Interview
(Progressive Newsletter Nr.52 06/05)
excerpts from an interview with Brendt Allman (Guitar) and Mike Baker (Vocals)
BRENDT ALLMAN: Besides recording "Legacy", a lot of the time was spent shopping for a new label and writing this record. Plus, we always need to take a bit of time off...at least I do. I get burned out pretty easily and when we begin a record, we're pretty hardcore about it..so it's easy to want a break.
MIKE BAKER: About a year after we finished Legacy, we set about finding a new label. This can be very time consuming...and it was. I was asked to appear on a few side projects during this time... the highlight for me was singing the part of 'Father' on Ayreon's "The Human Equation" CD and then the 'Loser' CD single & video. That was a lot of fun. I also appeared on Leonardo: The Absolute Man cd by Trent Gardner of Magellen. I played the part of 'Melzi'.
"Room V" sounds very matured concerning the arrangements, song-writing and the diversity of styles. What were your new approaches for this album?
BRENDT ALLMAN: I think, speaking as a song writer, that there comes a time where you begin wanting not to repeat yourself...and want to change things up a bit. It always comes out sounding like your style in the end and that's fine, it's just sometimes you want to try slightly different things. We put a great deal of time into the arangments. I think, vocally, these are some of the best arangments we've ever done. Mike sounds better to me on this record than any of our previous records. The backup vocals were a real strong point on this record as well, especialy from an arrangment point of view. We tried a lot of things that we may have not tried in the past, regarding chord structures and polyphonic lines and such. I'm real happy with the results.
MIKE BAKER: I always approach the making of a new album like it will be our last...or my last...so that means putting everything you possibly can into it. You never know what tomorrow holds, so go for it while you have the chance.
Can you tell a little bit more about the concept that's connecting "Tyranny" and "Room V"?
MIKE BAKER: We would but then we might have to kill you! (laughs)
BRENDT ALLMAN: Well - it is a continuation of the "Tyranny" story, but it can also be understood with out ever hearing "Tyranny"...but of course, we'd kind of hope that you'd have heard "Tyranny" first...so if you have not yet, go pick up about 15 copies please :)
MIKE BAKER: "Room V" picks up right where "Tyranny" left off...with the two main characters fate seemingly in limbo. Thanks to the lyrics from the song 'Ghost Of A Chance', we know the guy was last seen crossing North Dakota and heading north...but where did he end up, and what happened to the girl? Did they ever meet? Was the New World Order defeated? Will the Vikings ever win the Super Bowl? Of course i'm just kidding on the last one..the answer is obviously NO! Haha! Seriously though, the ending of "Tyranny" was a 'cliffhanger' of sorts with lots of unanswered questions. On "Room V" we wanted to answer some of those questions, and i think we did.
Do you have any plans or ideas for visualizing the concept of "Tyranny" and "Room V" or is this more a matter of time and mostly money?
BRENDT ALLMAN: It'd make a great movie. I see a lot of the content in both records happening at the same time, though the bulk of the "Room V" is set about 8 hours after "Tyranny" ends. Yeah, I could definately see that.
MIKE BAKER: Making a movie based on these stories would be pretty cool. It would certainly have some potential. I wonder if Peter Jackson or Ridley Scott would be interested? (laughs)
How did the mastering of Jeff Glixman improve or change the sound of the album?
BRENDT ALLMAN: Jeff mastered the record, while Gary mixed it, and his golden ears brought a very good sounding record into becoming a great sounding record. We're blessed to have had him lend his brilliance to it.
MIKE BAKER: Yeah, Gary mixed it and Jeff did the mastering. Jeff has a ton of experience and has worked with some great bands including Kansas, who is one of our favorites. He did a sweet job. We were very pleased and lucky to have him.
Can you tell a little bit more about the Special Edition of "Room V" and the bonus material on the additional CD?
MIKE BAKER: It was our first opportunity to do a bonus disc so that was alot of fun. Thanks IO! Hmm, let's see...there's a cool acoustic rendering of the song 'Rain' - much more intimate than the heavier album version. A few other interesting treats, including a rare unfinished demo called 'Memories' that didn't quite make it onto "Room V"...
BRENDT ALLMAN: There's also a special multi media movie on the special edition, lending insight into many things. There's also a very special piece of music that Gary arranged that I think will raise some eyebrows and put smiles on some people's faces...
MIKE BAKER: ...yeah, Gary's quite insane...but don't worry, it's in a GOOD way. (laughs) And let's not forget the special apperances by the equally insane, also in a good way, Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon/Star One & Mark Zonder of Fates Warning!
"Room V" is the first album for your new label InsideOut. What were the reasons for leaving Magna Carta, even though you were the second band to ever release an album on that label and had a long relationship?
BRENDT ALLMAN: Our contract with Magna Carta was up and we found a better deal. Simple as that. Plus, InsideOut has a huge following and we've heard great things about them.
MIKE BAKER: Our agreement with Magna Carta was to make 4 CDs and we did just that. It WAS a long relationship, but unfortunately some relationships are not meant to last. However, they were the ones who gave our music a chance to be heard in the first place, so we are very grateful for that. The time was right for a fresh start and a new outlook on Shadow Gallery's future and with InsideOut we feel we have secured that.
Are there any plans to play live in the near future?
MIKE BAKER: Ahhh, our most frequently asked question...
BRENDT ALLMAN: I hope so - there's been serious discussions. It's a financial question more than anything else.
MIKE BAKER: Of course we would love to play live...but the right situation, or should i say the right set of circumstances must present itself. Dropping everything and packing up your guitar and equipment and hitting the road is not as easy as some people might think. Outside of the band we all have families and jobs and lifes, so it's hard to just put that aside and concentrate solely on the music...the bills & mortgages will not just take care of themselves. If we knew that touring would take care of these issues then the possibility would increase dramatically.
Kristian Selm © Progressive Newsletter 2005