Bill Gaal Interview: “I Never Close The Door On Nothingface”

By: Rob Cavuoto

Images: courtesy B. Gaal

With 20 years of experience under his belt, Bill Gaal has been a musician, touring the world, packing houses and pleasing a legion of fans in the early ’00s metal band Nothingface. Not only did he play bass, but he sat behind the boards, serving as a producer, engineer and mixer, having co-written and co-produced all of Nothingface’s five releases.

Gaal didn’t stop there. He has flexed other creative muscles, writing songs spanning multiple genres, from rock to metal to country, getting them placed on TV shows and in films. He also worked in artist management at Morey Management Group, helping to guide careers of other musicians and bands for nearly two years. I had the chance to speak with Bill and talk about his latest project, In For The Kill, the status of Nothingface, and what lies ahead for this multi-talented musician.

Bill Gaal in his studio

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Rob Cavuoto: Tell me a little about your project band, In For The Kill.

Bill Gaal: It is a project in the true sense where I have different players come down and record. On the first CD in 2008, it was more a rock band. Not metal or anything like my old band Nothingface. I write all the parts for bass and guitar then have the people perform what is written. For recording that CD, I used a bunch of guys from an incredible band called Molly McGuire. When it was released, I went out with different players over LA for about a year and a half. Shortly after that I got a few corporate music jobs and put the project on hold for a few years.

After that I had an another CD written which was bit heavier, as I was more in the mind set at the time of writing songs for the failed Nothingface reunion. I played the stuff for Chris Houck [Nothingface’s drummer] and he wanted to join the project, so I sent him 13 songs and he did the drum tracks. Once we were both happy with all the drum parts, we went to the studio for about 10 days and record the drums. The grooves are so deep but heavy. Then I took a job at company Morse Management for a year and a half, which caused yet another delay on that CD.

Last year I started my own production company and my first priority was to finish it. I have been working on it ever since and just tracked the guitars. For this release I’m thinking instead of having multiple players, and I’m really enjoying the way it’s sounding with me on guitar, bass and vocals. This final product will end up being heavier that the first CD.

Bill Gaal

Rob: When will it be released?

Bill Gaal: I’m looking at releasing early September through my label.

Rob: What became of the songs you had written for Nothingface, any plans to use them in this new project?

Bill Gaal: We wrote 4 or 5 songs for the Nothingface CD, and they were amazing, heavy songs; unfortunately we as a band were unable to pull it off and finish it. These are different than the songs for the In For The Kill project.

Rob: Tell me about you transition from bass to guitar?

Bill Gaal: Nothingface was guitar-driven band, so I wrote on guitar and would then present it to Tom Maxwell. Bass has been my primary instrument and have been playing bass for 15 years. When I moved from DC to LA, I chanced my focus a bit and spent a lot of my time learning how to play guitar like a guitar player and not like a bass player. At the time I was bass player trying to play guitar. I’m sure that’s pretty standard for a lot of bands.

Learning to play guitar has changed by bass playing. Now I find myself playing bass like a guitar player. I’m trying to stay in that middle group as I play both instruments. As a bass player my concern is always locking with the drums. I have to keep the rhythm section back in check.

Rob: You co-produced most if not all the Nothingface’s CD. How did you get involved in the producing aspect?

Bill Gaal: It happened all the way back when I was 17 with my first four track recordings with my friend’s bands. I was producing without realizing I was doing it. I did it to help them, not realizing that I was producing them. As time went on with Nothingface, we co-produced them all but I was the one with the studio and spent more time with it since I had the equipment. Especially on Skeletons, which I did with Bill Kennedy. That production lead me to what I’m doing now, which is working with other song writers, the main focus for my company. I do production with developing artists as well. To guide and hone on developing a sound.

Bill Gaal working on his console

Rob: Who are some of the artists you are working?

Bill Gaal: Artists like Keith Steven from American Idol from a few years back. I think he was in the Top 10. Artists like who have all that talent but just need some songs and a bit of focus. I’m not looking to manage anybody, but to work with them to find production deals, to take what they have and develop them so they can get a record deal or professional career as a musician. It’s difficult to define your art when you’re an artist, so it’s helpful to have an outside ear that they can trust. I open the doors for people.

Rob: What is the first piece of advice that you can give an artist?

Bill Gaal: First and foremost you really have to believe in your art, because there are going to be times when you question what you’re doing and whether it’s worth doing. You need to love what you’re doing. In my opinion, don’t be too proud about yourself. You must have an outside view of things and think about how you connect your audience. Love the creative aspect, embrace the business aspect and just don’t throw it out there. Think of a plan or direction on what you want and how you want to get there.

Rob: What do you want to say to all the disappointed Nothingface fans?

Bill Gaal: I would say that I really wish that we could have finished up the songs we were working on from two year ago, it was really good. I was excited about it, but In For the Kill has half of Nothingface and they could be half as happy about that! [Laughs] Tom Maxwell and I have talked about doing a heavy CD rivaling or heavier than Nothingface. I think we are getting close and finding the time to get it together and really plan it out.

The difficulty is and has always been finding the time to get together in one place since Chris and I have moved. I think that record will someday happen. I also never closed the door on Nothingface. It pops up every couple of years. The phone calls start, and we are talking again and getting along. If we can just get enough done in that period of time when we are all getting along, because eventually, we’re not. It will happen, it’s normal band stuff, we all know how to piss each other off.