ANDY CURRAN On Why He 'Put A Giant Pause' On CONEY HATCH: 'If It Ain't Fun, I Am Not Doing It'

In a new interview with the Distortion Den With Deke podcast, Andy Curran, a founding member of Canadian hard rock legends CONEY HATCH, addressed his statement from May 2026 in which he called out CONEY HATCH singer/guitarist Carl Dixon for advertising live dates under the name CARL DIXON'S CONEY HATCH, a move which Andy says amounted to "unauthorized use of the CONEY HATCH trademark". Explaining why he decided to take a break from playing shows with CONEY HATCH and start performing with his solo band, Andy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wanna be respectful here. There are several reasons why I walked away from CONEY HATCH and we put a giant pause on the project. One was because I got really motivated to do some solo stuff. By doing 'Lookin' For Love' [a 2024 version of a track originally meant for Curran's debut album but never recorded until two years ago], I was, like, 'Man, this is fun. I'm loving this. I'm gonna continue the chapter.' And a lot of it is the prerequisite with the 'F' word: fun. If it ain't fun, dude, I am not doing it. I don't care whether it's work or relationships I have or projects, if I'm not enjoying myself, I'm not gonna do it. So a),the reason why [Curran's limited-edition collector's solo EP] 'Rockaholic' came out, and there was a transition, and I put together a live band, is because I wanted to continue that journey of the solo record, and b),it stopped being fun with CONEY HATCH.

"In relationships I find, dude, whether it's your wife or your kids or your girlfriends or boyfriends or whatever, there's periods in relationships where you hit these troubled areas, and you either just roll with it and go, 'I'm just gonna deal with it.' It's part and parcel of being friends with that person, or part and parcel of being in the band with this person," Curran explained. "There's certain dynamics. And it got to the point where I was done with sucking it up. I was, like, 'This ain't fun anymore. I'm moving on.'

"So the part that I really do wanna talk about, which came from a very genuine place, when CONEY HATCH posted on their Instagram that there are not two versions of CONEY HATCH, that was intentional, because Andy Curran is not gonna go out there and promote, 'This is Andy Curran's CONEY HATCH,' because I would not do that. a) I would not do that, and b),there is no Andy Curran's CONEY HATCH," Andy added. "It's CONEY HATCH with either the four members that we left off with or the original members. So our note that went out was, 'Buyer beware. If you're going out to one of these shows in Europe [to see CARL DIXON'S CONEY HATCH], you are not seeing Andy Curran there. Andy Curran is not part of the rhythm section, and this is not CONEY HATCH.' And it was buyer beware. Just set that out there. So this was not meant to cause a shit storm. It was not meant to be adversarial. So I cleared the deck. I cleared it, and we're on to the next chapter. And the next chapter is a whole lot of fun, dude."

Elaborating on why he feels it's inappropriate for anybody else to use the CONEY HATCH name to promote live shows without his involvement, Andy said: "I will say, and this will sound arrogant, and I'll close off the CONEY HATCH discussion by telling you that's my band with Dave Ketchum. We started that band off, the two of us. I was kind enough to make it a partnership and let [lead guitarist] Steve [Shelski] and Carl be part of that. And that was my name that I came up with. Dixon and Shelski were never even around. So when it comes time to somebody going out and saying that they're CONEY HATCH — not on my dime, not on Dave Ketchum's dime. We've got history that goes back to 1980. So be careful what you say if you bill yourself as CONEY HATCH, 'cause it ain't that.

"So that's the politics behind it," Curran added. "My parents taught me, if you don't have something kind to say about anybody, then don't say anything at, at all. So that's me coming clean with why that thing came out on Instagram and why I have moved on into this chapter."

Regarding his solo performances, Andy said: "Having [my CONEY HATCH bandmates] Sean [Kelly] and Dave [Ketchum], and James Naro along, it comes with... It reminds me of the why I do what I do. And it's like a beer league rock and roll version of my beer league hockey. I'm with the guys that I'm having fun with all the time. There's no drama, there's no negative history. So I just cleared the deck… And I'm having the time of my life, dude. It's been a blast. We already did one show opening up for GLASS TIGER in Picton [Ontario, Canada], and it felt amazing. It was just a breath of sunshine.

"But for anybody who was, like, 'What the hell happened with CONEY?' That's what happened," Curran concluded. "It's two reasons, and a lot of it is me wanting to scratch the itch with this 'Rockholic' project."

When Curran released a statement five months ago denouncing the existence of Dixon's version of CONEY HATCH, he wrote: "It has come to our attention that Carl Dixon, Golden Age Rock Festival, and 7er Club Mannheim are currently advertising live dates under the name 'CARL DIXON'S CONEY HATCH' — specifically, September 19 in Liège, Belgium, and September 20 in Mannheim, Germany.

"While we remain fully committed to our fans, we want to make it clear that any event marketed in this manner is unauthorized by the other 3 original members of CONEY HATCH. Andy Curran, Dave Ketchum, and Steve Shelski are not involved in any way with these performances, and multiple versions of CONEY HATCH do not exist.

"Carl should be proud of his contributions to CONEY HATCH; however, he alone does not have the right to advertise performances using other original band members' names or use the band's trademark, likeness and logo.

"We wish to clarify that we are not responsible for ticket sales, cancellations or the quality of these shows, as they do not feature the full lineup or an official production. Legal counsel has been notified to ensure the protection of the band's intellectual property.

"No one is telling the fans what to do, but you deserve to know the truth.

"For accurate and up-to-date information, please refer only to our official website and verified social media channels for legitimate tour dates and news."

The "Rockaholic" EP was the first of three vinyl releases planned from Curran's archives on Vault Press. Two additional releases, "Caramel" and "Leisureworld", are scheduled to follow in 2027.

Recorded at Metalworks Studios in Toronto, Halo Studios in Hamilton and Noble Street Studios in Toronto, "Rockaholic" was mixed and co-produced by Juno Award-winning Vic Florencia and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Harry Hess at HBomb Mastering.

Curran's history with Canadian rock runs deep. As a founding member and lead vocalist of CONEY HATCH, he helped establish the band as one of the country's most respected hard rock acts. CONEY HATCH shared stages with JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, CHEAP TRICK, Peter Frampton, Ted Nugent and others, while the band's self-titled debut album went gold in Canada and produced rock radio favorites including "Devil's Deck" and "Monkey Bars".

Curran subsequently launched a solo career, with his self-titled debut producing three Top 10 Canadian rock radio hits: "No Tattoos", "License To Love" and "Let Go". These songs became staples of Canadian rock radio and MuchMusic, while Curran embarked on an extensive touring schedule that included shows with RUSH, Kim Mitchell, GLASS TIGER and Rik Emmett.

His accomplishments also include a Juno Award win for "Most Promising Male Vocalist", as well as a nomination for "Best Rock Album". On that occasion, Curran ultimately bowed out to his friends in RUSH, who took home the award.

Curran's musical résumé also includes co-founding ENVY OF NONE with RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson, further cementing his place in the history of Canadian rock.

Photo by Richard Sibbald (courtesy of Kscope)