Debut solo album from Dean Fertita (of THE DEAD WEATHER, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE & WAXWINIGS) features guest appearances by Troy Van Leeuwan, Joey Castillo and Michael Shuman (all members of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), Brendan Benson (RACONTEURS) and Michael Horrigan (AFGHAN WHIGS). "For the genealogy of the sound, it might be worth bearing in mind that Fertita`s first major outing as a professional musician was in late-nineties power-popsters The Waxwings; HELLO=FIRE is much more of a pop project than a rock album, but it`s rocky pop, if that makes any sense.
The best touchstone I can think of for the sound of HELLO=FIRE is the classic sixties rock acts -but I am thinking more Beatles and The Who than The Stones and The Velvets, here, which is unusual for me. The prime focus here is melody; every tune has a couple of simple and memorable riffs and hooks, and the lushly harmonised vocals give a psychedelic sing-along sound to the choruses. The pallet of sounds is similar, too, albeit updated with modern clarity: think power trio plus keys` and you`re in the right neighbourhood. Take strong sparse drumming (with the cowbell left in), solid melodic bass, crunchy amped-up guitar chords, slightly spaced-out vocals; add Hammond organ, subtle deployment of flangers and phasers and some old-school plate reverb, bake for a few months, and serve. Volia!" - RockMetalMusic Reviews. "If anything,it is Fertita`s pre-Queens Of The Stone Age outfit The Waxwings that has the biggest influence on the sound on Hello=Fire, making it feel more like a development of the ground he`s already walked without his famous friends than a blantant rip-off of anything he isbeen luckily enough to be part of in the recent past. Opener "Certain Circles" is a bit of a slow-burner but within, a mammoth lung-tingling riff it does contain, and though said riff is only fleeting, if you, like this writer, are a firm believer in moments, this one will have you hooked and keep you on board throughout the whole record. "She Gets Remote" is a joyful mix of Monkee-esque vocal-harmonies, fuzzy lo-fi guitars and features a cowbell with such presence it will have Bruce Dickinson smiling from ear to ear and the rest of the record will probably have you doing the same too. " - Ragged Words.
 Song #1 - mp3
Song #2 - mp3
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