Gene Vaton Hadley

After a year of writing, recording, toiling, mixing, RE-mixing, shooting and editing videos, and eating way to many boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios….MY NEW ALBUM is finally out on all streaming services!!  But, on this post I’m included a NOTE-WORTHY commentary about THIS SUMMER, 2025, being the “40th Anniversary” of the 1985 HARD KNOX Debut Album Release “MARK OF THE ROCKER!”, that included myself as Lead Vocalist and co-writer, and, after the demos, was the first real distributed and heavy rotation, radio air-played album I did! Which a lot of you folks on my friends list just might remember…especially Knoxville!! 40 plus years of you rockin’ people, great clubs, great band colleagues and GREAT memories! (Well…those that can be remembered! Lol)

UP FIRST…MY NEW ALBUM…“LIVING IN REWIND” … Liner Notes…

This album is a little different in writing style and overall sound than some of my previous releases. After years of my music having a slant towards a more Heavy Rock sound, I was ready to shift writing gears and get to a more laid back, melodic style of song full of vocal harmonies, the way I wrote years ago, with more diversity from song to song regarding the instrumentation I used and overall song structure for the most part.  If there is such a descriptor as “commercial rock” anymore, some of these songs might fall in that category. But these days, I don’t know what the hell category a song falls in!! I just write ‘em and let the listeners decide for themselves. But don’t get me wrong, there are some rockers in here!!! Just not start to finish. I entered into this project to make a more basic “Rock and Roll” record with more of an early 70s, Ian Hunter/Mott the Hoople feel. For me, It is a breath of fresh air and gave me a little renewed vigor and purpose in writing this one. For the musicians, as always, I really enjoyed working with Guitarist “CHAD PULLINS” once again on these new songs, who always finds the right tone and guitar licks for my songs when it’s needed no matter what style I come up with. And of course, my old High School friend “DARRELL COLLINS”, who, like me, is as old school rock and roll as you can get!!!! …and his background is totally immersed in early 70s English Glam and American Rock and Roll bands from that period, and did a great job MIXING this album AS WELL! Bringing something special to each song and capturing that 1970 decade vibe that we set out to do. And also, laying down some of the BEST BASS LINES humanly possible!!  Plus, engineer ANDY POW from Digital Wave Recording, also from Fayetteville, NC, mixed a song on this one with equal success on the outcome to round it all out! Seems like I went back home for this one, Hope Mills/Fayetteville NC…AND IT WORKED!

NOW… ON A MORE NOSTALGIC NOTE….

I’m not sure if many people remember this, except a a few of my old friends and rockers from back in the day.  But the original debut album that I was Lead Vocalist and Co-Writer on, “MARK OF THE ROCKER” from the “Tennessee-Based Metal band “HARD KNOX”, was released around the summer of “1985” (Damn that was a long time ago!, lol). So that makes this record I’m putting out now available on the 40th ANNIVERSARY of my very first album of all original music!! And that summer of 1985 was one of the best times of my life!! And probably a few of yours as well, if you were a part of that early Hard Knox onslaught out in Knoxville / Oak Ridge / Nashville, and Fayetteville, NC! And elsewhere in the seedy under-belly of 80s rock…

SO NOW, as I put this record out, and looking back and reflecting on that window of time, I consider myself so very fortunate to still have the ability write songs, record them and still have people like YOU, appreciate the effort I’m putting into my music and support my releases after all these years. Some rockin’.. some not as much.. but at least I’m consistent!! LOL.  AND, this giant step I took into the rock and roll netherworld could not have happened without the inspiration of those cover bands I was on the road with before Hard Knox… First up the Charlotte, NC-Based band “Lizzy Borden”, 1982-83. With our 18 foot International truck full of equipment and a station wagon for the band and road crew to travel in that would have made “The Griswolds” proud!!! We stayed on the road constantly!!!  And the only home we had was a MOTEL 6!!! Me, band leader Kevin Schronce, Pete, Leo and the rest of the boys burned it down all over the Southeast on the “John Titak, Southern Talent Agency Booking “Torture Tour!!!” (And I mean that in the most kindest way possible! Lol) John Titak would send your band anywhere and everywhere and made sure you were playing clubs 7 days a week!! Wait..Sunday was reserved for driving 10 hours to the next gig.. then back at it Tuesday through Saturday. That taught me everything I needed to know about the road, and the soon-to-come insanity that ensued..and I took full advantage of it!! And carried it with me for a lifetime!!! (Much to the chagrin of many of my associates) Lol....

AND THEN, 1980-81 with guitarist Bryan Hartley (who is now one of the biggest Lighting Directors on the planet) and his band High Voltage, who later changed their name to Nemesis when I arrived, out of Atlantic Beach, NC, was the first band I was in that was based “OUTSIDE” of my hometown!! And speaking of my hometown….To all my musicians in “Hope Mills/Fayetteville NC”, and I guess the most notable band I played with there would have been ”Love or Money” in ’78-’79. We played some cool clubs there like “The Monarch and Baby Blues”, and a few others around the area I can’t remember at the moment but had some cool gigs for sure. Opening up for some big bands at the time like “Nantucket” and a few others. AND ALL the musicians and bands I was with from Hope Mills Jr. High to South View Sr. High from the age of 15, that got me going in this rock and roll fantasy…including “Darrell Collins” who befriended me and I jammed with and around since Jr. High and those school talent shows!!! And the other bands back then that I jammed with, like Bandit..and Warlock!! I mean..C’mon….could you get anymore Rock and Roll than band names like that?????? I don’t think so! Lol ….SOOOOOO many bands, SOOOOO many years and SOOOO many memories (hazy at best)…But as Dickens once wrote… “It was the best of times… it was the worst of times”… and for me… I loved them both!!!!!   

And they all led to the original HARD KNOX-ers on that album, including: Daniel Lusk on Guitars, Jay Martin on Drums and Don Murray on Bass.  And Engineers Tom Harding and Tom Gregory who mixed and produced the record at Treasure Isle Studios in Nashville TN, which was one of the most state-of-the-art studios in Nashville at that time. AND I can’t forget Drummer Billy Baker who started the band with us in 1984, but left before the recording of the album was started, but Billy had a major impact on the band and the writing he was a part of. We DAMN SURE got a great response out of that record back in Oak Ridge and the Knoxville/Nashville/Fayetteville area, and thanks to all the great fans that helped put that record on the map!!!! Plus, all the radio support from WOKI in Knoxville and WRZK in Fayetteville, NC. And the other stations that added us to their playlist, (even the other Knoxville Rock Station, “WIMZ” who eventually added us in the late 80s, even though they hated WOKI at the time and the competition between the two stations didn’t allow us to have any of our music on WIMZ when that album came out)… C’est La Vie!  And also, the cool rock magazines, like Kerrang, Metal Forces, etc. that included us in their print was awesome! Even when the 2nd or 3rd version of Hard Knox came back with, Moi!.. Gene Hadley on Vocals in 1988, along with drummer Billy Baker who rejoined the band, and new bassist Larry Poccia….the press were still including us in RIP, Powerline and few other magazines along the way. And we continued to have a a great run for a little while longer!

So to all the fans, friends and musicians I’ve collaborated with, been in bands with, and partied with throughout those 40 years, and before that with cover bands  …as I embarked, wayyy back in 1975 as a young 15 year old Singer/Guitar Player and wannabe Rock Star, complete with the signature John Denver glasses! Lol..  And on that seemingly impossible, yet somehow do-able, rock and roll dream that led to these last completely insane 50+ freakin’ years! FROM 1975 to now…what a trip it’s been I tell ya! But I wouldn’t change it for the world!!

So many thanks for taking the time to read all this over-the-top commentary, but the entire gist of it is “I hope you like my new 10-song music release,”LIVING IN REWIND” …And also, the past two videos from this album, and now, a NEW VIDEO for the opening track “You’re The Thrill of a Lifetime” that will be released within a short time after that! … And I hope you dig that as well!!!! I’ll keep you posted my friends… So HAPPY 1985 HARD KNOX ANNIVERSARY and New GENE HADLEY  Album RELEASE DAY…Jump up and down in your blue suede shoes..ROCK ON!!!! ….GVH

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MUSICIAN CREDITS:

GENE HADLEY: Lead and Backing Vocals / Rhythm-Acoustic Guitars / All Keyboards /All Orchestrations and Drum Patterns / Lead Guitar on: Lifeline and Living In Rewind

CHAD PULLINS: Additional Rhythm-Lead Guitar / Bass Guitar on: You Give Me Signs Of Life

DARRELL COLLINS: Bass Guitar on all songs, except where noted. Additional Rhythm Guitar on: Living In Rewind

TONY FROST: Bass Guitar on: Alleys Of Life / Recorded by: Price Harrison at Silver Space Studios, Nashville TN
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TECHNICAL CREDITS:

All Songs Mixed by: Darrell Collins at Sound Images of NC, Fayetteville, NC , except:

You're The Thrill Of A Lifetime - Mixed by Andy Pow at Digital Wave Recording, Fayetteville, NC.

You Give Me Signs Of Life / The Way It All Goes - Mixed by Gene Hadley at GVH Media, in the State of Perpetual Flux, USA.

All tracks recorded by the individual musicians.

All tracks Edited, Assembled and Mastered by Gene Hadley.

CD Design: GVH Media

Front/Back CD Cover Wall Portrait is a Gene Hadley commissioned work, Painted by Artist Extraordinaire, JEFF COLEMAN.

All songs written and arranged by Gene Hadley / Copyright Gene Hadley Music 2025, All Rights Reserved.
Except: Alleys of Life, Written by Gene Hadley and Scott Rage. 
Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws and will be subjected to a serious finger wagging of monumental proportions.

More info at: GeneHadleyMusic.com / soundimagesnc.com / vimeo.com/channels/chadpullinsmusic