Amos' Money

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   I am typing this only 2 hours after playing our show at Amos' at the Lake. This weekend has quickly moved up to my list of top ten weekends. Two shows in one weekend. Mmm. Nice.
   So last night, we played at the Money with our friends The Jupiter Tide. I have to say we were pretty psyched about playing all our new music, so much so that we were getting a little anxious that we wouldn't play it completely right. But it went over really well, with many people saying that their new favorite of ours is "No Pockets." Our other new ones were "Let Me Go", "'Til Life Do Us Part", and our first entirely instrumental piece. Once we finished playing, Phil and James stayed for The Jupiter Tide, but unfortunately I had to leave, due to my parents being my ride and them being very tired. I don't blame 'em. It was kinda late.
   We all met up again at Amos' at the Lake at 1:30 today. The preceding bands were all out of Streetwise music school. There were four of them. My honest critique of them is as follows:
   The first band was Three Kings and the Killer Queens. Personally, my favorite thing about them was one of their female singers. Because of her voice, really, I mean it. I found it quite refreshing.
   The second band was Malice, an Alice Cooper/ Rob Zombie tribute band. They were good, if theatrical. And not that theatrical is bad, it just so happens that the venue we were in didn't seem to be the atmosphere for their particular theatrics. Also, purely as constructive criticism, It would help for them to sort of unify their look. Each look was distinctive, but I didn't really feel that they matched. I really liked the lead singer's look though; he definitely pulled off the Alice Cooper persona.
   The third band was the Lynrd Skynrd tribute band. I personally am not a fan of "Freebird", but in my opinion, the solo was well done. One guitar in particular, however, had too much treble in the tone, making its sound really "pointy."
   The fourth band was a Rush tribute band, and I found that they did a fantastic job. I loved the lead singer's voice. Somehow, he was able to hit Geddy Lee's high notes full voice.Nuff said.
   As for our performance, I would like to thank the soundman for making us sound the best we have ever sounded at a live show. You sir, if you are reading this, are the man. Also I got more reviews on my 6 string, people mostly saying that, soundwise, it's so much clearer than that of my other two basses, and that, lookswise, it stands out more. I knew I made a good choice in getting that one.
   I would like to finish this up by saying it was really awesome seeing so many of our people come out to see us. I was especially happy to see my family and two of my co-workers there.
   So we continue writing! Rock on peoples.

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

I made a uh oh.

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   There was a mistake in my previous entry. I said we would be playing February 6th with Luna's Lament. This is, in fact, false. I forgot that at our last meeting, we decided we would not be able to do it. Ashton reminded me of this just a little bit ago.

Good to know that he reads my blog though XD

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

One heck of a show/ My favorite albums

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   After this past Saturday's practice, all five of us are feeling pumped and ready for this weekend. We weren't sure if one of our newest songs, an instrumental, would be completely polished enough for you, the Society, to hear it yet. Fortunately, we discovered that we have the song down-pat. Therefore, this weekend, we are going to unleash all the new music that we have been preparing for the past two and a half months. We've already seen from fan posts on our Facebook page that you are just as eager to hear it as we are to perform it for you!
   You will have two opportunities to see us this weekend. This coming Saturday the 22nd at 8:00 pm at The Money in Rock Hill, we have been invited to share the stage with our good friends, The Jupiter Tide. The cover charge is $5, and we will begin playing at around 10:30pm. It's a good time to see us play on one of our favorite stages and to hear some other good bands as well. Also, the following day, Sunday the 23rd at 2:00 pm, we will be headlining at Amos' at the Lake for the first time. The preceeding act will be a Streetwise Music Instruction sponsored battle of the bands (we are not battling, just performing). We will be taking the stage at around 5:00 pm, and the cost of entrance is $10. This one is even giving us chills.
   Also, just to let you know far enough in advance, we have two planned shows in February. One, February 6th at Amos' at the Lake, playing with Luna's Lament, and two, February 26th, the finals for the Gorilla Productions battle of the bands that we participated in last August. The prizes for this will be contributing to the recording and subsequent release of our first FULL STUDIO ALBUM, so please, mark your calentdars and come show Tremont Music Hall and Gorilla Productions just how much dedication the Society has!
   Just a little bit of info on my own personal music endevours, I will once again be playing in the Blair Road United Methodist Church's youth band. It will be under new direction, so I hope it will bring about welcome changes and improvements in our sound. Because even in worship, it helps to sound professional.
   And now, a little treat for you prog fans. I have prepared a list of my favorite albums to share with you. Believe me, it wasn't easy trying to pick my favorite from discographies of bands whom I adore. But here it is:

Dream Theater's Octavarium. My single most favorite progressive metal album. Why do I love it? Because the entire album follows a grand concept, each song presenting a different feeling, yet all connected in ways too numerous to list here on this blog. Not to mention the album holds my favorite prog song as well: the 24 minute long colossus and title track "Octavarium."

Moving on...

Andromeda's II=I. This is one of my absolute favs, not for any one song, but for ALL of them. The first several songs, consisting of Encyclopedia, Mirages, Reaching Deep Within, II=I, Morphing Into Nothing, and Castaway all exhibit a mastery of the prog metal style, ranging from heavy, to adrenaline pumping, to soft and soothing. The final three songs, Parasite, One in My Head, and This Fragile Surface (which make up a suite), venture into new territory in the prog genre. All three are full of erie vocal harmonies and keyboard effects as well as frequently changing time signatures.

Andromeda's The Immunity Zone. It was too difficult for me to pick between this one and II=I so what the heck? Why not both? This album shows a heavier musical side and a more politcal lyrcal side of Andromeda. Most of the tracks explore the concept of the progress of the human race, and whether we are "doing well enough or not." In my opinion not all the tracks are as good as those on II=I, but the 17 minute long "Veil of Illumination" more than makes up for it. The lyrics bring up a subject I have given much thought, and the instrumental makes one wonder how the HECK these guys do it live. And I have Phil to thank for turning me on to this one. Thanks buddy!

Circus Maximus' Isolate. There's no particular concept to this album, I just really admire the command over their music that Circus Maximus has, especially in this album. And I know it's weird, but one of the main reasons I like this album is because of their use of triplets in their rhythm. Straight up cool.

Threshold's Dead Reckoning. Threshold definitely displays more of the metal and a little less of the prog in this one, but still, "Pilot in the Sky of Dreams" and "Fighting for Breath" are two killer tracks.

Silent Memorial's Retrospective. This is a recent discovery for me, and already I'm in love with the music of this album. There's definitely a lot of 80's influence in most of the tracks, saving the most proggy and intricate music for the 22 minute long title track "Retrospective." Beginning to detect a pattern in the types of songs I like?

Myrath's Desert Call. Typical prog mixed with some Middle Eastern influence. Surprisingly to me, it has a really great sound. It flows really really well. So how about that? Probably the only prog metal band from the Middle East and they sound amazing!

And I suppose this last one doesn't technically count as an album, but still...

Dream Theater's Score: Live at Radio City Music Hall. I own this on DVD and OMAGOSH, it has to be the best live show Dream Theater has ever performed. Without a doubt. The setlist is flawless, ending with my favorite song, "Octavarium", extended to 27 minutes long because of the solo at the beginning, and "Metropolis pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper" as the encore. I never tire of watching it.

   So there you have it! My list of favorite albums. I know, it's lengthy, but its next to impossible for me to choose between some of them. These are the source of most of my musical influence, so you're bound to hear it come out in future works by S.I.Q. I urge you to pick up a copy of one (or several) of these and give them a listen. I assure you, if you are as much a prog fan as me, you will love them.

So get to it!

Cole Millward
S.I.Q. bassist

Do you know how hard it is to wait?

Hey S.I.Q. fans!

   I am of course refering to two things. One, for the 6 string bass that I bought to arrive, and two, to post another blog entry describing it to you! Yes, the reason why I haven't posted for a few weeks is because I wanted to save it all up for this entry.
   After I got off work today, James came over to do some stuff on powerpoint (which his computer does not have, but mine does). The bass arrived while he was here, so we unwrapped it and immediatly started playing around on it. It sound phenomenal. It came with a new battery, and brand new (and very in-tune strings). The neck is a complete tree trunk! It's so much wider than anything I've played before. I'll get used to it in no time though. So how about some pictures of the beauty huh? Here ya go! (Pictures courtesy of my grandpa, Marcus Hamilton)

In the words of a friend of mine, "So epic it takes two people to hold."

Also, S.I.Q. has two shows coming up. The first, January 23rd, is at Amos' at the lake. We are getting really psyched for this one because it's at a popular venue, and WE'RE HEADLINING. We get to play for a full hour. Can it get much better? The total show runs from 2 to 6 pm, and tickets are $10 at the door.

   The next of the two is a battle (another one? lol), the finals for the Gorilla productions battle of the bands that we participated in last July. The prizes for this one are huge, so we need as many of you, our loyal fans, to be there as possible. Tickets are $10 if you buy them from us in advance, $12 if you buy them at the door. There's also this cool online battle going on for Gorilla as well. The prize? 25,000 dollars. Do you know how much recording time that can buy? Holy cow! Here's the link: http://www.gorillamusic.com/25000-record-deal-contest-voting/?c=&w=&n=20

   I think we are on the second page. Please vote for us. You want us to make a full album right?

   So now that you are all informed, get ready for a great couple of months for you and for us!

   Happy new year!

Cole Millward

S.I.Q. bassist

  

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