A New Turn of Events pt. 2

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   Production on the upcoming album is progressing smoothly. Recording for the two singles we will be releasing is finished (Well, 99.9 % finished. I may need to re-record a bass track for one of them), and mixing will occur hopefully within the next two weeks. Following those, we will continue recording and mixing the rest of the songs in the tracklist. Be on the lookout for those two singles; we believe you will enjoy them immensely.
   This week saw a fortunate turn of events for the guitar section of S.I.Q. While in Guitar Center this past Saturday, James was selected by the GC manager to be Charlotte's "Hometown Hero." This means James' picture was taken and will be featured on the Charlotte Guitar Center website soon. Also, Phil got some new gear, in the form of a new multi-effects pedal. I have already heard some of the simple effects he has gotten out of that thing, which leaves me excited to see what he can create with time and a little effort.
   Paul was a little less fortunate this past week, as he underwent surgery that left him unable to play drums while he healed. He should be back in shape in time for our next practice session this Saturday. Still, keep him in your thoughts as he recovers.
   As for me, I have been struggling with one of the most proggy riffs I have ever encountered. Phil wrote it a few weeks ago, but he wrote it in Drop D tuning. I am attempting to play it in standard 6 string bass tuning, and I am slowly conquering it. You can be sure that you'll hear it on a future album, and most likely in multiple shows beforehand. (I know this whole bit isn't really important news, but I just thought I'd share, as it is something of interest to me.) Also, within the next week (I hope), I will be receiving in the mail two items that will make my life easier and my music sound better respectively: an Android-powered tablet (thanks to my uncle, who graciously gave it to me and even more graciously fixed it when I did something to make it not work) and a new multi-effects pedal. As a matter of fact, the pedal is the bass version of the new guitar pedal that Phil got.
   Just like most people my age, I am going to be attending my first semester of college starting in only a few weeks. I will be attending Central Piedmont Community College, and will be aiming for an Associates in Fine Arts (focusing in music, of course). This means that in my first semester, along with all the general education classes, I will be joining a jazz ensemble. I am especially excited about that, as I have begun to experiment with and learn about jazz within the past few months. In particular, I have been paying attention to the bass playing art of Jaco Pastorius. Here's a video to show why he is becoming an idol of mine.

Pretty sweet stuff right?

   It is at this point that I will also share with you all the other music that I have taken a special interest in over the past week or so.

"Long Way Home" by Seventh Wonder

"Fireroses Dance" by Vanden Plas

"Supremacy Our Kind" by Pagan's Mind

"Crack the Meter" by Jordan Rudess, the keyboardist for Dream Theater. I actually have this album because my sister bought it. So nice to have a sister that also likes prog!

Here's a bit of an unusual one for me:

"Blackest Eyes" by Porcupine Tree. 

And lastly, this:

A good quality live version of "On the Backs of Angels" by Dream Theater. MOST excellent.

I would actually like to close this entry with an invitation to any readers of my blog. I share a lot of my favorite music with you, but never get to hear what you listen to. Here's your chance. Post a song or band that you like in a comment. If I have not heard it/them, I'll give it a listen. 

Have yourselves a nice end to your summer!

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

Solving the Riddle

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   Big week for us in S.I.Q. land. We had the first of many recording sessions for the new album on Friday, and it went swimmingly. We started by doing scratch tracks of all of us playing together so that we could have something to listen to as we re-recorded our individual parts. We did this for two songs (songs 2 and 3 on the tracklist). We picked one to work on, and I went back and fixed any mess-ups I might have made in recording the original track. Paul didn't have to redo anything because he got it all right on the first go. (Doesn't that tick you off??) After I finished all my little adjustments, Phil and James re-recorded their rhythm tracks, doubled them, and then James laid the leads over top. We even had enough time left after that to do vocals as well, which Ashton later told me he wants to redo. Next Friday, Phil, James, and Ashton will be going back to the studio to do guitars for the other track, as well as vocals for both.
   Yesterday, we had a writing session at Phil's house, and completed a song, the first track to be on the album as a matter of fact. The song had been close to completion for a while and just had a few bits to clear up. Sadly, Paul was unable to attend the writing session (day jobs, gotta love 'em), so we have to show the finished song to him and practice it with him before it will be studio ready.
   After much consideration, we have decided to cut down the number of tracks on the album from 9 to 8. I can't give out the tracklist yet (as much as I may want to), but I can give you an update on where each song is in relation to being recorded and ready to be released.

Song 1: Needs drum part, practice, recording, and  mixing
Song 2: Needs re-recorded vocals and mixing
Song 3: Needs guitar tracks, vocals, and mixing
Song 4: Needs recording and mixing
Song 5: Needs practice, recording, and mixing
Song 6: Needs finishing, lyrics, practice, recording, and mixing
Song 7: Needs recording and mixing
Song 8: Needs recording and mixing

And we are also brainstorming ideas for the title. All the song names have been decided.
   It is really an exciting and inspiring experience for the five of us. Even more ideas for future music are sprouting in our heads.
   Strangely, I don't really have any new music to show you this week, and for that I apologize. Go have a look at my list of artists that I listen to, and pick one or two to listen to. That should be satisfactory. Until next time!

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

It's All Coming Together.

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   A lot has happened since my last entry. The primary reason for my internet silence is that I have been on vacation in Southport, NC, with my family for the past 5 days. Now, however, it is time to once again get you all up to date on the goings-on inside the S.I.Q. camp.
   A week ago, last Tuesday, we performed at Jortsfest in Cornelius, NC. I am not going to sugarcoat it; It was one of the poorest playing experiences we have had as a band. I am not blaming the management, because it seemed like the coordinators of the event were honestly doing their best to make sure it went over well. I am not admitting the fault was ours either, because we still played our setlist near perfectly. It just was not our day.
   When we arrived, we discovered that there was no house sound system; the venue was an old movie theater with the first few rows of seats removed from each individual theater to make room for a makeshift performance space, and the only supplied sound system was a small P.A. to amplify vocals. Amplifiers and drums went un-miced, which made a solid, well-mixed sound all but impossible to achieve. Also, the band that went before us went well over their allotted time with their setlist, and made no effort to quickly load up their gear to make way for ours. Already stressed because of this, Phil and I were further frustrated when we found that the power cords for our amps would not easily reach the power outlet, and James encountered difficulties when he broke a string while warming up (fortunately, Phil had spares of all the strings, and was able to supply a replacement). Probably the greatest inconvenience was during our first song, Stasis, when Paul broke the head on his snare drum. To top all of this off, the temperature inside the venue was sweltering hot, leaving us all sweat-soaked.
   Not our best show, to be sure. I will say that it still benefited us, as Paul has now played a great show with us, and a not-so-great show with us.
   All of our fans who attended still said that we put on a good concert, so perhaps all these peeves are in our own heads. We will be endeavoring even more now to put on nothing but good performances for you, our fans.
   Now for the real news. Are you ready?
   We are reentering the studio this coming Saturday, July 9th, to begin the long process of recording our first, yet untitled, full length studio album. We are planning on a nine track setlist, including two re-recorded songs from our demo. We will be keeping you up to speed on our progress through my blog, our facebook page, and a possible video documentary. Who is excited? Aside from us I mean.
   Along with the album, new merchandise is in the works.
   Speaking of new music, how about I share some with you? I'll start with the one that excites me the most.

A single released from Dream Theater's upcoming album. This song is called "On the Backs of Angels".

Thanks to Phil, this is "And the Maiden Spoke", by Nevermore.

"Rush of Silence", my favorite track from Vanden Plas' The Seraphic Clockwork.

And those are really all I have for today. Keep an eye out for all the upcoming news on our album, and I will post again when I return from vacation. 

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

The Count of Tough-scany

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   The positive repercussions of our show at Tremont have been coming constantly since the day after we played it. All of the songs that we played were recorded via camcorder, so even if you were not at the show, you can at least pretend you were. Here they are, in the order we played them, for your viewing pleasure.

Stasis

Wash Away

Nightmare Lullaby

No Pockets

   Of the songs that we played that evening, I personally had the most fun playing Nightmare Lullaby and No Pockets. We all just nailed those songs, and we got a great, energetic response from the crowd. Nothing like some audience energy to make a performer really feel confident!

   Another positive response that we received as a result of this show came in the form of a review in Creative Loafing magazine. It really does have nothing but good things to say about our performance. Here's the link, so you can read it for yourself: 

blogs.creativeloafing.com/vibes

   The porterhouse of Charlotte, they called us. How awesome is that?

   Our next performance is going to be at Jortsfest 2011, up in Cornelius, NC. It's a bit of a drive, but it really is going to be a great show. There are going to be four stages total, with music going on the whole day. We are on the second stage I believe. Be on the lookout for more information.

   

 Remember that one band that I like, Bad Salad? They have a side project on youtube called VRA! that is a split-screen Dream Theater cover band. They have covered four songs so far, and they are FANTASTIC.

They are very accurate, down to every solo, groove, and harmonic. Let me show you what I mean:

Lifting Shadows Off a Dream

Metropolis Pt. 1

Constant Motion

And finally, they have released their newest Dream Theater cover!

As I Am

If you are as big a DT fan as I am, you might have noticed that the guitar player and bass player are playing the same Musicman instruments that John Petrucci and John Myung play, which helps them get that perfect tone and look awesome at the same time. Where do they get the money to buy those?

   These have inspired me to learn some Dream Theater songs myself. The one I am learning at the moment is "The Count of Tuscany" from the Black Clouds and Silver Linings album. Maybe I'll make a video of me playing it once I am done.

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

Dear God, Cole, Stop Gushing!

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   I am typing this after having just come home from playing a show at Tremont (which I am going to assume that most of you have already heard about). It was a fantastic 30 minutes. Yes, sadly we were only given a time slot of 30 minutes to play, but in that small time we just about brought the house down! It has been too long since we have heard applause like that. Really, I have a list of our top shows so far, and this ranks very high among them. There was our first show at Tremont, which was a battle of the bands for Gorilla Productions, there was the first time we played at the Money in Rock Hill, there was the show that we played at Amos' at the Lake, and there was this one. In fact, I am inclined to believe that overall, this may have been our best show yet. The crowd was sizable, we had no stress on us, and we played all our music flawlessly. Oh! And Phil, James, and I were wireless for this show, giving us great mobility. And of course, Paul...Paul was just fantastic. So tight the whole show, hitting everything spot on, and he looked like he was having a good time too. I honestly cannot wait until our next show, if it's going to be anything like the time we had on stage this evening.

Our setlist was as follows:
Stasis
Wash Away
Nightmare Lullaby
No Pockets

And on No Pockets, we pulled a bit of a surprise out for our audience; Ashton did a saxophone solo during the jazz breakdown section of No Pockets, right before my bass solo. It's rare, getting applause in the middle of a song, but we sure got it there! And that is enough to make a musician's heart sing.
   The whole show was caught on video camera, and should be up on Youtube within the week.
   Also, we got interviewed by Amanda Caines with Shutter 16 magazine (and formerly from Tattermask). That should be showing up pretty soon as well. I will post a link on here when it does.
   For my bass players out there, I just want to say that my bass tone this evening made me very happy. It was  punchy, but not too bass-y. It was pretty much perfect. That's a tone I've been striving for a long time to get.
   So what's next on the to-do list for S.I.Q.? We are playing at Jortsfest in 10 days, on June 28th, and hopefully we'll have a longer set then. Also, we are going to focus very hard on finishing the songs for the new album. We have them almost completed, there are just some pieces that need to fall into place. Recording will hopefully commence in July.
   And finally, I will close by sharing with you the music that I have been listening to this week.

Blind Faith by Dream Theater

Power of Mindscape by Pagan's Mind

The Hidden Riddle by Andromeda

Rush of Silence by Vanden Plas

King of Nothing by Stratovarius

   I wish you all well, and I hope to see you at a future show. 

   God bless.

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

Thoughts on Conceptual Collections of Musical Works

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   This Saturday's show is creeping closer and closer, and excitement in the S.I.Q. camp is mounting. We had a pretty fantastic practice this past Saturday, quickly running through the longer and more difficult songs that we intend to play. We also had time left over to to a bit of writing, which gave us a breath of fresh air from continually rehearsing our older songs. The new music is sounding just as heavy as before, but even more progressive. You will be hearing it on our first album for sure!
   We still have many tickets for this Saturday's concert at Tremont still left to sell, if you haven't picked yours up yet, please contact us any way you can. The money we make at this show will be going to the production of the new album, so that is your extra incentive to come out and hear us play! Tickets are $10 pre-sale, $12 at the door, and there is a three dollar surcharge for anyone under 21. Doors open at 4 pm, and the show will most likely start at about 5.
   Here's some news that I, personally, am excited about. Dream Theater (in case you are not aware, my favorite band) has released the title and track list of their next album. The title is "A Dramatic Turn of Events" and the track list is as follows:

1. On the Backs of Angels
2. Build Me Up, Break Me Down
3. Lost Not Forgotten
4. This is the Life
5. The Shaman's Trance
6. Outcry
7. Far from Heaven
8. Breaking All Illusions
9. Beneath the Surface

There has been much talk among Dream Theater fans about this release. The main speculation is that the track list suggests that this album is a concept album, and that the title is in reference to Mike Portnoy's departure from the band. Whether all this is true or not, I know that will enjoy whatever they come out with.
   While I'm sort of on the subject, I wanted to share my knowledge and thoughts on concept albums.
   A concept album is a record that generally follows a story or set of ideas, making all the songs have a collective meaning. There are two different types of such records, the first being the story album. This classification encompasses such works as Dream Theater's "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory", Queensryche's "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II", Seventh Wonder's "Mercy Falls", Threshold's "Clone", and Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", and usually tells a story, complete with characters and a plot. Such albums are great examples of a bands songwriting and instrumental prowess, as both lyrics and lengthy musical movements are used to portray emotions that all tie to a single set of events. However, the downside to story albums is that it is difficult to just pop in a CD and listen to only one or two songs from them. It's like opening a book and reading two random chapters then putting the book down. It is wise to have a lot of free time when listening to a story album.
   The second type of concept album is more abstract. The songs on this kind still follow an ideal, but they are not  connected by a story. Examples of abstract concept albums are Andromeda's "The Immunity Zone", Pagan's Mind's "Enigmatic: Calling", Circus Maximus' "Isolate", Symphony X's "Iconoclast", and (my personal favorite) Dream Theater's "Octavarium". In all of these, the songs are connected by nothing more than a theme spread across every song. In the special case of "Octavarium", the listener doesn't even realize it's a concept album until they listen to the last track, which unites all the tracks in one overall concept. Unlike a story album, you can listen to one or two songs on an abstract album without feeling completely lost, and usually the songwriting is just as well done.
   I love both types as long as they sound heavy and proggy.
   I hope you have been educated by this. As always, let me know in a comment if there is anything you disagree with.
   See you Saturday! Here's a music video to keep you happy until then.

This is "Alley Cat" by Seventh Wonder

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

The Measure of a Band

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   We are still getting prepared for our upcoming shows at Tremont and Jortsfest. Paul is getting his chops for our selected songs down, James got a pedalboard on which to keep his various pedals and footswitches, and Phil and I are getting used to our new wireless systems. We aim to make the coming shows as entertaining and exciting as possible. Tickets for the Tremont show are available now, and are $10 presale, $12 at the door. All five of us have tickets, so get in touch with any one of us to get yours before the show.
    You all know this story. You go to a show, and a band gets up on stage. The drum kit is a trashy 3 or 4 piece set with cracked cymbals, the guitarists have banged up gear that doesn't look like it will create sound at all, much less a pleasing sound, the Bass player is wearing a cheap four string and playing with a pick (sorry, I am a little biased there), all the members are dressed as if they were randomly selected off the street, and when the singer opens his mouth to start singing, the sound of vomiting comes out. It is at this point that several members of the audience decide to sit this one out, and go outside to chat idly.
   Here's another story: A band gets up on stage, and they automatically exude an aura that practically speaks the word "unified". They all help each other get into place, the drum kit, guitar gear, and bass gear looks well taken care of, and when they begin they begin to play, people start tapping their feet, headbanging, and having a good time.
   I have had both experiences, as an audience member at several shows. It asks the question, what makes a band good or bad? What sets some bands above the rest?
   First, a band needs to be well practiced. WELL practiced. If tempos are constantly changing unintentionally and the players are hitting wrong notes frequently, then the band will sound unprofessional.
   Secondly, a band needs to be unified. Bands sound best when all the members are playing together, not when some members are either showboating or turning up really loud to make sure they are the ones heard. I had this issue in my youth band for about a year or so. People where only focusing on what they were playing and not to what the band sounded like as a whole.
   Along with being unified, a band needs to have a similar look, whether that means black tshirts and jeans (pretty much how we do it) or an old school early 1900's look (I am of course referring to a favorite local band of mine, Case Federal and the Agents). If everyone is wearing different styles, then there's a look of chaos on the stage, and chaos is a band's worse enemy.
   A very important thing for a band to have is something unique about their style, about the way they play their genre. I have nothing against death metal, but when such bands don't put something unique in their music, it sounds the same as all the other stuff. There must be something to keep the audience's intrigue. Once again, I'll us Case Federal and the Agents as an example. They used metal distortion and rhythms, but they had a saxophone playing the rhythms right along with the guitar! That may be a bit of an extreme example, but you get the idea. Do something different, and people will recognize you.
   Band members should take care of their gear. I understand that some bands like to smash their instruments and stuff like that, but the amps and drums are the things providing the sound. If they're not taken care of, they won't behave the way they're supposed to.
   Lastly, a band must be exciting to watch. The players should move around, interact with each other, and interact with the audience.
   This concludes my rant. I hope you have enjoyed it, and that you agree.
   Speaking of good bands, it is time for me to share with you what I have been listening to since my last post! I'd like to start with one of my personal favorite local bands. I didn't even know they had this song recorded until yesterday!

"Shadows" by Luna's Lament. This is one we like to headbang to whenever we see them play live. Props to you Kim, Morgan, Chandler, and Michael!

"Frequency" by Vanden Plas. Still listening to this band, and learning to love all of the songs from this particular album.

This song, "Raw Dog" by Dream Theater, has actually been out for a while. It was featured on the God of War III soundtrack. I've been going back and listening to it, as it is the most recently released song by Dream Theater.

Pagan's Mind released their new album!!!! This is "Eyes of Fire" from Heavenly Ecstasy. Phil, James, and I have already been enjoying this one immensely.

We hope everyone out there is doing well, and we hope to see you at Tremont in two and a half weeks!

Rock on \m/

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist