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