‘The HONS Effect’ brings album success
Cameron Hons should be nominated for an honorary doctorate by a university for his contribution to the contemporary music industry. By combining techniques from this century and last century, he has displayed great inspiration for other artists to stop, think and learn. AirFM’s Darren McErlain reviewed his latest album, Re-Recorded Oh No, Not Again.
Publishing and distribution music in the 21 century has many obstacles when compared to the 70s and 80s. It can be very challenging. Not for Cameron Hons. Producing multiple albums means he has worked out a secret algorithm. By gathering band members from near and far to record tracks, allows him to reproduce that 70s-sound with real instruments. He embraces new technology that allows him to share it. He gets his work out there via the music platform cameronhons.bandcamp.com/
Hons doesn’t need to wait for radio airplay to get a track in the top 40 playlist, nor does he worry about touring to get his name out there. He doesn’t need to. Extra artists have brought depth to his favourite tracks, and this has brought great satisfaction to the listener. The Album Re-recorded Oh No, Not Again is one of his best.
Cameron Hons said the digital scene is the biggest challenge for independent musicians as people enjoy streaming albums, but don't buy them.
“The late 90’s were a more organised time for musicians and it’s a shame I wasn't making music then…when the internet was still kind of a new thing, so it would have been easier to sell CDs,” said Hons.
“The internet has also given me good things, like it's made me new fans from all over the world and people ask where can I find you and they just look me up on Band Camp, so I guess it is a curse and a blessing,” he said.
The first thing that captures your attention for this Album is the richness and depth of a unique sound. There are tracks that deserve to be on stage in the form of a musical, and performed by some of Australia’s top entertainers. The songs have a narrative, the sound is crisp, it has been produced with collaboration and it is based on musical experience. This experience is called, ‘The HONS effect’. His passion and drive to be bring artists together is reflected well in his music.
Hons said working with other artists is fun but admitted it was costly as he is very selective with who works on his albums.
“I don't normally do these collab albums all the time, for obvious reasons, but it's great because sometimes if I have an issue or a specific sound I want they can help me out. For example "Oh No Not Again" I couldn't get a proper heavy sound so I asked my friend Alberto if he can help me out with it. I never had Alberto on my albums before and I always like his bass playing. He provided a great sound I couldn't do,” said Hons.
'Oh No Not Again' featuring Alberto Rigoni launches you into a 3D space that is deep and rich in harmony. Hons vocals have a sentiment of pride in his work that reflects the quantity of many albums he has produced. In the song he sings: “It doesn’t matter if I get up to one hundred and ten, it’s a new album ‘Oh No Not Again’. His wit at the end is certainly something to hang out for, with a great sense of humor. A conclusion that is true Cameron Hons style….or “The HONS effect”.
Guitarist Peter Northcote has shown Hons some great software and has taught him how technical equipment works.
“If I have an issue with a program, or specific software he helps me out. I had to send a MIDI file to Alberto for the bass track, but my computer would record in MIDI but not save it. Peter found a work around which helped me resolve the issue, so I could send the track to Alberto without any issues,” he said.
Cameron Hons said Harris Stamos is a good singer and that he taught him a lot about using choruses and double takes at the right place.
“He (Harris) does like to bring his own equipment over and show me what he uses and he is also very generous with his time. He has helped me out a lot on other tracks too. For example, I sang the original demo of "I'm So Sick Of You" back in 2018 and thought it sounded horrible. Harris offered to sing on the tracks for me when I was helping him out. That's how we started recording together and we've done a lot of other good songs too,” said Hons.
'I’m so sick' of you featuring Peter Northcote and Harris Stamos, has a drums intro by Cameron Hons that coerces the listener into a song with great attitude. The introduction vocals sound very similar to an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. The imagination starts to run wild with costumes and dancers on stage! The music and lyrics have a huge impact on the mind, and the backup singing “baby” is enough to make the listener monitor the words more closely. It is great poetry put to music.
If you wanna be a musician featuring Justin Patford is an extraordinary track. It has 70s feel that takes you on a trip, back to Woodstock or a scene from Jesus Christ Superstar. Hons and Patford are certainly from a different time, or are able to replicate the era that is just spot on. “I had to pay for the postage” is a very clever concept that bands had to deal with. Posting an album was the main method of distribution back in the 70s, and Hons tapped into this in a big way, by singing about it.
Cameron said Bass player Justin Patford likes to mix music and he's very “picky” about the quality of the tracks.
“He (Justin) has helped me a lot. He was the main one who encouraged me to get a Music Interface last year. Without that interface I would still be making music on my computer without a microphone!” joked Hons.
In the scheme of things, Hons reflected on working with Alberto and how he taught him what a Unisono riff is.
“I had a completely different bass track…(and) It sounded better than I thought it would when he sent the recording back. I am glad he used it that way,” said Hons.
Hons has a great ability to listen to feedback and act on it. Tom Adamson is very knowledgeable about music setup and equipment and he has given him the feedback he was looking for.
“He told me not to pull the guitar leads out of the guitar while they are still on as that damages the amp, and also not to scream in the microphone when he is recording me.”
'Moving Day' featuring Tom Adamson is another classic from the Hons empire, that capitalizes on the word ‘moving’. Moving house is such a mechanical thing to do, but Hons has an indirect focus on the emotion of it. It is ‘moving’ in a different way. For example, neighbours can be a static obstacle to expression and thought. When musicians are restricted or frowned upon, this lack of expression can be moving in a different way. It brings on the frustration, and the Hons lyrics bring this into fruition. Time to play the drums, also means time to play someone’s eardrums – and that is a good concept linked back to a freedom of expression.
Harris Stamos has worked as a drummer with Cameron Hons and commented on the biggest challenges facing musicians and the music industry in 2019.
“Original artists have a much harder time to get a great deal from a record company. They choose your best songs and release them, then throw you out unless you are prolific in commercial hits. Albums (are) hardly recorded so that journey we had when listening to a whole album is finished forever, ” said Stamos.
Stamos said the recording process is easier when compared to the way things were like 20 years ago.
“The recording is totally different to what I usually do. For one, it is at a home and I walk in, record the vocals into a computer and there is no huge mixing desk or expensive cheat tools. It is the nuts and bolts of what you need to record and it is authentic,” said Stamos.
Other collaborators included Justin Patford and he started playing guitar in 2006 and enjoyed listening to rap and hip hop in 1999.The musicians bring a variety of styles. He reflected about his time working with Cameron Hons.
“It’s usually fun doing tracks with Cameron; the last big thing I worked on was the cover album with him, with bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and rainbow,” said Patford.
Tom Adamson is a professional touring musician from the Sydney Heavy Metal group, Gypsy. Adamson played guitar on the newly released album for Cameron Hons. Adamson has a theory as to why some bands don’t perform in hotels and circuits very often.
“I have…noticed an extreme difficulty in getting gigs in 2019 as opposed to 2017, which was a great year for my band. I have broken down to this simple formula. Lockout + Noise complaints = less music venues,” said Adamson.
Adamson went on to say that less music venues means an abundance of bands struggling to get a gig, and resorting to playing the same handful of venues over and over.
“Some venues have even temporarily switched off their contact emails to avoid congestion,” he said.
Reflecting on his time working closely with Hons, Adamson explained why it is difficult and alienating.
“I personally enjoy alienating experiences. Getting out of a comfort zone is the only true way to feel something new. Despite Camerons somewhat insane methods, I always have a great time recording with him,” he joked.
Cameron Hons can be a perfectionist when it comes to presenting the right sound to his audience and will sometimes re-record tracks from previous albums.
“Its always fun to hear my original tracks, seeing what I can improve and then (discover) the new versions sound better. I have made a lot of good old versions too, so it’s fun to compare them.”
The newly released album has a few surprises and a deep resonance that will encourage you to play the tracks in a non-stop loop or shuffle. The artists have worked hard together, but full credit is due to Cameron Hons, for producing a collaborative project that has “The HONS effect”. It works well in so many hemispheres.
Individual tracks can be purchased for $1 or the digital Album Re-Recorded Yet Again album by Cameron Hons can be downloaded for $10 from cameronhons.bandcamp.com. It features Alberto Rigoni on Bass, Tom Adamson on guitar, Peter Northcote on guitar, Harris Stamos on vocals and Justin Patford on Bass. Watch the music video clip by clicking on the link.