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MM
– Hi guys, first of all congratulations with your new album.
It’s been well received by the press, but what feedback have
you had from your fans? How does it feel to read all those
positive words about the band and the music that you’ve
created?
Thanks! So far the feedback has been great and to read the
reviews and some of the e-mails we’ve received from our fans
has been almost overwhelming!! We knew in our own hearts that is
was a great album and to hear all the incredible feedback from
all over the world is just awesome.
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MM - Stepping back in
time slightly, would you like to tell us a little about when the band
was first formed and how it evolved to its current membership.
Matt (drummer) and I met at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, CA.
I was attending G.I.T. and he was in P.I.T. that’s where the core of
the band first came about. Over the years we’ve played with a few
different bass player’s and singers until in early 2001 we hooked up
with Gary and then we acquired Mike just last year in the spring of
2005.
MM - How
would you describe the music of Stride in a few words and perhaps
advertise your sound to some ears that never heard your music before?
Progressive
and melodic with positive lyrics. We just write about life, I think, and
our endeavours to better ourselves musically, and in life, reflect that
outlook through our music.
MM - The
band is currently signed to ‘Sensory’ for the release of this new
album. How did you come to hook up with them and was this signing
for the release of ‘Imagine’, or does it go further than that?
We
only signed a 1 album deal with Sensory and how it came to pass was Matt
had gone to Prog-Power 3 and had met Ken Golden there. We gave him our
Music Machine c.d. and he said that he’d already heard it, loved the
band, and when we got a singer to get in touch with him and here we are.
MM
- Would
you like to take us through the tracks on the new album 'Imagine' and
share any thoughts or stories behind the songs?
Sure!! The first track 'Imagine' was written for Matt who’s been
battling depression for most of his life. It was my way of giving
him some friendly advice via the song. I think a lot of people can
relate to the lyrics in that tune to help them overcome personal
obstacles.
On the 2nd track 'Alive' we had a little fun with the intro
putting some of our tunes from Music Machine on it with the AM band
radio thingy and Matt saying “rack em” on it.
The 3rd track 'Endeavor to Persevere' we’ve comically
changed the name to 'In Denver to Purchase Beer' hahaha. That’s
a personal favourite amongst all of us to play live.
The 4th track 'How Far' is a local favourite. A lot of
our local buds in bands really dig that tune.
'Role Model' was just an epic tune where we tried to make the music
sound like a storm blowing through followed by it clearing into sunshine
so to speak. That was the Imagery that we were going for musically
speaking.
'The Waiting' was a lot of fun for our bassist Mike, he has a killer
outro on that tune.
'Ion Drive' was a chance for me to have some geetar fun and bust some
chops.
'Face the Day' and 'Time' rounded out the album very nicely I think and
I love the drum breakdown in Face the Day.
'Time' is epic, I really love that tune. Gary showed us all how good he
is and now the rest of the world can hear as well. Beautiful tune ...
As far as funny stuff goes just go to our website and you can see me
going through the motions trying to explain the song 'time' to the guys.
I had the tune in my head and trying to get the point across is pretty
amusing. Plus I am not a really good singer…..hahaha
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?
I
am the key person as far as the majority of the songs musically and
lyrically on Imagine. But in know means am I taking full
credit for it, this album would not be what it is if it wasn’t for the
rest of the band and their input and incredible talent.
MM
- How long
did it take for the new album to be created from first initial
conception to the finished product, and how many songs did you have to
write before you came up with the final tracklisting on the album?
We were on some what of a
“rush” job for this album so the writing and recording took just
about a year to make. We all have full time jobs (which we hope will
change in the very near future) and when we can only get together once
every couple a weeks or so, a year goes by extremely fast. We had
added 'Time' to the album at the very last minute and I am soooooooo
glad we did.
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MM -
What do you think is the biggest difference between
‘Imagine’ and your first album ‘Music Machine’?
Vocals
… haha. Instrumentally we can run the musical gauntlet a
little more. Fuse more styles together and so on. I think
that’s the biggest difference.
MM -
Which songs do the fans enjoy
the most being played live and what are your own particular
favourites? Why those particular songs?
The fans seem to love 'Face
the Day' the most and we enjoy every one of the tunes. I know
Rick’s favourite is 'Endeavor to Persevere' and Mike and Matt
really like 'Ion Drive'.
I think personally I am most proud of 'Time'.
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MM
- Out of
the two, which do you prefer, being holed up in the studios recording
new material, or getting out on the road and playing them live in front
of a live audience?
Playing Live!!!!! But we do like
the studio when we are flowing.
MM
- What’s
it like watching the fans reaction to a new song when you play it live
for the first time. Are you ever worried they might not like it, or are
you secretly excited inside to see their reaction when it hits certain
parts?
I’m always worried that they
aren’t going to like it. I guess that’s the “George McFly” from
“ Back to the Future” coming out in me. But to see the
reaction, especially to a song that I am concerned about, go really well
then I am relieved.
MM - Are
you planning any local or national dates in support of your new album?
Absolutely
MM
- The
last couple of years have really seen the band come out of the shadows
and into the spotlight. Can you tell us about some of the highlights and
some of the lows so far?
Some
of the highs are when we played Prog Power. We tore it up, played
really well and the fans absolutely loved us!!! The lows are just
seeing time slip away, wish there was more time to do things.
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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?
We’ve
definitely matured but I think our roots are still well in tact.
MM - What’s
the biggest misconception people tend to have about you because
of the music you make?
That we’re a Christian
band. We like to stay positive and have fun. We are most
definitely a band of Christians but we don’t consider
ourselves a Christian band.
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MM
- The
visual artwork on the album and the website are of the highest quality.
Would you like to say a few words about them?
Gregg and Allison Gill at Spyder
designs helped us with our recording and our website. They are
incredible people and we owe much of our new found success to them.
Mattias Noren did an incredible album artwork job on Imagine!!! We
were all blown away by his conception for Imagine.
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?
We
listen to anything and everything. Listening to something completely
different than what you do or what you’re about can help you find your
own little thing.
MM - If
you look at your personal skills and musical style, in which famous band
(other than Stride!) would you think you would fit perfectly?
Rush
and or Kansas.
MM - Do
you think the internet has been a viable tool for connecting you and
your fans now that the industry seems to focus on the flavour of the
week?
Absolutely.
MM
- We
often hear that there is a big problem now with people copying and
downloading albums instead of buying them. If you had the chance to
speak to a room of people who copied/downloaded your music, what would
you like to say to them?
That’s a
tough one. I remember in the 80’s as a young teen that I would have a
cassette ready to record in my stereo tuning in to Q95 in Indianapolis
just waiting to hear the new Ozzy record in it’s entirety or maybe Van
Halen or Yes. I recorded all of those things because I lived in a town
of 2000 people and the nearest record store where I could buy these
things was over an hour away. To me it’s not that different. Someone
can download a song and “steal” it I guess, but isn’t it the same
thing if you put a c.d. or a cassette in your stereo and record it off
of the local radio station?
MM - I
would also like to perhaps prick your conscience and ask have you ever
copied or downloaded music in the past?
I’ve
downloaded songs off the internet, sure, but I have never taken them and
burnt them down to c.d. for myself. And the main reason is I don’t
have a c.d. burner in my computer!!!! Ha-ha.
MM - If
you could ask one of your heroes/someone who's inspired you a question,
who would it be and what would you ask them?
My
biggest hero’s are my parents and I always wonder if they are proud of
me and the path that I have chosen has made them proud.
MM - With
all the changes that music has gone through over the years, what do you
think of the current music scene in general?
We
don’t pay much attention to “scenes” per say, we just do what we
do and hope that everyone who enjoys our music will remain loyal to us.
MM - How
can your fans help spread the word and promote the band and its music
more? With so many radio stations out there nowadays, are there
any in particular they should target to request a song off the new
album?
Request
it on a radio station in your town if it gets that big!! Ha-ha ...
Anything that anyone can do certainly helps.
MM - Finally,
is there a message you would like to send out to all your fans to close
out this interview?
Yes,
if it weren’t for our fans we wouldn’t be where we are at right now,
and we are going to do as much as possible to support this new album and
continue to write the way we write!!! As we in Stride like to say …
"Rack ‘em!!!!"
MM - We'd like to say a huge *Thank
You* to Joel Gregoire for taking the time out to take part in this
interview with us. The Mayfair Mall crew would like to wish you
and the band every success with the new album and we hope to one day see
you guys play over on these shores. |