Page 4 - Black Velvet Issue 84

BV84 pg4,5,6,7:BV84 pg04 19/03/2015 01:53 Page 1

BlackVelvetMagazine.Com - 4

Raising THE BaR, a nEWBORn

t’s not every day you do an interview with a band member who’s in hospital. In fact, Cormac
INeeson of The Answer is probably the first person we’ve ever interviewed in the 20-year his-
tory of Black Velvet in hospital. Although he wasn’t a patient there himself, he was sat keeping an
eye on his new prematurely born son, Dabhóg. With new album ‘Raise A Little Hell’ eager to be
promoted, it made sense to kill time while at the hospital, and pick up the phone and chat about
the birth of the band’s fifth album – as well as the birth of Cormac’s first child.

n an update on The Answer’s website in going on behind the scenes. Obviously that’s “We kind of split being by his side – myself
INovember 2014 the band wrote about life. I’m not the only one in the world who has and my wife, Louise. Most days I’m down in the
recording the album. They told fans ‘We lived, to deal with a loved one being taken ill and get- studio getting ready for the tour, doing bits and
laughed, cried, slept, ate, drank and most im- ting it sprung on you like that. My wife’s a lot pieces so my wife will come down during the
portantly worked our asses off in Will’s brand better now and we have a baby boy as well into day and then she’ll hand the baton over to me.”
new studio’. The crying part was because Cor- the bargain, it was one of those crazy moments By the time you read this, Dabhóg will be
mac’s wife had to go into hospital about three and memories that I’ll never forget.” home and Cormac and his bandmates, Paul
weeks into the recording process. Cormac tells He tells us that it’s been quite stressful so Mahon, Micky Waters and James Heatley will
Black Velvet, “She had to go in and get a kid- far being a parent due to his son, named Dab- be off on tour. We imagine it will be hard for
ney operation. Her kidney flared up and she hóg (an old Irish name), arriving three months Cormac being away on tour while his first born
was rushed into hospital. She was at that point early – and still being at the hospital at the time is at home.
pregnant with our first child. So I had to fly of the interview. “He’s had to do an awful lot of
home. I got a phone call saying she’d been fighting and has had to overcome a lot but he’s ut going back to the album recording,
rushed into hospital and I had to go home for a getting big and strong now and all being well BCormac tells Black Velvet about the
few days in the middle of the process to obvi- they’re starting to talk about us getting him happy times in the studio in Spain with their
ously be there for my wife. So along with the home. So we’re obviously really looking for- long time producer Will Maya. “We laughed
positivity and creativity there was a bit of drama ward to that. But he’s doing well. about a lot of stuff because generally recording

THE ANSWER