BRANDON TESKEY – Screaming Into The Guitar Void!
1. What is the current status of the band Until the Sun?
Until the Sun just recorded a live album at the famous blues venue, the Rhythm Room in Phoenix AZ. The new live album will consist of mostly new material. We plan to release it sometime in late May or June. Our former bassist, Bruce Jensen, had to step aside from music entirely because going out on the road wasn’t the best thing for his family. We recently got a new bassist, Glenn Peacock, who is working out great. We are in the process of planning out a few tours to support the upcoming album, and playing some shows in the Phoenix area. Alyssa Swartz, our singer, and I have been working on some new material as well. So before too much longer, we will probably be recording another studio album.
2. Where and how did you record your second solo album, titled “Screaming Into The Void’?
‘Screaming Into The Void’ was recorded at Minds Eye Studio in Glendale Az. The approach was similar to my first album where the guitar was the driving force of the the songs. I sang a couple of the songs on it, and Alyssa Sang on a couple songs as well. We recorded drums and guitars first. Chris Tex laid down the drums. I had Jon Nadel from the fusion band, Marbin, record bass. Will Kyriazis recorded keyboard, and Danny Markivich from Marbin played saxophone on my cover of the John Coltrane tune, Equinox.
3. What is the meaning behind the title of the album, “Screaming Into The Void”?
Screaming into the Void is an old expression used to describe when someone conveys distress, or a warning, or an emotional appeal, but it falls on deaf ears and no one cares. My attempt in making ‘Screaming Into The Void’ was to create a work where the playing and musicianship was so good it couldn’t be ignored. I’m not sure if I succeeded, but that was my goal. I pushed myself beyond my own limits and grew as a player making this record.
4. Why did you decide to release the album with only a few songs featuring a singer?
Well my first album, ‘The Chime’, was all instrumental music. Most of my lyrical songs are reserved for Until The Sun, since traditionally, I’m the primary songwriter, though lately Allyssa Swartz, and I have been writing some songs together. Once in a while I’ll come up with songs, or want to cover a song that I feel is in a different vein than Until the Sun and release it solo. I have a great respect for instrumental songs that can set a mood, or tell a story, and carry a listener without lyrics. Sometimes you can say more with the music than you can with the words.
5. Was there any contribution from other musicians on the songwriting process?
Besides the covers, I came up with the chords and melodies and lyrics for everything, but I used musicians who were fabulous at what they do. I am usually minimalistic in my instructions to them and try to give them as much freedom to come up with their own parts for the songs and experiment with ideas and create layers. In most cases their parts come out way better than I ever envisioned them.
6. The album also includes several covers, how did you decide to include them?
So Autumn Leaves was the first jazz song I ever learned, but I wanted to approach it more like a folk Rock or Alternative song. It is my Grandmother’s favorite song, and she askes me to play it for her when I go over to visit. Side Tracked is one of my all time favorite Freddie King instrumentals, and it hasn’t received the attention of some of his other widely covered songs like ‘Hideway’ or ‘the Stumble’. Then ‘Equinox’ is one of my favorite Coltrane songs, but in its essence is as much blues song in form as it is jazz, so I wanted to record it.
7. What are your artistic and commercial expectations of the album?
People who love instrumental music, or fusion, blues and jazz mixed with some rock, are kind of an eclectic crowd to start with and obviously a niche audience. I’m obviously targeting a small percentage of the population. So there’s probably less commercial opportunity as something like a band that plays top 40’s type music, or even my blues rock band, Until the Sun, for that matter. My goal was primarily to create a piece of musical art that people who love these styles and guitar playing in general can appreciate and be moved by.
8. How did you approach the album from an orchestration perspective?
There were some songs I wanted completely raw and others I wanted layered to build the song as it grew, like ‘Tree of Life’ or ‘Spiders Web’. Sometimes just one added instrument can transform a song.
9. Do you have any plans to tour for the album?
Once in a while, we play some of my solo material with Until the Sun, especially if it’s requested by the crowd, but most of my touring effort is focused on Until the Sun right now.
Information: (1) Brandon Teskey | Facebook
Litsen to the new album on Spotify: Spotify – Brandon Teskey
