I recently conducted an online interview with members of the band Echolyn. Unfortunately, Ray Weston and Paul Ramsey were unavailable for comment.
Echolyn are a band that need no introduction to most fans of the modern era of progressive rock. They formed in the suburbs of Philadelphia in the early 90’s and are often considered to be one of the bands to spearhead the prog resurgence of the early to mid 90’s. While always playing music that could fall under the progressive rock umbrella, Echolyn aren’t a band who rehash what has been done a million times before them nor do they rest on their laurels. Instead, they try new things, whether it be a single track disc, a double album or a more song oriented modern rock sounding album that might sound like a far cry from the mellotron soaked prog that often stereotypes the genre. Needless to say, Echolyn are anything but predictable. I have met the band on numerous occasions and have seen them perform several times so I thought it might be fun to put together an informative interview for those who want to learn more about the band.
Echolyn consists of:
Christopher Buzby(CB)-keyboards, backing vocals
Thomas Hyatt(TH)-bass, backing vocals
Brett Kull(BK)-guitars, lead and backing vocals
Paul Ramsey-drums and percussion, backing vocals
Raymond Weston-bass, lead and backing vocals
echolyn interview:
Let's start at the very beginning. Do all the
members of echolyn come from a musical background and how old were you guys
when you first started to play musical instruments and what did you play?.
BK:
No one in my family is a musician. I was an anomaly. I’ve been “into” music
since I can remember and have always played some sort of instrument.
CB: Born into a musical family,
both of my parents were singers and my mom played piano. My parents
started me on piano lessons when I was 5. I also sang in my church choir
for many years (age 7-16), added French Horn (grades 5-8) and Alto Saxophone
(grade 4 to present) to my instrumental lessons (and was a performing member of
The Philadelphia Boys Choir (a world-renown professional international touring
choir) for 3 years from ages 10-12. I also participated in every High
School singing, instrumental and theatrical ensemble and received a Bachelor’s
Degree in Music Composition & Theory and Music Education from Moravian
College (PA). More recently I completed my Master’s Degree in Music
Education at West Chester University (PA).
TH: I began playing bass
when I was about 14 or 15. My Dad, who also plays, always left his Bradley
Precision copy lying around. After learning some basic fretting (25 or 6 to 4
by Chicago), I gradually started noodling around with whatever music seemed
easy or doable (Kinks, Kiss). Around the same time I discovered Rush, Iron
Maiden, and Led Zeppelin learned the vital role bass played in music and I was
hooked.
I was wondering if you could talk a little bit
about the history of the band. How did you guys meet, first get together and
decide to form a band. Also, was there a conscious decision to play music in
the progressive rock style?
BK:
Paul and I have been playing together since high school. We formed a cover band
and met Ray (through my Dad). That cover band was my college experience. It
taught me how to play in front of people, learn different styles and drink lots
of alcohol. I got tired of playing cover music after 3 years of jumping from
bar to bar. There was no real reward in it. Ray and Paul wanted to keep making the
money and playing covers… I quit. About a year later they realized that the guy
who got the gigs, organized the rehearsals and basically drove the project
wasn’t in the band anymore. They came back to me on their knees because I was playing
cool original music, had a recording studio and had gigs lined up ;-) That was
the beginning of echolyn.
CB: I used to go to the same
Elementary School and the start of Middle School with one of Brett’s younger
brothers, Tim. While we didn’t see each other for about 6 years (my
parents transferred me to a private school in 8th
grade) Tim and Brett’s dad ran into me while I was working in a mall clothing
store when I was 18, living at home, and commuting to college. Long story
short, Brett’s dad passed my name and number to Brett since he was looking for
a keyboard player to work with; the rest is history. When I joined we all
decided we wanted to play and write only original music together; we never
discussed the word prog or progressive – I didn't know what they meant anyway!
- we just wanted our music to be original and different than most of the crap
being played on the radio!
TH: I first heard echolyn
playing at Dewers Pub in Willow Grove PA, while I was home on spring break of
my senior year. I was blown away by the originality and the musicianship. I had
never seen anyone do music like that with so much finesse. All I thought was if
I can't play with a band like that, I didn't want to play at all. As luck would
have it, they were holding auditions the exact same week I was graduating. I
gave it my best shot and here I am talking to you today
I understand that echolyn itself is not a full
time endeavor for any of you guys although some of you do make a living out of
making music. When you are not recording or performing live with echolyn what
do you guys do to support yourselves?
BK: I own my own company called Area 602. With that I record, produce and write music. I also work with various artists recording and producing their songs. I’m a session guitarist and work with lots of people in the studio and live. I also teach basic sound and Sound Design for film and video at two universities. Besides all that, I’m trying to get my Behavioral Science degree to continue my education.
CB: I am currently a full–time
music teacher at a K-12 Private Quaker co-ed day school in Jenkintown, PA,
named Abington Friends School. I start my 17th year
this coming September and still love my job. I am Director of
Instrumental Music and the 7th Grade Dean, which means I direct all of the
Instrumental music ensembles (concert bands and jazz ensembles) from 5-12th
grade as well as teach a Digital Audio course and lead several small ensembles:
Drum Circle, Electronic Music Ensemble (e:me) and Jazz Combo. As Dean I
lead a team of ~20 teachers and am the go-between for families and the school.
I also have a private roster of weekly lessons/students (~15 per week) to whom
I teach private lessons in piano, composition and saxophone.
TH: I work in clinical
research drafting and reviewing informed consents for clinical subjects. I
would explain more, but I don't want to put anyone to sleep:-)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of
having the band as more or less a serious hobby?
BK:
There really are no disadvantages with the band being a hobby. It’s wonderful.
We get together because we like to make music together, not because we have to.
As long as we are considerate of everyone’s schedule we can continue to write
and hang out. It’s probably more frustrating to folks that want to see us play
live or want more musical output. We just can’t give people the kind of time we
did when we were kids.
CB: The advantage to echolyn being apart-time hobby:
our personal lives and time is
already at a premium. I personally don’t see how I could do the band full-time
when I am already committed to 60-80 work-weeks from Sept-May. Everyone else is
the band has similar schedules and commitments, making it tough to do echolyn
anymore than we currently can and do.
The disadvantage to echolyn being a part-time hobby:
when we want to write and
record and play live it is really difficult to get our 5 schedules/lives to
coordinate. And, of course, you have to leave time for the creative
process to unfold and nurture itself as well; that is difficult and can
sometimes be very frustrating when we’re only getting together once a week or
three times a month. But it’s better than nothing; hence why echolyn is a hobby
at this point!
TH: To me there is no worry
about relying on the band for my bread and butter. As result we are able to
take chances when writing music and not worry whether or not the album will
sell enough to support us. Plus I am able to to appreciate music as a passion
rather than as a "job" or as a "labor"
Now for the million dollar question. How exactly
did you guys come up with the name echolyn and is there any deep significance
to the name?
BK:
It’s just a name I made up. I wanted something that had no other meaning and
therefore could only be associated with us.
CB: I personally wanted the
band name to be written “e:” but Brett insisted on the “lyn” ending. Rather
than being voted off the Island, I relented and gave in. ;-)
There seems to be prominent, although not
necessarily easily identifiable, literary influences in much of the
band’s lyrics. I was wondering if you could shed some light on that. Are there
any writers or poets that stand out as being particularly influential in
shaping the subject matter in the words to the music?
BK: I read a lot, but my words
are primarily personal experiences. I’ve used books and movies as launch pads
to get started on something but they invariably become my own words. The Last
two albums have stepped into an even more personal experience in the text. At
best, I hope to connect with listeners through a common feeling and emotional
context. Regarding recent books: I’ve been reading a lot of Christopher
Hitchens, Sam Harris and Dan Barker lately. It’s part of my journey.
CB: While I have only written
lyrics to 4 songs over the years (Patchwork, How Long I Have Waited, The
Currents of Me, Brittany) I would defer to Brett and Ray on this one; however,
for the 4 songs I did pen words to, I was usually writing about my life and the
world in which we live and reacting to situations around me for inspiration and
context.
Many prog bands seem to go through countless
personnel changes. echolyn has gone through some over the years but for the most
part has had a very stable lineup. I was wondering if you could talk a little
bit about the dynamics in the band and why you think that the band has stayed
together through thick and thin for the most part.
BK: The band has been pretty
much the same since the beginning. Tom joined after our first year. He played
on our first album and joined again after Cowboy Poems and Mei. We all like
each other and listen to each other. Paul and I have known each other since 6th
grade. He is one of my best friends. We have a dynamic in the band and each
person has their function by their own choice. It works, what can I say?
CB: This band knows deep-down
how lucky we are, as the echolyn 5, to have what we have musically as well as
friends. In the end that is what has pulled us through band fights,
disagreements, and artistic clashes of vision. We respect what we have
when we are together and that pulls us through each and every time. We
know how unique that is, and while we sometimes take it for granted, it is
never far from our minds.
TH: I think chemistry is
extremely hard to find and maintain in a band. Very few bands have ever
successfully had personnel changes that have worked out. You can have any
variety of talented musicians play together, but it doesn't mean that they will
make great music together. We are lucky to have worked together and I think we
all appreciate and listen to each other when writing together.
Are you guys able to work out your differences in
a professional manner most of the time?
BK: We argue and disagree now
but it’s all constructive and not deconstructive. Because we have a shared past
and respect each other, the disagreements are fleeting. We generally are on the
same page with everything, which is quite astounding.
CB: In our 20’s we fought and
yelled more than we do now; these days we either argue with passionate words or
give each other the “silent treatment” – bottom line, you get too tired in your
40’s to fight and it’s way more fun to share a beer than to throw one!
;-)
TH: As we've grown (much)
older and have matured, we have learned to find the potential in each other’s
ideas. Some songs have evolved from a single riff. Others have been brought in
as fully arranged ideas that just needed everyone's signature. We have gotten
much better at communicating and have become more open about letting go of ideas
to make way for each other’s contributions.
In the mid 1990's, after the ordeal with Sony, you
guys called it quits. I don't want to rehash those particular events in this
interview but needless to say at the time it seemed to be the best thing for
the band. Chris, you went on to form Finneus Gauge with your brother Jonn and a
few other seasoned musicians including the acclaimed fusion guitarist Scott
McGill, while the other members of the band formed Always Almost and Still.
Were there musical differences at that time among you guys that caused you to
pursue separate musical projects? Also, how did the music of these various
bands differ from what you guys were doing in echolyn?
BK:
We’ve always been different musically. That’s what makes this band so frigging
cool. We split because we had worked for almost 6 years of our lives giving
100% of our time to making the band into something huge and monetarily
successful. I want to stress that when bands ask me how we got as successful as
we did it’s because we gave everything we had. We didn’t rehearse once a week
and play an occasional gig… we did it everyday! Hanging posters, sending out
mailing lists, planning gigs, fixing our truck, writing music, paying bills was
all we did. My wife never saw me… and left me because of it. We sacrificed our
20s to the god of music. My 20s were spent touring and recording with no
paycheck. We were all tired of it and needed to see what else was out there.
It’s funny because when Sony surreptitiously dropped us, no one had the balls
at the time to say the band was done, we sort of split in an uncomfortable ways
as best we could. I’m glad we took a break.
CB: We were all frustrated by
the Sony debacle and it forced us to make some major life changes and
decisions. I wanted to resume teaching, as I had left that part of my
life to do echolyn full-time with Sony. When I earned the teaching job at
Abington Friends I realized how much music I still had churning in my head, and
with my brother Jonn just returning home from college in North Carolina and
looking to jam, voila!, finneus gauge was formed. I don’t regret those
years at all. I’m very proud of those 2 albums – and I learned a ton
about being a band-leader, producer, engineer and composer. In the end I
think it made my return to echolyn all the stronger, as I had experiences under
my belt that I hadn’t ever had with echolyn.
TH: In 95 I discovered that
I no longer desired to rely on music as a way to support myself. Sony had lost
interest and I was struggling to get by day to day. In order for us to make the
kind of music we wanted to, hardcore commitment on everyone's behalf was needed,
which I was no longer able to provide. I was also no longer feeling the
passion everyone else had for working as a musician. So I decided it was time
for me to leave
You guys reformed in 2000. How and why did the
band decide to get back together after a five-year absence?
BK:
I’m always reaching out to friends. I like staying connected and plugged in.
Once we had our lives in order it was just time to play again. As I said, we
liked hanging out… so we missed each other.
CB: Unbeknownst to one another,
Brett and I had mailed each other holiday cards 1-day apart in hopes of
repairing the split (we hadn’t been talking); when we each received the other’s
card in the mail we knew it was more than a random act of happen-chance and we
called one another to officially “bury the hatchet.” What came next was a
promise and a challenge to see if we still had any music in us still to be
written; needless to say, we did!
Initially Tom Hyatt (the bass player) was not part
of the reformed version of the band. I understand there was a bit of a falling
out that occurred. Tom, how were you integrated back into the band. Did you
contact the band first?
BK: When tom was ready to hang
again we were there as the friends we had always been. He’s a dear friend of
mine and I missed him.
CB: The band/Brett actually
reached-out to Tom a few times over the years to see if he had any interest in
rejoining the band, but each time he wasn’t ready to rejoin or consider
rejoining. I totally respect that, because when he did rejoin it was on
his terms – which made his return all-the-better.
TH: Brett actually found my
work number, contacted me, and asked if I was interested in performing
"The Cheese Stands Alone" at NEARFest 2002. At the time of the performance
I did not really have it mind to return to the band, but that night after beers
and stripclubs I realized how much I missed everyone. Plus I had instantly
become addicted to "CowBoy Poems" and "Mei" and found
myself lingering around the studio more and more:-)
I understand that there was some video shot while
recording the latest album. Will this show up on a future dvd or maybe a
documentary of the band?
CB: Hopefully! We started
trying to capture as much of the “process” as possible with the last few
albums, as we realize that creating music is an interesting thing to watch,
behold and most importantly, be a part of. Paul used to bring a handheld
video tape recorder years ago to most of our live shows, but recording the
studio process sheds entirely new light on how a song is born, changes, morphs
and eventually lands as the version the world hears when an album is
released. All hail the invention of the digital Flip Camera!! Whoo-hoo!!!
;-)
It’s been ten years since the release of what some
people consider to be your magnum opus, “mei,” which for those who don’t know,
consisted of one single almost 50-minute title track. Mei is possibly the
most polarizing album you have done. Would you attribute that to the
ambitious nature of the album including the fact that it is one lengthy piece?
BK:
It’s one of my favorite songs we have. It works live with and without the extra
musicians. That album can only be played by “ real men” ;-) As “boys” in our
20s, we would have never been able to have that kind of musical finesse. It
really is one beautiful song. Most folks that write a longer piece will have
tons of parts and movements to help the arrangement. We didn’t want that. It’s
actually a very simple song that utilizes a few themes in creative ways.
CB: Excellent –
polarizing is a good thing. As Michael Caplan, our A&R guy for
Sony/Epic used to say: “I want people to love you or hate you because
indifference is the kiss of death!” Mei clearly has done that to
folks. Bottom line: I think it is our most honest, raw, best-arranged,
compositionally strong, song to-date. Love it or hate it, it is us, being
us, for ourselves. And no, that’s not ego talking, that’s a proud artist
talking!
Are there any plans to do a “mei” part two or
anything that might be equally as ambitious in scope or maybe another double
album?
BK:
No, I hate repeating myself. That would be too much like Meat Loaf’s Bat out of Hell II… a bad idea!
CB: No plans or discussions,
but then again there were no plans or discussions to do something like mei
before we did something like mei – it just happened! We simply follow our
musical muse and see where it takes us. So many artists these days forget
to simply follow the creative path – instead they pursue something thinking it
is what they are “supposed” to do or are “expected” to create. Kind of
sad, actually. We constantly remind ourselves that the song must have an
“essence” in order to be good and actually “say” something; from there it’s
then our job to deliver or present it to the listener using sounds, rhythms,
melody, harmony, etc. Not an easy task, but one we thrive on!
Let’s talk about the new album for a bit. What was
the creative process like making this album and how did it differ from past
albums?
BK: Newness in writing and
recording! Melody, harmony and feel were paramount. It took a ling time to find
something new and worth pursuing, that includes the lyrics too. There’s no
banging on this album and yet there is a heaviness and weight.
CB: Make music that doesn’t suck.
Period.
Make music that is truly
original and truly progresses – i.e. no rehash, no repeating ourselves, and
music for ourselves first and foremost (‘cause if we don’t like it, then who
will?)
For the first time in a long
time we also left about 6 songs off the album release, because they didn’t make
the final cut - although they will see the light of day eventually, as they are
still great songs, IMHO, just not fit for the album release.
TH: The creative process
varies from song to song, but the overall theme was to continually push each
every song to it's fullest potential. Many of the songs heard in final product
were recorded and re-recorded to assure there were no second thoughts, doubts,
or regrets that as to whether we could have made them better. That is why the
album took so long. We had to let go of a lot ideas that we had become attached
to, destroy them, and resurrect them into their phoenix:-)
What was the editing process like if there was one
and does all the material you recorded for these sessions show up on the album?
BK:
Since we are self producing our own material we have to be very careful. “Demo
love” and self-congratulatory behavior is too easy. I know I personally had to
constantly step away from the songs and give them a hard look. If something
didn’t work with the intent of the lyrics it was cut. Space was important.
CB: Daunting and tough, but in
the end the best songs made the cut and the weaker songs did not. We were
also still putting finishing touches on vocals, overdubs and percussion right
up until Brett mixed each tune – which sounds last-minute, but it actually
allowed us to make sure each tune had just enough of each “spice” needed prior
to proper mixing. ;-)
Did you guys consciously set out to make it a
double album or was that decision made partly because of the amount of material
you had accumulated since making the last record?
BK: I
think in my mind I wanted to try for a double album. When I say album, I mean
vinyl. I love the idea of the way vinyl forces you to group songs together per
side. Some CDs are just too long. We’ve been a culprit of long CDs and have
tried to keep the length of our releases to a minimum. With this release, vinyl
was the model. I think the album leaves people wanting more. This was our
intent.
CB: Technically the 71 minutes
of music on this record we released COULD fit on 1 CD – however we thought the
listener deserved a break between disc 1 and disc 2; thus the double-album
concept and release. The CD release also ties closely to what you hear
when you play
the vinyl, which is (at the
minimum) short stops between each of the 4 sides as you flip the record and
give your ears a break from each set of two songs per side. Space and time to
process is something we, as a society, need more of; it was our gift to
listeners with this release.
TH: We have always wanted to
make double album. I can't say that was the initial intention, but towards the
end we wanted to recapture the days of sitting down with a finished product and
enjoying the whole album listening experience. The album artwork, the liner
notes, the song sequence, the idea of getting up halfway through and changing
CDs. The romanticism of enjoying an "album" per say, seems to have
disappeared in the age of MP3s and iPods.
Were there any challenges making a double that you
didn’t experience with your other albums?
BK:
The hard part is finding songs that work together and arranging them to fit
within the time constraints of the medium. This is very difficult and something
that is taken for granted in our day and age!
CB: As I already stated – just
making music that doesn’t suck. SO much has already been said and done
well, and just as much has been done poorly. We wanted to tread into new
territory for both ourselves and for the music. It was a tough,
challenging process – but soooo completely worth it when I listen to what we’ve
actually created with this album release!
What made you guys decide to release the new self
titled album on vinyl as well as other formats. Have any other Echolyn
albums been released on vinyl?
BK:
It was on my bucket list of things to do before I die. Being a Gen Xer, I grew
up listening to records as a kid in the 70s. This was a wave hello to our past.
Who knows if we’ll release our back catalogue on vinyl? We’d have to see if
it’d work.
CB: Not yet – but I would
stress the YET part! ;-)
TH: This is our first on
vinyl. It was a a dream we have all had since the very beginning, but did not
have the capability of doing until now. It also goes back to what I mentioned
earlier regarding the re-capturing the old album listening experience.
Have you seen a significant increase in the demand
for vinyl over the last ten years or so?
BK: There has been an increase
in vinyl sales worldwide. It’s a combination of nostalgia from Gen Xers and
Baby Boomers as well as younger generations looking for new mediums because of
the hip factor and because Digital recording has been getting worse rather than
better. That will change.
CB: Not significant, but fans
have asked for it from time to time. With the resurgence in vinyl in all
music mediums and recent releases over the past 3-4 years it surely helped us
to consider doing it for this latest release. Chris Topham at Plane
Groovy simply made it a no-brainer by being the catalyst in actually making it
happen. Thanks, Chris and PG!!
TH: There is definitely a
re-emergence of the demand for vinyl these days. I think mainly because, they
are back to making the old 180 gram discs that had all but disappeared by the
late 70. The sound is far superior to CD or digital download.
The second track on the second disc, "When
Sunday Spills," has a rather peculiar sound sample in the beginning
of it. What is the story behind that and how was it recorded?
CB: Bottom line: what happens
in your home, should stay in your home, unless you’re foolish enough to let it
spill-out onto the pavement…then it becomes everyone’s business.
BK: It is real and visceral. I
can’t be specific but those people should be quarantined.
Were there any challenges making a double that you
didn’t experience with your other albums?
CB: Yes, several. Those
tough decisions included:
Deciding whether it should be a
double, or not.
Picking the final 8-tracks to
make the actual album.
Picking a track running order
that felt right and also fit the 4 sides of vinyl.
None of those decisions were
easy; however, using 20/20 hindsight, I personally am thrilled with what we
decided and how it turned out!
TH: Mainly finding time to
get together and seriously work on the music. We also did a lot more
deconstruction and reconstruction in the song writing process
What changes in recording technology or music
technology has Echolyn experienced since forming over twenty years ago and do
you think these changes have been for the better?
CB: I’ll let Brett talk about
the recoding equipment, but for me in terms of a keyboard player who writes
almost all of my compositional ideas on piano, I love going back to the
simplicity of a Wurlitzer Electric Piano and/or Fender Rhodes, a Hammond organ,
piano and one solo synth in my rig. It allows me to keep my writing
organic as well as keep the essence of a song from the flash-point of
creation. Using a lot of acoustic piano on this “rock” album, along with
real strings, also brings a warmth and essence of timelessness to these songs –
something we purposely considered when both writing and recording – another
level, layer and element to both echolyn’s current “sound” and “style.”
BK: Digital recording and
editing, of course… and yes they are for the better. The only issue I take is
that digital editing has allowed horrible musicians to sound good. It has put
many session players out of work because you can easily fix bad playing rather
than hire a good musician to do it right.
TH: The changes are too
extensive to list in a single paragraph. Obviously the changes are better in so
many ways. If there was a draw back, I would say it is that it is very easy to
get caught up in punching in many parts rather than playing straight through,
but that is also an advantage in that a musician can have so many options,
which can only benefit the song.
Echolyn have played NEARfest(the north east art
rock festival)on three different occasions and at ProgDay twice. What was it
like playing at these festivals and how did it differ from regular shows?
Also, do you anticipate playing any other festivals in the future?
BK: I
like playing smaller shows. I hate big stages. I want to smell smoke and stand
next to my band mates. There’s almost too much pressure at a festival where
everyone is playing a certain “style”. I like playing in front people with no expectations.
CB: The best part of any
festival is the critical mass of fans who will be present, attentive, and
actively “into” the bands playing. Progressive Rock Festivals are already few
and far between, so to be invited to play at so many over the years has been
great for us. Connecting with new fans and reconnecting with prior fans is
also a really important part of who we are as echolyn - people who enjoy and
thrive on the connection our music brings to others. Sharing stories over a
cold beer is something we never turn down!
TH: I've always enjoyed the
festivals we have performed. You have so many people who know and appreciate
the music under one roof. It really lets us know our music has had a
significant impact. Lately though, We've been so focused on the album for
so long, we haven't actually fully discussed playing live. We're going to
address the idea at some point.
You guys will undoubtedly take a well-deserved
break but are there any plans to tour anytime soon and if so are there any plans
to record another live album at some point in the near future?
CB: No immediate plans.
We will evaluate the album sales and, more importantly, our time in the late-summer
and early-fall and decide what to do in terms of touring or even a small batch
of live shows. In the meantime I am going to continue negotiations with Justin
Bieber’s tour manager to see if he’d consider doing a cover version of our new
album’s opening track “Island” on his new world tour! Wish me
luck!! ;-)
BK: Break? There are no breaks.
I constantly work and enjoy every minute of it!
This was a lot of fun and it was good seeing you
guys at Nearfest. Thanks for doing it.
CB: Thank you!! Support
like this continues to spread our name and music to others. Thanks for
taking an interest and the time to send such great and thoughtful interview
questions!!
BK: We appreciate your interest
and support. People like you greatly affect our recognition. Cheers!
