The Hoosiers

It's fair to say The Hoosiers are a determined trio. After bursting onto the music scene in 2007 with their double platinum debut album The Trick To Life, Irwin, Martin and Alphonso promptly headed back into the studio to work on their follow-up LP. Fast-forward three years, and the trio have been M.I.A for seven months, separated from their record label and are working on a re-issue of their sophomore record. Curious as to the turn of events, we gave Martin Skarendahl a call to find out all about The Hoosiers real-life 'Bumpy Ride'.

Do you still get excited by release week?
"Yes! Finally were going to release this album properly and have a team that is really behind it, which wasn't the case when we first released it in August. It's really exciting to actually get it out there.

Are you now releasing off of your own label Angellic Union?
"Yes, it's through our producer and our manager who we signed with before we signed to Sony about four years ago. It's one of those things that happens quite often - you need some people with power in the label to be behind your project and to make it a priority, which we were really lucky to have during the first album when Craig Logan was head of RCA. He really backed us and supported the project, but the opposite happened when he left. It's one of those things. It happens to loads of bands. So we decided to ask for the record back, which we were very lucky to get."

Was it that the label did not want to release a second single?
"It was always going to happen. It became clear that after the album was released that they just stopped spending money and there was no interest in our energy put into it. The single wouldn't have done very well. There was no one marketing it. No one really knew that the album was out. It was much better to try something else."

As a group, you must be very proud of this album to go to such effort?
"Definitely. We are really, really proud of it. It took us a long time to get right and it's definitely something we are proud of and really want people to hear."

What can you tell us about the reissue?
"Yes we've added four extra tracks, so the album has a total of 16 now. All tracks we did were around the time of the other songs but didn't make the first cut. They are strong songs that have something about them but didn't really work with the original direction of the album."

Was it intentional to release 'Bumpy Ride' given the struggle over the last few months?
"You would think so! It was written long before this whole debacle followed. I mean, I guess in hindsight we could have named the album Plain Sailing or Easy Ride! It's a really upbeat song and it's one that we have been excited about releasing. The audiences seem to get it when we play to them."

How much fun was it to film the video in the US?
"It was very good fun. I'd never been to America before so this was my first time. It was a great opportunity to see and do something different. We didn't know what it was going to end up like, so we put a lot of faith in the director Craig Young. He had a strong idea, and we wanted to achieve something that was really grand looking on our budget."

Does releasing this on your own label increase the pressure on it to perform well in the charts?
"Well when you own the record, you don't have to sell as many for it to work out financially. There is obviously a pressure with it selling, but all we need is to cover the costs we have incurred and a few months wages. Also to make something towards the next album, which we are really keen to start recording."

Will you begin work on the third album soon?
"We have been really prolific in writing over the past six months and during this period of waiting to see what will happen with the album. We've already got about 40 songs. You need a lot of songs to make an album! We've got a lot of material and we're really inspired to make this next record. We're going to start in the downtime we have from now on."

Is it true that the album will have a "rockier edge"?
"No one knows, including us! We have the songs and they sound really different from each other. It depends on the choice of songs we use. One things is, is that we are probably going to be a tad more acoustic than the second album."

Will there be a third single after 'Bumpy Ride'?
"I'm not sure but probably not. We will probably call it a day with this album. It's been a long and hard ride. It's good to get it out. We just want to move on and work on new material because this material has been flying around now for a fair few years! For our sakes, we want to keep it exciting and have something to look forward too. The focus is now on the UK tour in mid-May."

What can fans expect from the tour?
"Tickets are on sale now and we have about nine dates up and down the country. Fans can expect a band that are really keen to tour, not having done it for about two-and-a-half years. We'll give it all we can to have a good night out. We're still going to encourage fancy dress! It'll be a great night out."

Your X Factor spoof got a good reaction - how did it come about?
"We love the videos by the director Dan Hutchens on YouTube, so we contacted him and asked him if he wanted to do something with us. It was a collaboration, but he was really the driving force behind it. He did another one with Wagner and Stephen Fry which is worth seeing!"



What are you views on shows like X Factor and the effect that they have on the music industry?
"What can I say? I think it's a shame that young people out there believe that all it takes is an audition and a couple of weeks work and then you are a star. There isn't a superstar every year - there isn't. There is a lot of talented people and they are all respected, they try it and some succeed. But the actual format itself paints this picture of what the music industry is like, which it's not. A lot of the contestants find out later on what it's actually like. Obviously it's a great idea financially from the Syco record company because they get lots of TV time and advertising which is worth a lot of money.

Would you like to see more spots for established artists on TV?
I think it's sad that there are no TV programmes for normal artists and bands who have done the real slog. 10 years ago there will still programmes that they could be on to raise their profile. Now there is almost nothing. There is a lot of control to the X Factor. They control a big portion of the market. But you know, everyone makes their own luck and fortune and a lot of the contestants are really talented and they do what they can to succeed in the music industry so respect to them.

Finally, do you have a message for your fans reading this?
"Thanks for staying with us! Sorry we've been so long and we will try our best to come out with the third album a lot quicker than the second."

'Bumpy Ride' is out now, while the repackaged album of the same name follows on April 11. Tickets for The Hoosiers tour are on sale now.