Facebook [Release date 10.05.19]

Second album from Northern Ireland rockers Gasoline Outlaws, who like many artists recently have fallen foul of Pledge’s money problems. In Gasoline Alley’s case they have delayed the release of their new album by a month and had to use the money set aside for promotion to fund CDs for the pledges from fans.

The band consists of brothers’ vocalist Matt Fitzsimons and bassist Chris Fitzsimons, who are joined by Adam Parkin on guitar and Ryan Hood on drums. On this album they were joined by John McCullough (The Waterboys, Van Morrison), who played piano and Hammond Organ. The Answer’s Cormac Neeson also helped out on the song writing with a few songs.

Matt Fitzsimmons has a distinctive higher range vocal (for some reason Triumph’s Rik Emmett kept coming to mind as a similar sounding singer!), perfect for the heavy and melodic rock Gasoline Outlaws play.

There are many highlights, be it the guitar and Hammond trade off on ‘Fight For One More Day’ or the mellower ‘Executed’. Again this one benefits from guest John McCullough who plays piano on this one, backing a gentle acoustic refrain and Matt’s melodic vocals. ‘Where We Started’ sounds a little like the Answer and is set to become Gasoline Outlaws ‘phones in the air anthem’ in their live sets I bet.

Adam Parkin shows his guitar talent throughout the album, with a particularly impressive solo on ‘Hard Times’, a song furthered enhanced by the military styled drumbeat.

Special mention to for Amy Montgomery who guests on ‘Better Days Coming’. She gives an extra boost to the song with her bluesy vocal perfect for this crunching rocker.

Gasoline Alley have weathered the Pledge storm and have come out with a storming slab of classic hard rock. A band to be seen live that’s for sure based on this album’s songs. ****

Review by Jason Ritchie

Guitarist Adam Parkin answers a few questions about the new album, playing live and more -

How would you describe Gasoline Outlaws sound to a potential fan of the band?

Big riffs with catchy, melodic chorus’. Our sound can vary from quite heavy all the way to acoustic ballads. There’s something for everyone.

Can you take us through the ideas behind the song on the new album?

The album was a long time in the making. ‘Real life’ got in the way of making it back in 2017 but we used the extra time to make sure the songs were the best they could be.

Matt writes the majority of the lyrics and he draws on personal experiences, history and current affairs for inspiration. And fans can draw their own conclusions from the lyrics when they hear them.

Gasoline Outlaws were one of many artists caught up in Pledge Music’s demise. How did the band manage this? Do you think there is still a future for a crowdfunding idea like Pledge (but obviously more honest!)?

The Pledge situation was a complete nightmare. We raised the money in super quick time which blew our minds. But then it all went down hill from there. We took the decision to fulfil all of the orders made out of our own pocket so that our fans didn’t lose out. That then wiped out our funds for touring and album promo which was a real sickener. But we will hopefully get back on our feet soon.

The crowdfunding platform was a superb way of involving fans in the album process whilst raising the funds needed for making it. And it’s such a shame Pledge went the way it did.

For our next album we will possibly look into a pre order type thing on our own website which will hopefully work just as well.

How important is a YouTube video/presence in helping a band like yourselves gain more exposure?

Having videos is almost a necessity these days due to the way music is consumed. We are currently sorting out a lyric video for our next single which will be out soon. Lack of funds, due to the Pledge situation, have obviously delayed this process.

Is the live music scene in Northern Ireland and the UK still able to support and get bands like Gasoline Outlaws more well-known?

The scene in Northern Ireland is very small. There’s an easy chance of ‘over playing’ due to the size of the place.

So we strive to get over to the mainland as much as possible.

We have played two Planet Rock festivals in the last year which are great for getting the band in front of people. Hopefully there will be more like this to come in the future.

Message for your fans…

Thank you for all of your support. It really does mean the world to us and we will hopefully see you all on the road soon.

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