It’s the age old story, four friends come together and form a band, they practice and practice, write some killer tunes but then they grow up and the band falls apart… thankfully this is not the story TeddyBallet are following. The Donegal based band has begun to make ripples in the music industry with their sound and we can see why. Drawing their influences from early rock, Hendrix, Zeppelin to classical music such as Bach and Mozart, the band string all of this together to create some fantastic music.
Following on from some packed gigs around the county and placing amongst the finalists in a regional talent show, the band don’t plan on stopping anytime soon and the @rcade joins them for a chat about their music, rebelling against talent show judges and of course video games!
Who are TeddyBallet?
We’re a local band from Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, formed in early 2009. We currently consist of four members: Nigel Hegarty (Guitar, vocals), Paul McGuinness (Guitar, Keyboards, and Vocals), Kevin Gallagher (Bass), and Mike Warren (Drums).
Can you tell us how the band came together?
The band came together through Nigel. Originally, Kevin wasn’t in the band. I was playing bass when we first formed, and Nigel introduced me to Mike and Ryan “Teddy” Sheridan (the backing guitarist/vocalist at the time). Ryan’s personal commitments decreased his chances of coming to practise often enough, so Kevin was asked in early 2010 if he would like to play bass for us, leaving Paul more freedom on his guitar and keyboard.
Would all of you have similar tastes in music?
We are all definitely into our 60’s/70’s rock scene, but we draw influence from a variety of places. We all draw influence from the bands like Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix, however Paul has been hugely influenced by the different classical eras in music, and this is evident in his keyboard work within the bands original material. Overall it makes for an interesting mix’n’mash.
Can you sum up your sound in five words or less? Why those words?
Electric, Heavy, enigmatic, calm, free – Electric, as we’re truly an electric guitar band; Heavy because we know how to play that loud and still entertain; Enigmatic, with our over-the-top harmonic piano playing; calm, as our music gives us each a sense of relaxation and comfort; and Free, as we’ve never felt more alive and free in our lives.
If you were to compare TeddyBallet to any other groups or singers who would you identify with most?
People have come up to us saying how that Led Zep cover or Focus cover was spot on, but the bands we sound most like are the ones we don’t play any songs from, such as Muse, Tool, and Kyuss to name a few.
The band has already had a string of successful gigs, and you reached the finals of a regional competition. What was it like to make it to the final? Did you ever imagine yourselves placing as finalists?
We were never really that bothered about it. We had this feeling of being “fake” hanging over us, and we couldn’t wait until we were put out of it. We did, however, get pissed off when we were told we were being booted out, and decided to play a lengthy version of Voodoo Child to piss the judges off.
Have you had a favourite performance so far?
We each have a different favourite performance, but I don’t think we’ve had enough exposure yet for all of us to come together and say “Yeah, this is us at our best”. We still have that point to reach.
We need to ask, where did the band name TeddyBallet come from?
Nigel’s nickname use to be “Nigellina Ballerina”. He use to jam with Ryan “Teddy” Sheridan, and it was these two nicknames that formed the band name. Nigel and Ryan were the founders, basically.
What are your plans for the future? When can we next see you play?
We have some small gigs lined up during the summer, but they’re going to be us playing our originals mostly, which is a bit nerve-racking, as we’ve only played one gig full of originals yet. From there, one of us still has a year to finish in college, but we hope to keep gigging locally regardless, and accept gigs elsewhere in the Country to keep our name in rotation.
Finally, if TeddyBallet were trapped in an Arcade for eternity, what game would you play to pass the time?
Personally, we’d have to have a computer lying about with Counter-Strike: Source or the original Unreal Tournament. Nothing beats the oldies!
If you want to find out more about TeddyBallet and the lads involved then you can check out their Facebook page for a list of upcoming gigs as well as photos from previous shows and some of their awesome tracks!
