BEAUTY IN CHAOS – The Gothic Storm!

1. Please introduce the band of the Beauty in Chaos, when did you start composing music?

This entire thing started while I was recording with Human Drama during the ‘Broken Songs for Broken People’ sessions in early 2017.  I was a bit frustrated with the direction the record was taking.  Michael Rozon, who was recording my guitar parts picked up on this, and matter-of-factly said ‘why don’t you do your own record?’   For a fleeting moment I was going to do a ‘solo’ record, but thankfully I saw this could be more, so much more.  With that little spark of an idea, Beauty In Chaos was born.

2. You have a wonderful new album called “The Storm Before The Calm”, pretty enigmatic title… Which is the meaning of the title?

Since the first album and Ashton’s lyrics, ‘storm’ has become an important metaphor in BIC world.  We all have ‘storms’ in our life, and the meaning is certainly different to all of us.  I like to think there will always be ‘calm seas’ after any storm.  The title, which I decided on back in early November, is now oddly prophetic given all that is happening around us. I think the cover photo, taken by my friend Rick Parent is the perfect visual for the music within.  The title track, which is a long 29 minute plus journey (not included on the vinyl due to time constraints of the medium), at least to me, sonically, incapsulates the meaning… the gathering, the storm, and the calm.

3. Where did you record the album and how long did it take?

I am fortunate to have my own studio, its small but a very functional and creative space.  Having Michael Rozon behind the board is the key.  He’s world class and a big part of everything BIC.  All of the music was recorded there, but most of the vocal tracks where recorded in each of the singers’ home studios.  To me, there are a lot of downsides to technology as it relates to the art of making music … but in this case, it makes the way we collaborate possible.  As far as time – I would say from the initial songwriting –  to sending the tracks off  – to mastering  – took about 6 months.

4. There is a contribution from reputable musicians here. Was it a virtual collaboration or did you actually play together for this album?

Michael and I tracked 99.9% of the music at our SAINTinLA Studio in Sun Valley, California.  Steven Seibold added a synth part, along with his vocals which he recorded in his own studio back east.  As for the rest of the vocals, other than Rafe Pearlman and some of Kat Leon’s vocals, each singer did their parts remotely.  It is a different way of working for sure, and it has worked out well for what BIC is.

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of gathering known musicians for a musical project?

I think the only downside to having a well know artist featured on a track is the chance of them overshadowing the song.  Fortunately, by the very nature of BIC, we have managed to avoid those trappings.  I strongly feel that all of the artists that are part of our BIC family are all extremely talented, whether ‘famous’ or not.  I strongly urge everyone to deep-dive into the catalogs of all of these different and unique artists.

6. What was your main inspiration for the process of composing the music for the album?

When I started to put together some musical ideas for this record, I had been listening to a lot of my ‘80s vinyl.  Several of these great records always resonated with me and made me want to listen to them from the top to the bottom.  Albums like ‘Pornography’, ‘First And Last And Always’, and the great ‘Disintegration’.

7. What about the lyrics of the album, is there any special concept?

All of the lyrics are written by the singers involved.  Lyrics are important to not only me, but I think to anyone who follows BIC.  I am really lucky to have these truly amazing singer/lyricists as part of BIC.  Their lyrical sensibilities are what attracted me in asking them to be part of BIC, as much as their own voices.  I don’t dictate verbally at all what they do lyrically … but I believe the music creates a mood, a tone and a vibe … which ultimately guides the singer.

8. Which is your plan to release and promote the album in the days of Covid-19?

With BIC not being a typical band, we were not affected in the ways that touring bands have been.  I guess if we looked at this from a business side, releasing the album as Covid was spreading, was probably not the best decision.  Thankfully our label, 33.3 Music Collective also looks at this as a labor of love and backed my decision to release the album as planned.  I know I speak for everyone involved that we all felt getting the music out to our BIC Family who may be going a little crazy stuck at home, was paramount.  Hell, we even are planning another ‘remix’ album for a Halloween release!  As for promoting, we have a great PR company we have worked with since BIC started – Shameless Promotion PR.  I stay as active as possible on social media, and I am happy to answer questions about BIC and what we do.  Also, we will continue to release videos, which are the ‘face’ of BIC.

9. Do you have any plans for virtual concerts and under which line up?

Honestly, with how BIC is built, it would require a bit of scheduling due to time zones, as well as figuring out exactly how to perform it as BIC is not really ‘built for live performance’,  I would rather spend the time on new videos and songs.   When BIC was first born, I never looked at it in a ‘live’ context.  Over the past year, I have thought about this more than I anticipated and now certainly feel, or at least hope, that at some point we can put BIC on stage.  Certainly, the more singers involved, the more of a chance we have of schedules and availability lining up.  It would be a big undertaking…. especially figuring out the who and how of it all.  I would never ask another singer to sing a song that they are not part of.  At least to me, that would feel like a sell-out.  Musically, we would probably need to utilize some backing tracks for the textures … and I blame myself for the number of layers on these records!  I really hope it can happen at some post-Covid point. The where?  I would hope a few USA cities and then across the pond to London, Paris, Rome and Berlin, for sure.  All ‘dreams’ right now … but you have to start somewhere!

10. How do you adjust yourself to the status of the streaming music industry?

Yeah, this is something I will never really adjust to.  I understand it to a small extent for the convenience factor, but I don’t look at it as the way most artists meant for their music to be presented.  I know I speak for many of the artists that are part of BIC.  Maybe it’s an age thing, I don’t know.  I always looked at the entire ‘ritual’ of purchasing an album:  scouring over the linear notes, the artwork.  For my end, I enjoy the search for the perfect running order and the perfect album art to accompany it.  I still have this romantic notion that the listener will take in the album in its intended order all the way through.  I know this does not happen too often.  I think streaming has devalued the ‘art’ of making music.  Paying an artist a percentage of a penny for a song that they have poured their heart and soul into is disrespectful.  I think most people think they are really supporting an artist by paying their $9.99 monthly Spotify fee, which could not be farther from the truth. 

I am thankful that 33.3 Music Collective and its owner, Tim Perry, believe in the physical medium for releasing music, which is why all the BIC releases are available on Vinyl and Compact Disc.  I purposely hold back the BIC albums from appearing on streaming services for 60 days after the release, as I sincerely appreciate that our label believes in BIC to the extent of pressing albums and CDs, and I would like them to have the time to sell these before the album is available basically for free everywhere. 

Unlike many Indie artists, BIC is fortunate to not survive off of record sales, but I would like to sell enough physical product for our label to want to continue to offer vinyl and CDs, as I would hate BIC to be a ‘digital only’ artist. I invite music lovers to enjoy our new album, which can be ordered at https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/music-store