SIBEFOR: Between Experiments and Harmony
Guitarist Alexander Kitaev introduces us to Sibefor, in an interview where he talks about the band’s beginnings, the way they give birth to songs, gear, influences, and more.
How did you go about forming SiBefor?
SIBEFOR was formed back in 2010 by two experienced musicians tired of clichés, of bands copying each other with the aim of making original music never heard before.
What does the name of the band mean, what do you refer to?
It’s a combination of three words. Our music is for experiments, harmony, of what is inside.
Describe your songwriting process. What are the biggest challenges you face when writing music?
It all usually starts as bass and drums. Alberto and Ivan spend much time together; they understand each other without any words spoken and they pushy enough to polish the grooves until they shine. At this point of time, we add guitars, vocals and keyboards, revise constructions, order of the parts etc.
The biggest challenge? To put some interesting stuff in, mix some unusual ideas without making music too much elaborated.
Do you tend to follow any pre-defined patterns when composing a piece?
We believe that Music itself leads you to the right form. It will show you the way if you attentive enough.
What kind of gear do you use for recording your music?
Yamaha drums, paiste cymbals, warwick bass and amps, Paul Reed Smith guitars, Mesa/Boogie amps.. Various effects, keyboards, samplings pads..
How would you describe SiBefor’s music to someone who didn’t hear you before?
Unique sound, mystique atmosphere, pure emotions. A mix of rhythmic alternative and progressive rock, eastern melodies and contemporary melodic rock is what drive this music beyond familiar genres and forms.
Which bands or artists influence your work with SiBefor?
Somehow those who listen our music associate it with acts like System of a Down, Muse, HIM. Yet it’s a mystery why.
What are you up to these days?
Playing live. We just started getting out of our hometown. Playing around Baltics countries and Finland. And getting ready for some bigger tours to Spain and Italy.
Where do you draw your inspiration from and how do you go about channeling it into writing?
Live performances is what really inspire us toward new horizons. You get back from live shows to rehearsal room full of energy, filled with ideas and willingness to create. At this point most of our best pieces were born.
What is your view on technology in music?
Technology is a two-sided coin. Modern technology dramatically facilitate recording process, gives you tools which previously were used by elite musicians exclusively. However, with these amount of cool new tools it’s too easy to forget that it’s not technology who make music, it is you.
What are your plans for the future?
We are about to start a crowdsourcing campaign with hope to raise some money to record our first real LP. If we are lucky enough to cover half of studio costs, we will barricade ourselves in a studio for the whole summer. This means new album out by autumn, followed by whole Europe tour, I hope.
Sibefor online:
Superb interview with Steven Wilson
Listen to this excellent interview with Steven Wilson.
Wow! Dave Gregory plays on the new album too!
Steven Wilson: “Perfect Life”
When I was 13 I had a sister for 6 months. She arrived one February morning, pale and shellshocked, from past lives I could not imagine. She was 3 years older than me, but in no time we became friends.
We’d listen to her mix tapes; Dead Can Dance, Felt, This Mortal Coil…
She introduced me to her favourite books, gave me clothes, and my first cigarette.
Sometimes we would head down to Blackbirds moor to watch the barges on Grand Union in the twilight.
She said “The water has no memory”.
For a few months everything about our lives was perfect.
It was only us, we were inseparable.
Later that year my parents separated and my sister was rehoused with a family in Dollis Hill.
For a month I wanted to die and missed her every day.
But gradually she passed into another distant part of my memory.
Until I could no longer remember her face, her voice, even her name.
RochaNews: Gavin Harrison’s New Album
GAVIN HARRISON RE-IMAGINES PORCUPINE TREE TRACKS ON UPCOMING SOLO ALBUM “CHEATING THE POLYGRAPH” “Cheating the Polygraph” out April 14 on Kscope; teaser video posted online |
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ENGLAND – Gavin Harrison, drummer for British prog innovator, Porcupine Tree, has announced a brand new solo album of re-imagined songs from the acclaimed Porcupine Tree repertoire, Cheating the Polygraph, due out in North America on April 14 via Kscope (April 13 in the UK, April 17 in Germany, April 22 in Japan). Cheating the Polygraph can be pre-ordered now through the Kscope web-store at: www.kscopemusic.com/store.
1. What Happens Now? 2. Sound of Muzak (So Called Friend) 3. Start of Something Beautiful 4. Heart Attack in a Lay-By (Creator had a Mastertape / Surfer) 5. Anaesthetize (The Pills I’m Taking) 6. Hatesong-Halo 7. Cheating the Polygraph (Mother & Child Divided) 8. Futile
Gavin Harrison currently finds himself working with British progressive rock group, King Crimson. His playing and performing résumé includes stints with artists as varied as Iggy Pop, Lewis Taylor, Manfred Mann and Kevin Ayers. Cheating the Polygraph is an ambitious project which sees the restlessly creative Harrison re-imagine eight Porcupine Tree songs in a set of vivid and vibrant new arrangements that give full, free rein to his inquiring musical mind.
The tracks which comprise the album were recorded over a five-year period, with Harrison working in conjunction with a crew of some of the finest contemporary musicians, including the gifted saxophonist Nigel Hitchcock and bass player Laurence Cottle. It’s a set that will no doubt excite much controversy; Harrison’s use of the ‘Big Band’ musical sound stage isn’t some ersatz attempt to make a ‘Swing’ album; it’s closer in execution and arrangement to the innovative works of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention – a layered, richly-textured selection that is both beautifully-recorded and incisively delivered. “I think every album needs a focus – a master plan – and whilst I thought about writing new tunes for a big band project, I made a version of Porcupine Tree’s ‘Futile’ (with Laurence Cottle) and it came out really well,” commented Harrison. “It felt like a good plan to follow on with some of my personal favorite PT songs and see if we could make them work. I had a vision that the arrangements would never lean towards a clichéd classic big band sound, but always follow a modern contemporary angle. So even if you didn’t know the original tune, you could still enjoy it as a modern composition that would work with this instrumentation. I couldn’t be happier with the results. Laurence Cottle’s immense talent as a musician and arranger was mind blowing.” No respecter of arbitrary musical pigeonholing, Harrison doesn’t so much ignore genre confines as smash right through them – Harrison states in his thoughtful liner notes: “It’s very important to me to push the boundaries of music whilst respecting what came before. In the arrangements of these pieces we really get ‘out there’ with some of the harmonies and rhythms, and we vastly extended the edges of the original compositions.” Harrison also drops little musical depth bombs throughout by interpolating shards of melody and musical themes from other Porcupine Tree songs seamlessly into the musical patina of Cheating the Polygraph, which serve to underscore his frontiersman spirit; this is some of the most enthralling, engaging and challenging music you’ll hear in 2015, but there is also wit and charm in abundance here, too. |
System of a Down Set For 2015 Tour
Metal band System of a Down are gearing up for a short tour in remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the genocide in Armenia, their native country. While not a “prog” band by any means, SOAD is well known for their anarchist, anti-government, anti-crony capitalist, and especially anti-war cries. They are also known for rather offensive lyrics, at times. Of all the bands of the early 2000s (their last album came out in 2005), System of a Down is probably the best at being up front about what they believe, and I can respect that and can even agree with them on some issues. Serj Tankian, the lead singer of the band, is, in his own right, an excellent poet, both in his music and as an author. He is a multi-faceted musician and composer, even writing and releasing an orchestral Symphony in 2013. Needless to say, the band knows music and cultural criticism.
Most Anticipated Album Releases of 2015 – Part 3
I had only intended to write a couple of quick posts about the best upcoming albums due out during 2015. The only problem is, there are too many potentially strong releases to fit into just two posts, so here’s a third. 2015 really does look like a monster.
Maschine
A rising star in the UK prog scene, the youngsters came almost out of nowhere in 2013 and wowed me with their impressive debut album, ‘Rubidium’. So much so, I felt compelled to interview them. I loved the blend of technicality, melody and sheer variety, that was occasionally reminiscent of early Pain Of Salvation. Utilising both male and female vocals was a master stroke, providing a relatively unique flavour to an already impressive recipe. To say I’m looking forward to album number two is an understatement.
My Soliloquy
Yet another band that came…
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An Article that Pretty Much Captures Neil Peart
From yesterday’s major Toronto paper:
The prog-rock trio formed in 1974. To put this longevity in focus: when a 21-year-old Peart drove his mother’s Pinto to Pickering, and nailed his audition with existing band members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Pierre Trudeau was prime minister. Stateside, a scandalized Richard Nixon was about to resign. And Paris was home to the new Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Politicians come and go. Buildings open and close. But one thing that hasn’t changed since that July day more than 40 years ago: Rush is still, first and foremost, a live act. In the same way Corvettes are designed to go fast or the Kardashians were placed on earth to destroy synapses, Rush is all about playing in front of an audience.
“Live shows were always religion for us,” says Peart, sipping his double Macallan. “We never played a show — whether it was in front of 15 people or 15,000 — where it wasn’t everything we had that night.”
Here’s a reissue of it for a smaller paper.
It captures the essence of Peart fairly perfectly . . . at least from what I know and love of the man.
Progarchy 