When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens,
Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's
"Detroit Rock City,"
it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and
mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's
since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and
revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” is one that comes to mind. The vocal starts out so powerful and
confident that it just grabs you immediately.
The guitar then follows suit equally as powerful in a seemingly odd
meter, yet somehow grounded by Bonham’s booming kit. This is the track that that not only turned
me on to Zeppelin, but promoted me to pick up the guitar. The rest is history.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What
comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
Most often there is a lyric idea combined with a riff that
starts the song, and the rest is built around that. Sometimes it’s a whole chorus, and other
times just a line or a few words. Upon
that we build a theme and expand upon the riffs to form parts, then we
structure those parts into a song.
Who has influenced you the most?
Jimmy Page, John Petrucci, Tony Iommi, Steve Vai, Joe
Satriani, Ritchie Blackmore, to name a few.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new
motivation?
Music is an outlet and a form of expression for me. As long as I’m living and experiencing the
ups and downs of life I will always be inspired to create music.
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the
band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
Honestly we’ve never really fit into the “scene” here much
in Cincinnati. We’re doing our own thing in a very
untraditional way which has caused us some challenges to gain local
momentum. For that reason I don’t really
feel Cincinnati
has impacted our music much at all.
Where'd the band name come from?
I used the name Static Tension years ago in my band in high
school and always liked the name. It
represents a constant feeling of angst which very much fits my personality. The name is also loosely inspired by the band
“Liquid Tension Experiment” which was a band I was listening to a lot at the
time I came up with the name.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the
soundtrack for?
That sounds like a job lol.
I guess whatever pays the most royalties.
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple
Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000
word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
Serpentine. It’s one
of our most epic tunes with a lot of various elements to discuss.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap,
rock and roll moments?
Once a drunk fan asked us if we’d like to go to a nearby
cemetery and throw apples at cars passing by.
We respectfully declined.
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you
and for your fans?
The great thing about playing live is the adrenaline and the
energy in the room. The audience is what
makes a show great and we’re just doing what we always do.
What makes a great song?
A great song will make the listener experience some strong
emotion, and take their mind to another place.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
Wow that would take me way back. I think the first song I wrote was called
“The Price You Pay” written when I was 13.
It was pretty terrible, but not bad for a 13 year old. It had a weird keyboard solo that didn’t fit
at all lol.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
I’m proud of it all for various reasons. I have no regrets on any of the music I’ve
released. Some personal favorites are
“Shame”, “Out Of Reach”, “No Return”, and “Serpentine”.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Dream Theater is from another planet. The musicianship is just unreal and will
always serve to keep my ego in check.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
I grew up on CDs and I still enjoy having something
tangible, so that would be my choice. I
haven’t gotten in to vinyl collecting but I can understand the appeal.
Whiskey or beer? And
defend your choice
Whiskey. Old fashions
in particular are my beverage of choice.
Takes the edge off more quickly than beer.
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new
music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record
store to lose ourselves in?
Cincinnati,
OH. Check out Shake It Records and Everybody’s
Records.
What's next for the band?
Promoting our new album “Ashes To Animation” and supporting
shows.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our
readers, the waveriders?
Have a good time, all the time.
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