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MM - Please,
do introduce yourselves to the readers! Who are the members of Sonic X,
when was the band first formed and how has it evolved to its current
membership?
AT - Sonic
X is made up of: Adam
Troy (Vocals), Lawrence Falcomer (Guitars), Joseph Cumbo (Bass), Michael
Marquez (Drums).
The band traces it's roots back to Joseph and Michael, who played
together in a high school band called "Aftermath". They were
looking for a guitar player when they were told about a virtuoso named
Lawrence. Joseph and Michael jammed with him and the three quickly
became the nucleus of the band “L.A”.
L.A. sold out nightclubs and toured across Canada, but something was
missing. The guys were looking for a singer to take to them next level.
At the urging of Gil Moore of Triumph, Joseph flew to Florida to see me
perform. The way I hear it “I GOT THE JOB” So I moved to
Toronto while we wrote the record.
JC - Yeah,
Adam basically blew me away, not only vocally but visually as well.
Adam is quite a performer and has natural charisma. It really
shows through when he is onstage. I better stop; I don’t want to
inflate his ego too much.
MM - Where
does the name ‘Sonic X’ originate from and what does it represent?
Can you remember any of the other names that were toyed with at the
time?
AT - Sonic
X was the only name we all agreed on after going through lots of ideas.
We had some crazy names before we decided on Sonic X, such as: Push, Ten
Tonns and Zara White just to name a few.
JC - We’ve
always had a hard time naming the band. We can write songs easily
but finding a name has always baffled us for some reason. We like
the name Sonic as it represents Sound and the X represents 10 in Roman
numerals which is the level which Lawrence turns his Amp up to when we
Jam …
He’s very Loud!
MM - Who
writes the songs and the music you perform? Is there a key person who
does this or do you all add in to it?
AT - Lawrence
usually comes with up with a riff and I'll start singing something
that's usually way out of key just to get things rolling, then the guys
join in… out of key as well and we call it a song (JUST KIDDING).
Seriously we all contribute to the collective idea that Lawrence or I
come up with.
JC
- Everyone contributes
and we all end up on the same page. We’re very fortunate that we
all like the same type of music and our ideas seem to compliment each
other. We all get along great in that respect.
MM - How
would you describe your style of music to someone who isn’t familiar
with the band and who do you see your target audience as being?
AT -
I would have to say our music is hard rock, or metal, emo or what ever
they call rock music these days. Heavy guitar, loud vocals and a tight
rhythm section “ROCK”. Our audience? Anyone who likes all of the
above will dig our songs.
JC -
Adam’s right. Anyone that likes Hard Rock that’s also Melodic will
like this CD.
MM - How
do you feel the band has evolved musically since it first began?
Have you changed direction musically or perhaps matured as you’ve all
found your niche market?
AT - I
think the songs have more flavor than say some of the earlier songs we
wrote. Direction wise I think we're experimenting more with the songs
we're writing now. We are finding song ideas in places we never looked
before, which is always a good idea because it promotes growth in our
writing.
JC - Yeah
I agree with Adam, we definitely matured as songwriters to the point
that we can be more critical of the ideas we come up with and can make
changes easier than in the past. We tend not to get too attached
to ideas like we used to.
MM - Apart from
Sonic X, are there any other bands the members have featured in over the
years?
JC - Lawrence
our Guitar player has been featured on a few different Albums such as
Triumph’s – The Edge of Excess and our label-mates “Final
Frontiers’ ” first 2 records to name a few. He is always being
called upon to play on various artists’ records. At the
moment, however, he is focused on writing the next “Sonic X” CD.
He’s an incredible talent and is much sought after.
Michael, our Drummer, plays with a variety of bands on his downtime from
Sonic X. He basically likes to sit in and Jam with various bands
on the circuit. He calls it his practice time.
MM - Your
new album ‘Sonic X’ has just recently been released. Are you
pleased with the finished product or do you still hear things and wonder
whether they could have been done differently?
AT -
Oh sure!!!! I don't know too many bands who are totally happy with
any of their work. You always hear ways you could have made the songs
better or the sounds of your instruments don't thrill you. Face it
you can pick apart all of your work till you go crazy. But you have to
put it to rest and move forward and learn from what you didn't like or
what you did like. It's definitely a learning curve.
JC -
At some point you have to let it go and live with the finished product.
I still hear spots where we could have added something but our theory is
we can always add it when we play live, at least the live versions will
be a little different. That’s what I admired about Led Zeppelin,
their live versions were always different than the albums.
MM - How
long did it take for the new album to be created from first initial
conception to the finished product?
AT - These
songs were written and recorded over a year and a half period of time,
during one of the coldest Canadian winters, which I was not ready for
after moving from Florida.
JC - Those
Southern Boys can’t handle the Cold like us Canadians can
…
Actually, Adam did
pretty well and I’m happy to say is now a Token Canadian
…
at Heart anyway!
MM - If you could nominate
just one song that you’ve recorded to sum up the bands playing style
and feel which one would it be?
AT - I'd have to say "News For You". But
that is just my opinion.
JC - I’d have to agree with Adam. “News for You” really
captures what Sonic X is all about. Aggressive in your face music
while melodic at the same time. My other favourite song is “Feed
the Flame”; I like the attitude and feel of that song.
MM
- What’s
the biggest misconception people tend to have about you because of the
music you make?
AT -
Sex, Drugs, Rock n’ Roll and that’s all we do, but that’s far from
the truth as it’s a lot of work and dedication to put a record
together.
JC
-
We all have to be focused on the task at hand. While there is a
time and place to party you have to dedicate a period of time to putting
together the best recording you possibly can.
Believe me we’re all
for partying, but we are also very dedicated to our craft.
MM - You’re
currently signed to ‘Z Records’, how did you come to hook up with
them and what sort of deal do you have with them. Was it just for
the release of ‘Sonic X’ or does it go further than that?
JC
- My good friend Mladen who is in both “Von
Groove” and “Final Frontier” heard our demo and suggested we send
a copy to Mark Alger at Z Records. Mark loved the CD and called me
the day after he received it and we basically started negotiating for a
deal on the spot.
A few days later we had hammered out the details of our agreement and
also increased the commitment to 2 Records plus an option for a 3rd.
Z Records is a great label for us as they afford us the luxury of having
the freedom to be creative, as they do not restrict us in any way.
MM - Have you had
a chance to start work on the follow up album yet and if so can you tell
us any details on how it’s going and when it might be released?
AT - Yes,
we have already started writing and have already started to demo certain
song ideas, as far as when the new album will arrive, we're shooting for
fall of 2005. We still have a lot of work to do. When you’re writing
an album you have to write 20-25 songs in order to get 10-12 cream of
the crop songs. So right now we are in writing mode. Each of us is
throwing whatever ideas we have at the wall and we'll see what sticks.
One of the first few songs that we have is a tune called "Cut to
Pieces" which is about being mentally destroyed by someone and
surviving and overcoming it. The song has some real nasty guitar
work and bluesy vocals.
Another song we are currently working on is a song tentatively titled
"The Dawn", this one is still lyrically and vocally in the
early stages …
it's all acoustic guitars with just a solid kick drum throughout the
song, kind of a stomp feel. We have a ballad in the works with the
working title "Sometimes". There are also another 4 songs
in various stages of completion.
MM - What
are you listening to these days yourselves? Old classics or modern
bands? Do you ever listen to music that is very different from what you
do, if so what?
AT
- I listen to
everything, old school, nu metal, R&B, hip hop, I totally dig cats
like Lenny Kravitz, Sevendust, Seal, Alicia Keys, Papa Roach, Usher, R.
Kelly, Elton John. Everything has some musical value to me.
JC
- Same here, I like the
classic bands like AC/DC, Zeppelin, Van Halen but I also like some of
the newer bands as well. Canada has some great Rock bands that are
gaining International popularity at the moment such as Nickelback &
3 Days Grace.
MM - What bands/artists have influenced you
the most over the years?
AT - Van Halen and AC/DC have always been two bands that I
always listen to because even after all these years the song writing is
still exceptional. It's simple yet complex in that, the same three
chords created some of the most original sounding songs I have ever
heard.
JC
- My influences are
definitely rooted in the more classic bands as mentioned by Adam,
however, we are very much aware of what is going on with the newer bands
as well. I think you need to balance Old with the New, there’s a
lot of great new music out there at the moment.
MM - With
all the changes that music has gone through over the years, what do you
think of the current music scene in general?
AT
- I really think the
music scene in the U.S. is very diverse right now. Years ago a certain
genre would dominate the charts and the trends and that would be all you
would hear. Now the scene is all over the place, bands like Kid
Rock are on the charts with the likes of Usher, Tim McGraw, Shania
Twain, Velvet Revolver, Disturbed, Jay-Z, and P-Diddy, it's all good.
Everybody gets to represent their genre and be heard.
JC - I
agree, Canada is in the same boat at the moment, lots of diverse styles
dominating the charts. I think it’s great for music and the
consumer as well. You have lots to choose from.
MM -
What's the 'grand plan' for your band? Are you aiming for anything like
fame, fortune, artistic acceptance etc?
AT - I'd have to say obscurity, poverty, and misunderstanding
is what I'm shooting for; you know all the things rock bands are all
about (Joking) …
Sure fortune, fame, acceptance why not, all of things would be a
blessing; it is what you dream about as a kid when you pick up an
instrument. You endure countless obstacles on you way up the ladder, so
I would imagine all those things would be nice if they were to come our
way.
JC
- We’re just blessed
that we can write songs, record and have our material released so people
can enjoy what we do. I sincerely hope that people like this first
CD and we are able to continue making the music we love as a band.
That’s all I’m aiming for. The Fame, Fortune and acceptance
are all bonuses.
MM - OK, a
two part fun question now. (A) If you could have anyone locked in
a room so that you could torture them for a day, whom would you choose,
and how would you torture them? (B) Now turn the tables. Who would
you most like to be locked in a room with for a day and how would you
like them to torture you?
AT - That is a very loaded question. I'll let Joseph answer that
one.
JC
- That’s great Adam,
leave it for the married guy to answer
…
smart!
Alright
…
I’ll give it a shot
…
I would like to torture
all those manufactured Boy Bands out there
…
I’d get them to stand
in front of our Drummer Michael while he hammers away at the Drums
…
He is the Loudest
meanest Mutha of a Drummer you ever heard
…
They’d stop prancing
around real quick after that …
Guaranteed!
The way I’d like to be tortured is by placing me in the middle of a
Mosh Pit at a Heavy Metal show like Judas Priest or Iron Maiden while I
get banged around, thrown and abused. All the while loving the
tunes and band …
I’d happily take my
lumps like that anytime brutha!
MM - How can people find out more about the band? Do you
have a website they can check out?
AT - You can get any information you want about the band at: www.TheSonicX.Com
or if you still can't get enough of us…. you can email us: promos@thesonicx.com
JC
- If people visit our
web-site they will have an opportunity to win a free Autographed copy of
our Debut CD. We are giving away 5 so get your entries in quickly.
MM - Lastly,
is there anything you would like to say to all our readers out there?
AT - Enjoy
the record, and we can't wait to see you guys on tour. Also check
out the web page: www.thesonicx.com
… it
will be updated frequently with special "Guest List Member"
give-aways, sneak peaks at some of the songs for the as yet untitled
second record, acoustic tracks, lots of pictures. You can post
comments and contact the band. You can help us pick the songs for
our shows, and the second record as well. So check it out let us know
what you think and enjoy.
JC
- I hope you all enjoy
the CD and we definitely appreciate all your feedback, good or bad.
It helps us grow as a band and it also gives people an outlet to vent
their opinions. We’ll see everyone real soon!
Ciao
Adam & Joseph
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