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Fony 2004
The Mighty Fony found some time to grant Rock3 an Interview and answer our Probing Questions - Bass Player Guy Hassell takes up the challenge
LEFT] How did the band first meet each other?[/left]
Fony were formed in 1998. The members at that time were all playing for a number different college bands and decided to start a new band- Fony. At this time they were a four piece, consisting of Olly Gibbens (Vocals), Pete Hamilton (Drums), Phil Bashford (Guitar) and Steve Gush (Bass). The band started to record some demo's before adding a second guitarist to the sound, Chris Hamilton. Since this time the line up has consisted of the four founding members, Olly, Pete, Phil and Steve, joined recently by new bassist, me, Guy Hassell.
What bands were your greatest influences?
I think that Fony, like any band, have a great number of influences from many different styles of music. But the ones that stand out to me are the bands whom Fony have played with live and on tour. Bands like Life of Agony, Earthtone 9, Funeral for a Friend, One minute Silence, Lost Prophets and more recently Fear Factory are all examples of bands that many people aspire to. They have all influenced Fony a great deal, but I would say that they have influenced our ambition and aspirations as opposed to our actual music. Lots and lots of bands reel off name after name of influences, but I think the ones that really count are the ones who you meet, tour and form bonds with, and who give you the ambition and aspirations to take what you're doing to another level.
When did you start playing an instrument and what was it?
I've been playing bass since I was 9 and started gigging all over the place when I was 12. The others I think all started playing at high school and played in a few bands before starting Fony.
What was the bands most memorable gig to date?
I think everyone will have different views on this one. For the others, they all grew up listening to Life of Agony, and on the tour with them, they were asked to get up on stage and sing with the band, which must have been amazing! For me personally, the hometown show in Nov 2004 was superb. This show was recorded for our new live album, it was the first recording I've done with the band, and it was an amazing night. We played to a sell out crowd of about 700 people and about 200 people had to be turned away. The vibe on stage and amongst the crowd was electric, lots of excitement and energy. It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck!
What do you do to relax on tour?
We're lucky enough to have a DVD player in our van, so when we're travelling we like to watch films to pass the time, it's just a case of getting some new ones. Watching all of the Lord of the Rings films can only be done so many times!!! We also read quite a lot too. Out of the van, it's nice to have a wonder round the town you're in, and meet up with whoever we know there. We've got friends at uni and in other bands round the country too, so it's cool to go for a drink and catch up.
Which country would you like to spend time gigging in?
We spent a lot of time last year in Spain which was really cool. We did lots of TV and Radio promotion and also contributed a track to a new Ozzy tribute album which is being released on a Spanish label. We're all looking forward to getting back over there this year to follow up all the work we've been putting in. Plus, we love the culture, they're really relaxed, there's no pressure and they really look after you.
What is your favourite song of all time?
Back in Black- AC/DC, we hear this song every day on tour, it's a classic which everyone loves. Our sound guy always puts this on when we're loading in, seems to make us move a lot quicker!
Have you any new releases lined up for 2005?
 We have a new live album which will be released around April time, but we have some limited edition copies available now from gigs and from the shop on our website- www.fonymusic.com The album is very reasonably priced, and there is a DVD accompanying it which features all of the bands videos to date, and a TV show we did in Spain as well. As well as this we have just released our second single 'Nefer' which is available from Virgin.
The video for Nefer (which is also on the live album), is also being played at the moment on Scuzz along with 2 other Fony videos. The single has received great reviews from the likes of Kerrang! Zane Lowe on Radio 1, and Ian Camfield on XFM. Although they won't be released this year, we are going to Germany in April to demo some new songs with Ace (Skunk Anansie). We're all very excited about the new material, and it seems to be receiving a lot of interest too.
What is the bands ideal goal?
A Hollywood mansion, Bentley, married to a porn star! ha ha! I think we'd all like to be able to continue doing what we are doing musically for some time to come. We just wanna have fun and lots of good stories for our grand children!!! It'd be nice to make a big enough name for ourselves to be able to carry on working in other areas of the industry in our senior years.
What equipment (manufacturer) does each band member currently use?
Olly- SM58 wireless
Guy- Warwick basses, Ashdown Amplification
Phil & Steve- Fender, Framus, Peavey, Yamaha guitars, Peavey xxx heads and cabs, Line 6 & Boss effects.
Pete- Yamaha drums, Sabian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Remo skins.
Who has the worst habit?
Phil, he can't stop pissing, he pisses everywhere, like a dog marking its territory. It gets really annoying when you have to keep stopping the van every half hour because Phil has bladder issues!!!!
Vocals - Olly Gibbens
Guitar - Phil Bashford
Guitar - Steve Gush
Bass - Guy Hassell
Drums - Pete Hamilton
Official Fony Website
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