*NEW* interview with J.C. from ALL METAL RESOURCE!
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*NEW* interview with J.C. from ALL METAL RESOURCE!
Marta Mon Sep 21, 2009 2:43 am
http://allmetalresource.com/2009/09/19/amr-exclusive-with-tetrafusion/
AMR Exclusive With Tetrafusion!
19 September, 2009 (10:36) | Interviews, progressive metal
Several months ago, I had the opportunity to review a new album, Absolute Zero, by an underground act known as Tetrafusion. Also around this time, I had just reviewed Scale the Summit’s newest release, and upon listening to Absolute Zero, I knew that something special was happening in the world of metal. Since then, instrumental bands haven’t exactly become commonplace, but they have discovered their niche and acceptance in the American metal scene. I am an avid fan of progressive rock music, but the appreciation from modern metal fans, whom are often fickle people in regards to what they classify as “good” metal, has been overwhelmingly positive. I recently had a chance to converse with Tetrafusion drummer J.C. about being an instrumental act, the art of the concept album and their latest project which comes quite soon after the release of Absolute Zero.
AMR: Please tell us what Tetrafusion is about as a band?
JC: Well, obviously, our main focus is our art, which is music. All of us are quite passionate about playing our instruments. Also, we’re all very prompt individuals. When practice is scheduled for 3 o’ clock, everyone shows up respectively at 2:15 to get their instruments ready so that practice can actually begin at 3. As cliché as it may sound, practice is a paramount aspect of being a (good) musician. Our practices tend to be notably formal and goal-oriented. All of us spend more time outside of practice doing hours of individual practice. I’m positive that we developed our work ethic from being involved with band in high school. Some days, we’ll sit down and run a 20-second section of a song for an entire practice, just to get it right. But in saying that our practices are formal, I also have to mention that they’re very laid back, as well. If you were to come and visit during one of our practices, it’d be colloquial to find a few of our friends hanging around and plenty of food on the table. Actually, I can’t recall many practices that haven’t had at least one visitor hanging around. I enjoy the company. Outside of the the music of Tetrafusion, we’ve all been very close friends for years. Sometimes, we just take some time off from the music to hang out and enjoy each others’ company. I think our friendship plays a huge role in how great things are going right now.
AMR: What was your motivation for being an all instrumental band?
JC: Initially, we chose to be instrumental because there wasn’t anyone around that we particularly wanted as a singer for Tetrafusion, but then we came to realize that there were actually advantages to being an instrumental band. Without having vocals for a listener to lock onto, we made an effort to keep the music interesting. A song with the typical verse/chorus layout with no lyrics would be boring in my opinion, so we opted to go with a more abstract song layout. You can expect a lot of the same song layouts fused with a form of verse/chorus layout on the next album. And expect our lyrics to be just as interesting as our music.
As far as Tetrafusion’s inception, I don’t believe we put forth much of an effort to set the lineup. Things just fell into place and we started writing music.
AMR: Do you ever plan on using a permanent or guest vocalist in upcoming releases?
JC: Gary is singing lead vocals on the next album, Brooks is doing quite a bit of backup vocals, and Mark and I are contributing to four part harmonies as needed. I’m being very sparse with my contributions though since I’m stuck behind the drums. Getting a mike back there at a lot of shows would be difficult, if not impossible.
As far as bringing in a guest vocalist, we’ve toyed around with the idea of bringing in a female vocalist for one of the songs, but that’s completely up in the air.
AMR: What do you think about fellow instrumentalists in Scale the Summit and Animals as Leaders? Have you had a chance to meet them?
JC: Actually, we made contact with the guys from Scale the Summit a few months before CDC came out. That was a while back. They came out to one of our shows in…was it Houston? I don’t remember. And we hung out with them at their practice space during our tour through Texas. And Chris gave us some tickets to come and see them at a PN show in Orlando. They’re all great musicians, and great people at that. We haven’t had the opportunity to meet Tosin from Animals as Leaders yet. I haven’t talked to any of the other guys about their opinions of AaL, but I personally appreciate their music. I still haven’t bought their CD, but it’s definitely on the agenda. There’s not a lot of spare money when you’re in college. It’s a shame that they won’t be playing any live shows though.
AMR: The over arching story behind your debut Absolute Zero is very intriguing focusing on complex physics in space. I have heard of philosophical and political inspiration in concept albums, but science is not something you see very often in metal. Do you feel you are breaking new ground with this concept?
JC: We try to break new ground with everything we do, hence the term, “progressive”. We never force new concepts or ideas. They just come to us. If you like the music on AZ, then you can thank Brooks for a majority of that. We all play a very active role in the writing process, but he’s the main contributor.
AMR: The concept in metal is nothing new and is actually an aspect of metal I believe our music thrives on based on our vast array of sounds and inspirations. Do you think that the concept album is somewhat lost on American fans who seem to generally want a quick fix with their metal?
JC: I think that the concept album has become more of an underground movement in today’s society. Although I enjoy a long album with 15-minute epics and the sort, a lot of listeners want a catchy tune that they can tap their foot to or dance to, and I can respect that. It all has to do with personal preference. I mean, I’d rather dance to a thumpin’ rap song than a progressive masterpiece with alternating 6/4, 13/8, 7/8, 4/4, 15/8 time signatures. But as far as listening pleasure goes, progressive music is what really does it for me. There are a few recent concept albums that I’m particularly fond of. I always enjoy seeing an album that was meticulously crafted in every respect. I like to view music as a work of art.
AMR: So I have read that you guys are in the studio working on your sophomore effort already. I have to say that I am a bit surprised by the quick turnaround. What made you guys jump back into writing mode so quickly?
JC: Hmm…I think it had a lot to do with the desire to expand our live repertoire. We have been playing the songs from AZ since we started the band and we wanted to give our audience something new to listen to. And I think the quick turnaround may have also had something to do with us having quite a bit of unrecorded material and ideas that were still floating around. We’d head to the practice space and jam for a while, and out came ideas for new songs. And some of the new songs were actually written some time ago. There are a few riffs that I’m already tired of hearing.
AMR: What can you tell us about this new project? Is it going to be another concept? Similar subject matter?
JC: Well, I’d tell you if I could, but I don’t think I’m allowed to disclose any details yet. All I can tell you is that the next album WILL have a concept and it will be notably different, yet notably similar to our debut release.
AMR: When can we expect to see a release?
JC: We’re looking at a projected date somewhere in early 2010. We’re considering shipping out the CD early to a few selective review websites, so let me know if you’d like a copy.
AMR: Have you found any label interest yet? If you haven’t, that’s borderline criminal.
JC: Ehh…this is a hard question to answer. Interest? Yes. Action? No. We’ve been in rather consistent correspondence with a label lately, but we’ll just have to see how things are going to work out. I mean, we’re doing just fine without label support right now. A record label isn’t a necessity, but labels do have a lot of opportunities to offer that wouldn’t be available otherwise.
AMR: Anything else you’d like to add?
JC: Let’s see…well I just listened to BTBAM’s new single. I’m looking forward to getting their new album. If anyone that’s reading this hasn’t ever heard BTBAM, I’d highly recommend you check them out. And thanks for the interview, Cody. It’s always great getting a spot on the AMR website.
AMR Exclusive With Tetrafusion!
19 September, 2009 (10:36) | Interviews, progressive metal
Several months ago, I had the opportunity to review a new album, Absolute Zero, by an underground act known as Tetrafusion. Also around this time, I had just reviewed Scale the Summit’s newest release, and upon listening to Absolute Zero, I knew that something special was happening in the world of metal. Since then, instrumental bands haven’t exactly become commonplace, but they have discovered their niche and acceptance in the American metal scene. I am an avid fan of progressive rock music, but the appreciation from modern metal fans, whom are often fickle people in regards to what they classify as “good” metal, has been overwhelmingly positive. I recently had a chance to converse with Tetrafusion drummer J.C. about being an instrumental act, the art of the concept album and their latest project which comes quite soon after the release of Absolute Zero.
AMR: Please tell us what Tetrafusion is about as a band?
JC: Well, obviously, our main focus is our art, which is music. All of us are quite passionate about playing our instruments. Also, we’re all very prompt individuals. When practice is scheduled for 3 o’ clock, everyone shows up respectively at 2:15 to get their instruments ready so that practice can actually begin at 3. As cliché as it may sound, practice is a paramount aspect of being a (good) musician. Our practices tend to be notably formal and goal-oriented. All of us spend more time outside of practice doing hours of individual practice. I’m positive that we developed our work ethic from being involved with band in high school. Some days, we’ll sit down and run a 20-second section of a song for an entire practice, just to get it right. But in saying that our practices are formal, I also have to mention that they’re very laid back, as well. If you were to come and visit during one of our practices, it’d be colloquial to find a few of our friends hanging around and plenty of food on the table. Actually, I can’t recall many practices that haven’t had at least one visitor hanging around. I enjoy the company. Outside of the the music of Tetrafusion, we’ve all been very close friends for years. Sometimes, we just take some time off from the music to hang out and enjoy each others’ company. I think our friendship plays a huge role in how great things are going right now.
AMR: What was your motivation for being an all instrumental band?
JC: Initially, we chose to be instrumental because there wasn’t anyone around that we particularly wanted as a singer for Tetrafusion, but then we came to realize that there were actually advantages to being an instrumental band. Without having vocals for a listener to lock onto, we made an effort to keep the music interesting. A song with the typical verse/chorus layout with no lyrics would be boring in my opinion, so we opted to go with a more abstract song layout. You can expect a lot of the same song layouts fused with a form of verse/chorus layout on the next album. And expect our lyrics to be just as interesting as our music.
As far as Tetrafusion’s inception, I don’t believe we put forth much of an effort to set the lineup. Things just fell into place and we started writing music.
AMR: Do you ever plan on using a permanent or guest vocalist in upcoming releases?
JC: Gary is singing lead vocals on the next album, Brooks is doing quite a bit of backup vocals, and Mark and I are contributing to four part harmonies as needed. I’m being very sparse with my contributions though since I’m stuck behind the drums. Getting a mike back there at a lot of shows would be difficult, if not impossible.
As far as bringing in a guest vocalist, we’ve toyed around with the idea of bringing in a female vocalist for one of the songs, but that’s completely up in the air.
AMR: What do you think about fellow instrumentalists in Scale the Summit and Animals as Leaders? Have you had a chance to meet them?
JC: Actually, we made contact with the guys from Scale the Summit a few months before CDC came out. That was a while back. They came out to one of our shows in…was it Houston? I don’t remember. And we hung out with them at their practice space during our tour through Texas. And Chris gave us some tickets to come and see them at a PN show in Orlando. They’re all great musicians, and great people at that. We haven’t had the opportunity to meet Tosin from Animals as Leaders yet. I haven’t talked to any of the other guys about their opinions of AaL, but I personally appreciate their music. I still haven’t bought their CD, but it’s definitely on the agenda. There’s not a lot of spare money when you’re in college. It’s a shame that they won’t be playing any live shows though.
AMR: The over arching story behind your debut Absolute Zero is very intriguing focusing on complex physics in space. I have heard of philosophical and political inspiration in concept albums, but science is not something you see very often in metal. Do you feel you are breaking new ground with this concept?
JC: We try to break new ground with everything we do, hence the term, “progressive”. We never force new concepts or ideas. They just come to us. If you like the music on AZ, then you can thank Brooks for a majority of that. We all play a very active role in the writing process, but he’s the main contributor.
AMR: The concept in metal is nothing new and is actually an aspect of metal I believe our music thrives on based on our vast array of sounds and inspirations. Do you think that the concept album is somewhat lost on American fans who seem to generally want a quick fix with their metal?
JC: I think that the concept album has become more of an underground movement in today’s society. Although I enjoy a long album with 15-minute epics and the sort, a lot of listeners want a catchy tune that they can tap their foot to or dance to, and I can respect that. It all has to do with personal preference. I mean, I’d rather dance to a thumpin’ rap song than a progressive masterpiece with alternating 6/4, 13/8, 7/8, 4/4, 15/8 time signatures. But as far as listening pleasure goes, progressive music is what really does it for me. There are a few recent concept albums that I’m particularly fond of. I always enjoy seeing an album that was meticulously crafted in every respect. I like to view music as a work of art.
AMR: So I have read that you guys are in the studio working on your sophomore effort already. I have to say that I am a bit surprised by the quick turnaround. What made you guys jump back into writing mode so quickly?
JC: Hmm…I think it had a lot to do with the desire to expand our live repertoire. We have been playing the songs from AZ since we started the band and we wanted to give our audience something new to listen to. And I think the quick turnaround may have also had something to do with us having quite a bit of unrecorded material and ideas that were still floating around. We’d head to the practice space and jam for a while, and out came ideas for new songs. And some of the new songs were actually written some time ago. There are a few riffs that I’m already tired of hearing.
AMR: What can you tell us about this new project? Is it going to be another concept? Similar subject matter?
JC: Well, I’d tell you if I could, but I don’t think I’m allowed to disclose any details yet. All I can tell you is that the next album WILL have a concept and it will be notably different, yet notably similar to our debut release.
AMR: When can we expect to see a release?
JC: We’re looking at a projected date somewhere in early 2010. We’re considering shipping out the CD early to a few selective review websites, so let me know if you’d like a copy.
AMR: Have you found any label interest yet? If you haven’t, that’s borderline criminal.
JC: Ehh…this is a hard question to answer. Interest? Yes. Action? No. We’ve been in rather consistent correspondence with a label lately, but we’ll just have to see how things are going to work out. I mean, we’re doing just fine without label support right now. A record label isn’t a necessity, but labels do have a lot of opportunities to offer that wouldn’t be available otherwise.
AMR: Anything else you’d like to add?
JC: Let’s see…well I just listened to BTBAM’s new single. I’m looking forward to getting their new album. If anyone that’s reading this hasn’t ever heard BTBAM, I’d highly recommend you check them out. And thanks for the interview, Cody. It’s always great getting a spot on the AMR website.
Marta- Admin
- Posts : 120
Join date : 2009-09-06
Location : Poland
Humor : white and black:)
Re: *NEW* interview with J.C. from ALL METAL RESOURCE!
Marta Mon Sep 21, 2009 3:05 am
Thank J.C. for Your interesting interview...I see You have respect to great American prog/metal/experimental bands...and following You I'll put here links for new BTBAM songs from new CD which will be edit on 29th October 2009:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBrplVv6dwI&NR=1 Mirrors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OspGO0YVeRI&feature=related Obfuscation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBrplVv6dwI&NR=1 Mirrors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OspGO0YVeRI&feature=related Obfuscation
Marta- Admin
- Posts : 120
Join date : 2009-09-06
Location : Poland
Humor : white and black:)
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