| The Exclusive Interview With Hilary Jones! |
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| It was evident to everybody that knew her, that once Hilary Jones picked up a pair of drumsticks for the first time, she was ready to blaze her own path into the drumming world. Hilary spent her formative years studying hard and playing harder at the Baltimore School For the Arts and then in the U.S. Naval band. She would relocate to San Fransisco via her military travels, and from there, everything took off as everyone quickly became aware of the young phenom's drumming skills! Hilary has done numerous sessions for such luminaries as Doc Severinson, Pete Escovedo, Clarence Clemmons, and The Mamas and The Papas, as well as stints in such bands as The Delphines and Girlfriend. But Hilary has found true happiness in the freedom of making her own solo album, completed last year. Soaring is an apt title for her debut release, as Hilary tastefully showcases her drumming muscle in multiple styles of music including rock, jazz, and fusion. But this is only the beginning. Hilary has a lot more up her sleeve, and that is something I think we should all be very eager about! |
| Q: Hilary, thank you so much for taking the time to join me here for this interview! I wanted to start off here by asking you a bit about your very storied drumming background! At what age did you begin playing and who were some of your initial influences? A: Well, I got my first set when I was 14 years old. Before that, I was in a small local drum corps where I marched snare drum. This was a nice way to begin because it gave me a strong rudimental foundation. I guess I had my drumset for a whole two weeks before I joined my first band. We were called "Sabotage" and we played the fine rock and roll covers of that era: Aerosmith, Bad Company, Led Zepplin, Van Halen, BTO, etc. It was really cool for me because the other guys in the band were already in high school so I felt instantly cool. They all drove (I was too young) and used to pick me up from school (junior high) to go to the guitar players basement to practice. When I got to high school myself, I got into the school jazz band where I met guys who were as serious about music as I was. I'll never forget those days. Every day was exciting, and fun, and carefree. I joined another band with some great players and we played more challenging material: Rush, Pat Travers, Zepplin (of course) etc. All the good stuff. You have to remember, these were the days of cover bands. We played mostly the material of the bands we liked and listened to and threw in a few covers of our own. These were the days of "keggers" where someone in the neighborhood would have a party in their back yard and somebody's band would play. We played all the time, anywhere we could. So it wasn't just about getting a gig in a club. We just wanted to play! It was a blast. Also the fact that bands back then usually played in a club all night, 3 to 4 sets. These days, clubs have three to four bands a night, so by the time you get warmed up to hit your stride, the set is over and you have to rush all your gear off stage so the next band can get set up. I suppose this is because more bands now are focusing on their originals, even when they first start out, so it's more of a showcase situation. That's probably a good thing, creatively, but there are a lot of young bands I've heard here in L.A. that play in clubs that, although they do originals, they really aren't that good musically. Of course, there are exceptions. I believe that coming up the way I did, having to cover tunes and learn other guys drum parts helped my chops, my concepts, and layed a groundwork I continued to embellish on, that better prepared me for creating parts for my original projects. Q: Your bio stated that you actually began professionally playing at age 16. What were some of the outfits that you were playing in at the time? A: Just my friends. Local bands that we put together to go out and play. Definitely my diet of music was exclusively rock back then. Q: You were highly honored during your time in the Baltimore School for the Arts, and then the U.S. Naval band, where you worked extremely hard and graduated with honors, a major accomplishment. This might be a somewhat cliché’ question, and I hope it doesn’t sound that way, but did you feel that it might have been somewhat more difficult being accepted for your great talents because you were a female drummer/percussionist, which was somewhat a bit more rare a few years back? A: Not at all! School is a place where your abilities (or lack threof) are put under a microscope. It is a place where there is a constant honing and perfecting of your lessons and technique. There isn't as much bullcrap there. You've either got the goods or you don't. People see that and they are there to learn and aquiring skill and excellence is respected. Q: You moved to San Francisco after you graduated and were immediately sought after with band offers and session work.. What were your early impressions of the music scene in SF at that time? Did you find that work seemed to come your way more than you actually had to look for it? A: Well, actually, after I graduated from school I was in the service, got stationed in San Francisco, and after my hitch was up got out of the service to start my music carreer as a civilian. I just happened to be in San Francisco at that time, which I see as a blessing. It was a great place to be at that time. Lot's of stuff was going on, musically and it was totally inspiring! Q: I found it interesting that you worked with Pete Escovedo for a period of time. That must have been a great and funky experience for you! How did you enjoy that musical enviroment with Pete? Did you ever have a chance to engage in a little bit of friendly drum-dueling with Shelia E? A: Again, the San Francisco scene. Drum dueling? Nah... at that time Sheila was a big star and wasn't around as much, although I did do I think one or two gigs when she was playing timbales. Q: You have now re-located to L.A. to continue with even more session work, and I know that you play a lot of the different clubs in the area. Do you have any preference between session work or the club scene? A: Sessions pay more!!! ha ha ha....I'll always play live because I love to play. Q: I wanted to ask your great new solo CD called Soaring. I have heard a good deal of the album , and it is really some outstanding work, not only on your part but some great contributions from some fine session players themselves such as Robben Ford. How long did it take you to complete the album and what are your thoughts on the finished product? A: I'm ecstatic about the finished product! I'm really proud of how it turned out. That record was made very quickly. Some of the songs were written a day or two prior to recording so even I wasn't married to any preconceptions about how to play the stuff. The material almost played itself, so to speak. It was a real natural, organic experience becuse we just went in and played live. What you hear is what we did from start to finish. No records are made that way today, which is why I wanted to do mine that way. These days, with protools and the vast ability to digitally edit, music has gotten lifeless. With "Soaring" I was determined to go in the opposite direction. I wrote the tunes purely from inspiration, and my only pre-requisite for what I put on my album (CD) was, "do I like this?" I wasn't trying to figure out my market or any of that record company stuff, which is why musically, it's all over the map. Record industry people don't understand it but music lovers love it! Q: There truly is a great mix of musical styles on this album, so there is really something for everybody on it! It ranges from Jazz to Fusion, to Rock, to some slower Blues-type stuff, but the one constant is your solid drumming throughout. You should definitely be proud of this one, Hilary! I didn’t see vocals credited to anybody on the record. Did you supply all of the vocals as well? A: Yes. Most people know me as an instrumentalist because, well, that's what I am, but I've been doing more and more singing throughout the years and it's definitely something I love and want to continue to do. The vocal tunes on "Soaring" are covers because they are songs I liked. I put the vocal tunes on the record to kind of introduce people to the fact that I sing and I plan on having more vocals on my next record. There will definitely be plenty of instrumental material, but I plan to also add vocals to some stuff ala Dave Matthews Band and early Narada Michael Walden fusion stuff. It's a whole new and exciting world for me and another way to express so, I'm delighted. Q: You are also very popular on the clinic front. Do you have any scheduled clinics to speak of here in the near future? A: I just finished a pretty extensive clinic tour for DW! I had an absolute BLAST!!! I also had the honor of playing at the PASIC convention and that was so much fun! Christmas is just upon us so, I think that as far as clinics are concerned, I'm done for the year. Hopefully, I'll be out there next year at some point. Q: Hilary, I want to thank you so much for your time here, and of course, I wish the best of success to you on your future projects, so my last question is; what is next for You? Are there any specific projects you have your sights set on right now? A: Well, yes as a matter of fact I do. I have been doing some sessions with Andy West (formerly of the Dixie Dregs) and Joaquin Lievano (formerly from Jean-Luc Ponty and various other great bands!). Andy and Joa have been writing some really fun material and plan on releasing this at some point this year. The band is called FWAP. Also as I mentioned, I'm gearing up for my next record so I have plenty to keep me busy, besides the other sessions and gigs I've got going. I'm really looking forward to next year. I'm excited about the possibilities and what's in store!!! Please stay tuned...this next record is going to kick the door down!!! Thanks Billy. All the best to you and everyone reading this! |
| Please be sure to visit Hilary's official website to learn more about her music and to buy her great new CD entitled Soaring! |
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