Q&A Scene: Ray Ahn ~ HARD-ONS

March 28, 2019 Mary Boukouvalas

Tell us about your tour with Rose Tattoo?

We played with them in 2018 June in Clisson, France. It was at a festival called HELLFEST. We caught up and it certainly was nice to do so. A month or so after we returned to Australia, Rose Tattoo approached us for a joint tour of Australia. We are doing 10 shows together. We consider it an honour that they asked. They are bona fide Australian rock legends.

What’s your favourite work at this point in time?

Well, we are finishing off mixing our new album “SO I COULD HAVE THEM DESTROYED” – and it is our first album with this current 4-piece line-up. It is will be our best album when it is released. I love it.

Tell us a quick, on the road or studio, anecdote.

In 1986 February the Hard-ons entered the recording studio in Bathurst street, Sydney, “the WIRELESS SET” with ROB YOUNGER, the famed producer and singer of Radio Birdman. It was to record “THE GIRL IN THE SWEATER” 7”. That record was the start of our run of 17 consecutive number ones on the Australian independent chart, so it was to be a special record for us. Rob walked past me as I was setting up my rig. He asked me if I had put new strings on my bass. I said I had not. He asked me how old the strings were. I said I did not know, as I had bought the bass second-hand, and the strings had come with the bass. Rob stayed stone-faced and he turned and walked into the console room. I was petrified.

What, or who, inspires you?

THE SAN FRANCISCAN LEGENDS, “THE RESIDENTS”

Which song do you wish you wrote?

“FREEDOM OF CHOICE” by DEVO

What’s next for you?

This year we tour with Rose Tattoo then we release our album, next year we will tour Europe and Japan.

What’s your scene?

Ha ha ha ha ha. I am 53. There is no scene for me that I know of. I am married with two young kids. Gardening is my scene, specialising in Australian natives, Acacias in particular.

‘STILL NEVER TOO LOUD’ TOUR 2019

Friday 29th March 2019 – Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW – Tickets

Saturday 30th March 2019 – Waves, Wollongong NSW – Tickets

Friday 5th April 2019 – Shoppingtown Hotel, Doncaster VIC – Tickets

Saturday 6th April 2019 – Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights VIC – Tickets

Friday 12th April 2019 – The Gov, Adelaide SA – Tickets

Saturday 13th April 2019 – Capitol, Perth WA – Tickets

Friday 26th April 2019 – The Triffid, Brisbane QLD – Tickets

Saturday 27th April 2019 – Coolangatta Hotel, Coolangatta QLD – Tickets

Friday 3rd May 2019 – Diggers, Ettalong NSW – Tickets

Saturday 4th May 2019 – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW – Tickets

Tickets on sale Monday 14th January from rosetattoo.com.au & usual outlets.

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About Mary Boukouvalas 1453 Articles

Mary is a photographer and a writer, specialising in music. She runs Rocklust.com where she endeavours to capture the passion of music in her photos whether it's live music photography, promotional band photos or portraits. She has photographed The Rolling Stones, KISS, Iggy Pop, AC/DC, Patti Smith, Joe Strummer, PULP, The Cult, The Damned, The Cure, Ian Brown, Interpol, MUDHONEY, The MELVINS, The Living End, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against The Machine, The Stone Roses –just to name a few - in Australia, USA, Europe and the Middle East. Her work has been published in Beat magazine, Rolling Stone magazine, Triple J magazine, The Age Newspaper, The Herald Sun, The Australian, Neos Kosmos, blistering.com, theaureview.com, noise11.com, music-news.com. She has a permanent photographic exhibition at The Corner Hotel in Richmond, Victoria Australia.