Hallowe’en surfaced earlier this year with just two members – Reuben Winter from Kitsunegari (and also formerly bandicoot) and Lliam Powell from Cool Cult. Their first EP, Bart Simpson, found its way online around the same time, and since then they’ve been working on their new album in between a few sneaky shows. We caught up with Reuben Winter for a bit of background to the new project.
How did you two start making music together?
Me and Lliam have known each other since we were like 9 or 10, and he was originally the other guitarist in Kitsunegari. So we’ve always meant to do something together and that didn’t really happen till December last year, when we had a jam and wrote/recorded a really lo-fi demo-y EP.
Is there anything you can do in Hallowe’en that you wouldn’t usually do in your respective other bands?
I don’t really think it’s a thing of what we can’t do in our other bands, but more like something that we both like and wanted to make.
Why just two members?
Well, we wrote those first few songs and sort of felt like it worked really well with just the two of us, so we just stuck with it. If we feel like we want another member in the future I guess we could do it?
What kind of music are you trying to channel?
A few different things, I guess just most of the shit we like? For instance; Whirlwind Heat, Wavves, Lightning Bolt, Nirvana, Mint Chicks, ect. But, I mean, I’m listening to Guns N’ Roses as I write this and it is fucking awesome.
Tell us a bit about how you recorded the album...
We recorded it in our friend Daniel’s bedroom, cos he has a mixer/mics. We basically came over for like two days in the holidays and did it all then. Then we took the stems and I mixed it, and Lliam mastered it.
How long have you been working on it?
We wrote most of the songs over the last few months, and recorded it about a month or so ago. Then we just mixed and mastered it in our spare time.
What’s the deal with the way you’re releasing it?
We’re doing a run of 50 CDs, which will be $5 if you want to be a bro and buy it, if not you can pay what you want on Bandcamp!!
Where are you heading to promote the album release?
We’re doing a release show at the Basement up here in AK47 and then we’re going to Wellington to do a show on the 10th at Freds!
You used to be called just “Halloween” – what brought on the apostrophe?
http://www.last.fm/music/Halloween - These 5 bros.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helloween - These guys got around it how I wanted to.
Is it easier for you as a band with two experienced members in the music scene?
Yeah? I guess both of us know what we’re doing a bit more now than when we first started our bands.
Anything else you’d like the world to know?
Come to our shows///get our album and spread it around all yr friends.
666 HALLOWE’EN 666 HAIL SATAN 666
Michael McClelland
