Hailing from Ireland Million Dollar Reload have been making something of a name for themselves on the back of their debut album release Anthems Of A Degeneration. Launched earlier this year the album has been picking up rave reviews around the internet and even made it's way into the likes of Classic Rock. HardRockHouse caught up with the band to see what all the fuss is about...

Guys, first up how long have you been together as a band and how did you get together? 

M$R – About 13 months. The start was when we played together as a band with Steven Adler in Feb 2006. After that we wanted to carry on working together & we recorded three song’s:  Give It All, Superslave & New Generation & we were so happy we decided to give it a go. 

What sort of music influenced you in your writing and how your sound came together? 

M$R – We don’t want to sound like anyone on particular but we have all been influenced by similar bands such as AC/DC, Guns n Roses, Aerosmith and The Black Crowes. We have aimed for the songs to sound the way we want for the band but of course people can hear the influences in our work. We have tried to write the songs that we would have wanted to hear done by these bands. Guns n Roses are a big influence on us so of course this can creep into our sound & you can hear this in Phil’s vocals sometimes. 

Do you actually have a specific process when it comes to writing or is it more organic than that? 

M$R – Actually early on we decided that financially all the writing would be split equally, regardless of who has brought the song to the table. There are times when one of us such as Dave, with Living in the City, will come to the studio with a completed song but normally we come to the studio with ideas & work through them together.

The album's got fifteen songs on it - why so many? 

M$R - The album had fifteen tracks on so we like to think we have given good value for money. In fact we are already writing tracks for the follow up. The album is a good reflection of where the band was at the time. We were able to use our 15 best songs & we consider no song is disposable on it. All songs tends to be 3.5 – 4 minutes long but then we have Travel which was always going to be our over the top epic song. We were trying to capture what Skid Row did with I Remember You & GnR’s November Rain. It was a conscious decision to do a good ballad & not just one for the sake of it.

Moving on to your live shows, one of the first shows you played together was with Alice Cooper - right?

M$R – That was our first real big gig & probably only the fifth or sixth show we had played together as M$R. Guitarist Keri Kelli was a great person to meet & he was really interested in hearing our CD & he we had a good conversation together. Keri watched our entire sound check which was a bit strange for us when we played Draw The Line which Keri had played during his time with Adler’s Appetite, thankfully he loved it. We didn't get to meet Alice though, but is was a good show & a great experience. It was also a learning curve, the whole live process & how tight the roadies were & how it all run so smoothly. We have been on a steep learning curve as so far all we have achieved has been self-done. The control is good but at the moment we have to phone for gigs, roadie & drive for ourselves & it gets stressful. The next stage would be to get a manager. It would be nice for all the travel accommodation etc to be sorted out in advance.

You also mentioned playing with Steven Adler, that must have been an experience? 

M$R – Stay sober & don’t do drugs!! Although Stevie, as an individual is easily led, the one thing he does lack is the airs & graces of some rock stars. Stevie always had time for the fans & even now he just loves being on stage. We would love to think that is we ever played LA or Las Vegas we could have Stevie jam with us on stage & Dave will be at the bar.  

 Despite the chaos in his life Stevie was still professional. He believes it’s the fans who have put you there & he still bears this in mind. His best advice was don’t deviate from what you musically believe in & stick with it. There is no point changing to suit a trend. Stevie is a very giving person who can’t say no which, although this is his biggest plus, it can also be his biggest minus. It was nice to be able to have a few beers with him & he was more than happy to make sure we were OK for drinks.

How did the shows with Steven Adler actually come about? 

M$R – It was so weird, we all grew up listening to GnR & the offer of the two shows was fantastic. It was very short notice so in a way it was unreal. We had four days prior knowledge & had no sound check with him as he arrived so late to the venue. The first gig we played with him was at the Rosetta Bar & he walked in said where's my band, had some jack Daniels  & walked out on stage.  

The Guns 'N Roses connection goes deeper though, you've also supported Gilby Clarke... 

M$R – Gilby was not as approachable as Stevie but that is not to say he was unfriendly. He was a true professional as the night we played with him he was sick before & after going on stage but he still had time to go out & sign autographs for the crowd. The one thing we did learn is he had a tour manager with him who was running the tour as it should be & protecting Gilby. Stevie on the other hand had no protection. 

So with shows like the ones you've been lucky enough to play, in your view what makes a good gig? 

M$R – The main thing is to always give 100% on stage, whether it's a large or small venue.

Most of these shows have been in Ireland, any plans to come across to the UK in the near future?

M$R – Absolutely Ireland is a good starting point & we have a good fan base here but we really want to get to London to play as well as the USA. But we have got to take baby steps to achieve that. We've got to walk before we can run but we have always had ambition.  

Do you think America would be good for you, I guess there is a large Irish population in certain cities? 

M$R – Not sure that would make much difference though. We need word of mouth really. We get supported by the likes ofhairmetal in Ireland & yourselves in the UK, you're spreading the word for us. The media & internet really are a great way to start the hustle. Myspace is proving a great way of spreading our word. It's no longer just live performance that spreads the word. There are bands out there that have been able to travel the world for a couple of years on just one song. At the moment we've got the possibility of Travel being used in a movie project as it's has been put forward for a soundtrack - now that would be great. 

Finally it's obvious that Belfast is close to your hearts, what's so special about a hometown gig? 

M$R – Well for one at the Rosetta we have Andy Allen who is a great soundman & it so easy to work with him. We all know that he gives us 110%. We would always want to come home & play Belfast however big we may get. Even if this means it almost has to be a secret gig or the word going out at the last minute.

Million$Reload's debut album Anthems of A Degeneration is out now. For more info you can visit the bands website at: www.milliondollarreload.com or their MySpace site, www.myspace.com/milliondollarreload