martti Suhonen. For more information on Eiríkur you can check out his
website at www.eirikur.info.
INTERVIEW TM: First of
all, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview… EH: That was never a
question. As you know, I am a big fan of Uriah
Heep and it’s my pleasure to do this. TM: Let’s
first talk a little bit about the Eurovision
Song Contest. You are quite a Eurovision veteran, it’s your third time in
the final… EH: Yes, it’s amazing
because I am no fan of the Eurovision music. There is no more than maybe 30%
that is the kind of music that I like. But it’s a very strange and nice form
of competition. Where else can you get hard rock, blues, jazz, folk songs
etc. in the same competition? So in that way I am a fan of the competition, I
try to watch it every year. As you say, I have been competing two times
earlier - in 1986 when Iceland took part for the first time and in 1998 in
Rome for Norway but this is the first time that I compete with a song that I
have chosen myself. The earlier times for Iceland and for Norway I was just
hired in to do the song so here is more passion for me. TM: I like the
song also. EH: I love the song. The
composer rang me two times and I said: “No, I’m not going to do it. I’ve been
in the Eurovision two times so that’s enough”. But he was stubborn and he
sent me the song anyway. I listened to it and I thought: “ This song is like
it was written for me and my voice”. I thought about it and I said: “If I am
once offered to go to ESC with something I like and you get an opportunity to
introduce this and yourself to millions of people, that’s something! I do not
regret it. Of course I think I have the best song in the competition but I am
fully aware of that there are millions out there in Europe who think
differently. TM: I think
what’s good in the ESC nowadays is that we have all different kinds of music,
it’s not just all the same. EH: Yes, it’s very good. TM. If we
then move on to Uriah Heep and Ken Hensley. How were you first
contacted and how did you became a member of Ken’s band? EH: There is a friend of
mine in Norway who knew Ken Hensley
and Ken was playing some gigs in Norway. He convinced Ken to let me do one
song at the end of a concert so I did ‘Easy Livin’ with him. We got to
talk after the show and he found out that I also play guitar and keyboards.
He said: “Hey, Erik! Instead of me traveling from Spain with the full band
why not have a band from Scandinavia since here is where I’m playing often.
Would you like to put together a band with you on guitar, keyboards and
backing vocals?” To me that was an honor and I put together this band and we
playing some gigs in Sweden in Winter 2005 where you heard us. Then by Summer
last year he phoned me and said: “I’ve decided Erik - if you want to - that I
want you to do most of the lead vocals”. I was of course very pleased: We are
talking about some songs that I’ve known since I was 10 - 11 years old. For
me it’s a dream come true, he is one of my big, big idols. When I was
listening to Uriah Heep as a kid I didn’t know who I loved the most: Ken
Hensley or David Byron so it was a draw, I loved them both. I think David Byron is one of the biggest
stars in rock ‘n’ roll music. It’s a little bit sad that Uriah Heep always was in the shadow of Deep Purple and I’ve often interviews that maybe Heep is one of
the most underestimated bands in rock business. I think we never would have
seen or heard about Purple if Heep had gotten even bigger. TM: Actually
here in Finland Uriah Heep was
bigger than Deep Purple. EH: Is it so? TM: Yes.
From about ’72 to ’74 Heep was the number one rock band here, they were more
popular than Purple. Of course then after ’75 -’76 when David Byron left, then they kind of disappeared. Still for many
fans here aged between 40 and 50 Uriah
Heep is the number one band. EH: It pleases my heart
to hear that. TM: It must
seem weird for you now playing and singing these Uriah Heep songs… EH: Yes and it’s amazing
how you get used to this. Now I just look at him as a friend and the leader
of the band but in the very beginning I was a little shy thinking: “What will
he say? If I do it this way, what will he think?” etc. but now it’s a mutual
respect and it’s a very good situation for me. The band is very good and in
two weeks time after this we will go to Hamburg where Ken is going to have a
release party for his new album Blood On The Highway. We will do a show there
on 22nd of May and from there we will go to Latvia in the beginning on June
and then we are going to do two shows in Finland. TM: Oh, I
have heard only of one show so far at a festival in Joensuu? EH: That sounds like it.
I think they have booked another gig at some smaller arena but maybe it’s
cancelled, I don’t know. Then of course we have the now traditional Summer Party in my home town of
Gressvik. TM: I was
there in 2005. EH: I wasn’t playing
there yet. TM: Now, he
still had the Spanish band. I think it was quite different when I saw him
play at the Summer Party in July
with the Spanish band and then I saw the Norwegian band in November. It was
much more powerful, the style of playing was different. EH: Yes, the drummer is
very tight and there’s more power. TM: About
Ken Hensley as a person there are many different kinds of opinions, he seems
to create strong feelings, positive and also negative. I personally have
nothing but positive things to say about him. I met him for the first hand in
2000 and I have been in contact with him ever since and have worked with him
on several occasions. What do you think? EH: I think he is a very
complete person in that sense that when he speaks about religious matters,
he's very sincere. His lyrics are often about life itself. Often when I
listen to his songs - not just the music but the words - I kind of agree with
him on his matters. He does some beautiful lyrics. There are many songs on
the new album Blood On The Highway with lyrics that I understand completely
because it’s about life on the road and how it can ruin you and how fame and
fortune doesn’t necessarily lead you to happiness. You have to find the
happiness within. I’m hoping he’s going to have big success with his new
album so that we travel around and play because that’s what we do. TM: But
you’re not playing on the album yourself. How is that? EH: No, I’m not playing
on the album. I think that even though he likes me a lot as a singer, I’m not
the same kind of worldwide name as the others: Glenn Hughes, Jorn Lande
and John Lawton. So that was
understandable, no hard feelings about that. At the show in Hamburg we are
going to play the new songs so I get to sing them live and I have a feeling I
will end up on another album later in time. TM: I was
hoping I could go to the show in Hamburg but it’s in the middle of the week
so it’s bit difficult. If it was on weekend, it would be another thing. EH: This will be a
special occasion, it is going to be Blood On The Highway played completely, then a break and
then we’ll do some of his old songs. Everybody’s joining in so I will have a
very easy night. I’m playing guitar and singing most of the harmonies so it
could be fun. There’ll be a lot of people there. I look forward to meeting
Glenn Hughes. He’s one of the greatest singers, I admire him. I’ve seen him
live and he seems to be doing just as good as in the old times. Maybe even
better. TM: How
would you describe Blood On The Highway songs
compared to for example The Last Dance or the other latest
albums. EH: It’s influenced by
the fact that this is a story so the lyrics go into each other, it’s all
about the same them. He obviously has written music that has ups and downs
like the story is. That’s a story about a rock ‘n’ roll artist. It’s a
mixture of straight forward rock ‘n’ roll songs and some beautiful ballads. I
have not heard it completely yet but I have it with me because I have learn
it before the 22nd so when I’ve finished here, that’ll be my priority. I will
go and dig deep into it and learn it by heart. It’s exciting, I hope it does
well. TM: You
filmed a live DVD in 2005 but it hasn’t come out yet. Do you know why? EH: Oh yeah, I’m not
quite sure. I think it’s cut and it’s ready but perhaps he wanted to delay it
because of his book is coming out and the new album. So that will come out
eventually, it’s just a question of when. TM: What are
your favourite Uriah Heep songs? EH: I’ve thought about
this often and there are so many fantastic songs but if I was to name one, I
name this one because I love to sing it live: Circle Of Hands. It’s
absolutely a perfect song, it’s so great to stand on stage and sing it, so
much feeling there. But having said that, there are so many other great
songs. All the Uriah Heep LP’s
were my favourites when they came out. I sort of drifted away after Byron
left, he was after all my favourite singer and the last album I really was
into was Innocent Victim. After that I sort of took a break. From his
solo career The Last Dance is a fantastic song. You’ll hear a new version
of that on Blood On The Highway with Glenn Hughes singing. Of course that will be a little bit
different than when Hensley is singing it himself, there’s a difference in
their voices. TM: Well, I
think I won’t keep you any longer. I know you have a busy schedule here. Good
luck for the competition and I’ll be seeing you again in Joensuu in July. EH: Thank you, it was my
pleasure. |
