Instead of saying 'I'm going to move to Sweden,' Brazilians should have the mindset of a Swede, supporting the Heavy Metal music of their own country.
Instead of saying 'I'm going to move to Sweden,' Brazilians should have the mindset of a Swede, supporting the Heavy Metal music of their own country.
(Bill Hudson)
Text and interview by Eduardo Simões
Brazilian guitarist Bill Hudson's routine isn't exactly tranquil. Based in the US, he divides his time between rehearsals with the extreme metal band I Am Morbid, recording Jon Oliva's (Savatage) solo album, and touring with the Trans Siberian Orchestra and Circle II Circle. He makes a living from music in the US. And he lives well.
In his "spare time" he studies guitar, learning songs by Morbid Angel, Dream Theater and Tom Jobim. In this exclusive interview, the musician talked about social media, cultural differences, the Brazilian music scene and, of course, his career.
WIKIMETAL: First of all, I'd like to thank you for your time.
BILL HUDSON: Thank you for the opportunity.
WIKIMETAL: I saw you yesterday at the Randy Rhoades Remembered show, sharing the stage with musicians from Ozzy, Skid Row, Dio, Nitro, Journey, Stryper. Tell me a little about your career path.
BILL HUDSON: Excellent start to the interview. Things are really happening, but I've been investing in my career since 1993. Some people comment that I must have a rich father or something. But it's all the result of hard work. I remember watching the video for November Rain and when I saw Slash soloing in front of the church I thought: that's what I want in my life.
I still have the receipt from my first guitar lesson, and it was on the exact day Cris Oliva passed away, October 17, 1993, which is curious considering I came to work with his brother Jon Oliva in Jon Oliva's Pain, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and even Savatage itself. My second teacher was Kiko Loureiro, who was already a monster. But I came to the USA because it's not easy to live as a musician in Brazil. Sometimes people asked me what my job was besides being a musician. We are not respected in Brazil. It's a shame, it's my country, I love Brazil and its music.
WIKIMETAL: So you didn't just appear on that stage overnight. It was 23 years of investment.
BILL HUDSON: Exactly! And here in the US I had access to equipment and opportunities. It's funny, I love Brazil, but I only discovered Hibria here in the US, because they don't get the space they deserve in the Brazilian media. Aquaria is another example of a Brazilian band with an album that's a masterpiece, but nobody knows them in Brazil. They don't give space to Brazilian Heavy Metal.
People talk a lot about Sepultura, Angra, and Krisium. I love and respect those three bands. But there are many others. Look, when I moved to the US, I got a sponsorship from Ibanez after a year. Today I'm sponsored by ESP. In Brazil, companies end up having fewer resources and less money to invest in musicians. You deserve congratulations for the work you do, promoting Brazilian bands and helping our talents.
WIKIMETAL: Tell me about your relationship with ESP.
BILL HUDSON: I have nothing against Ibanez, but I was out of action for a while due to alcoholism problems. Around the time I was renewing my contract, I met the ESP guys at the Rainbow Bar and Grill here in Los Angeles. We talked for a long time, and they were impressed when I told them I was going to play at Wacken Open Air in Germany. It's one of the biggest festivals in the world. The next day I went to the ESP factory and left with two guitars to test on the European tour. I fell in love with ESP guitars.
The following year they were looking for a new face to associate with the brand and put my picture on the cover of the catalog, which obviously gave me great visibility in the US. They always treat me very well. For example, I arrived in Brazil two days before the Randy Rhoades Remembered show. I called from the airport asking for another guitar and an acoustic guitar and they sent them immediately. So I'll return the question to you: why not ESP? The guitars are excellent and they support me in everything I do. After the interview we'll go to the ESP booth here at NAMM to show you some guitars. The ESP Eclipse is a perfect guitar. Beautiful and very reliable! It will never let you down. If a string breaks you can finish the song easily.
WIKIMETAL: And you're in bad company at ESP. James Hetfield, Ron Wood, George Lynch…
BILL HUDSON: (laughs) And don't forget the Brazilian musicians Silas Fernandes, Max Cavelera and Luis Kalil.
WIKIMETAL: You play in the Trans Siberian Orchestra, which is almost a musical. But you also play in Hard Rock and Extreme Metal bands, like I Am Morbid. Tell me a little about your influences, musical preferences, and study routine.
BILL HUDSON: I've always liked songs with strong choruses and good sing-alongs. I've always liked Guns N' Roses, Skid Row, and other Hard Rock bands, especially those with good guitarists. But I also listened to Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius. I even learned the first two Dream Theater albums, note for note.
On guitar I listened to Malmsteen, Satriani, Greg Howe, Steve Vai, and some fusion guitarists like Holdsworth and Gambale. I listened to a bit of Coltrane and other saxophonists. But jazz fusion wasn't really my thing; I liked rock and melodic metal. Savatage changed my world. It was a mix of everything with Queen, Metallica, and so many other things. Then came extreme metal. At first I wasn't a big fan, but I ended up becoming obsessed with Sepultura's riffs. I'm a huge fan of the band. When I moved to Florida I got to know the whole extreme metal community, and in 2012 I was invited to tour with Vital Remains. I also became very close to David Vincent, and we ended up composing some thrash and death metal together that hasn't been released yet.
I'm always working. On tours with the Trans Siberian Orchestra, I don't have to worry about anything. The setup is huge, and they hand me my guitar tuned before I even go on stage. But I also tour with smaller bands and bands of other styles. Everything is a learning experience.
WIKIMETAL: It's important to have a rich musical vocabulary to play in various styles. Tell me a little about your study routine.
BILL HUDSON: I had never thought about that. I wrote a report for Roadie Crew Magazine, at the request of my friend Ricardo Batalha. And while I was writing, I thought that I don't see that much difference between Anthrax and Skid Row. The lyrics may be different, but musically "Fistful of Metal" isn't that far from "Slave to the Grind". For me, they are two Metal bands and I like both. They are different ways of making Metal, but they all end up using the same tuning, A minor, etc.
It's art! Yesterday I talked to Scott Hill from Skid Row, and he told me that "Slave to the Grind" has a lot of Pantera influence. They are Metal bands!
WIKIMETAL: You have a very interesting Facebook page. It has family, humor, music, and some mentions of the quality of Brazilian musicians. Do you think social media can be a tool for younger people to make contacts and invest in an international career?
BILL HUDSON: This must be the third interview that's asked about my Facebook today. I think everything is on social media these days. I'll give you my opinion, and you can disagree if you want: it's a mistake to present yourself on social media as "a Brazilian band" and keep repeating that. Accept doesn't constantly repeat that they're from Germany. We have this thing of "we're Metal bands against enemies." I don't see it that way. I don't think we should classify ourselves that way.
It's a Metal band, period! No inferiority complex. Think of Eduardo Ardanuy. Whenever I show him here, people wonder how they didn't know him. He's exceptional!
Swedish bands, local bands like Hammerfall, play to eight thousand people in their country and a thousand here in the USA. Similarly, American bands play to larger crowds in their home countries. Why is that? Because they prefer to support local bands. Instead of saying "I'm going to move to Sweden," Brazilians should have the mentality of a Swede, supporting the Heavy Metal of their own country. In short, I left Brazil because I found everything expensive, difficult, and unfair.
WIKIMETAL: Interesting you mention that. I bought a set of guitar strings yesterday for $10.00 (ten dollars). In Brazil I pay approximately three times that (with the exchange rate it comes to more than R$100.00). The price of guitars and amplifiers here is also much lower.
BILL HUDSON: In Brazil we play with worse equipment and old strings because we have little money and little investment. Everything is expensive.
And the worst part is: we're not respected. I spent my vacation in Brazil and was told that some bars in some cities take a long time to pay musicians, claiming that customers paid with credit cards. That's unimaginable here. Then the musician ends up needing to find a job to pay the bills, and when a tour in Europe comes up, they can't go because they depend on that job to survive. That's terrible. Hibria, Torture Squad, and so many others are excellent. But there are talents trapped in Brazil.
WIKIMETAL: Tell me about your solo album. I've seen some samples on YouTube.
BILL HUDSON: It's a work in progress. I see a lot of guitar albums being released and some are boring and repetitive. Mine will only be released when I'm completely satisfied. And unfortunately, I don't have the time I'd like to invest in it.
WIKIMETAL: And what about your Power Metal band?
BILL HUDSON: This project will be very interesting. I can't reveal all the names yet, but I already have some songs ready. Stay tuned!
WIKIMETAL: Who knows, maybe a new Savatage album during this period.
BILL HUDSON: Nobody really knows what's going on when it comes to Savatage. The band never officially broke up and everything is uncertain.
WIKIMETAL: That's a shame. Jon Oliva is a genius.
BILL HUDSON: The greatest genius I've ever known. He has over 100 songs ready and is preparing a solo album that should be a double CD with 40 songs. I've already recorded the guitar for some of the songs. He's truly a genius. Suddenly he starts drumming on his piano, then adds notes and, in a short time, makes a sensational song. Days later the lyrics appear and it gets even better. This solo work should be released sometime in 2017. And it has some of the best songs he's ever made.
WIKIMETAL: Lastly, a message for Brazilians.
BILL HUDSON: Support Brazilian talent. Let's be like Sweden and not move there. Sabaton toured stadiums in Sweden. What Brazilian metal band has achieved that? And I'm very grateful to Wikimetal and especially to you for the opportunity. I don't always get much space in Brazil, and I'm happy to speak to Wikimetal. It's a site that always supports Brazilian talent, and, I repeat, that's extremely important!
