1. Man Down
2. Event Ahead
3. Guerilla
4. Seasons
5. Wreckage
6. Passing Through
7. Footage of Outdoors
8. Fountainhead
9. Big Jacket
10. Lifehaus
11. Graves
12: Clout's Fissure
Jeremy Beck, Vox/Guitars/Keys
Jason Brezski, Guitars/Vox
Mike Ciccaglione, Drums/Vox
Brett Kull, Producer (Area 602 Studios)
~
Jeremy: Funny that about thirty potential songs were scaled down to the ones we went with. But then again some songs on the album are older and some were new so I would be excited to see how much of the past quiver of material will make the next cut. North was an amazing collaborative effort between the band and the maestro producer Mr. Brett Kull who put so much vision and coloring through his extreme talents; adapting sounds and ideas with what we brought to the table, making it more so than it could have ever been. I am honored to have worked so closely with him as well as the band who along the way grew up into a better understanding of how our chaotic musings fit into this world.
Jason B: When a band writes songs, considers them complete, starts playing them out, you really stop critiquing those songs. If it gets old you just stop playing it for a while, or for good. It was really important for us as a band to go through the experience of having all of the songs we chose to record opened up to a producer. We write songs and work on them until they feel right, and then stop working on it, but what's missing is that the closer you get inside something, the harder it is to have the perspective of someone listening to it for the first time. Brett did a phenomenal job of challenging us in spots where songs could improve, while not pushing us at all towards any particular style, allowing us to maintain our style and identity. Of course, sometimes you finish a song in 30 minutes and it's perfect, other times you work on something for weeks and you get too close and lose a little perspective. As the recording process was winding down, we we're really in synch with the perspective Brett was opening us up to and the record is better than it would've been had we simply laid every tune down exactly as they were when we first walked in the studio door. We've already started writing new material and the experience we gained in recording the North album is already becoming evident. It's an awesome take away that none of us ever anticipated.
Mike: A black disc. I've always wanted a disc that was mostly and mysteriously blacked out. Excitement and patience are words that come to mind when I remember this album's construction. I am proud of everyone involved with the making and support of North. It was a real honor to work with so many talented people in the process. The album has been quite a journey in cooperation. Dark and yet as musing as new music can be, North was a huge outlet for originality and multi-dimensional attention to detail. I can honestly say that all of us including Brett influenced this album equally. Though, personally, when I think of this album, I think of Brett Kull. He took the band to a new level of thinking that can not and should not be undone. Anyone who gets the chance (opportunity) to work with Brett should whole heartedly dive in. He helped the band to make this album about us and our musical endeavors in the same way that a psychologist or counselor helps people objectively examine, rewrite and strengthen a relationship and it's many facets. To me, North is an album sculpted by a fledgling band of brothers under the guidance of a master that shows and feels like something that was always meant to be. This album is grown up and now ready to fly.
Brett: I wanted to work with these guys because they have an odd and divergent style. I thought we could really get something vital and fresh working together. On a whole we did just that. The music on "North" represents (to me) that space we go into as we stare with soft eyes at the depths of the calling sea.
Jeremy: A great song to start
with. It introduces a texture I believe is unique to this band right
off the bat. Then it rips into a ferocious ball of storm and stress.
The song is about someone falling down in the world, as a soldier of
reality, pinned in a field and left to say one final thing..."Tell them they're alive." Mike
always amazes me when he finishes this tune because of his abilities
to a juggernaut of athleticism really making this tune what it is.
Jason B: We wrote this song during a daytime practice on New Years Eve in my basement. I think mood of the day had us feeling pretty lifted and we started playing around with this energetic little groove. I keep the lighting minimal in my practice space (Christmas lights strung in the rafters) so we can all hide in the dark and feel free to explore the direction we take the music. Once we got the groove locked in and kicking, Jeremy, Jay and I all stood up on speaker cabinets around the room and played the piece for probably 20 minutes. That's what I think of every time we play this song.
Mike: Was my least favorite song to play before the recording and is now one of my absolute favorites to listen to. I hear Jason's driving guitar the whole time. This song lays out our style and dynamics for all to see right from the beginning. It has a glare of Epic "ness" that makes me want to listen to it first almost every time. I'm usually on the verge of exploding when finished playing this song that feels like frantic fight for life scene in the movie Jaws. Maybe that's just me though.
Brett: I think one of things I brought to these songs is a dynamic awareness through instrumentation. This one is obviously an onslaught of rhythm and intensity but I really needed a break about halfway through. The 12 string acoustic gives that breath without losing the rushed feeling this song has plus gives the song a bit of warmth inviting you in... so the band can rip your face off again!
Jeremy: A song title that found its way into destiny (see mike below)
but a meaning that was rewritten in the studio. Brett worked well
with me as I rewrote the melodies and lyrics on the fly and he would
give me the thumbs up or a "that was interesting..." eventually panning
out to what it became. Lyrical meanings are set in political pressures
expected from the world when we should really be less mediated.
Jason B: I was definitely feeling kinda "Bob Mould" when we were writing this one. Husker Du and Sugar had such great songwriting and guitar playing, and while Mould's writing is so electrifying, I've never really incorporated much of his influence into what I play until Event Ahead. Recording this song however, was very un-Husker Du like, in that we recorded to a metronome and Brett and I probably spent 2 or 3 hours during guitar overdubs figuring out how to synch up speed of the modulation effect on the guitar (the pulsating feedback) that you hear in the intro and later in the breakdown. Not very punk!
Mike: The name...comes from some of the scenery on the long drive to Brezski's house for Sunday morning practice (yes, Sunday morning!...god awful time to play but that's what it takes to git'r done). Watching the signs on the road while listening to practice recordings on the way there inspired the words "Event Ahead." Those early mornings of intense and ridiculous fatigue and hangovers were times of great laughter and creativity, believe it or not. As for the song, obviously, Brezski's guitar set the pace and in my eyes, that pace was perfect. I am a big fan of tight punk rock and breakdowns that dabble in strategic hip hop uppercuts. This song got it's final seal of approval from us when we heard it recorded in my Newark basement on all electronic instruments and as a digital recording. It sounded so good to us that we thought it might be perfect as the first song on the album. Oh well, second place isn't too bad!
Brett: This one took a bit to get the arrangement together but it really shines because of the work put in. Jeremy was very open to change and pushing himself towards better melodies. He's quite a talent that thrives on pure instinct and it shows in these vocal takes (as well as the rest of the songs). Many of the lyrics, melodies and harmonies were written on the spot as we were recording. I never had to worry about vibe or pitch with Jeremy. It was all about focusing him on what he was trying to say and not letting anything get in the way of that. Throughout this project I would always ask him what he was trying to say, not necessarily because I wanted to know but because I wanted him to make me (as a listener) connect with his vision at all times.
Jeremy: Its a power house that I listen to for the first time each time I put it on. The opening bass line is simply what is awesome about Jay.
Mike: I loved writing this song with the guys. This is one of the songs that stemmed from my Brother and I setting up and starting play our instruments while Brez and Jeremy talked and caught up with each other. Jay and I always play with beats like this one and the others grabbed it and formed Guerrilla in no time flat. Vocally the song was a little different but, while recording with Brett and adding aux percussion, I believe Jeremy took advantage of his innate ability to improv and put the right vocal punch to it. I think that the song has a strong groove which is seductively spoken to by Jeremy's lyrics and vocals. One of my faves too!
Brett: This was the first tune i heard by the band and got me interested in them.
Jeremy: This song was Brezski's mind child that really initiated an invitation for us to become a band. Quickly it came into creation then we sat back and said... hey we're not that bad... lets write some more. We have played many different variations of this tune, manipulating the tempo each time live making it one of those songs that could work in virtually any speed. One of those tune where we are locked tight together. Brezski's solo in this always surprises my neck hairs.
Jason B: This was our first song as a band so we've been playing it for a long time with lots of different iterations. Brett heard a recording of Jeremy and I playing it acoustically and he wanted to try to include some of that intimacy in the full band recording. You hear acoustics obviously in the beginning and end of the song, but there's acoustic in the background through the entire song. Mike added some acoustic texture to the first half of the first verse by playing brush strokes on the snare adding kind of a static that drops out for the second half of the verse giving you a lot of space and clarity out of nowhere. Also, the guitar solo at the end was Brett's idea, thinking it'd be awesome to have a solo to take off from Jeremy's big chorus vocal. I'd taken my brand spanking new guitar to one of Jeremy's vocal sessions to show the boys and Brett had me plug it in and knock out this solo. Listening to Seasons, Brett's production work on it is stunning.
Mike: This is the seed that had sprouted The Scenic Route. Our first written song together, it was Seasons that gave all of us the idea that we may have something as a band. Brezski wrote the whole thing on his guitar and we ate it up. I remember actually having to adjust to focus on just the drums. My history as a musician with Brezski was as the singer and not a drummer. I had to learn to let Jeremy tend to the vocals as my new job was the drummer. Luckily Jeremy is an amazing vocalist and it wasn't too hard to do. We can play this song in our sleep (but never would). I think that Seasons is my favorite song to play over and over. I just get emotionally geared up when I hear or play the chorus in this song. I was never worried about how this one might turn out on the album. I knew it would always be a great live song. That being said......especially on the CD, Seasons does it for me every time.
Brett: Beautiful piece of music. I knew the more electric version of this and loved it but when i heard the unplugged version I just knew we had to make both those elements work together. Nice solo Jason!! Major 7ths rule!!!
Jeremy: Probably my go-to tune. I love the melancholic nature of it.
It really is a pop tune in feeling but it still holds a dark nature
in its meaning. I think when we finished a skeleton of this I took
it into my car, sang to it for about a week and then recorded vocals
to it and then showed it to the band. It was a nerve racking method
I used a lot because you interpret the other guy's listening faces
in strange ways when putting oneself on the spot during its revealing.
But I guess it worked out right?
Jason B: This is one of many of our songs that were not at all premeditated by anyone, but rather born at band practice out of whatever mood we were in. We were vibing out on a cool chord progression for an hour or so, but we were too distracted or drunk to turn it into something solid by the end of practice. The way this song came together has to be one of the oddest approaches to songwriting we've used. Jeremy and I agreed to remember the chords we played and the general feel and that we'd each go away and write something a bit more tangible out of those chord progressions. We'd come back to practice in 3 days, show our two different approaches to the band and take it a little further. 3 days later, we both had new parts based on the same idea, we jammed on them, got drunk again, and recorded the whole beautiful mess and forgot about it. Months later (including a band breakup), Jeremy comes to practice having edited together an arrangement AND recorded vocals. The whole thing was so inspiring I think we finished the arrangement in an hour.
Mike: From my memories, Wreckage is the Frankenstein song from our set list. The jams that created the simplistic parts of this song were recorded in the very early days of TSR's formation but before we could piece everything together, we disbanded for a short while and actually started up again with a new bass player (Jeremy's brother, Adam). It didn't take long to realize that our style cried for Jay Ciccaglione's bass language. Once together again, we pulled the songs parts back together again and decided to give this different song another chance in life. I'm glad we did. I'd love to do whole album of songs like Wreckage. Simplicity and steep dynamics make this song pure fun for me.
Brett: Cool pop song! This was another that i wanted to hear certain things again as a listener. these guys come up with beautiful sections that just pass you by too fast. they probably got tired of me saying wanting to hear sections again in the arrangements!! ;-)
Jeremy: One of Brezski's guns. He brought his Puerto Rican juice to the
creation of this one. That's one of the biggest things that keeps us
writing constantly. He is the groove master capable of shifting from
Latin feelings to a straight rockin' part that the end becomes. And
all I have to do is try and keep up. Another great pairing of rhythm
section brilliance with his Latin roots. Song is about an experience
with a woman and tying this idealism into what the meaning of life
may ultimately be... but its not the woman. The end part with the guitar
and me singing "we're all just passing through" would
make an amazing song within itself which is why I love that part...it fades
in from the chaotic distorted feedback tapestry and becomes the ending
as if the song was always playing...
Jason B: Passing Through is a perfect demonstration of what makes me love working with this band. The fact that I can come to them with a song as musically challenging as this, and not only do they understand it, but embrace each part, make it their own and make the song better. A songwriter cannot ask for more from band mates. Jeremy's creative take on the vocals amazes me, singing two parts back and forth conversationally, each with different emotion, coming together in harmony after the second verse and then splitting again into two different people, each one outpouring so passionately. He absolutely stuns me with his vocal performance on this song.
Mike: Jeremy and Brez made this song my best friend. I feel like I am racing a motorcycle around a track when it come to the music in this song. Brez's part is the engine and Jeremy's vocal is the curving track. I know that when the second half of the song comes about, Brez is tuned to my drumming and I can't slack off or the whole bike will wipe out when I meet with Jeremy's vocals! Anyway, Passing Through is the song where I feel the Flashpoint steadily gets closer until the race is over and the engine cools and is humming in the back while hearing the last of the music fade out of sight.
Brett: Jeremy and Jason have some guitar parts that they play that are not your standard guitar hero shite. it was a pleasure working with guitar players that thought and played outside the box. The end of this tune should start a song on the next album!!
Jeremy: Footage... the youngest tune, also one that
didn't fit our usual way of part writing which made it extremely important
to put on the album. Most songs end with a 'coong pow! or a bradabammm...'
right? So having a mellow beginning and a mellow ending was definitely
something that singles this guy out. Also with Clout's Fissure... but
more so here. Brett did an amazing job putting the end reversal stuff
at the end...it shows his talents and ability to focus in on what we
wanted there. He called after mixing it and said..."hey I sent you a rough of footage...check out the
ending, tell me what you think." Another one of those galactic hugs I instantly
sent out to him...I called back after hearing it and said upon his 'hello?'... "FUCK
MAN that's AWESOME..." then
we hung up thinking and I thought about what a savant he was.
Jason B: Footage started off in the writing process as Jeremy's musing of a three chord phrase with an intricately light melody. Mike, Jay and I were all over it instantaneously. I think we had the initial arrangement and vocal melodies finished in about 30 minutes. It was still slightly raw when we took it to the studio which made it a great opportunity for us to collaborate together with Brett to pull it together. By the time it was complete I loved it so much that for quite a while I wanted it to be the first song on the album. In the end, I love that in landed in the "7" spot as for some reason I seem to connect with the seventh song on my favorite albums.
Mike: The newborn of the album. Barely a few days old, this young song entered the studio with high hopes from all of us. I wasn't sure how this song was really supposed to sound when finished. It was probably the most malleable of all 12 songs and because of that made it a little controversial when trying to decide how to treat the arrangement and dynamics. We even had some differing thoughts on how to end. Brett took full advantage of this opportunity and showed us his production and musical talents. Many thanks again to Brett on Footage of Outdoors.
Brett: My favorite track on the record. The band nailed the vibe with melody, harmony/rhythm and lyrics. What would make a song better?? Nothing! Mike's drumming is very musical on this one and holds it together without tying it down. Footage shows the elements of the band.. heavy power, beautiful impressions, interesting rhythm, deep word-scapes, dynamics, and melody. I see the band using more piano on new songs. Jeremy has a Debussy sense to his piano playing.
Jeremy: The giant. Very tough it was to create
this live and understand how we were putting this dynamic work together
and if it was to work. Another Jay intro that makes you go: who is
that dude...damn! So big this tune is in the end that it usually takes
so much energy to get it out... but in the end it did and I thought
this tune worked out rather quickly in the studio through all phases.
Jason B: I love Jay's bass line in this song. Funny thing is, when Jay started jamming on this at a practice session it was a solid downbeat groove. But Mike heard it differently and immediately wrote the drums to accent the upbeat, which has aggravated Jay ever since (meaning: if you count 1 AND 2 AND 3 AND 4 during the little drum intro, we make Jay start his line on the first "AND" as opposed to the 1 which would be far more natural for him). Anyway, I don't care that it pisses Jay off because the drum beat Mike came up with is so sick! The huge pain in my ass in this song is going from playing absurdly fast distorted 64th notes during the entire verse to having all instruments drop out for me to do a clean bridge for Jeremy to sing to (with no other instruments to cover my flubs). I don't normally put such fast playing into my lines, but I love the buzz saw kind of texture it adds to the verses. This is a challenging song to perform for all of us but I think all the tension that builds throughout the song is so worth it when we get to the huge opened up ending. When we do it right, Fountainhead's one of my favorites.
Mike: There was something about this song as soon as we started to create it that was twisting in my mind. I felt the beat and rhythm rearing itself to me as something a little exotic and different. Fountainhead feels good to me. I usually try to listen to all members when playing our songs but, this one make me sit in the drum zone the whole time. I actually wish it was a little longer in the beginning for that reason. Of course, Jay's bass guitar is probably what is subconsciously driving my thoughts while playing. It must be a brother thing.
Brett: Killer vocal performance! Jay's best bass contribution!
Jeremy: A song that was captured in the coloring light it needed. Another
dark one that definitely shows off our influences at the time. Lyrical
meaning is when one is put to something life altering, would they brave
it or break down under it? Also one of our joke tunes at practice because
I love Brezski's intro but I always try and start it which always has
us in stitches. Inside joke I guess.
Jason B: This is the most satisfying song of ours for me to play. I've always loved finger-picking and trying to incorporate both bass and melody in my playing as you would with piano but it can be difficult to apply that to a rock band with two guitars without the part getting totally lost. Somehow we made it work here. The textures and tonal palate in the first breakdown are one of my favorite sections of the record. Starting with simple two-note finger-picked electric guitar and Jeremy's voice then coming in with banjo finger-picking, bass and drums, harmonized vocals and the siren-like e-Bow guitar leading into the next breakdown. I get completely in the zone playing this song, finger-picking almost the entire tune just listening to Jeremy sing, and then opening up the end with huge wide open chords as Jeremy belts "will you break" over and over again. I get chills every time.
Mike: I'm not sure but, I think this song came from the digital practices in my Newark basement. I think we were all into Interpol at the time and feeling those dance rhythms. In the studio, on the other hand, I couldn't wait to work on, hear and see this song come into view. I remember bringing Adam Beck to the studio during one of this song's sessions and hearing Brett discussing Jeremy's guitar part. I said that to me it sounded so much like something that would be played on a banjo. Brett, of course, chimed in with, "Hey, I have a banjo." Jeremy was open for it and Brett asked Adam if he wanted to give it a whack. Adam reluctantly declined and we all told Brett to do it if he was feeling it. Needless to say, he did and it sounded great and is now one of my favorite Brett studio memories! Banjo is badass.
Brett: Lots of nice guitar textures on this one and an interesting groove/bass section. Space, finger picking, piano arpeggios, banjo, intense Bogner tone for miles.
Jeremy: Another young tune but also a very different
one hopefully expressing our diversity. This guy was tough for Brett
at first because of the repetitious bass line. This is also different
from us because usually we try and change every part as possible in our
own parts but this one was almost like a dub due to its droning nature.
Brett then sat back after countless sighs of patience then saw how the
picture should be fine tuned... recommending a downbeat rocking end.
We were reluctant at first...but tried it, and loved it. Another song
rewritten vocally mostly on the fly.
Jason B: Lifehaus is intentionally repetitive, essentially musically the same through the verse and chorus other than the dynamics of the drums playing to Jeremy's swooning chorus and a few extra bass notes in the guitar following the vocal. It was put together more like a dub, using percussion to accent the song and relying on vocals almost entirely to define the changes. Brett and I, maybe even Jay struggled to resist trying to make it "kick ass" in a rock sense when the chorus hits, but Jeremy and Mike had an entirely different and more experimental approach in mind. The result is awesome. Although Lifehaus is one of the most unique tracks on the record, it's a great example of what we do well, which is trust each other's vision and embrace it.
Mike: Lifehaus is just plain musical fun. I remember recording this song with so much worry and contemplative thought from some members of the band. I've always liked this song because it is very Newark to me. When I say that, I mean that Newark has always been a town of much local diversity and experimentation in my mind and experience. Uninhibited, experimentation comes second nature to me and is something that I thrive on. Lifehaus had no instructions and nothing to look at to make comparisons so, its life was not predetermined. I love that kind of wide open possibility thing when it comes to music as long as it sounds interesting and very musical. I had thought of this song as a potentially digital and electronic song. (drum machines, synths, that kind of thing) To make these parts shine as bright as possible in an analog way was perfect. When the sign says go left.....go up. Do the unexpected. This song is TSR's unexpected, illegitimate child.....that we all love, especially now that it has blossomed into adulthood. One more of my favorites.....proudly.
Brett: This was my least favorite when we started. Jeremy really wanted to do it so we did. it turned out brilliantly!... With much hard work, punching, gnashing of teeth, mead, and funny sideways glances ;-)
Jeremy: What can I say about this one. Story: Murderous captain of a
vessel in the Boston Harbor, a suicidal first mate. They head towards
the oceans mouth. But there at its gate lies a lighthouse paired with
teeth like rocks that are unmarked called the graves just off the light
houses bluff. Captain turns into the graves spilling the 1st mate overboard,
and in a sudden storm and squall turns from his chance to swim to the
light house and swims out into the vast and open sea. The captain all
the while turns the boat to port shouting "Stay Alive!" Macabre? A metaphor really. Its lyrics were
written poem form aboard a similar vessel at that very sight. Brett and
the boys really made the final recording of this one far better than we
could have ever expected because the raw copies on the demo were so organic
and warm. But now the storm is alive each time I hear it. "So
we will roll on, but I know we've been thrown over."
Jason B: This song puts me squarely in Jeremy Land, in his head, in his stories, in the beauty of his songwriting, and in particular Graves takes me back to a winter night in Boston four years ago when Jeremy, Mike, and I ended up on a docked sailboat in Boston Harbor at the end of a long night that included among other things, street dancing, Korean food, strippers, and a lot of alcohol. To me, Graves is the most visual song on the record.
Mike: THE GRAVES!!!! A scary place. I'll let Jeremy tell that story. As far as the music goes. Being the first written song from Jeremy did what Seasons did coming from Brezski. When Jeremy first came home from school in Boston, he and I got together to musically reconnect. He brought his mom's old classical acoustic guitar to my house and explained that he would like me to record his new little "diddy" and see if I can put some drums to it. We did and the other parts kind of fell into place very quickly. When Jay and Jay heard the recording. They wanted to put their parts in without disturbing the sonic and musical beauty of the recorded piece. Jeremy and I had no worries that Jay and Jay would only make this song more realistic and pleasing to the ear. They did there parts which stuck to the root arrangement and it was a perfect new song for us put on the set list. We almost didn't put this song on the album because of a fear that we would distort or ruin the song by doing something different that may take away from the original copy's reputation. Imagine that. Brett showed us that we shouldn't worry about that stuff. The new version has the beauty that we remembered and I am really glad that it is on the album.
Brett: Ahh yeah! a monster to build. simple but deeper than the deepest trench. I can smell the salt water! 5 over 4.
Jeremy: This song was one part for a long time. In fact, the vocals were
done on a sketch to that one part as a whole but it needed more. Then
we founded a middle part, stuck her in there and made a wicked tune
out of it. This song reminds me of city lights for some random reason.
It's meaning lyrically is a setting into a vast city street and something
volatile is about to happen, a flood to say, and when it breaks will
we be capable of riding the wave? Again a brave or break. Love the
end of this tune, I think it is appropriate for an album end.
Jason B: It's funny to me that at one point Guerilla and Clout's Fissure were actually very similar songs considering how differently they've evolved. They were both written at around the same time, and the approach for both songs was Jeremy and I writing our parts over a badass bass/drums groove that Mike and Jay came up with. Some overt similarities still exist in that the verses have a single guitar chord ring out over long sections of bass/drums/vocals and that my guitar line is synched to the vocals through part of the song. But the overall effect is very different in Clout's. The whole song has a sparse and hollow feeling to it and I love the ending.
Mike: Dark funky rhythms are what my brother and I like to create and play when together. Clout's Fissure arose in the same fashion as Guerrilla. You could say that they are related to each other and are around the same age. The sound in Brez's basement was huge. He had a 10 or 11 foot ceiling down there and it sounded like Dracula's Warehouse. It brought the vibe of the song into focus right away. The song came together really fast and I loved the dark cavernous sound that lent itself to Jeremy's vocal and Brezski's part to scream in a sustained fiery drone. ROCK!
Brett: I remember mike saying he wanted the rhythm to sound like some sort of giant slithering snake... i wasn't sure if the snake was good or evil... i know it destroyed and resurrected everything it came in contact with... so maybe it was both, it sure sucked me in! especially the end when it floats away to that magic, serene land beyond the horizon where Jay sits on a big oxblood chair drinking Knob Creek forever and ever and ever...