EXCLUSIVE: Can Rich Hall Of Follow No One Conquer Evil And Bring Peace With His Music?

Indie Music Pulse: Thanks for taking the time, Rich. How has 2019 been treating you?

Rich Hall: 2019 has been great.  Winning the Award for Best Rock Act 2019 at the largest Independent Music Awards was icing on the cake, but just continuing see Pedro and I continue to raise the bar with each song give me a lot to be excited about for 2020.

IMP: Your current single, “Fear No Evil,” is starting to gain some airplay and chart action.  What do you attribute that to?

RH: I attribute anything positive that happens to God and these days, it takes a miracle to get on Active Rock FM stations.  The state of radio being where it is, the radio stations are struggling to survive and is not the platform it once was to bring lesser known artists to their listeners.  And they wonder why people are tuning out? Hey, it’s a great track and I think everyone should be playing it. 

IMP: If there was one band that you would have loved to be in, aside from your current situation, what band would that be, and why?

RH: I would be happy to play the tambourine for Blind Faith. Being around Clapton, Winwood & Ginger Baker for a while, you have to figure you would learn a lot from working with those guys or just have a blast listening to the greatest do what they do.

IMP: How did your rocking style develop over the years?  What bands/artists would your fans be surprised to know that you like listening to?

RH: I was fortunate to have a dad that had one of the best collections of rock records you could find. Not a ton, just some great ones!  I was exposed to so many great artists that way. I never tried to imitate anyone, but I would make note of some of the vocal techniques I heard from my favorite vocalists like Tommy Shaw, Dio, Joe Lynn Turner and Coverdale. That music helped define me as a vocalist, not so much as a songwriter though.

I like listening to the old outlaw country and really dig Wu Tang. Who doesn’t?

IMP: How is the music scene in Pueblo, Colorado? 

RH: Well, there isn’t much of one in Pueblo unfortunately, but Colorado in general is a great place for music. It’s more inclined to the summer festivals and outdoor concerts(imagine that), but there are a fair amount of great indoor venues down the I-25 corridor.  You won’t have to miss many concerts in Colorado.

IMP: What 3 venues would you most like to perform at locally, nationally and internationally?

RH: We are an international act. So there isn’t really any such thing as “locally” for us.  We would love to play Budokan, Hollywood Bowl, Red Rock Ampitheater… Those are mine. Pedro would definitely pick Sao Paulo, Brazil and his hometown of Lisbon, Portugal.

IMP: What has been the highlight of your music career so far?  

RH: Delaying our first release. Our very first release was scheduled to release on September 1^st, 2017. Well, my son decided, release or not, he was coming.I delayed it a week, although the original release date still says 9/1. He’ll have a cool story one day to tell his kids.

IMP: What advice would you have to offer a young musician, just getting started in the business?

RH: Keep Playing. There isn’t any recipe for success or to “Make it.” A lot of that falls on you. Especially for solo artists, it’s hard to stay self-motivated when you don’t see results immediately. Keep at it. You don’t have any chance if you quit.

IMP: Any plans for a follow up single to “Fear No Evil,” and if so, when do you think you’ll have that ready?  Will there be a music video for the next single?

RH: When we recorded Fear No Evil we already had a song in mind for a follow up and the timing could not be better.  Bring Me Peace will be releasing the day before Halloween on 10/30. It is a dramatic departure from Fear No Evil and as Pedro puts it, “We conquered Evil in our last song, now it’s time for some peace.” I agree.

IMP: Thanks Rich!  Good luck in 2020.  Any last words you want to share with our readers?

RH: We love Y’all. You are the reason we’re here!

Check out Follow No One at www.follownoonemusic.com