POWER QUEST Parts Ways With Guitarist BILL HUDSON

[mel_progson]

Some people here will be interested in this. From Blabbermouth...

Multi-national melodic power metal band POWER QUEST has issued the following update:

"We are sorry to announce that after 10 months, Bill Hudson and POWER QUEST have parted ways. The split was extremely amicable and was down to the fact that both parties were struggling with the logistics of Bill being based in L.A. and the rest of the band being in Europe."

POWER QUEST keyboardist and founder Steve Williams commented: "Unfortunately, the timescales and costs involved were too great for us to be able to manage in the current climate. We remain the very best of friends and certainly do not rule out collaboration between myself and Bill in the not-too-distant future. We all wish him the very best for the future with CIRCLE II CIRCLE and his other projects and we look forward to him joining us on stage at ProgPower USA in Atlanta in September!"

Hudson added: "Yeah, it's true. I'm no longer in POWER QUEST and that pretty much sucks. Unfortunately, having to fly back and forth between Europe and the U.S. became a hassle, and I was even having to NOT be present at some shows, such as Hammerfest in Wales. That situation wasn't good for either of us. HOWEVER, you can expect to see me on stage with them at ProgPower USA this year, as well as some other surprises that might just appear here and there! Just to make it clear: I still love those dudes and we're still the best of friends! I wanna thank all of our amazing fans (some of the most hardcore I've ever seen) as well as Manuela, Simon and Paul, who work their asses off to make POWER QUEST's life easier on the road!"

 

[adaher]

Sucks that we won't get to hear him on a Power Quest album. But at least we'll see him at PP.

 

[Cheiron]

No loss. You can find another guitarist easily. There's a million out there who can play power metal equally well or better.

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

No loss. You can find another guitarist easily. There's a million out there who can play power metal equally well or better.

Yea, I hope you are joking... Bill is one of the best guitarists out there today, hence why he has been in so many bands.

 

[J-Man]

That sucks, at least we can still see him at PP and with Circle II Circle

 

[zedowns]

Yea, I hope you are joking... Bill is one of the best guitarists out there today, hence why he has been in so many bands.

Cherion is right. There is probably literally a million people who can play power metal equally well or better than Bill Hudson.

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

Cherion is right. There is probably literally a million people who can play power metal equally well or better than Bill Hudson.

Sure, so there must be a reason that all of my friends who play guitar tell me how good he is and such. Until either of you can do it better than him, then you really have no room to talk.

 

[adaher]

I think that might have been some progsnobbery about power metal rather than a hit on Hudson specifically.

 

[shaq]

Sure, so there must be a reason that all of my friends who play guitar tell me how good he is and such. Until either of you can do it better than him, then you really have no room to talk.

You don't need to be able to personally do something better than someone else to be able to critique them. Last time I checked, you don't need to be a musician to listen to music.

That said, Bill is a great guy, but to call him a great guitarist is absurd.

 

[Cheiron]

Sure, so there must be a reason that all of my friends who play guitar tell me how good he is and such. Until either of you can do it better than him, then you really have no room to talk.

Hmm. Are you friends with Bill?

I saw him when he played at ProgPower a couple years ago. He was an average player. Nothing special going on there. Very mushy on the strings, little ability to produce clean sound (letting notes ring far longer than they should). I've heard his work in his other bands. Again... nothing special. I realize that Lance King has high regards for him, and that he's good at quickly learning new material.

Maybe you don't realize this, but there are many very capable guitarists out there. Just go to your local Guitar Center and you'll find at least a couple that can play PowerQuest material.

A key loss would be somebody who was important for songwriting.

 

[edgeofthorns]

Bill, then put your energy into Circle II Circle baby!!!

~Brian~

 

[AngraRULES]

Sure, so there must be a reason that all of my friends who play guitar tell me how good he is and such. Until either of you can do it better than him, then you really have no room to talk.

I think you really have no room to talk, given that you apparently are not very knowledgeable and goes by what your friends say...

I'm wondering if any of your friends enjoy bands that you consider shitty. If they tell you they're good, does that really mean they're good?

The funny thing is that I agree with you on the compliments to Bill. All bias aside, since he's one of my closest friends, I think he's a really good guitarist. Not a God, like you make it sound like, but he's a good guitarist. Are there better ones out there? Absolutely. Is it hard to find excellent guitar players? Not at all.

If I were you, I'd rethink the attitude "If you can't do better, you can't say anything." Because #1, this is just plain ridiculous. And #2, you never know who, behind a computer screen, can actually do better.

 

[AngraRULES]

You don't need to be able to personally do something better than someone else to be able to critique them. Last time I checked, you don't need to be a musician to listen to music.

Probably the best post of this thread!

 

[General Zod]

Bill is a solid, professional guitar player. That is not an insult, it's a reality. To call him "one of the best guitarists out there today" is a grand overstatement of his talents. If you enjoy his music more than the music of others, that would speak to his songwriting talents, but not necessarily his abilities as a player.

And when did Cheiron become such a troublemaker?

Zod

 

[Cheiron]

And when did Cheiron become such a troublemaker?

Zod

I just need to stop giving Bill shit. He's likely better than I give him credit for, and I have nothing personally against him. I just have something with people propping him up on such a high pedestal. I don't know why that bothers me, but it does.

 

[nailz]

Until either of you can do it better than him, then you really have no room to talk.

I don't remember Bill playing guitar, however, this is the biggest bullshit statement ever, for any argument. One does not have to have talent and ability to recognize talent and ability in someone else. Do you watch any sports? Can you pick out the good players from the poor? Do you PLAY at their level?

edit: oh, it's already been said. lol.

 

[kittybeast]

I just have something with people propping him up on such a high pedestal. does.

It's the only way to look up his kilt!!!

No doubt the travel takes it's toll on Bill, I am however extremely happy he'll still be jammin' with PQ at PP

 

[axehomeyg]

Man, all this critique about Bill, when the post is just about a lineup change is harsh isn't it? He's young, and talented, and hopefully has a long career of learning ahead of him. To peg his abilities right now and insult them just doesn't seem fair.

I do, however, agree that its not too big a deal for both parties, considering he wasn't the primary writer. Not like, say, Queensryche->Chris Degarmo, Savatage -> Criss Oliva, or Testament -> Alex Skolnick, where it felt like the bottom dropped out of the bands.

 

[7thSaviour]

That is bad news for sure. Best of luck to all parties concerned.

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

It's a shame for both parties concerned. Though I feel Bill's inclusion in the band might have lead to more problems down the line, maybe he just wasn't right for the band. His talent is doubtless but I think PQ and Bill have different playing styles so may this is for the best. All the very best to Bill in his future endeavours. It goes without saying that PQ will do just fine in his absence. Shame we didn't see any input from Bill in the bands music Would loved to have seen him on tour.