Interview with Grayceon 2007

by Bradley Smith

Grayceon is a fresh face in the underground scene and you just released a new album.  Can you tell us about the new album and how you feel it represents Grayceon?  How did the entity known as Grayceon manifest itself?

Jackie- Our new album is four songs, clocking in at around 45 minutes. We originally planned on making it longer, but once we recorded everything and listened to all the songs together we discovered that the album was so dense that if we made it any longer our listeners might experience stimulation overload.  I think the album offers a good taste of what we sound like but I don’t think one album could definitively represent our sound as a band. We have too much going on in the music for that to be possible.

Zack- I think it really represents the looseness of the writing and the structure of the sound we have going for us. The story of our forming is pretty anticlimactic really... Max had a few extra parts that he knew Andy (former drummer of Walken) wasn't going to want to play, and asked me if I wanted to jam with him on drums. Next thing we know we are going in to record a song and Jackie, who both of us jock the shit out of, wants to jam with us!!! That's what we call in the biz, a no brainer!

Max- I wanted to make an album that was music I would personally want to listen to and enjoy and I think we created such an album. It is not entirely an accurate representation of our live sound, but its close, and I agree with Jackie that it’s too early to say whether or not this represents our definitive ‘sound’ altogether since we are such a young band. I don’t think we have really defined it ourselves quite yet.

 

You went with Vendlus Records as the label to release your debut.  How did you form the relationship with this rather unorthodox label?  And why did you choose them as I would have figured you would have had bigger offers due to your relationship with Amber Asylum?

Jackie- Amber Asylum did not have an official label representing us at the time Grayceon was looking.  So, Grayceon sent out demos to labels we thought would be a good match for us. Joseph from Vendlus Records must have called me the day the demo arrived at his office, he was so excited about what we were doing. Honestly, to this day, I have no idea how the demo actually got into his CD player that quickly! We find it refreshing to have the kind of personal commitment and support that Vendlus has given us and we are very thankful. Since Grayceon’s music is so hard to categorize, the fact that Vendlus is considered an unorthodox label works very well for us.

Grayceon represents such a unique style.  Do you find it hard to get fans to seek out your music and to understand what is going on with your angle on underground music?

Zack- I think people who hear us for the first time like us because we really are doing something unique in our little corner of underground music. Like Jackie always says, "we have so many riffs, you are bound to like a couple!" People know when they hear us play that we are just fans of countless styles of music that we enjoy paying homage to and at the same time we are not being pretentious assholes. We’re just trying to add our own sound into the mix.

Jackie- Yeah, I don’t think there is anything to ‘get’ about our music, which might be a reason why people are attracted to it. We are all over the map stylistically and most people haven’t heard that before in a single band, so they don’t even have to try to make sense of it. After hearing over 40 different riffs in a matter of a half hour set, it’s probably totally normal to feel ‘whoa… I don’t know what just hit me, but… I think I like it!’  Or at least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

Max- It’s not something I worry about.

Cellos in underground music is a pretty unique concept.  Especially since Grayceon utilizes them as the primary means of bass tones.  How do you feel about Cello usage in and what is your opinion on other classical instruments and their use in regards to heavy music?

Jackie- Actually, Max and I trade off playing bass lines. We both tune down our instruments and a couple of his strings are quite low, so the low end is definitely covered. But, the cello and guitar are also solo instruments, so our challenge has been to find interesting ways to solo at the same time, all of the time! No really, I am seeing more and more classical instruments being used in heavy music, so by no means did I invent the concept. But, typically, their use is not being maximized to the instruments’ true potential, which is, of course, to slay.

Zack- Cellos are my favorite instrument, but in underground music they are essentially non-existent. Most of the time when they are used it’s some crappy emo song that has cellos playing long, boring chords in the background (not that it isn’t appropriate at times). Too many people think, “oh, if we put cello in this song, it will make us seem like more talented songwriters.” I say boo to that. My favorite songs with cello are songs like Eleanor Rigby, where they have the capability to be both lead and bass roles in the song. I’m glad we use it as such and it’s not a gimmick.

Max- I’m all for cellos in heavy music. If it sounds good I’m all for it.

How is performing live in such a format as Grayceon presents?  What sort of situations arise from playing with heavier bands like Ludicra and Asunder?  Do you ever feel like the odd band out or does it suit you just fine?

Zack- We are very fortunate to be able to play our tracks live and I think a lot of that has to do with Max’ unique playing style, and the fact that him and Jackie can sing at the same time while doing these extremely challenging parts. We feed off each other very well, and that seems to be a rare occurrence these days. I never feel like we’re the odd man out, simply because we don’t write with that sort of mindset. We let the songs write themselves as much as we write them. We never think, “well, I like that part, but we need it to be a little heavier, so we can play with really good metal bands.” If the 3 of us write it, then that’s what we sound like! Max and I agree that metal fans in the Bay Area are extremely open-minded, so they are very accepting to our sound.

Jackie- Yes, I agree Max and Zack. The Metal audience is way more open-minded than audiences from other scenes and because we do have some heavier moments in our songs, we fit in just fine. It was for this same reason that Amber Asylum embraced the metal scene as well. We remain versatile enough to play non-metal shows, too. As far as performing live goes, we stay pretty close to the recorded material. Max can play wicked parts at the same time so it sounds like there is more than one guitarist. Also, his down-tuned bottom strings can sounds like an extra bass line at times. All three of our playing styles in Grayceon are very dense, so our combined sound can come across pretty large in a live setting.

Max- It suits us fine to play with heavier bands. Vocally, our music is challenging to perform live because the music is loud and the vocals are so mellow and delicate that they are often drowned out. We really need a decent PA system in order to know whether or not we are being heard or singing in key.

Can you explain your role in regards to Amber Asylum?  What made you decide to explore the musical direction with Grayceon that you did as opposed to what you had accomplished with Amber Asylum?

Jackie- I have collaborated with Kris Force for ten years this spring. I started working with her straight out of art school, after not having played my cello seriously for a few years and after only having classical training and performing experience. As I grew musically, I developed a larger role in Amber Asylum and Kris and I began sharing the writing responsibility for the group. But, the project is her vision, so I cannot say that Amber Asylum is my full identity as a musician and writer. I am a huge fan of heavier music and I always wanted to try my hand at it. I began doing cameo appearance for heavier bands like Today Is The Day, Neurosis, etc. But still, these bands wanted cello on their albums in the same way most people think cello playing should be- lilting, pretty, and mournful. I admit, cello is used perfectly for that and I do enjoy playing somber music, but the cello can also scream, terrorize, and destroy. Grayceon’s free flowing writing style gives me the ability to play any way and every way I want to.

What are the Musical backgrounds of all of Grayceon’s members?  What sort of training if any have you all had?  Does that help you in regards to Grayceon or do you feel you guys have to break free from some sort of rigid structure that your teachings have instilled within you?

Jackie- Both of my parents are professional classical musicians, so I had a very rigorous classical training. Amber Asylum broke me out of that mold in 1997 and I’ve been doing my own thing since then. I do want to take cello lessons again at some point, as I have developed some pretty bad habits over the years. Having had classical training at a young age has definitely helped in my performance with Grayceon. I try to write challenging parts as much as possible to keep up with Max and to make it fun for myself. I have to pull a lot of tricks out of my bag to make it work. If I never had classical training I probably wouldn’t be in Grayceon.

Zack- Mine was staying up till 3 in the morning every night in high school playing my parents records. I never officially studied music, but I consider listening to all the music I have to be my teacher. I just play what I hear in my mind, which is anything from John Bonham to Cypress Hill.

Max- My mom bought me my first guitar and taught me my first chords. I took some casual guitar lessons for a few years after that, but the rest was just figuring things out for myself and playing with other people.

What are some of your musical and philosophical influences?  What about your band mates?  Do you think these influences reflect in Grayceon’s music?  How so?

Zack- We are philosophically 3 very open minded individuals and we seem to get along with everyone else outside of the band as well. I think that is an important attitude for a band because if a band is very talented, but they are assholes, people tend to not like them as much as they could. I think our mamas raised us right.

Jackie- I never considered that before, but Zack is right. All three of us are pretty amicable and at peace with the world in general. Harmonious would be a good word to describe our inner-band dynamic. This influences the music at its very core and is essential in our writing process. Since we each pull from such a large pool of musical influences (from metal to classical and everything in between), we allow ourselves to work on any idea that is brought into the group, no matter how extreme, and we end up with a sound that is diverse and malleable.

Max- I have way too many musical influences to list, but I can say that my greatest influence is the music my friends make.

You have had so many guest appearances such as Today is the Day, Neurosis, Jarboe and so on.  What were some of your most memorable appearances both good and bad?  Do you have any other guest spots you are going to be undertaking in the near future?

Jackie- Highlights would have to be working with Today Is The Day- Kris and I traveled to New England in the winter and got to eat lots of clam chowder. The environment seemed so fitting for playing such bleak music. We also got to record in Steve Austin’s studio and stayed with him and his lovely family. Another highlight is recording with Ludicra, who is hands down one of my favorite bands. I didn’t play much for them, but what I did track went though this huge wall of cabinets they set up in this one room. I had to sit and play in a separate room, so my hearing wouldn’t be impaired. Asunder is another band I love. I got to write cello arrangements for their entire album! They used to have a cellist in the band, so it made sense, but knowing that my contribution wasn’t going to get squashed into 10 seconds of one song was comforting. I also perform the album live with them sometimes. As for the near future… I just finished recording three songs with Two Gallants and that album will be released this summer I think, but other than that I don’t have much on my plate in terms of guest appearances. Typically, people have a bad habit of waiting until the last second to invite me. So, I never know when I will be recording very far in advance.

I was wondering that as an artist is it interesting to see how Personal beliefs affect your artistic output.  What are some of your personal beliefs and how do they color your efforts?

Jackie- I think we partly answered this in one of the questions above, but I’ll recap in saying that all three of us have a very positive outlook on life. We are the types that like to keep our glasses half full and we enjoy going with the flow. This attitude is very important in being able to make the music we make. I am also very committed to the ‘less talk, more action,’ way of life, so I put great effort towards making good things happen for us instead of hoping or wishing things would happen. We definitely have momentum as a group.

What projects, plans and/or events do you have for the near term future both in respect to Grayceon and yourself in general?

Jackie- Grayceon will be touring U.S. and Canada with Giant Squid in March and April and we are trying to work on new material. Although we are excited about promoting the album and touring, we are anxious to write the next one! For other projects, I hope to write and record with Giant Squid sometime late this year and Amber Asylum’s fifth full-length album, Still Point (Profound Lore) comes out in May 2007. Hopefully, there will be a few days of vacation squeezed in there somewhere, too.

Last Words

Jackie- Grayceon started out with a roots campaign handing out free demos, so we are extremely thankful for our supporters and fans. Thank you for listening!

Zack- Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!!!