Autumn Hour
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
Every year many young acts debut in the progressive metal scene yet seldom do they reach the creative heights of established icons such as Dream Theater, Pain Of Salvation or Symphony X. New Jersey's Autumn Hour is a tad different in that respect, consisting of members from traditional metal acts such as Hades, Jack Frost, Seven Witches and Watchtower they hardly can be called new kids on the block. Last year German label Cyclone Empire Records released the band's debut "Dethroned" - an album that combined traditional - and progressive metal in a lively and energetic fashion. Masterful Magazine arranged an interview with former Watchtower and current Autumn Hour singer Alan Tecchio.
First off, I'd like to thank you for taking time to speak with me today. Since this is your first time on Masterful Magazine, would you care to introduce Autumn Hour to our readers. The sort of brief history, kind of thing, you know?
Well, our guitarist Justin Jurman and I had originally written about a dozen songs back around 2004 at his house with just his acoustic guitar and my vocals on his computer. From that project (called Saturnine Smile) we took ‘How Were We Supposed To Know' and ‘Unbelievable' for Autumn Hour. However, a few years later when we evolved into an actual band, bassist Clint Arent and drummer Dave Lescinsky hashed out some new ideas and we came up with brand new songs that were heavier in nature and this direction has pretty much defined our sound.
Why did you pick the name Saturnine Smile at that time and why did you change it into Autumn Hour? Any special meaning for you in these two names?
Saturnine Smile was chosen cause it kind of felt right to me and Justin in terms of our musical collaboration's sound. A wry smile, something that was not your typical happy smile but rather something darker. I don't know... it just seemed to fit our mood. Keep in mind, that the "band" was just he and I at that point. Once we involved Clint and Dave in the project they did not want the word "Smile" in the band name. So through a few meetings and after many beers, we came to the decision of Autumn Hour as a name. Our concept CD Dethroned tells a story of the end of the world as we know it-Sort of like the Autumn before mankind's long, cold Winter. So the name not only pertains to the band but also the storyline we created.
Autumn Hour is certainly made up of seasoned New Jersey scene veterans, with history in bands such as Hades, Jack Frost, Seven Witches and Watchtower. What events led you to get together and jam, in the first place?
I had known Dave and Justin for years and knew that at some point in the future we would work together in music. Dave and I had already made two Hades cds back in the late 90's together so that was a very natural fit. I had met Clint through Jack Frost and he was a very cool guy who had great bass chops and ideas so that kind of fell into place nicely as well. Justin's band Fuel used to open for Non Fiction back in the 90's and I always liked his playing which is why he and I had started writing together in 2004 not knowing where things would go...
While Alan does the lion's share of the vocals, all members seem to contribute in this department. Was that something you wanted to do from the beginning? Is it hard writing these vocal trade-offs, melodies and harmonies?
Actually, only Dave and I do the singing and I did all the writing for the vocal parts. It was not hard cause I love that part of creating. Sometimes you may come up against a difficult section but I love the challenge that can present. Dave does the killer death metal stuff on the cd and it is simply brutal! He and I are currently doing vocals for a Hungarian prog-power metal project called Minds Mirrors (myspace.com/mindsmirrorsproject) and we have that same cool chemistry there as well. When we play live though, Dave can hit the harmonies that I recorded quite well. It makes certain parts like in Techcceleration really awesome.
"Dethroned", your first album on Rock Ridge Music (North America) and Cyclone Empire Records (Europe), is a concept CD, the premise of the story is based around ideas developed by Ray Kurzweil in his ground-breaking book "The Singularity Is Near". It deals with forward-thinking concepts like strong artificial intelligence, exponential technological development, and nanotechnology. What else made you want to adapt the book into a musical concept?
I think what you said is exactly why we did it. It was a compelling topic and we thought the music meshed seamlessly with the concept. We are all living in very uncertain times and Ray's ideas are just gripping, especially in this modern age. To try and interpret a dark potential reality in story form was a challenge but one we relished, for sure. I think we captured the mood of our tale and gave respect to Ray's theories at the same time. I am quite proud of Dethroned. Justin was responsible for turning all of us onto Mr. Kurzweil.
Many bands seem to take it a little too easy when it comes to the lyrics. Would you say that the lyrics are almost as important as the music?
Well, for certain I think that because I have always been the kind of listener who can get drawn into a band's music simply from the lyrical angle. Ever since I first started writing lyrics with Hades back in the mid-80's I have tried to write stuff that made people think a bit about what they were listening to. I don't dig lyrics that are real simple or childish. (though I know many people do not care one way or the other) For me they are indispensable.
Surprisingly, there's also a cover track ‘Here Comes the Rain Again' by British pop duo Eurythmics. It's not something you'd expect to hear on progressive metal album. Why was it deemed necessary to cover and record this song in particular?
Those three decided on that song at a rehearsal I did not attend. It was Dave's idea though. He had a dream in which we were playing that song on a stage somewhere. He said it sounded so good in his dream that we had to try it. I was never a fan of the original version of the tune so I was not into it but... Once we got it together the way we wanted it I grew to love our version. It fits nicely into the story cause at that point in the tale it is the lull before the proverbial storm which is man's near demise. So the rainstorm, is kind of the harbinger of imminent world-wide devastation. The "rain falling on my head like a memory" represents the world in which man lives since it is about to be erased to become only a memory.
The album is graced with an incredible organic and warm sounding production that is very easy to listen to while retaining enough grittiness. It was recorded at J-Rod Productions in New City, New York by producer/engineer Jon Ciorciari. What exactly made these recording facilities so fitting for Autumn Hour?
They were real cheap! (laughs) Actually, Jon and Justin were friends and he has a small but fantastic setup in an office building. It is not a traditional studio but his chops are so great that we did not need to be in a big, expensive facility. We've all been through that and in this day and age you can record in almost any scenario provided the people you are working with are very proficient at what they do. Jon is extremely swift at what he does and the band was very prepared before we went in to actually track. We got all the keeper bass and drums done for the entire CD on the first day. I've made a lot of recordings over the years and never have the players I've tracked with, been that professional. Making Dethroned was an absolute pleasure on so many levels but in terms of the level of everyone's proficiency, it was the best I have ever experienced. The production is all thanks to Jon though. That is him working his magic and we owe him a lot for how great the cd sounds. It also should be pointed out that the U.S. version is mastered differently and does not have the same organic, warm sound. I like the Euro version better for sure. It is more or less how we originally envisioned the material sounding.
How is it working with Rock Ridge Music for North America and Cyclone Empire Records for Europe. Are you satisfied with the work both labels have done in pushing and promoting "Dethroned" in a oversaturated yet dying market and format?
Rock Ridge did an okay job overall... They did really great in terms of making the CD widely available but they barely did anything in terms of promotion. Very few interviews, etc... However, the radio exposure we got from them was amazing and like I said the retail end was well taken care of. But then again, we barely played any shows at all in support of Dethroned so I cannot totally blame the label for dropping the promo-ball. We are to blame too. The other side of the coin is Cyclone Empire who did an amazing job of getting us press and making the CD available. They are still getting interviews to happen and you can find the CD in many outlets, at least according to fans who have written me telling me so. As you say-the marketplace is in a state of painful disarray, so all things considered, I think both labels did us justice.
How do you perceive the advances of technology and the Internet changing the music industry in the future? The CD is rapidly becoming obsolete, to some, and is considered fanatic's item like the LP is nowadays by the younger generation. Will record labels become redundant and unnecessary? What effect will it have on festivals and tours, do you think?
I am not sure of the effect on festivals and tours because I think there will always be some kind of demand for live music... But you are right about the CD sales, etc... I think a lot of future music will remain digital and for the hard core fans CD's will still be produced. Maybe years from now that will turn around and people will want a tangible item they can hold with liner notes, etc... but who knows...? I think the advances have helped in many ways tremendously though so it is a double-edged sword. For example, most of the vocal tracks Dave and I did for the Minds Mirrors project were laid down in my basement and sent via the Internet to Hungary for final production. That could never have happened back in the early days. So it has its advantages but then again, it allows anyone to be able to make music which can further saturate the marketplace and confuse/overwhelm listeners. I guess there will always be a place on some level, for record labels though. Marketing music is a full time job and until band members are able to spend most of their day doing it, I think there will be a need for someone at a label to make things happen. But certainly, they are not as important as they once were.
The music business in deep trouble, there's no doubt about that. Illegal downloading is killing smaller record stores and decent small labels are going bankrupt every single day. The sales of physical CD's is falling drastically each year, resulting in bands hardly making any money on their albums, and not only due to the recession of the last years. What's your opinion on all this, has Autumn Hour or any of your past bands suffered the consequences from all these events?
Well, I guess the fact that we were never really hugely successful has shielded us from such worries! (laughs) For sure, it is a changing landscape in the music world. I think bands have had to adapt and rely more on merchandise sales to still make money. Also-as I mentioned before-the live show has grown in importance in my opinion and since music can be bought so cheaply (or found for free) these days, fans may have more money to pay for a ticket or a t-shirt? I think the current state of affairs is daunting especially if you are a new, young band but for us old geezers, it simply makes things a bit stranger. I decided years ago that I would always have music in my life in one way or the other and though this stuff can be a real bummer, it will not stop me and my band of merry men from creating cool, heavy, thought-provoking music.
Thanks for the interview! Any question I haven't asked, yet some information about the band that you want to share with our readers?
Thanks to YOU for taking the time to do it as well and cheers to you and the readers!
Info/booking (Europe): www.cyclone-empire.com/
