Your names:
Adam Camm (vocals) and Ian McEwan (bass).
Where are you from?
The band is from all over the place! We have a
half-German drummer, a Kiwi for a guitarist, Bristolian singer, half Scottish bass player
and keyboardist from Ireland. We’re like the UN. Only with less arguments.
Name of band:
Halloween Jack
Who else is in your band?
Nigel Tait (guitar), Sam Kerins (keyboards) and Al Branton
(drums).
How would you describe yourselves and your music?
Adam: We have a good sense of humour and like a laugh. I
think that comes across in our music
Who are your main influences musically?
Adam: We all have varied tastes that impact on the sound
but as one of the songwriters I suppose bizarrely it would be my Dad, who
indoctrinated me as a child with videos of glam rock acts from his youth! I was
brought up on a diet of Bowie, T-Rex, Slade, Roxy Music etc. The Stones are another
massive influence as are the Britpop bands of the 90s like Oasis and Pulp. I always
try to bring an element of funk/soul into my songs too. I like music you can dance
to and I believe that comes across in a lot of our songs.
Ian: In terms of the
actual playing, I like trying to channel some of the enjoyment and energy I get from bands
like Sparks and The Police, for example, as well, to give some breadth and
dynamic to the sound.
What do you hope to achieve in music?
Adam: I think the opportunity to be able to do something
you love for a living is the ultimate goal.
Ian: Agreed! I think we have a fair while
to go before we hit the Greatest Hits circuit, so anything we do in the meantime
continues to be exciting and new, so to keep it that way for us and the good folk who
come to see us is a proud achievement.
What has been the highlight of your career so far, and
why?
Adam: The last few months have been a highlight really.
We’ve played our biggest gig to date, shifting about 80 tickets. We’ve released a
new single and have the album almost completed. Plus we’ve started getting more
attention through people such as yourself. It’s happened organically too which has
been really positive for us.
Ian: Not only playing our biggest gig to date, but
knowing in advance that the next one booked is even bigger has been the highlight so far
for me. Really exciting!
And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Adam: Driving home at 7am after being awake for 27 hours
straight after recording our album! The recording was great fun, the drive back
was hard!
Ian: Having to deal with a bad promoter when you’ve worked so hard for a
show is very draining. Fortunately, we tend to get on well with the good guys so
such moments are rare.
If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent
your music, what would it be and why?
The Streets Come Alive. Very tricky question this. Both
Ian and I plumped for this track. Ian probably because it’s driven by the bass and
myself because I like the dynamics and I think we’re a pretty dynamic act within
our songs.
Where can we listen to it?
http://www.halloweenjack.co.uk/shotofjack/ - This is a sampler of our soon-to-be-released album which
you can stream from our website.
Where can we find out more about your music?
Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I
forgot to ask?
Adam: I think the fun and the sense of mischief has been
lost a bit from modern music. Everything seems to be a bit serious now. We don’t
take ourselves too seriously. We’re serious about our music for sure, but we
buzz from having fun and seeing our audience having fun too. I like music to be a
form of escapism from day to day life and it’s something I hope people can identify
with us.
