\m/ 80's metal \m/

Рецензия 1

This is truly a fantastic band. The songwriting is top notch and the music is clear cut amazing. The band could be compared to a lighter version of Foreigner. The vocals are a mix of Frank DiMino of Angel and Lou Gramm of Foreigner. Rockeyez has been friends with Charlie G. for a few years now, and not only is he a great musician he is also a down to earth person.

All three songs are AOR friendly but the highlight of the three tracks is the arrangements and the soothing voice of Charlie G. It’s funny that in the beginning stages of Hardway they were rehearsing without a vocalist. All they had to do is look under their noses – Charlie was right there, now he has taken over as vocalist. I really don’t know why Charlie did not want to sing lead vocals but I am sure if they had another vocalist it would have been the biggest mistake the band could have ever made.

Charlie is phenomenal and could be one of the best in the music business. “Holy Ghost” is a melodic tune that takes hold of your inner self and just oozes of enjoyment. The breaks in the song are perfection and the chorus is killer. Charlie, come on let us get the full-length CD, you’re teasing us with just three tracks.

Band Lineup:
* Charlie Giardina - Lead & Background Vocals, Bass
* Guillermo De Medio - Keyboards, Programming
* Eduardo Giardina - Drums, Guitars

Track Listing:
1. Holy Ghost
2. Ride On the Wind
3. Face The Fire

(с) http://www.rockeyez.com/reviews/demo/ha ... rdway.html

Рецензия 2

What we have here is a short three track sampler from Argentinean based melodic rock band Hardway, who are now signed to the Runcorn based Carbon 13 label. This sampler serves as an introduction to their recently completed debut album, which is set to be released in the near future

The promo opens with the track Holy Ghost that may very well be familiar to anyone who attended the first Firefest event back in May 2005, as it appeared on the free CD given away at that particular show. The song itself is a piano led track featuring an almost classical opening sequence that then turns into a song reminiscent of Toto in style, but with more of a jazz influence than is noticeable in much of Toto’s work. Vocalist Charlie Giardina is a bit of a find, coming across as akin to a mix of Fergie Fredickension and Steve Overland and the excellent guitar solo, courtesy of Eduardo Giardina showcases his six string talent to the max, starting off acoustically and then taking flight as it builds.

Second track in, 'Ride On The Wind' is more up-tempo track but once again the name of Toto springs to mind on listening out for influences on Hardway's music. This is one track that would arguably be a great driving number and one that is powered along by simple rhythm guitars and a catchy bridge. And is IMO the best track on this sampler.

Rounding out this short affair is 'Face The Fire', a song that kicks off with some Van Halenesque (or should that read Van Hagaresque?) inspired keyboard and then about turns into cool laid back number that has that West Coast - Survivor type feel with great vocal interplay.

In short this sampler has wetted this reviewers appetite for the full album when it arrives and showcases thee excellent Toto style songs. Don’t just take my word for, check it out for yourselves as a sample of these tracks can be found at http://www.hardwayweb.com and as Toto’s next album is not due till next year Hardway may just fill the gap till then.

(с) http://web.archive.org/web/200711300522 ... ardway.htm

Интервью

Charlie G - Hardway

Interview By Dougie

Hardway are an Argentinean band that recently signed to UK based label Carbon 13 and have just finished recording their debut album for the label, under the auspices of produced Pete Coleman, at the Mastertone studios in Runcorn. Armed with a 3 track sampler from the as-yet unreleased album Dougie caught up with vocalist/bassist Charlie G for a chat about all thing Hardway.

First off, for our readers who may not have heard of Hardway, would you care to introduce yourself and the other members of the band
There’s me (Charlie G) on lead vocals and bass; my brother Eduardo Giardina on drums (he also recorded all guitar parts on the band’s album) and Guillermo De Medio on keyboards and programming.

How did a band from Argentina get signed by a UK label?
We got a message from Graham Woodcock from Carbon 13 saying that he had listened to some audio samples online, and that he wanted to bring us over to the U.K. to record the band’s debut album. By that time we had already began to work on the album in Argentina but after Graham’s message we stopped and headed off to Runcorn !

How did you find the recording experience in the UK in the middle of winter, especially when compared with being at home at that time of the year?
We didn’t have much time to pay attention to the cold weather since we spent lots of time inside the recording studio working with producer Pete Coleman. Anyway, we had a couple of days off and so we took the opportunity to look around a bit . And I must say it’s a very beautiful place. And the people were also awfully nice to us. We had a great time over there. I hope we can come back soon !

The album was recorded at Mastertone, a studio that is co-owned by former Quest keyboard player Graham Woodcock. Did Graham help with the keyboard sounds employed on the album in anyway, and had you heard the Quest CD's?
He helped us a lot in every way. He knows a lot about music, plus he’s a very experienced guy. Graham has become a real friend to us ! And yes, we listened to The Quest albums and we were blown away instantly !!! Great band. And while we were there recording the album we got the chance to meet their drummer Andy Coffey too !

Listening to the three track sampler, and from a personal perspective, I think the band sound a lot like Toto, which is by no means a bad thing. Would you agree with this statement and who else do you think has influences Hardway's sound?
Thanks a lot !!! We’re big Toto fans actually, and I think Hardway is very influenced by their music. But that depends on each song really, for example, during “Face The Fire” you can tell there’s a Mr. Mister influence behind it, whether “Ride On The Wind” has a more Starshipesque vein to it. We like to listen to all kinds of stuff and when it comes to working on new songs we try to add all that information into them, hoping something good comes out of that !!!

As a vocalist, who are your own personal heroes and influences, Fergie Frederiksen by chance?
Yes, Fergie is great. But there’re also so many others awesome vocalists that I love to listen to like Lou Gramm, Steve Perry, Mickey Thomas, Terry Brock, Bobby Kimball … I think I could go on forever … If it weren’t for their inspiration I think I wouldn’t have started singing in the first place ! Listening to those guys makes you want to practice and become a better singer every day !

Prior to recording this album has the band released any other material at home in Argentina, and if so in what style?
Individually we usually work with other artists as well. But as a band, this will be Hardway’s first release.

Just how much of a melodic rock scene is there in Argentina?
Not much, I’m afraid. Most people have a tendency to listen to other kind of music. The bands that play this type of stuff usually have a hard time trying to get a record label over here.

Does Hardway get much a chance to perform live and if so, as a three piece outfit do you expand the line up for live shows?
Unfortunately we haven’t been able to find a permanent guitarist yet. The ones that would match with the band style are busy with their own projects at the moment but I’m confident we’ll find the right man for the job soon. The good thing is that we know great guitarists who told us that they’d gladly play with Hardway as guests musicians should the band go on tour or anything like that. That’s very relieving in a way. But we rather keep going after a permanent band member.

As I have only managed to listen to a three track sampler at this time, when is the full album planned to be released as I would love to hear the rest of the record?
Well, we’re not 100% sure yet, but the album should be released by the end of 2005 or next year.

Once the CD is out do Carbon 13 have any plans to bring you over to play in the UK as I think an appearance at a future shows such as Firefest would do you guys a lot of good in terms of exposure to British & European fans?
We’d really love that. Playing at Firefest next to the fantastic artists that usually perform there would be an honor to us. Who knows, maybe we’ll get that chance after the album is released !

Lastly any messages you like to send out to the readers of HardRockHouse.Com
I’d like to thank you all for your support. Your kind words is what always keeps us going. And of course, a big thanks to the guys at HardRockHouse.Com for the interview !!! See ya all soon !!!

Many thanks to Charlie for taking the time to talk to HardRockHouse.Com. To find out more about Hardway you can visit their website at http://www.hardwayweb.com or the Carbon 13 site at http://www.carbon13.co.uk

(с) http://web.archive.org/web/200705052008 ... ardway.htm