HOLLOW EARTH

 

Hollow Earth began after a meeting between Kym and Stewart during Christmas 1999 after Kym had placed an ad in the local paper looking for musicians...  

 

A few weeks later and the outlines of a project had been sketched out between them.  They wanted a band with a difference - to perform the songs they considered to be a tribute to progressive rock of the 70s and 80s.  Having similar interests in bands such as Genesis, the Strawbs, Yes and Pink Floyd, Kym and Stewart discovered a wealth of material they could cover and the hunt for like-minded musicians began! 

 

Having been influenced by Rick Wakeman, Stewart had already adopted a style on keyboards that allowed the music to travel into the realms of orchestrated rock.  Kym and Stewart began to piece together the tracks 'Roundabout' and 'Time and a Word' by Yes, rehearsing in Stewart's converted spare room.  The pair could barely move for the array of keyboards and wiring with Kym playing bass and singing. Eventually they decided to get other people to listen to their work... 

 

  

 

At about the same time, Colin Cronin from the Kryptones had seen Kym's ad and they arranged a meeting at Stewart's house.  Liking what he heard, Colin offered his services as bass player with Kym subsequently deciding to sing and front the band.  Colin contacted a friend, Tim Dew from No Frills, who was invited to play drums.  Colin and Tim had previously played together in a short-lived prog band that never made it out of the rehearsal room!  The failed band had been called Hollow Earth and Tim suggested they used this name for the new venture.  Tim introduced his wealth of knowledge about 'all things Genesis' and soon realised that it was a project he wanted to be involved in.  Colin was heavily into Yes which fitted in well with what Stewart was learning but sadly Colin had to leave the band some months later, but his input during the early stages was enough to drive the band forward. 

 

A call came from Paul Hart, ex 'Boy Bastin' and one time friend of Nik Kershaw, who had also seen the ad in a local music shop.  Paul had a wealth of experience and he instantly impressed the other members by learning 'Roundabout' almost overnight!  The band was now almost complete, but they had to find a replacement for Colin... 

 

At about this time, the band had 'The World' logo designed and manufactured - which is still highly recognised as their emblem and used at gigs.

 

 

Although at this point it might sound as though things were going along easily, that was not the case...

Well over a year had passed and the band had still not performed live that much.  A few gigs had been achieved before Colin left and these proved there was an interested audience.  They still needed a full and positive line-up of committed musicians and a good bass player remained an essential need.  Pete Smith, a friend of Pat Rolph, lead guitarist for the Glamstars, and Dogwood - two bands Kym had previously played bass for, had heard of Hollow Earth and he liked what they were doing.  Pete was invited along to a rehearsal one night at the back of the 'Billy Bluelight' pub, off Hall Road in Norwich, Pete listened to the guys and immediately decided to join.  Pete's bass style introduced other songs into the ever-growing set list (see EARTH MATERIAL) and soon the band was gigging again!

 

Kym was keen for the band to have a full light show - including special effects, and with enough time and effort it may have been possible but at that stage in the band's development, it would have added complications.  The band was quite suddenly becoming unsettled.....sadly, 2004 saw the band temporarily calling everything to a halt.

 

 

 

It was the start of a long and gloomy period for Hollow Earth, with a total loss of direction and enthusiasm.  Stewart and Pete were preoccupied as their wives were both expecting babies.  Paul's work was taking him all over the country, which made it hard for everyone to keep in touch and Kym was going through a divorce, which left Tim as the only one interested enough in keeping the guys and the band together.  Worse was to come when the band got news that Paul had been involved in a bad car crash and was now in hospital...

 

Nearly a year passed.  Then, after a much-needed break and with Paul recovering from his injuries, Tim managed to get everyone to agree to sit down together and discuss if the band had a future......finally, everyone agreed that the band was worth saving but were then shocked to learn that just days later Pete declared he'd had enough and quit....undaunted, the others decided that the search was now on for a third bass player!

 

  

 

Andy Pye was already an accomplished bass man and he had just started taking classical guitar lessons from Pat Rolph - another spooky coincidence - when he heard that Hollow were looking for a bass player.  The band auditioned him and set him the task of learning the whole set within three months - in time for their next gig.....Andy succeeded in doing this and the gig was one of the best the band had played at that time.  The audience were in full support and were keen to show their enthusiasm for Hollow's return....This was the injection of enthusiasm the band needed! 

 

 

At long last the band was being noticed and many gigs were played in and around Norwich to appreciative audiences.  The size of equipment grew and the lighting and effects took up more space than was available in the small pubs and clubs.  Kym and Stewart were now becoming restless with the same old venues and suddenly, things became unsettled again.  Differences formed between musicians resulting in Tim leaving in October 2007 and his replacement, Dave Clark (no, not that Dave Clark - better than him) had an opportunity to get involved.  It was another tough time for the band because Tim had been with them from the start and was instrumental in its reforming.  There was another short break, but then in February of 2008 the band began rehearsing with Dave who was keen to rekindle his abilities, especially in playing the Yes material...

 

Hollow by now had created a faithful following of 'Earthlings' along the way who continue to support them at gigs and the material the band performs is becoming more intricate and very enjoyable.  The light show and special effects, previously so badly needed, is finally taking shape - but it is planned for this to become bigger and better as time and money allows.  Hollow Earth's own compositions are being intricately woven into an already impressive set list and this is giving the musicians a more creative outlet.  

 

In late 2007 sound engineer Martin Shearing of MJ PA Hire came on board to do the sound for the band.  Martin, a musician himself playing bass for the Norwich based band The Elevators, helped Hollow Earth out one night after they were having problems with their own equipment.  Martin's rescue meant that the gig was one of the best sounding ever and so he was asked to stay but sadly being heavily involved with his PA company's workload meant that Martin understandably couldn't commit.  Some of the gigs performed in this period though showed the band's real worth because of the full sound and quality.  

It was decided to completely go for broke with new equipment and the hunt was on for a full time engineer.  

 

A chance conversation again made everything change with a lucky break.  Kym was talking to his neighbour Mervyn who was friends with brothers Ken (Brad) and Ernie Bradfield who are technical whizz kids with anything electronic.  With help from Stewart's brother Francis the four of them immediately became interested in helping the band achieve bigger things.  Now lovingly known as 'HE Teckniks', Brad, Ern, Francis and Merv are members of the band sorting out the lighting, sound and transport but they also generally tinker with anything that get's broken...and fix it!  More recently they have all acquired a large building that has been turned into the 'Hollow Earth Studios' where the band can practice, write and record, store equipment and just generally be in a musical environment whenever they like.  HE Tecknics have built the Hollow PA rig, big enough to perform outdoors whilst the band have been busy recording their own compositions.

 

So, as 2009 unfolded, everything was going along well and the future was looking great. Then just as this settled period was being enjoyed, Andy announced that for personal reasons he had to leave and once more the bass department was empty. But not for long! Harry Collins was a spectator at a gig in Coltishall in July 2009 when he learned the band was about to lose Andy.  A musician all his life, but not currently playing, Harry approached the band and offered his services. He was taken on board and weeks of hard work followed with Harry even taking a guitar on holiday to learn the band's repertoire! And boy, did it pay off!  An almost faultless gig at Norwich's Brickmakers music pub in October 2009, left a packed house stunned with the band's fabulous musical ability.  

     

And finally, to add a touch of loveliness amongst a bunch of old men, Hollow Earth's team of musicians and technicians now has its own PR team with Kym's partner Anita helping out.

 New addition Mel Lacey joined the Hollow machine in the summer of 2009 and between him and Anita they promote and organise the band.  Mel, with his own business www.pressofficesolutions.com has suggested plenty that could be done better and so he has decided to join ranks, liasing with the band through Anita who over the last few years has also encouraged many ideas in the right direction.  This partnership has proved successful already with better and bigger gigs for 2010 and many contacts showing interest for the future.

 

Another jolt of excitement came from the meeting between Hollow Earth and the legendary Rick Wakeman.  The band had gone out to see Rick perform at The Waterfont Norwich and afterwards they were invited to say hello, resulting in a bit of Rock'n'Roll banter, and a few laughs.  This was an extremely important moment for the band as they consider Rick to being one of their many influencial progressive rock heroes.

 

 

 

And so....how many local or even national semi-professional bands do you know, can write their own material, perform stunning covers of some of the most intricate progressive rock music in the world, arrive at venues with their own sound equipment, lighting and special effects and technicians, who also have their own staff who link with fans, followers and friends?

 

In true rock'n'roll tradition, good bands never die - they evolve!

  

Progressive: when rock bands were more like a full orchestra and when music was important.  Sit back and enjoy the theatre of this technical music amidst smoke and lasers.  Brace yourself for epic ten minute instrumentals from some of the legendary bands of the seventies and then be entertained with original new compositions penned by the five musicians themselves.  Prepare for...

...HOLLOW EARTH...'Prog' just got better!   

 

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