To start we would like to thank our family and friends for giving us the strength to keep going.

Also, check out our new contraversial music video featuring "The undercoat" inspired by the documentary "Deliver Us From Evil",
which exposes the sexual abuse of children within the catholic church.

"Wish & Wallow" chapter one, is complete and we want you to have it, so get your  free downloads on the homepage!






 Monday, January 28, 2008

Our exclusive interview with "The Gilford Steamer"!!!





There is a lot of music to listen to in the world, and today music lovers can simply go online and discover bands that would never have been heard from years ago because of the competitive nature of the industry.

Hegira, a Gilford based rock band, plans to use this new era of independent rock and Internet to get new fans and exposure. The four-member band consists of vocalist Melanie Spooner, guitarist Karl Soullier, drummer Teddy Sullivan, and bassist Eric "Redawg" Cloutier.

Hegira means "journey," specifically a journey of life, and the band said that it took them a long time to settle into the name. Spooner said it represents what everyone has to do in life and the twists and turns the road can take.

Spooner was born in Northfield, and she and her husband and bandmate Soullier decided to move back to the Lakes Region several years ago to get away from city life. They currently reside in Gilford with their two children.

"It's a different type of inspiration than a congested city," said Spooner, "Location can really affect the way you write."

Together for five years, Hegira started with Spooner and Soullier while they resided in Massachusetts. Soullier and Spooner met Sullivan, who is originally from Lynn, Mass., through mutual friends when they moved to New Hampshire. Soullier worked with Cloutier and through conversation realized he was a musician too and invited him to play with the band.

"We are a big family," said Soullier. "We have the same goals and we care about each other like family."


Photo Courtesy of Hegira Rock band Hegira poses for a promotional shoot. The Gilford-based four-member band consists of vocalist Melanie Spooner, guitarist Karl Soullier, drummer Teddy Sullivan, and bassist Eric "Redawg" Cloutier. (click for larger version)
The band has played all over New England for crowds ranging from dozens to hundreds. Hegira produces all their own videos and music themselves in the studio Spooner and Soullier set up in their home. Teaching themselves to mix and engineer their own music was a long task but the band says the control they get over their sound is well worth it.

Soullier said Hegira had spent thousands of dollars for time in a professional studio and was always pressed for time without a lot of band input on the product.

The band designs their own CD covers as well and their first album "Wish & Wallow" features a photoshoped picture of Spooner and Soulliers' daughter as an angel and the songs are available for download on the bands Web site. Hegira also gets control over the profits from CD sales and uses that money to fund charitable organizations.

"You can showcase your work across the world," said Spooner. "When I'm sleeping people are listening."

Soullier said that the Internet has given the band a great platform to get new fans and inform people about their philanthropy. The band is active in their causes and ran a booth at Soul Fest 2007 for Justice for Children International, an organization that works for the abolition of child sex trafficking. January through February and contributions to the band's Web site will go to the Fight for Aydan Foundation. This fund supports a little boy who has rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer that resides in the stomach.

Spooner said that a band can really illuminate the world and their song lyrics, which Spooner writes, are about those issues that are near and dear to her heart.

"It takes a fighting attitude," said Spooner. "We want to be worldwide, building better homes for children and using our act to better human kind."

The band two videos the band has available on their website are examples of the important issues the band wants to lend voice to. "The Undercoat" is about child abuse in the Catholic Church and "Give Up The Ghost" tells the story of losing a loved one.

"Our style represents what we grew up listening to in the 90s," said Soullier. "Nirvana, Pearl Jam but also older stuff like Hendrix and Led Zeppelin."

Spooner said that bands can have an influence on people and that they want to use that influence to make a better world. Soullier said the band's goals are to do live Web casts for their fans, make a couple more videos and start playing more shows.

"We are a hard working band and always will be," said Soullier.

To follow the band visit www.hegiramusic.com.