= Bands Like Rush

 

 Heavy Glow on BandsLikeRush.com [26:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Heavy Glow is a power rock trio from San Diego. I talked with their guitarist, lead singer and primary song-writer Jared Mullins this week. As a musician myself – approaching 40 years of age – I’m always impressed and more than a bit jealous when I speak to young turks like Jared who seem to have all their ducks in a row career-wise and are focused driven to succeed in music. My cop out is usually that I have a family to support and can’t force my them to squeak by on Ramen noodles salvation army clothes just so diddle away the hours on my music career. Talking to young guys like Jared occasionally is good antidote to this crappy attitude – it helps jolt my ass out complacency.

Anyway, I really like Heavy Glow’s music – it’s slightly edgy, mainstream enough to not require repeated listens to get into – and has an absolute affinity to early Rush music. In fact, I’d describe the band as Cream crossed with early Rush circa Fly By Night, only with a white-boy baritone blues singer.

We hear two of the bands songs from their last self titled release Heavy Glow: Grinning In The Dark and Trailin’ St. Judas Blues

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 Vital Might [26:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Vital Might is a Boston-based prog rock/punk trio. Today I speak with the Vital Might’s guitarist, singer and primary song-writer in the band – Andy Milk – hitting on several topics near to my heart:

• The recording & production process
• How to achieve a “big” sound as a prog power-trio
• Stylistic mixing/matching in a composition: i.e. moving from grunge to pop to metal to pretentious prog – all in one song
• Andy’s vocal affinities with Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon

We also hear two full tracks – a whacked out track called Make My Day from the debut album, and a heavy late-Rush style track Phantom Spaceman from their latest album Red Planet.

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 Mars Hollow [38:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today I speak with Keyboardist Steve Mauk from the west coast prog rock band Mars Hollow.

This is the third band from the indie label 10T that I’ve interviewed. The first two – Elf Project & Fluttr Effect – were simple accidents. One band I had sought out, the other was referred to me by a friend. The fact that both were on 10T was ironic – but when I went exploring the 10T progressive/experimental catalog I discovered several other “Bands Like Rush” that would be perfect for the site. So I contact a few more of them – Mars Hollow is the first from that latest batch

Steve and I discuss the differences between the prog music scenes in Los Angeles & Mexico (guess which is the better place for prog). We also discuss the oddly traditional route they’ve taken to starting the band – recording an album with a top producer, “shopping it around”, then performing out live looking for a break.

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 Red Star Revolt [28:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today I speak with Clutch – the guitarist and primary song-writer for the band Colorado-based prog rock band Red Star Revolt. The music is really original – powerful and interesting progressive rock arrangements, mixing in a tad bit of psychedelic, hip-hop and electronica. Today’s podcast is short to allow for two full tracks from the bands last self-titled album. Mid-way through we here the song Prove Me Wrong, and we close with the song Dementia.

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 Interview with Elf Project [45:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today I talk to Carl Shultz of Elf Project - a band that (aside from that one single up on myspace) has a sound VERY much like Rush.

I talk w/Carl about the challenges of living and working in a relative backwater area for (Progressive Rock) like suburban Albany, how Elf Project evolved out of a Rush tribute band. We even talk shop a bit about how he gets his amazing bass sound – modeled faithfully after Geddy Lee’s muscular, edgy bass sound.

Mid-way through the podcast we hear a full-length version of the band’s single Serene from their latest album Mirage. We close the podcast with another full-length track from Mirage – Lessons

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 Standard Podcast [46:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Dysrhythmia is a three-piece instrumental, progressive metal band from New York City. They’ve been together for over 10 years – producing aggressive, complex – and frankly scary metal. I interviewed their primary songwriter and guitarist Kevin Hufnagel several months ago and am only now getting around to posting this. The timing is good however, since they’re embarking on a European tour in a week – here’s hoping the publicity is well-timed.

Yet again – I find this podcast veering out a bit from the mission statement to bring you “bands like Rush”. I won’t make you giggle by trying to argue for a Rush/Dysrhythmia similarity. Aside from dwelling in the same major genre of progressive rock – Rush and Dysrhythmia have little in common. The bigger point I make by including bands like Dysrhythmia in this podcast is that Rush fans who appreciate complex and challenging song structures, virtuosity and music that “grows on you” are going to appreciate lesser-known bands like Dysrhythmia. Expect more bands like this in the months ahead.

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 Ben Averch Interview [51:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

My guest today is the first unsolicited interviewee for BandsLikeRush.com. Ben Averch – a one-man progressive rock band from Seattle – contacted me directly at this website with an offer to talk. I’m glad he did because – not only is his music great – but he’s an avid, long-time Rush fan, with great stories to boot. Its quite rare to find a fellow musician who – like me – writes, performs and records his own music – and doesn’t SUCK! On the contrary, his music is not at all simple Rush “similac” or directly derivative from any other classic prog rock band, but are personal statements, with great arrangement, production, and musicianship. His songs have grown on me – they’re in my iPod – I suggest they get in yours.

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 Electrum interview re-enactment [7:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Warning: salty & silly content today…

Today’s interview is a special one. By special arrangement, I’ve recruited a very talented actor friend – let’s call him Fozzy – to dramatically re-enact the first – but certainly not my last – bizarre AND entertaining personal encounter to come from this podcast.

Gino Foti is an Italian-American prog rock guy from New England. He’s smart and has a way with words. And when I emailed him at his website a few weeks ago, asking for an interview with he and his band mates from instrumental rock trio Electrum, he displayed his skill at cutting a nice guy down to size.

Playful at first, his mood soon turned. He went trolling on the site and found that I had posted our email exchange. Then, like a Dark Lord wielding The Force for evil ends, he impaled me on his verbal acuity.

For example, in this podcast I stand accused me of being…

• Self-pitying
• A woman with a vagina
• Mentally ill, and in need of a Zoloft dose increase
• A disgrace to my children

What do I accuse HIM of? Missing his calling as an insult comic – that’s what.

As a friend recently told me – experiences like this are why he doesn’t publish for the world as I do. Of course its a bit disturbing to have a stalker online who hates you, but its entertaining too.

Enjoy!

 

 Fluttr Effect Interview [48:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I talked with Troy about the band’s origins, journey to where they are now, and his plans for the future of both Fluttr Effect and his own fledgling career as a producer and record label entrepreneur.

I knew when I started this podcast that I might be stretching it to call every band I interview a “band that sounds like Rush”. Fluttr Effect more straddles the art-rock/classical/jazz crossover areas – more than it sounds like a copy or disciple of Rush. Still, anyone who is drawn to Rush’s core greatness, which is all about great songs, interesting themes, and awesome chops – will appreciate and enjoy Fluttr Effect.

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from:	Gino Foti
to:	Ben Sommer
subject	Re: Inquiry from Electrum.org

Rush??? Never heard of them… wait, is that the opening act for Lady Gaga?

Intrigued to hear more about ME? Cool! Well… my first memory is when I was just a fetus… I was stuck in this small apartment for about 9 months… next door neighbor was playing one of those heartbeat sound CDs at about 90 dB all fucking day & night! I couldn’t wait to get out of that hole…

I was born in Sicily, which as you may know is an island, and I have webbed feet, but I can’t swim. Pretty ironic, if you ask me. Let’s flash forward a bit: my first toy was a Teddy Bear – like a lot of babies – except mine was anatomically correct. I still have nightmares to this day!

But that’s enough for now, let’s save the rest for the real interview, shall we? Make sure to ask me about the time I met The Dalai Lama in a strip joint in Newark, New Jersey, ok? Nice guy. Bought me a lap dance. What was the name of that Asian chick again? I want to say “Jade”… wait… Jasmin?? No. Oh, well…

If you want to talk about the band, I should invite the other two knuckleheads into this, since we do everything as a tri-lateral commission. Which is why we haven’t recorded a composition in almost 10 years! Not that I’m bitter… ok, maybe a little. No wonder the downfall of the Roman Empire can be attributed to the start of the triumvirate system, hmmm?

So… how do you usually conduct these interviews – by phone? Through e-mail?? Do we have any control/input on the topics that will be covered? Do you like gladiator movies? But I digress…

You know what? It might be better if you do an interview with Dave, since he also has a solo CD in the same vein as Electrum; and although he’s by far the least talented member of the group, he’s a guitarist, like yourself, so you can both jerk off while you talk about pick sizes, bridge heights, and tremolo systems, or whatever the hell it is you guitarists do when there is nobody watching.

Oh, by the way, if this is a ruse to score free CDs, you would have done better by sending me an e-mail telling me that you are the widow of a Nigerian oil baron who left his fortune to me. I am happy to say that both our releases are Out Of Print!

And if you are the widow of a Nigerian oil baron, please send me some naked pictures of yourself, ok?

Ciao,
Gino Foti