Last month, MOLLY HATCHET released a new song called “Firing Line”, marking the first original tune from the southern rockers in 13 years. The track was recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London, United Kingdom. It was produced by MOLLY HATCHET guitarist Bobby Ingram, engineered by Chris Bolster (Paul McCartney, FOO FIGHTERS, Elton John) and mastered by Lucy Launder and Alex Wharton (Paul McCartney, THE ROLLING STONES).
“Firing Line” is the first single from MOLLY HATCHET‘s recently completed new studio album, due at the end of the first quarter or beginning of the second quarter of 2024 via SPV/Steamhammer.
In a new interview with Rock Bottom, Ingram stated about MOLLY HATCHET‘s upcoming follow-up to 2010’s “Justice” LP (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We just got our of Abbey Road Studios in London. We were in the actual BEATLES studio. And Chris Bolster — I was with him two days ago — Chris Bolster engineering it, and he’s done Paul McCartney and Elton John. He just finished Eric Clapton‘s stuff. So what an honor it is for us to work with a wonderful engineer like that. And I’m lucky to produce it. I’m still producing after all these years, so that’s a good thing.”
Regarding his decision to take on the producing duties himself, Bobby said: ‘Well, my first producer I learned so much from, it was Glyn Johns. That was when I was in my early 20s down at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas. Glyn Johns did LED ZEPPELIN‘s first record, he did THE [ROLLING] STONES, he did THE WHO, he did THE BEATLES‘ ‘Let It Be’ and THE EAGLES all the way from the beginning up through ‘Desperado’. And I was a 23-, 24-year-old kid down in the Bahamas and I’m working with this legendary producer. And I stuck to him like — man, I was sitting with him right every single… every time he hit the ‘record’ button every day, every minute, [I was] learning as much as I could about how to be an arranger-producer and an engineer-producer. And then I did a solo project with Karl Richardson, and he had the second-biggest selling album of all time, ‘Saturday Night Fever’. And he also did the Clapton ‘461 Ocean Boulevard’ [album]. So working with some really great producers, and I’ve been fortunate and blessed to be able to do that, I’ve picked up a lot along the way. And I figure, yeah, I could get other producers, but why not do it myself? Because I know what the band’s supposed to sound like. I know the direction. I don’t have to tell anybody how it’s supposed to be, because I’m hearing it in my head. And it just makes things so much easier. But to work with a fabulous engineer at Abbey Road Studios, studio number two, where THE BEATLES did 95 percent of their hits, man, you wouldn’t believe it. The first time we were playing in there, we were getting chills all over. Oh, yeah, it was just fantastic.”
On the topic of the songwriting process for the new MOLLY HATCHET album, Bobby said: “Well, we’ve had a long time to put the record together. So we’ve been writing all through the pandemic and all through the different member changes, with the deaths that occurred with the group. So I continued writing, and I think I’ve written the majority of the songs on this album. So I think it’s gonna be a good thing. And when everybody hears it, they’re gonna go, ‘Wow.’ We have some pretty special surprises. I don’t know if I can talk about it yet, but I’m gonna. We have David Gilmour‘s background singers that have come in to do a lot of the background singing on it. And we have some special, special surprises on this record. So I think everybody’s gonna be very happy about the new release. And we’re really happy about ‘Firing Line’. That is burning it up everywhere.”
He added: “I wanna thank everybody [for] supporting the new single from the new album. We’ve been just blown away by that. So thank you very much, everybody.”
As for the musical and lyrical direction of the new MOLLY HATCHET material, Ingram said: “It’s MOLLY HATCHET 2.0. It has the original foundational roots of the band. We talk about truth, honesty, friendship, the good Lord above, our families, military, but it’s 2.0 version of that. We just went forward with it. We marched on. We brought MOLLY HATCHET into the next generation with this album.”
When “Firing Line” was first released, Ingram said about the song: “Throughout history, humanity has fought to stand up for what is right and defend the wrongfully accused. ‘Firing Line’ depicts standing up for yourself on that fine line between the truth and being falsely accused by the system, and by doing so, standing up for yourself to protect your integrity and fight for what is right.”
MOLLY HATCHET was formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1971, but Ingram didn’t join the band until 1987.
Of the original MOLLY HATCHET lineup, all six members are dead, as are the band’s second and third lead singers, Jimmy Farrar and Phil McCormack, respectively.
In June 2000, Ingram became the sole owner of the trademark MOLLY HATCHET, acquired from Pat Armstrong, the band’s early manager.
“It’s very resilient,” Bobby told Savannah Morning News in a 2021 interview. “It’s been a challenge, sure it has. But it’s also been something that I like. I like hard work. I like challenges. The thrill of the challenge and the reward at the end. I didn’t expect to do all this, but I saw that it needed it so I did it.”
He added: “I’m the longest-standing member, consecutively. That means not veering from the mission, the vision, and the values of MOLLY HATCHET. I’ve stayed on course, on track, foundational, fundamental roots intact in creating new branches of the tree.”
In a 2018 interview with Coachella Valley Weekly, Ingram said: “I have always felt a need and strong desire to keep the MOLLY HATCHET tradition, legacy, and spirit alive and well, and to keep it on the road, playing concerts, and recording new albums.
“I’ve seen every member come and go in the last [36] years,” he added. “I feel fortunate to be able to do it for so long and so consistently. I’ve never faltered or stepped out on the group, so to speak. I never joined another band. This has been my baby for over three decades, and I’m proud of it. I know what kind of sacrifice it takes to make it happen. It’s all worth it to see the joy of the fans, to see their faces light up, and see them jumping up and down and hollering and forgetting their troubles. That’s the reward. That’s the payoff.”
MOLLY HATCHET 2023 is:
Bobby Ingram – Lead Guitars
John Galvin – Keyboards
Tim Lindsey – Bass
Shawn Beamer – Drums
Parker Lee – Lead Vocals