Interview With Danny Cameo - Jan 25th, 2008

Interview with Black Halos manager and owner/operator of Vancouver-based indie label History Music, Danny Cameo.
Audio interview transcribed Feb 15, 2008



NS: So Danny, you’re in the trenches. Tell me what’s going on with the Black Halos right now.

DC, We had the great Jack Endino up here producing for us once again, which we are very excited about. We have a big few months a head of us, lots of touring, and rehearsing a ton. We’ve got a heavy touring schedule planned to promote the release of the new record. We have a new bass player..

NS: I heard that, yeah

DC: His name is Jameel, we call him JR, Russel. He’s from Winnipeg just like Johnny our guitar player. They actually played in a couple of the same bands together and we managed to get him. He’s a great bass player, great singer, and he’s tight already with the tracks. The guys are just getting ready, we’re excited, and y’know just getting ready for the road.

NS: Do you think the lineup changes affect the inner-workings of the band? Are the guys still on the same wavelength? I know the sound is always gonna be the Halos, but do you think swapping members changes the dynamic of the band itself?

But it changes it in a positive way. I think fans sometimes see it as a negative thing, but sometimes members just don’t work out. Plain and simple. With a band that’s been around this long, it’s like a gang. There’s a bond that supercedes just playing an instrument. It’s a bond that you can feel when the guys are on stage, or in a customs line in Sweden or wherever. Each time we swap members it seems like there’s an injection of new energy, but if you talk to the guys, it’s still the Halos. It looks like the Halos, smells like the halos and all that.”

DC: Sure, but it changes it in a positive way. I think fans sometimes see it as a negative thing, but sometimes members just don’t work out. Plain and simple. With a band that’s been around this long, it’s like a gang. There’s a bond that supercedes just playing an instrument. It’s a bond that you can feel when the guys are on stage, or in a customs line in Sweden or wherever. Each time we swap members it seems like there’s an injection of new energy, but if you talk to the guys, it’s still the Halos. It looks like the Halos, smells like the halos and all that.”

NS: So with the new lineup, and I know you had another change earlier in the year with the exit of Jay, would you say this incarnation of the Halos is the most powerful Halos we’ve seen, lineup-wise?

DC: It could be. I’d like to say, let the music do the talking and let the people decide for themselves. I tell ya, I wasn’t around in the early early days, but I’ve been around this group of guys long enough to know about the old squabbles and the new squabbles, and yeah I think it is. Jay left, and I mean, I still talk to that guy all the time, I love him to death. Let me tell ya: you can’t replace members. With the exit of our guitarist Jay last year and the entrance of the new blood in Johnny, it’s not like we’ve replaced Jay. All we’re doing is bringing something new to the band. Jay brings something different. Sometimes you hold on to a girlfriend and it doesn’t feel right when she’s gone, but you blink, and a year goes by and you’ve got a new girl, and you’re like, wow this feels great. You’re like, who was that girl, what was her name again? But the beauty in music is it’s always recorded, it’s always there. So I think yes, this is probably the strongest lineup and that’s 2 members, same goes for JR on bass. That guy walked in, came back a week later and had all the tunes down, and with such style. Halo style. I’d say this is the strongest lineup yet, and that’s not a cheap answer either.

NS: Yeah! So I was wondering if you’d like to tell me how you first crossed paths with the Halos?

DC: Oooh, that came up on the radio the other night, and I just kept saying” Not in a dumpster. They didn’t find me in a dumpster” (laughs). No seriously, I saw these guys play in Minneapolis a while back and looked up and said “Shit, who are these guys?” We were the only Canadians there, and just started talking. I was spending more time in Vancouver, and we kept crossing paths, and one thing led to another. Billy and I became kind of tight, as I did with all the other guys, so we were just spending a ton of time together, and there ya go.


NS: Now fast-forward to 2007, and you launch History Music, what were the reasons for launching the company?

DC: It’s funny; when Jay left there was a big head scratch, and the feeling was that after Century Media and Liquor & Poker, there was a lot of high hopes with Alive Without Control and on that label. You know what happens, is they’ve got the resources, they’ve got the connections, and guys no mater how long they’ve been in the industry, they get really excited, but people forget that they’ve got so many different artists and they don’t just bank on you. That’s not to say that you’re not as important, but you sometimes don’t get the attention you do with a smaller indie label, and one thing led to another. No blame to the previous label or anything, but things just didn’t work out the way they were hoped, and there were a lot of sighs, and it came together when I was talking to Rob, the Halos drummer, and I said, it’s time to give this another shot, give this another kick at the can if you will.

Just with the inner-workings of the band and everything, plus my background in business, I just saw an opportunity so to speak. Some of the mistakes you see in independent labels, you just look and you shake your head and go, how did that slip through the cracks? I don’t know, I just thought we could take some of the expertise that everybody had to offer and put them together. With that said, not bite off more than we can chew. That’s something I think about every day, not biting off more than I can chew, and just do this, because if you’re signed to another label, you might have 100 bands, and if one of those 100 bands hits it, it pays for all 99 that don’t. You know what I mean, and when you only have 1 band, you depend on that band to recoup. So it’s set up a little differently, as far as those things go.


NS: So would you say that you thought, “We can do it better, or differently?”


DC: Yeah that’s what I wanted to do. Obviously do it better, and differently in a sense of more attention to details. Whether it’s those connections you make on the road, on the phone, computer, utilizing all of those. Doing it better in a sense of not just throwing money at it and crossing your fingers, hoping it comes through, but you know throwing the money and following through with the contacts. This band is great with that, especially Billy, he’s got that rapport with people and that’s what’s honest. I think people see the realness of that, and shit, kids can smell phoniness a mile away! That’s really what we wanted to do with this label. It’s real, it’s there, and there’s a lot of motivation because it’s 100% ours. There’s a lot of investment, so there’s a lot of motivation, the same with any company. It’s a different way to motivate you, because you’re playing with your own money and recouping your own money as opposed to somebody else’s.


NS: I noticed on the 2006 Halos tour, you had help from People Like You Records and Rock Hard Magazine. I was wondering if they are still on Board?


DC: Absolutely. This record, we recorded in Vancouver at Harbourside Studios in North Vancouver, brought up acclaimed producer Jack Endino and the idea is, I worked out a great distribution deal here with Sonic Unyon, so I’m putting it out myself here. I’ve licensed it to People Like You in Europe, I’ve sold them the rights in Europe, and in the US I’ve worked out a deal with Acetate Records in Los Angeles, so y’know, that’s the way I saw it from the get go. I really wanted to focus on Canada though, because being a Canadian band, a lot of people don’t even see it that way, because a lot of these labels were US labels and tried to sell the Halos as an American band, but I looked at Sound Scan numbers in Canada and went, Shit, there’s a wide open market in our own country. It’s not like the Halos neglected Canada, but when somebody else is booking your tour dates, you can fight and scream with them al you want, but I wanted to focus more time and more energy in Canada, and try not to bite off more than I can chew by taking on the US the first go around. I’m happy with the partnerships I’ve got, and I’m still looking for somebody in Japan right now.

NS: You mentioned that Nettwerk has been a big supporter of the Halos. Is that off the record, or can we talk about that?

DC: (laughs) Well, let me just correct you on that. Anything that the fine people at Nettwerk have done for History Music has been on their OWN TIME, OWN DIME. They’re just wonderful people who are willing to help out with label-related questions that I’ve had. When you’re starting a business, you’ve got to make contacts so you can ask those questions, even if they seem obvious. The reality is, everybody hates on the big labels, but these guys are really helping a lot of people here in Canada and I’m very glad I’ve made those contacts. I’m not going to name names, but they’ve helped us a lot, yeah

NS: Absolutely. So would you say it’s more the relationships with the individuals that you’ve forged to help you along the way? I don’t necessarily see the Halos as having the Nettwerk stamp on them, right?

DC: No, no, there’s nothing there with the Halos in that sort of way. It’s been with the label, with History Music. With the questions, whether it’s something to do with art, or a legal question. Y’know, the Black Halos are a Vancouver Band, and you know they just wish us the best.

NS: Cheering for the home team.

DC: Yeah, that’s a great way of putting it, cheering for the home team, and cheering for the little guy as well.


NS: Another relationship I wanted to touch on was the Sub Pop situation. What was it like for you coming in after the Sub Pop years, and are any of those Sub Pop connections are still in the woodwork?

DC: No there’s really nothing left from the Sub Pop Days. They were really silent for a long time, but they were pretty cool. People Like You wanted to release the Violent Years and the self-titled record in Europe and Sub Pop was really cool with getting the rights over to them quickly for them to re-release them in Europe. That was it with the Sub Pop dealings. I’ve had very little contact with them, but when I did they were helpful.


NS: Ok, well obviously the name Jack Endino is gonna turn a lot of heads in the industry. What’s it like working with him from a managerial standpoint?

DC: From a managerial standpoint, or a label standpoint?

NS: I guess both. You do it all, brother, so lay it on me.

DC: From a managerial, it’s a pretty easy decision. Jack had done every Halos record up to this record, so the guys wanted Jack. I remember being with Rob at my cabin and we talked about doing the record, and I gave him a call and he was like (doing Jack’s voice) “I dunno, that Alive Without Control could have been the best Black Halos record. I don’t know how we’re gonna top that!” He hummed and hawed, but we twisted his arm and got him up here.

As a manager, it’s a no-brainer. Working with Jack was very interesting, but at the same time very intimidating. I mean, we’d be eating breakfast with this guy and trying to get him to tell us stories about Courtney Love, y’know. This guy has seen it all. He’s such a class act too, that he doesn’t really want to tell you. Jack’s a real guy, he’s a rock & roll guy. The best thing about working with Jack Endino is that he can admit when he’s wrong. He listens to other people and he’s got an incredible ear. Like I said, it’s pretty intimidating at first, but when you’re working with him, he’s just Jack. Funny enough, when the guys all went home, it would be me and him there until 5 or 6 in the morning. The Halos are like 1 take 2 take guys, but every once in a while you’d hear something, there’s a ring he doesn’t like, and he’d try to find where it is, and he knows that stuff. He’s got an incredible ear with sounds. You know, I said something like “It needs a little more kick there” and he’s say “I don’t think so”, but then he’d come back a minute later and say “I agree.” So y’know it’s a little intimidating that way, it’s weird looking over when you’re recording with him and it’s just Jack for that few weeks. But he goes away again, and people bring up his name and go Holy Crap. From a label, what more could you want to get to work with a producer of that caliber for your first record. You know what I mean, it’s intimidating at first, but if you wanna learn, you gotta hit the ground running so to speak.

NS: Would you say he’s a bit of a mad scientist in the studio?

DC: (laughs) I could see how some people would call him a bit of a mad scientist, he’s a bit eccentric but not over the top. One time he stopped everything, left the studio and came back gnawing on a big bowl of Cap N Crunch. It was 5 in the morning and he just had to have his Cap N Crunch. He’s a rocker, so he relates to musicians. He’s also a fantastic musician himself. He plays slide guitar on one of the songs on the new record. I think he has a definite mystique. He’s a mad scientist genius, and I can totally see him right now eating Cap N Crunch and broccoli and turning out the hits.’

NS: Actually I was just listening to his new Record (Jack Endino) and it’s pretty mind blowing. He’s got this one song called Crazy Jack, He’s Lost It. Half way through the song it starts playing sound bytes of his studio sessions, where he’ll be saying “Alright, let’s try that again, sounds good.” And you can tell as it’s going on, this guy knows his stuff for sure.

DC: Oh yeah, You’d be sitting there talking about some band, and he’d say, yeah I did their record, and you’d say “Ok…”you’d start talking about your favourite band and he’d say “I did that record and you’d say “Holy shit, you did do that record.” You know, that guy has done so many records and he doesn’t always stick to what’s safe either. The guy’s not afraid to try something outside the norm. The guy did a Bruce Dickinson Record, I mean then he comes back and does the Halos record. What can you say abut Jack, he’s got all those things you mentioned. He is that mad scientist genius and I can still see him right now, eating Cap N Crunch and broccoli.

NS: Together?

DC: Not far apart (laughs). What can you say, he is a great guy and he goes out of his way. And he’s so busy. He thrives off it.

NS: That’s one thing I was wondering, was it jus a matter of when he can squeeze you guys in, or can anyone call him up and say, Hey Jack, I want you to do this project.

DC: No, he picks and chooses. With that said, I’ve asked him to listen to something from another band, and he’ll listen and he’ll give you his true-shootin’ opinion. He doesn’t pull any punches with that. He doesn’t have time for that bullshit, and I respect him for that because I know I’ll get a straight answer out of him. If he doesn’t like something, he’ll say it. I don’t think necessarily people can just hit him up and ask him to produce them, but you know, he’ll take a listen, and tell you if he’s interested for sure. He’s a busy guy, and we had to schedule well ahead of time. I think he had to move some things, and we brought him up here, but you know, because he’s an American producer, we had the whole MAPL, Can Con thing to think about, so we convinced him to come up here. Yeah, it was tight, he obviously made some changes to his schedule for us, but you know this is the 4th Halos record he’s done, so y’know he liked what he heard, and he likes the new record a lot.

NS: Has he been out to many Halos live shows?

DC: You know what, the first time I met him was at a live show. We were going down to Seattle and Adam called him up and he’s like (Imitating Jack’s voice) “Oh, I don’t know, I’m busy, I don’t think I can make it” then the next thing you know, he’s standing there. Yeah, he’s a rock & roll guy, and I think one of the Halos offered him a shirt and he’s like “What would I do with another T-Shirt?” (laughs) Oh yeah he’s a music guy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I emailed him on Boxing Day and I told him, as a joke, “Relax, Jack. It’s the holidays”, and he said something like “Oh I was up last night on Christmas Day until midnight mixing this record for this band” and I was like Holy Shit, you know. It’s what he does you know, it drives him, and it’s why he’s that good.

NS: Just going back to something you said earlier, you said the Halos are 1 take, 2 take guys, I was just wondering, because the live show is so off the wall, how do you capture that energy in the studio, while keeping that professionalism? How do they do that? Is it all by the book when the band hits the studio, or is there a little bit of that Halos Flare goin' on?

DC: (laughs) Ohhhhh there’s flair. Especially Billy Flair. Oh for sure. I mean, the Halos are so professional. The live show is off the wall, but you can’t have an off the wall show without strong musicians and great players, and the Halos are great players. And yeah, some of it’s by the book. None of us are rich right, and studio time costs an arm and a leg, so we wanna be ready to go when we get in there. But that’s not to say there’s not antics, that’s for sure. There’s a story about Billy in the studio, tracking in the vocal booth and you look over and his pants are around his ankles. But you know what, he was going balls out, and at the end of the song Migraine, off the new record, you’ll probably hear Billy’s finest vocal moment. I was rolling on the floor when Billy came in afterwards. But then Jack looks over at me and says “That was in key”. (laughs) And I was like “Billy, to me that was your finest vocal moment.” It was just him going balls out, which Billy does.

NS: And he had his pants down, so he really was balls out.

DC: Yeah, I don’t remember if they were down at that point, but let me tell ya, whether they were down or not, boy he was singin, he was givin it, and he was in key. That was the part where I was like, “Of course he was”. He was just going crazy, and the antics were there, but like I said, the musicianship’s there. I don’t know many people who could do that and pull it off in one take, and then Jack’s like, let’s do 2 just in case, and there ya go.

NS: So do you think the band is maturing, or is that totally out of the question with this band? Not in that sense, but as you see the band go on, do you think they are getting more mature as a band?

DC: Oh absolutely. I mean, these guys went to 14 countries last year, and most bands don’t last that long. Road wear, you know internal fights, drugs, booze, you hear about this all the time, they tear up bands and you bring that up, and the sense of humour is what keeps this band together. We were talking about it earlier, the dynamic of the band, and that’s something that’s really special. Whether the guys are having an argument, or whatever it is, when they hit the stage, it’s gone. You know what I mean? This band does best when they’re playing, not idle. And uh, maturing, absolutely. These guys are like sponges. They suck it up and they’re very well aware. The intelligence is there, that a lot of people don’t see. It’s like the Ramones, you just sit back and there’s this quote somewhere, like “Smart people acting dumb to give other smart people a good laugh.” Y’know, that quote that somebody said about the Ramones, always makes me think of The Halos. The antics or whatever, not that it’s planned, and you know contrived, it’s natural, but there’s a lot of intelligence there.

NS: I’m glad you brought up the non-stop touring, because I was going to ask you, is that another reason for the Halos success, and endurance, that they’re always on the go, always booking that next tour, and there’s always another page in the Halos’ story that has yet to come. Is that one of the ingredients to the band’s success so far?

DC: I think so. It’s funny you say that, because the band’s been idle since the Social Distortion tour, which has been 6 or 7 months, but right now is he time to regroup before the record is released and get out there, spend some time with the family before we get out there for months on end again. I think it is, I certainly do think it is. That amount of playing after all that time, keeps the band going and it keeps it fresh, and when you’re playing for people, and if you’re not selling, not having gold records, what do you do to get your music out there? And if you’re not being spun in rotation consistently, you gotta get out there and make sure you’re still relevant, and playing live does that. Yeah, it certainly adds to it because the Halos have such a cult following. It’s weird, every time we go out on tour, I look out and there’s some fan, if it’s an all ages show, some 15 year old kid with their eyes wide open, and then there’s somebody there from when the band played that town in the 90’s, and they’re in their 40’s, y’know? You get all these different mixes of genres, right, and absolutely. It’s all about how you judge success right? To me when I see a kid who’s 15 or whatever, and I can’t speak for the guys, but you se this kid who is just rockin’ out, you know in my mind, that made it worthwhile dealing with that promoter last night. (laughs). Not that all promoters aren’t great. (laughs harder)

NS: Oh yeah, of course.

DC: And easy to work with.

NS: What are we saying here?

DC: Exactly.

NS: Well, I heard about this LA band Clit 45 and they were all over Youtube, they got in a big fight outside a gig, and a buddy of mine sent me a link that someone had videotaped. Has anything like that ever happened to the Halos where something will happen and the next day, everybody’s talking about it? Have you guys ever been in the news for any shenanigans, or do the tours usually go pretty smoothly?


DC: Well, Clit 45 came to see us in LA and they were in the dressing room, and they were nice behaved boys the last time we bumped into them, so that’s funny, and I gotta go look at that after. You know what, there’s been shenanigans, and woahhhhh. The Halos aren’t bar room brawlers but it happens. Oh it happens. I guess fortunately or unfortunately it hasn’t been on Youtube yet, but yeah that shit happens to everybody. Somebody doesn’t like something, and I mean, I got cracked over the noggin somewhere in Alberta last year by somebody that didn’t like something. I don’t know, I mean shit happens out there, and it’s crazy. There is that type of shenanigans. Maybe not as much as some other bands, but it definitely happens. Some of the weirdest stuff happens on the road. It happens.


NS: How did the Social Distortion tour go, anyway?

DC: Oh it was great. It was everything I think we thought it was gonna be. I mean the Halos have toured with big bands in the past like The Offspring, Danzig you know, those type of shows before, but it was great. They’re one of my all time personal favourites, so I was excited as heck. It was great. Those guys are just great. Every one of them, including Ness, just great guys and we had a connection with Charlie their drummer, who is actually a resident here in Vancouver, and so we had a little bit of a connection with those guys and they were literally just great to tour with. There was another band on that bill I Hate Kate, and they were great too. There was a pretty cool rappore between all the bands. It was crazy. They have such hardcore fans, man, and I mean it’s unbelievable to me and we’re touring, and you get to another city, and they’re just waitin’ for Ness. They line up the hot rods out front, and they’re just waitin’ for him to get off the bus and you know, it’s crazy to watch that. And you know what, he’s a really cool guy, he’s so smart. And so good at what he does, and there’s another guy who doesn’t get anywhere near the credit he deserves in the industry. People don’t realize how smart he is. That guy is a perfectionist, and what more can I say?

NS: So that was a big tour for you guys. What have your Canadian headlining tours been like? I know you guys went out to CMW last year and did a showcase.

DC: Yeah we’ve done it twice now. The Halos have done lots of headlining tours across Canada. Everything seems kinda blurry now man. But yeah, that tour was fun. That was the first tour with Johnny, and there were some fun times. That tour was a lot of fun. The band clicked. Some of the tightest shows I’ve seen with the band was on that tour. I mean, we had a crazy show in Hamilton, where I dunno what happened, if there was a wrong date on the poster or what, it coulda been a Monday, but there was like nobody there. And the opening band had like some connections, and they were big fans, and a couple of those guys knew some pretty big bands around Toronto, and their friends came up, and that was it. The Halos just thrive off that. They were like, alright guys, let’s just go out there and rip the shit outta this place. It was crazy. It was like one of the best Halos shows you’ve ever seen, I swear to god.

NS: Or the best Halos show you’ve never seen.

DC: Exactly, that’s a good way of putting it. (laughs) We were just teaching Johnny how to break a bottle. On himself. Yeah it was insane. That tour was great and the response was great. The Hamilton show was a bit wonky, but there were so many great things that happened, I mean we played with the Viletones at the CMW showcase and their singer Nazi Dog, didn’t show up. The place is jammed, you gotta imagine this, and the band’s there standing on stage, and he’s not there. So what do they do, they call Billy. Yup, Billy goes up. Does 2 tunes, and I know that was a big thrill for Billy because the Viletones are one of his favourite bands. It was really wonky man, but it worked out and the place just went crazy. And there was a lot of “who’s who” if you will, in the crowd that night. There was a lot of who’s who in the Toronto scene that night, and they saw that, and we rocked it all the way back. It was really cool. We were in places like Regina, Saskatoon on week days and there were damn good turnouts. It was great.

NS: It’s good that you mentioned the who’s who. Do you think from a label standpoint, that it’s important to bring the Halos out to the industry at places like CMW, SXSW and all that, or do you think it’s better to kind of grow organically until the industry has no other choice but to take notice?

DC: You know it’s funny. Booking this album tour, you get people who are begging you to play, and other people you’ve gotta twist their arms. It’s funny, it all depends where. I think the idea of getting to CMW from a label perspective and from a manager perspective, wasn’t to go to CMW to showcase like “Hey Warner, look at us” and I wanted from a label perspective, Universal distribution or something, not that that’s a bad thing (laughs). It wasn’t for that. It’s to get out in front of more people, you know what I mean? It’s on our terms, and that’s the way it’s kinda always been with the band. We got enough friends in the industry who have been on majors and everything else, and it’s not a bad thing being on a major. It’s not un-punk, it’s not uncool. Just doing it on your own terms, that’s what this is all about. We went to CMW on our own terms, didn’t kick & scream, not that you have a choice, which venue, although we were lucky to play at a friend’s club there, but we were doing it on our terms, and with our fans, and if other people are there and it gets the buzz going, then sure. Is it better for them to come to you and beg? No, I don’t think so. I think that’s kind of a myth, that whole “Do I look too desperate or do I not?” thing. I mean, this band has been around long enough and the attitude has always been kinda, “who gives a shit?” We’re going there on our own terms and we’re going there to rock. We’re going there to tear the fuckin’ place down, and if somebody’s there who digs it, then great. If they want to do business on that level, then cool, but you can’t be ignorant about it, and you can’t be schtoopid and pass those opportunities up because you’re trying to be too punk or too you know, Rock & Roll. You gotta be smart about it, but you gotta do it on your own terms.

NS: Cool. There’s just one more thing I wanted to ask you. I’ve noticed your nickname is “Pirate”. Is that an indication of your management style?

DC: (laughs) Uhhh, somewhat, I guess you could say that. I always dug that idea of goin’ in and takin’ what you want, right? I guess, again, you can’t be stupid or ignorant about it, but it’s like a lifestyle I uses. A friend of the band, Dwayne Peters said “You’re a pirate, going town to town and breaking everything that’s in your way.” And I use that kind of loosely, but sure, it’s got some relevance. I mean, when you’re hungry and you’re on the road, and you’ve had a couple of pops and stuff, you’re like a pirate. You’re there to take, you know, without burning too many bridges you know (laughs). Yeah I guess you could say my management style is that way, but it’s not necessarily all that way. I mean the management style is to do the best I can for the band and get them what they need as a band in my opinion, what’s best for them. And if a pirate style is the way to do it, well sure. And if there’s another band and that’s not quite what they need, then you know, I know when to turn it on and off.

NS: That’s great man. Thanks a lot. Is there anything else you want to shout out? What can fans expect from the new record?

DC: This is honestly the best Black Halos album to date. It’s gonna floor you. But you know what? We really want the music to speak for itself. The record is available everywhere so go out and get it. It’s called We Are Not Alone. It’s available everywhere including itunes on Feb26th and we’ll be taking advanced orders through the website. Yeah you can get it at the website, the myspace and the History Music Website.

www.blackhalos.net
www.myspace.com/blackhaloswww.myspace.com/histprymusicrecording