TWO DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!! YAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   Been a while, no? Yes, it has.
   I'm getting very much excited for this Christmas weekend. My uncle who lives in Los Angeles is flying into town and I get to hang with him, which I always enjoy.
   Something I'd like to bring up, sort of a personal pet peeve. Earlier this month, I went to see the Carolina Voices Singing Christmas Tree because my sister and dad were on it. It was well done and I liked it, except for one thing; when, as part of the show, Santa came on the stage and asked what the "true" meaning of Christmas was and the conductor responded "The spirit of giving!"
   .......
   No.
   I think people have legitimately forgotten why we have Christmas at all. And it's not like saying "Celebrating Jesus' birth!" would have upset any non-Christians there...they were singing songs like Joy to the World and O Come All Ye Faithful and such. Come on people, the reason for Christmas is even IN THE NAME. *grumble*
   So after that monologue, I thought I'd tell you whats on my Christmas list! (Don't judge me, we all have 'em.) It's pretty simple this year. There are only three things that I really really want: a Dream Theater tshirt (Can you believe it? I'm a HUGE DT fan and I don't have a tshirt!), the Andromeda album "Extension of the Wish: Final Extension", and money for a six string bass guitar. I'll let you know what I get after Christmas.
   But for now, here's what I'll give you for Christmas: an update on what S.I.Q. is up to!
   We just recently had a meeting for the purpose of deciding what we would like to do early in 2011. We have finished three songs since our last live show (TZMR battle of the bands at Tremont), and many new songs are in the works. We feel we are ready to begin doing shows again, in earnest. There are plans for one prospective show in late January at Amos's southend, and we already have the date set for our final battle of the bands for the forseeable future. The battle will take place February 26th at Tremont from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. We will keep you updated on the details of the late January show.

   There's one thing I would like to leave you with.

Wasn't that entertaining?

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

You Guys Sound Like a Real Band! And Vacation is Awesome

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   It has been almost a month since I last posted a Bass Lines entry, for a number of reasons. We have been doing a lot of work in the band on music, promotions, and future plans. There's a lot of exciting stuff in our near future that several people are working very hard to achieve. I'll put it this way: the two days before I left on vacation were spent in practice or meeting with the band to discuss plans. And it's not just those of us in the band. It's also the parents and acquaintances who are working toward getting us out of state, getting us a music video...
   Anyway, as the title of this entry declares blatantly, my vacation was awesome. My family (parents, siblings, one set of grandparents, and cousins) and I took a cruise on the Royal Carribean ship, the Freedom of the Seas. It was the same ship that we went on for last year's cruise, but for me, this time was a lot better because I knew what to expect.
   There was a lot of great live music on board. It was mostly jazz, nothing heavy like our genre, but it was enjoyable to me nonetheless. I also brought my bass to practice on. Being in a technique phase, I didn't write much, but what lyrics I did write are very cool. Who knows? Maybe you'll hear them in a song down the road.
   Those that know me know that I'm not much of a party animal, but this week I let go a little bit and went to a few late night parties in the teen nightclub. There, I made the discovery that I can actually dance! I know...its weird... The only dance instruction I have ever recieved was in three years worth of ballroom/latin dancing classes, but I guess the basic principals of it paid off. I even had several other guys asking me how to do what I was doing. Ultimately, even though clubbing isn't really my thing, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Also I got a couple of people to listen to our music. What did they have to say? "You guys sound like a real band!" I love it when people say that.

   So now I'm back at home. Probably one of the things I missed the most is my practice stack. While on the cruise, I practiced out of a belt clip-on mini-amp. Nothing compared to the house shaking power and sound of my 800 watt Peavy head and Mesa cab. Ahh it makes me happy.

As you can see.

My 4 year old brother took this picture. He's cool.

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

Another Step (which also happens to be the name of an awesome Andromeda song)

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   To start things off, I want to thank every one of you that were able to make it out to Tremont to support us in the TZMR battle of the bands last night. And to those of you who couldn't, it's ok, we love you anyway. Sadly, we did not win the battle. It's not that we put on a bad show; We played amazingly for only being allowed 15 minutes (we could have filled that time with one song!). Circumstances were simply against us. The voting was done by crowd response and the use of a decibel meter. Pretty much the way it went down is that, since we didn't play last, the crowd for the last band was the closest to the stage. The decibel meter registers sound as louder the closer the people are to it. Another thing that prevented our victory was the fact that someone not in our group of fans used an airhorn during voting, which was prohibited, and therefore our croud was forced to redo their response. Obviously, it wasn't as strong the second time. Despite all this, we had an awesome time playing up on stage. This is the first show that Phil has used his new Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, and it sounded great! I also got to use my full stack, which always makes me happy. To make things even better for me, after we finished playing, a guy came up to me and told me that my performance has inspired him to learn to play the bass. When he asked me for advice, I told him practice, and listen to lots of Dream Theater.
   Personally, what I have taken away from this whole experience is that I do not want to play any more battles. Playing music is not about being better than another band. It's about conveying thoughts and emotions through melodies, harmonies, and rhythm in such a way that people can relate to it. I do not enjoy the stress of having to take every precaution to be "better" than someone else. Ultimately, this is something the band will have to discuss inwardly, because we still have the Gorilla productions battle of the bands this coming February. We will most likely be participating, so as to remain professional, but I really think until then, we will withdraw into the practice room and WRITE WRITE WRITE. We have a lot of song projects that are near completion, and once we have those finished, we will be able to fill some major time slots.
   Another cool thing that is happening for me is that I may be giving private bass guitar lessons soon, in the studios of Rock University of Charlotte. These lessons will range anywhere from basic bass technique to bass theory. I will be meeting with a representative from Rock U this Wednesday to discuss details. If you are interested in taking private lessons, contact me or Rock U after this wednesday.
And here's one for all of you to enjoy!

 Cole Millward
  S.I.Q. bassist

HE GOT IT!!!!

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   To whom do I refer in the title? None other than Phil, who got a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier amp head the other day! He has been wanting this for a long time, as has the rest of the band; the old Vox had a tendency to get a bit feedback-ish, and also the level knob had some issues. Basically, it occasionally gave us trouble during practice. I wanted him to have this amp as badly as he wanted it. So now, we all have our ideal equipment for where we are at as a band right now. Except for a 6 string for me. And maybe another guitar for Phil. But we're well on our way!
   So, now that no equipment shortages are holding us back, this Saturday is going to sound AWESOME. If you haven't bought a ticket to the battle, you're not too late. We still have some that are going for 12 dollars apiece. There are going to be a lot of great bands there. It is the finals after all! We will be battling the winners of all those previous.
   Who remembers the Gorilla Productions battle of the bands? You know, the last time we played at Tremont. Arguably the best show we have played (so far). That was also a qualifying round. The finals for that tournament will be February 26th. It's a long way off, but we are going ahead and starting to get it ingrained in all your personal calendars. We will be selling (and HEAVILY promoting) tickets very soon. Be on the lookout!
   One last thing, something I completely left out of my last entry. Another of the artists I'm really into right now is Andromeda. I just bought their "II=I" album. Progressive metal at its proggiest, ladies and gentlemen. Really awesome stuff.
   Hope to see you all at Tremont next Saturday! Be sure to vote for your favorite band ;)

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

Thought for food, and TZMR November 6th

Hey S.I.Q. fans! (and groupies!)

   The block party this past Saturday was awesome. Liquid awesome. Or more accurately, awesome in the form of delicious barbeque sandwitches. I had three.
   Aside from the food, there was a bouncyhouse for the kids AND the band members. Yes, we each took our turns in there. After 10 seconds of being in there I got rug burn and 5 kids hanging all over me. Also we got to hear the acoustic music of Tattermask and Luna's Lament, as well as the full band sound of our new friends State of Art. And we even did an acoustic set of our own, ending with a never-before-rehearsed-but-carried-off-well acoustic rendition of Stasis. Props to the rest of the band for transfering the part so well (I played my electric 5 string, but clean rather than distorted).
   The one other thing that made the block party memorable for me is that I got a taste of what it is like to be a rock star. No, not the money or endorsement deals. I had a groupie. She got me to sign her demo, got a picture with me, then hung around me the whole night. Felt pretty cool.
   This is the last week to officially buy tickets to the November 6th battle of the bands at Tremont music hall. Be sure to get yours ASAP. If you buy them at the door they are $15, as opposed to the $12 they are if you buy them from one of the band members or one of our close contacts. Yes, we know, the price is a bit high, but when you think about it, considering how many bands are playing, its about a dollar per band. Plus, you will go down in our metaphorical book of people who helped us win this thing.
   Wanna know what I'm listening to lately? I'm always listening to Dream Theater; They are my greatest influence and inspiration. However I have been listening to the two albums of Norwegian prog-metal band Circus Maximus, as well as testing the waters of the music of Threshold, a British prog-metal band. Specifically, I have been really appreciating the sound of keyboards recently. This interest may even effect some of our music in the future. No, I will not be taking up the keyboard, but someone else might...

   Happy headbanging!

(Yes this is me)

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

It's going to be huge, and YOU are going to be there. Hopefully.

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   Of course, in the title, I am referring to the giant block party being hosted by none other than us! There will be free food, drinks, and even some live entertainment. We, Luna's Lament, and Tattermask, will be playing our acoustic sets as a promotion for the TZMR records battle of the band at Tremont music hall on November 6th. So why not come out and have a good time?
   In practice, we have begun work on a song of my composition, which I am very excited about. Remember how I said in a previous entry that we can't help but write stuff, even outside of practice? Yeah, I do that a lot, but since we start a lot of song projects in practices, we rarely get around to stuff each of us has written on our own time. See why I'm excited then? Also, it's gonna be another lengthy one, with another technically challenging instrumental in the middle.
   I am going to end this blog with a question. Which do you find to be better: A musician with tremendous technical skill, or a musician with not much in the way of skill, but lots of "soul"? Let me know in a comment!
Once again, thanks for all your support!

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist  

Nothin' but good news here!

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   We hit a huge career marker two days ago when our song "Broken Pieces" was played on 106.5 The End! It was so cool! I was sitting here at my computer when Ashton called me and said "We're on the radio, tune in to 106.5, I gotta call Phil, bye." My family and I tuned in just in time to catch the solo and the end of the song. Now THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a good feeling. As an added bonus, I got to hear Tattermask's "Just Listen" two songs after ours. Made my night!
   We are still writing constantly, practicing as often as we can. We hope you will like our newest songs when we're finished with them! They are getting a lot more progressive, and a lot more technically involved. They make me happy :)

   For any of you who have not seen what our guitarist James Nelson can do, here's a video.

Dang he's good...

We hope to see you all at a party that we are holding as a promotion for our performance in the TZMR records November 6th battle of the bands. The Party is on October 23rd at 2036 Winsor Chase Drive, from sunup to sundown. See you there!

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

Does/can/will time repeat itself?

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   All of us in the band are getting very excited about the upcoming TZMR battle of the bands at Tremont music hall. The last time we played there was also in a battle, and we won. It was an incredible show, and this one promises to be just as much, if not more so. It's on a Saturday November 6th, so most of you should be able to make it. As a ticket selling event, Ashton is hosting a block party on October 23rd. Bring all your friends and a side dish or two. Hang with us, get an S.I.Q. tshirt or demo if you haven't already, and just have a good time.
   Here's a bit of news in the prog world for you. John Myung, bass player for Dream Theater and my bass idol, won MusicRadar.com's "Greatest Bass Player of All Time" award. In my opinion, it is well deserved. And the guy just keeps getting better! It makes me happy.

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

Bright lights, big city, and HUGE bass amps.

Hey S.I.Q. fans!
  
    I have some bad news and some good news. That show in Ohio I talked about in my previous entry? Not happening. At least not with us in it. It turns out Phil has a school thing that he can not miss or it will give him a failing grade and possibly cost him his scholarship. So THAT's not going down.
   Instead we have been offered two shows in New York.
   New York.
   .........
   NEW YORK.
   I don't know about you, but my excitement just doubled. The first show, on December 10, is in Long Island, which is the hometown of my favorite band of all time, Dream Theater. The second show is the very next day in Manhattan. This means that I won't have to miss a cruise with my family to do a show! And it means we get to play in New York! So cool...
   I also wanted to share a bit of equipment info in this entry. My current bass amp head is a Peavey Mark VI XP series bass head, made in the 80's, no longer in production. It is capable of pushing 800 watts. It's powerful, even for a bass head, and it gets great tone, so I love it. Nevertheless, as a pasttime, I like to look up other ones and here's what I found:

The Mesa M9 Carbine:

900 watts and LOTS of tonal control. It even has the equalizer in the middle that I like so much!

The Mesa Big Block Titan V-12:

Holy crud. 1200 watts and plenty of options to play with.

And Finally.....
The Bugera BTX 36000 AKA "The Nuke."

3600 watts. Who would ever need that much power? Ever? Most cabs will probably blow out if you turn this bad boy up A quarter of the way. Thats insane.
   Alright, I'm done with my geek-out. Have a nice evening!

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

Movin' on up!

Hey S.I.Q. fans!
(and as of last night) Hey new S.I.Q. fans!
  
   Well if you haven't heard (which would be incredible, because it's all over facebook), we pulled a victory out of the TZMR records battle of the bands last night. What a night. What a show! Battling us were a couple of our friend bands whom we like very much (The Jupiter Tide, Tattermask), so it was definitely a tough one. The craziest thing about it was that we weren't able sell a whole lot of tickets, it being on a Wednesday night, therefore the only way we could have won was by winning over other bands' fans! And judging from the raucous noise that followed our name during the voting, I'd say we did just that.
   Also, because of our music and performance, TZMR has offered us a headlining show IN OHIO. No, your eyes do not decieve you. Ohio. Playing that show will make us a national act, capable of playing out of state. So stoked!
And so is Corey! XD

Oh gosh I bet he'll hate me for that.
Ah who am I kidding he probably doesn't read these things. Love you man.
   If you have visited the band page, you no doubt have seen how we are moving up in the ratings on 106.5 The End's website. We are (as of right now) number 11, almost in the top 10, and Stasis is number 17 for songs. Very exciting. I've heard from a friend that he heard us on the radio the other night as well. I'd say we are well on our way to achieving recognition on a large scale.
   As my finishing thought, I would like to thank all the bands who we had the pleasure of playing with last night. Forgetting for a moment that it was a battle, it was one heck of a show. I look forward to playing with those guys (and gals) again later.
   And thanks to all you out there who have given us support, whether monetary, vocal, or just headbanging at our shows. We love you all.

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

Sweat, Blood, and Tears

   Hey S.I.Q. fans!
   That would be sweat from walking in the Mint Hill Madness parade (and subsequently running all the freakin' way back to my truck), blood from all the nosebleeds happening to people I know, and tears from just how much my right big toe hurts right now.
   Now that that's out of the way, I wanted to make a comment on our practices and writing sessions. It's very cool when we're writing music to see how each individual member's influences and style comes out in what they write. For example, stuff that I write has a tendency to be very progressive and usually heavy. Phil's stuff is either slow and melancholy or REALLY heavy (he's our resident metal-head). James's stuff varies a lot, but it's mostly progressive with much virtuosity. Corey hasn't written much yet, but his style challenges any conventional formula of songwriting; he really just goes with what feels right to him. Finally, Ashton doesn't write much of the music, but his lyrics are usually very dark and abstract. He has even told me once that he has a difficult time writing "happy" lyrics. Something that will just come with time and much experimentation I suppose.
   Tomorrow I am playing with the Revolution Youth praise band at Mint Hill Madness from 2-2:45 pm. Technically I'm only playing for half of it, because I'll be trading off with another bass player, a friend of mine who I give unofficial instruction to from time to time. But please, come see us play and have a good time.
   BATTLE OF THE BANDS!!! This Wednesday from 6 to 11 pm! There isn't much time left to get your tickets so be sure to grab those ASAP. We need all the support we can get because we are up against several other very talented bands that evening.
   One final bit of news, we are so close to finishing another song, one primarily being written by Corey. We believe you will like it very much whenever you may get to hear us play it.

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

Now THAT'S a bit discomforting.

Hey S.I.Q. fans!
   This morning we learned of some troubling news. Last night at The Money in Rock Hill, where we have played twice, there was a shooting between a band and some guys who attempted to rob them. Here's a link to the official story: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/09/21/1708053/1-killed-2-injured-in-shooting.html
Now we, as a band, are asking The Money and the people who are running the battle what kind of security measures are being taken. While this story may not have bothered some of us much, I personally was very concerned about this. This battle isn't just another show. It's another step in our musical careers. Our performance may win us the battle or grab the attention of someone with influence in the music industry. Hence, we will still be doing the show. It's just a bit frightening. Hopefully people will like our music enough to not shoot us though.
   On a completely separate note, unwanted guitar feedback is annoying.
   On another completely separate note, I will be playing with the Blair Road United Methodist Church's youth praise band this coming Sunday at Mint Hill Madness. We play from 2-2:45 pm. Come out and worship with us, It'll be a grand ol' time.
   And now I leave you with this parting gift: A random picture of Geddy Lee.

Heh, I used to play a Fender. Can you believe it?

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

MAN I love Saturdays....

Hey S.I.Q. fans!
    So Saturdays are our official practice days, and though lately we haven't had Phil around a whole lot (college is a pain), we are, as Corey said on our facebook page, making immense amounts of progress. As of now, our set consists of 7 complete songs, and more than 5 in the making. Hah, and I can assure you that within the week, the number of songs in the making will go up a few. We just can't help writing stuff at home as well. Three hours of practice a day is bound to yield some results.
   Speaking of practice, I've been spending some time watching bass instructional videos on youtube to see if I can learn anything. I have to say, John Myung is the man. His instructional video, "Progressive Bass Concepts," is absolutely killer, mostly because it's not just about the technique, but also the concept and theory of the bass guitar. So if you're a bass player with a 6 (or 5) string, this is definitely a video to check out. What the heck, here's a link to the first part: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojlS-eKPE84
And here's a random picture of John Myung, just because I felt like it:

Epic, no? Well it makes me happy.

Again, I am selling two bass effect pedals if anyone is interested. The money goes to a good cause (that is to say, a 6 string for me).

And be sure to buy tickets from one of the band members for our battle of the bands on Wednesday the 29th! Very important that you show up and scream your heads off. That, too, goes to a good cause (that is to say, us becoming the biggest band in the world.)

Thanks for all you have already done for us!

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

NEW STUFF that I neglected to mention in my last post...Whoops.

Hey S.I.Q. fans!
   It seems that in my last blog entry when I was updating you on cool upcoming stuff for the band, I left out a few things.
   We are working with a video producer to begin work on a music video, which is very exciting. Can anyone guess the song we are making a video for?
   Also we are speaking with a professional photographer who is going to do a free photoshoot for us. Finally we will be able to post an up-to-date profile picture on our facebook and reverbnation pages.
   We are forging a relationship with TZMR records that will hopefully take us somewhere. It is certainly a good connection to have.
  So yes, its a bit shorter than my previous posts, but...we'll just call it an addendum.
  Hope you're as excited as we are!

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

There is NOTHING like new strings. Except maybe a new instrument.

    As I'm sure some of you know, I am homeschooled. It's worked pretty well for me so far in that I have a more flexible schedule and I can (more or less) learn at my own pace. But something I've recently caught myself doing is writing music in my head DURING SCHOOL. I'll just come up with a riff and expand on it, sometimes coming up with a whole section of an instrumental. Pretty awesome huh? Hah, no. I have to restrain myself from going and playing it out on one of my basses. Very difficult to do.

    Anyway, after work today, I stopped by my local Guitar Center to pick up some new strings for my purple beauty. I haven't changed them since I got the bass. The average bass player is supposed to change them every three months, but really, with as much as I play it every day, I should change them every month-and-a-half. The new strings sound great, very bright, and they work well with my effects.

Pretty cool lookin huh? Sadly, Esp does not make 6-string basses
shape of my other two.

    I have determined that, as much as I love my five-string, I'm just about ready for a six. So I'm saving money and selling old pedals (anyone want to buy one?) in order to get it next year. Very excited about it, but I am waiting patiently.

    So how about some band news? S.I.Q. is playing at The Money in a TZMR Records hosted battle of the bands. From our perspective, it's going to be one tough night. The bands we have to compete against are The Jupiter Tide and Tattermask, along with some others. They have quite a following; heck, even I'm a fan! So please please PLEASE come out to support us. Plus, from the fans' perspective, it's gonna be one freakin' awesome show. You may wish to bring a bucket to contain your melted face once the night is done. Anyways, tickets are $7, you can buy them from me or any of the band members. Also I should remind you, it is on the 29th of this month which is a wednesday. We know that will be a difficult night to work around, but if there's any way you can make it, please try. We have a few new songs that we will be unveiling at that show, so that's extra incentive. Hope to see you there!

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

For those of you who can't get enough of us already...

Hello S.I.Q. fans!
The fellow members and I were wanting to be able to share with you what goes on in our minds as we write, rehearse, play shows, release albums, and all that jazz, but most of the others are a bit busy at this time in our career (school, day jobs...hey, musicians gotta eat!), so I decided I would take it on.
   So this will sorta kinda be my own personal blog, but most of what I write will pertain to something about either S.I.Q. or whatever musical goings-on that I might be a part of. I'll also use it to update you on whatever events are coming up for us. And who knows, I may just throw in some interesting thoughts that might be on my mind now and then. And feel free to comment! I love hearing back from our friends/fans!

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

Our pages:
www.reverbnation.com/sinq
http://www.facebook.com/pages/SIQ/270139033114?ref=ts