Interview: Elevenwire (Written)

Elvenwire, a new band, but years in the making. Blending vast musical backgrounds, and weaving into a tapestry of progressive rock, hard rock, and pop. Their debut album, ‘Blood Red Sun’ was released earlier this year, and in this interview get to know them.

1. Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.

My name is Ron Hughes, and I play guitar, bass and sing in the band.

Elevenwire is a progressive rock band formed by my brother Jonathan (keys/vocals) and I, along with our long-time friend and collaborator, Jim Armstrong (guitar/screams of despair). Our first album, Blood Red Sun, is a unique mixture of prog rock soundscapes and epic storytelling. Featuring Eric Gillette (Neal Morse Band, Temic, etc.) on drums! Mixed and mastered at EKG studios (Eric Gillette’s studio) in Tulsa, OK.

2. Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?

Imagine if Kansas and Van Halen had a baby… (They usually say, “Eww.”). You can hear other influences like, Genesis, Yes, Boston, Neal Morse Band, Spock’s Beard, and maybe even the Dixie Dregs.

Our debut album, “Blood Red Sun” was released on OOB Records in March of this year. It’s an eclectic mix of progressive, straightforward and hard rock which, I think, represents all 3 of our musical influences. It’s a pseudo-concept album based a potential dystopian nightmare caused by the rise of AI.

3. What’s currently going on in your camp? New releases? Tours? Etc.

Since we’re a new band, we’ve been trying to get our music out there as much as possible. It’s difficult to do without playing live so we’re working on possibly doing some live dates. Also, we’re currently writing a new album…but that’s a secret.

4. What has been the most positive experience of making music to date for you?

With the Elevenwire project the response to the album has been amazing.

I’ve been playing in bands since I was 17 and was hooked on the experience from the get-go. There’s nothing like the feedback you get from playing your own original music in front of real people. I’ve also spent a lot of time in studios recording my own music and doing background vocal tracking as a side gig. I’ve seen both sides and it all juices me.

5. Likewise, what has been some of the more challenging aspects and how have you overcome them?

The Elevenwire project has been a labor of love, to put it mildly. We started back in 2017, lost our drummer and friend (don’t worry- he’s still alive), stalled through the “pandemic” and other health issues. So, the mere fact that we released it feels like giving birth to a unicorn. (Sorry for the lovely metaphor).

Losing our drummer turned into a major twist of fate when Eric Gillette agreed to play drums for us. He took us into new territory that was a great challenge for us musically, not to mention that he is a phenomenal musician (drums, guitar, keys, vocals…).

6. How do you handle the modern expectations of being in a band? Always online, having to put out content constantly, your success measured in likes and follows?

Yeah, the social media expectations are challenging, especially when you have a day job. OOB Records has helped tremendously with the promotion, but we still have to come up with new content on a weekly basis. We’ve created singles videos (see YouTube) and lots of other goofy stuff that we never expected we would ever do. None of us could ever run for public office now. (We try to stay away from the duck-faced selfies…mostly).

7. What’s something that really ‘grinds your gears’ about the industry/business these days and what would you propose is done to combat it?

I think streaming is possibly the best and worst thing to happen to the music industry. The good part is that anyone (even non-musicians) can make music, publish it, and it can be heard all over the world. There’s a lot of freedom to the art that way. The bad part is that it’s very difficult for musicians to make a living at it anymore. You may still own your music, but its value has been degraded to pennies. Live performances along with album and merch sales have always been a key to a band’s success, but now it is almost required.

8. Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support your music?

First, I have to say we’re blown away at the reception of the album. We never imagined so many people would even hear it. THANKS! We are extremely grateful. The most we could ever ask of our fans to do is to spread the word. Whether it’s on social media, Spotify playlists, word of mouth, or carrier pigeon, the best thing they can do is share. If they choose to purchase the album, poster, or all the other merch on our website then they’ve gone above and beyond.

9. Outside of the music, what’s do you do to relax?

Jonathan and I work together in the Bay Area, California, so we see each other every day. Sometimes we get work done, but we play golf (for work), and music is our relaxation. Jim and I live in Reno, Nevada and have been friends since the early 90’s, and we like to go fishing, shooting or just hang out and drink whisky (mostly the latter).

10. Where can people find you?

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube