Galway band Hogan speak with meg.ie about music and getting naked for charity.
Mark Hogan started out as a singer songwriter about 5 or 6 years ago and one of the first songs he ever
wrote got him to the final of the 2FM Song Competition, which meant that the very first gig he ever played was to a large crowd of 1,500 people and live on air. From there he continued in the difficult world of the singer/ songwriter until his manager called him with an outdoor gig and told him he needed
a band. So with some of his best mates in tow Hogan was formed. Each of them brought a piece of their own personality into the mix and according to Mark that’s what the album is about, a bit of everything. He says he doesn’t write any particular style, he just writes whatever he writes.
He described the band. “Ronan is like Jack Black, it’s very hard to shut him up. He’s my best friend. Our bass player is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet; he doesn’t have a bad word to say about anyone. Wayne would be quieter of the whole lot of us and I’d be a bit of everyone. I have a bit of a business head, I am very serious about music, but I still have a lot of fun. I don’t drink, I’m very focused. I do a lot of driving and writing, that’s my passion.”
So how did Hogan end up naked on the side of a road in Offaly? “Ugh my God! (laughing) our PR company had asked us to do it. It’s the Naked Bus and it’s for a really good charity. And being a band that’s kind of in the up and coming you have to do these little stunts. People remember you by those things. We used to do busking a lot, we’d go to a town and set up on the side of a street and just play until the Garda told us to stop. People would see that and remember stuff like that. But The Naked Bus raised money for a great cause and brought awareness, which is what wanted to do and made people start doing the Naked Bus. It’s all for a good cause, we don’t have the best bodies but we don’t really care. It’s grand (laughing). We did it for Down Syndrome Ireland, a lot of the main charity stuff we do is for Down Syndrome Ireland. It’s a really good cause.” Their lives are directly affected by Down Syndrome and this is their way of helping. That’s how they ended up naked in Offaly (with Mark’s ex- girlfriend’s father videoing it on his mobile phone, very sound of him we say).
Hogan are often noted for their live performance, which in the days of free downloads and music piracy is a must for any band. “It’s all about the live performance. You release an album to promote yourself gigging. For us, our album is going to be a really eclectic mix. The feedback from the few people we’ve showed it to has been that it’s the kind of album that will make you think I want to go and see the band live. For me personally it’s all about the visual. We bring in a lot of lights and rent a lot of stuff and we’re starting to bring in pyro. But it’s the kind of thing you need to do. Ireland is so numb to the talent that’s in Ireland. We’ve brought out The Corrs and U2 and stuff like that but when people go to an Irish pub, they are so used to seeing good bands that you have to do something a little bit different and the live show is where you can make that.”
“The reason I want to do music is to perform all over the world. I remember the first time I played outside Ireland. I was in London; we were booked in to do a two week tour in London, an acoustic thing with myself and Ronan. And I remember thinking this is amazing, that music can bring you from Tullamore over to London. It can bring you all around the world. It’s an amazing feeling, you’re back stage talking to everyone and next thing you know you’re in front of 3,000 people and you’re just thinking, how did this happen? It’s an amazing life style. (Laughing) I’m the most unrock-n-roll person I know. I’m a very sensible person. I was out the other night and I felt a bit of a sore throat and I went home. I couldn’t risk it. I kind of feel that I’m a nobody at the moment and I want to be a bit sensible”
