MacD on Music: H-Y-P Hypnotized

Some of the best albums in history were created by only a single musician. People like Prince, Dave Grohl, John Fogerty and Lenny Kravitz have all made career-defining albums on which they play every instrument. Now, one of Derry’s finest is joining the ranks of one-man bands: Philip Wallace, aka Wally.

Wally has been a staple of the Irish music scene for over a quarter of a century, playing with groups as diverse as the Whole Tribe Sings, Red Organ Serpent Sound, Here Comes the Landed Gentry, and Waldorf and Cannon. I met with him recently to discuss his new project, Hypnotic Jerk.

“It’s a one-man band set-up. I’ve been in a lot of bands over the years and I’m always trying to push things. I found it quite difficult at this stage to keep a band going, with timing and people having commitments so I wanted to do something where I only had to sort myself out. I used a Farmer Footdrum kit and I’ve just been trying to figure out for a while now how to get a full band sound with a one-man set-up. That’s the craic with Hypnotic Jerk. It’s a full sounding one-man band vibe, which I can take on the road myself and not worry about people.”

“I love playing in bands. I’m a drummer by trade. That’s my main instrument but it just gets more difficult the older you get, and the price of everything now, it’s so dear and you don’t get paid a lot. People need to get paid and it’s hard to do, so this has been the outcome of it. It’s been good so far. I’ve enjoyed the freedom.”

“I’ve only done a handful of gigs. I did Stendhal and I’ve got two singles out that have done well. I wanted to have an album in the bag before I start gigging so I plan to do lots next year. The album’s just finished and away to print, so it gives me the freedom to do gigs and have an album there. I’ve been working on songs and albums for years with different bands and I built a studio so it’s easier for me than for younger bands.”

Although he played everything himself, he did have a bit of help on the lyrical side: “Paul Connelly [of the Wood Burning Savages] wrote the lyrics for a song called ‘Fentanyl’ and Paddy Nash [of the Whole Tribe Sings and the Happy Enchiladas] to for ‘State of the World’. It’s quite lonely doing everything on your own, so it was good to collaborate that way. I had the music done. I sent it to them, and they sent me back the lyrics. I’ve known Paul a long time. One of his first gigs was supporting Red Organ Serpent Sound when he was a teenager.”

Naturally, this led the conversation to Red Organ and his other groups from over the years: “We got back together to do a run of shows before COVID happened, but [Lockdown] put an end to it.” I asked about possible future reunions: “I’d be up for it, but it takes a lot to organize. We’d need to practice a lot and would need to have goals. You couldn’t do a one-off show because of all the work you’d put into it. You’d need a run of shows or something. I’ve been in a number of bands, Here Comes The Landed Gentry, Cashier No.9, then was doing ‘ exmagician’ with them as well. Waldorf and Cannon have an album in the bag too. It’s been finished for over a year but it’s just trying to get people organised to gig it. I don’t want to just stick it out because we put so much work into it and it would just get lost.”

“There are so many great musicians here but it’s getting out is the problem. You get a wee bit trapped here for where we’re located. It’s hard to get across the water. It costs more money. It’s really difficult.”

Finally, he mentioned what’s next for Hypnotic Jerk: “The album will be out next year, and I’ll have another single and video out before that. I’ll be doing lots more gigs too. I’m doing the Atlantic Sessions in Portrush and then I’ll probably have a show in Derry around Christmas, and I’ll be lining up loads of shows for next year.”

READ MORE: MacD on Music

And that’s it from Wally. Now onto other business. This Saturday sees the launch of Shasma’s debut album ‘In Consequences’ in Bennigan’s.

The gig will have support from Ares Redemption, Grim17 and Elston Grace. Doors are at 9 and tickets are £8 or £10 on the door.

The album itself is available now on Bandcamp and will be on other streaming platforms this Friday.

Now, time for the socials: Wally/Hypnotic Jerk can be found on Instagram @wallyexplode and Shasma @shasma.music.