Interview with Heavy Pettin' Guitarist Dave "Davo" Aitken
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Davo! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for takingsome time out of your day to
chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.
Dave “Davo” Aitken: Thank you for inviting me to have a chat!
Dave “Davo” Aitken: Thank you for inviting me to have a chat!
CV: What's it like joining a band with a long Rock ‘n Roll pedigree such as Heavy Pettin'? Were you a fan of the band and was it a surprise when they asked you to come on board.
Davo: Unreal to be honest. This is a band that any Rock guitarist would love to be a part of and I feel blessed every day that I am…bit like winning the lottery!
Well I have been a fan of the band since way back… I remember the first time hearing “Rock Me” on the radio and thinking how amazing it was. As it turned out, growing up in the fertile Glasgow music scene in the 80’s, I got to know Gordon, Hamie and the boys fairly well. In fact Gordon produced a demo for the band I was in at the time. Jump ahead 20 years with the advent of Social Media, it’s so easy to reconnect with people that you maybe haven’t spoken to in some time. I guess over the last 10 years I spoke to Gordon and Hamie off and on and would let them hear stuff I was putting out under my own steam. So when Punky opted out early 2018 I got in touch with Gordon and things moved fairly quickly and it’s brilliant!
CV: Is there a lot of pressure associated with joining a band that has such a rich history and dedicated fan base?
Davo: The only pressure I feel would be of my own doing. You know you want to do the very best you can for the guys in the band and our amazing fans, who travel from all over the globe to see our shows.
CV: From your perspective being the new guy, what do you feel makes today's Heavy Pettin' different than the band from back in the day? And what things do you think may still be the same?
Davo: Well I suppose those were different times and pretty crazy by all accounts! Even though we still have our odd day of craziness, there are two things I know that are still the same and that is the focus on our music and the energy we bring to our live shows.
CV: Davo, in your opinion, has Heavy Pettin' ever really considered themselves Heavy Metal or even Hair Metal per se...or was such a description more of a general record company lumping given the genre's massive popularity and overall appeal during the 1980s? Isn’t it all just Rock ‘n Roll?
Davo: You hit the nail on the head… it’s all Rock ‘n Roll…and I like it.
CV: Where do you see the music industry heading as the COVID pandemic starts to wind down? Many are feeling things will be changing for the worst, thus, making it harder for artists to earn a living. What are your thoughts?
Davo: Well it certainly has been a strange few months. It was pretty hard to earn a living before the pandemic. From what I can see, musicians have been taking the initiative to stay connected to their fans and get on with it. What the future holds is anyone’s guess. However as I am an optimist and tend to distance myself from 24 hour news cycle BS…I am confident we will manage.
CV: Has the recent world crisis hindered the bands efforts to complete the new album, slated for a December release?
Davo: To be honest it hasn’t. With Hamie living in America and the rest of us living in close proximity in the UK, we are set up to record remotely, which was the way we were recording up until the world crisis hit. So from that respect, it’s business as usual.
CV: Many of the band's fans feel Heavy Pettin' never received the recognition they deserved. Do you agree? Does the band share a similar internal view of their career overall or is it more of a matter of being content with what they do have and not sweating the small stuff?
Davo: Absolutely 100%, but they did do pretty good! I know from hearing Gordon and Hamie talking about it, they got to make and play music with some of the biggest bands around the world. We definitely don’t sweat the small stuff, however, being content with what you have, isn’t in this bands DNA!
Davo: Apart from recording the album, we have kept busy putting out our ‘lock down sessions’, which has been brilliant fun. It’s given us a chance to showcase one of the new songs from our recent 4Play EP “Get Back to You’ along with DreamTime, which was the first time it had ever been played in a live setting. We premiered them on the Breaking Bands Virtual Festival along with two other songs ‘Roll the Dice’ and ‘Sole Survivor’. The response has been totally amazing!
CV: Where do you see Heavy Pettin' going or moving towards as the world enters the third decade of the new millennium? Do you see the music taking a new direction, especially now that you are among the songwriting ranks?
Davo: Right now we are focusing on writing the best album that we can. Once that’s done and we get the green light to tour, we are off…bigger shows and more of them. Whether it’s Gordon and Hamie or I coming up with a tune, it’s gonna sound like a Pettin tune, no matter what direction we go…which hopefully our loyal fans will love and also attract new ones.
CV: What's next for Heavy Pettin'? What can fan expect to come immediately following the COVID crisis?
Davo: We have a bunch of shows that have been rescheduled for December, starting in Barcelona. We then come back to do some of our own shows around the UK and have a Special Guest spot with Michael Schenker in Scotland to round the tour off. This we are all super happy about!
CV: Thank you again Davo for spending some time talking and sharing with
our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.
Davo: Thanks a lot! I really enjoyed our chat and appreciate you asking me to do this.
HEAVY PETTIN ROCKmas TOUR 2020
Barcelona, Spain, La Nau, Dec 5 2020. Dave Reece (Accept) Tytan
& Streamer
Nuneaton, Queens Hall, Dec 12, 2020. with Tytan
& The Big Dirty
South London, New Cross Inn, Dec 13th 2020 with Tytan and The Big Dirty
Milton Keynes The Craufurd Arms, Dec 18th 2020 with Gin Annie
Troon, Scotland, Michael Schenker Festival Dec 19th 2020.
Stoke Elevens Music Venue, Dec 20th 2020, with Grand Slam, and The Big Dirty.
South London, New Cross Inn, Dec 13th 2020 with Tytan and The Big Dirty
Milton Keynes The Craufurd Arms, Dec 18th 2020 with Gin Annie
Troon, Scotland, Michael Schenker Festival Dec 19th 2020.
Stoke Elevens Music Venue, Dec 20th 2020, with Grand Slam, and The Big Dirty.
Locked down in the jungle of walking Covid-19 carriers
hoping one day we will, "Get Back To Youhttps://youtu.be/UAROtBAPMfY
My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.
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