HYDROGYN Guitarist: 'I Think A Lot Of The Success Is Just Good Strong Music'

December 4, 2006

HYDROGYN guitarist Jeff Westlake told Herald-Dispatch.com that he and singer/wife Julie Westlake were still in shock after getting the call before Thanksgiving about the band's CD, "Bombshell", hitting the Billboard charts (No. 3 on the Top Heatseekers Chart [Northeast]; No. 19 on the Top Internet Albums Chart; and No. 46 on the Top Heatseekers Chart).

"I think a lot of the success is just good strong music," Westlake said. "The one thing we hear all the time is that people are blown away with Julie's vocals. I tell people all the time that if it was a guy singer it would just all blend in but Julie has not only got the vocal range but she's also got the look."

Nailing down European distribution first with Cargo, HYDROGYN released "Bombshell" on Chavis Records/DA Records on Sept. 27, and has already sold more than 8,000 copies in Europe where the group will be touring in early 2007.

Jeff Westlake said they had an idea things could blow up in Europe when Julie hit the cover of several European music magazines, including Fireworks, Strutter and Flash.

"It has been going nuts over there and the sales are still going gangbusters," Westlake said. "I can tell you it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 to 10,000 and I don't know how many it is in the States but you have to move a significant amount to hit the Billboard charts." [NOTE: According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Bombshell" has sold just over 3,200 copies in the United States as of November 26, 2006.]

Although several indie labels went into a bidding war for the band, Jeff Westlake, said he decided to release the CD on their own label but signed a worldwide distribution deal with BCD Music Group, out of Kingwood, Texas, a suburb of Houston.

With the headache of distribution sealed, Westlake and the group is focused on riding the wave and paddling out for the next one.

They are in pre-production to shoot a video for "Breaking Me Down", and are looking forward to an already really cool looking '07 that holds prospects of several June tour dates with JUDAS PRIEST, a Swedish rock festival, dates in Mexico, and in February a trip to England and France for promotional tours.

Read the rest of the article at Herald-Dispatch.com.

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