HEX
Hex, according to me, is
one of the few bands nowadays that still deserve to be labeled as progressive
metal, since their music personifies the unconventional and contemporary
sound. Here we have Bob Beach revealing some of the parameters behind Hex…
1.FIRST OF ALL POINT OUT THE MOST
IMPORTANT MOMENTS OF THE BAND'S HISTORY AND INTRODUCE YOURSELVES TO THE
READERS...
HEX is a musical collaboration
between me (Bob Beach) and Dan Gross. Dan and I have known each other for
over 18 years. We began playing music together in high school, and have
remained close friends ever since. Around 1990, Dan and I formed our first
serious band, Skeletal Youth. We recorded a 5 song demo, but things quickly
fell apart. A couple years later we formed another band, The Inevitable,
and recorded a 10-song album that we released in the Chicago-area on cassette.
We had a very difficult time finding a vocalist and our drummer was not
really committed, so that project fell apart, as well. Being frustrated
with our inability to find band members with similar ideas, expectations,
personalities, etc., Dan and I decided to do something on our own. The
result of this effort was a collaboration named Caliban. We recorded a
6-song demo, followed by a 4-song demo, but that project ended soon after
as Dan relocated to the Denver, CO area. We both got married and lost touch
for several years, until a chance meeting in 2000. We were excited to collaborate
on music again, and the result was HEX.
2.I THINK YOUR MUSIC EQUALLY SHARES
INFLUENCES FROM PSYCHOTIC WALTZ AND WATCHTOWER. DO YOU AGREE? WHAT DO YOU
THINK OF THESE BANDS?
Watchtower is certainly an influence
on both Dan and I. We listened to Control & Resistance nonstop when
it came out, and its one of the great technical, progressive metal albums.
Ron Jarzombek is one of my favorite guitar players, as well. So, I’m not
surprised that some of that influence shows up in HEX. We’ve never heard
any Psychotic Waltz, but other people have made the comparison. I’ve been
listening to a lot of Dead Soul Tribe lately, which is Devon Graves’/Buddy
Lackey’s current project, though I know it’s not similar to Psychotic Waltz.
In any event, I’ll be picking some of this up soon.
3.SINCE YOU ARE MUCH HELPED BY MP3.COM,
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE WHOLE MP3 ISSUE? HAS MP3.COM HELPED YOU OUT IN
THE WAY YOU EXPECTED?
Mp3.com was very simply a low-cost
way for us to distribute our music electronically, as well as on CD. We
were able to make all of our music available for download via mp3 and,
if people wanted an actual CD with artwork and liner notes, they could
purchase from the mp3.com store. All we had to do was post the artwork
and the music files. It really was convenient. I think that mp3.com was
able to drive some additional exposure for the band. Several people have
told me that they found out about HEX from our mp3.com site. As far as
the mp3 issue is concerned, I think it’s like any disruptive innovation
– the incumbent companies’ business models are being threatened and they
have been trying to find a way to destroy the threat. It’s a losing battle,
however, and I think they are finally figuring that out. What they should
have been doing was figure out how they could leverage mp3 and file sharing
technology to their benefit and try out new business models. iTunes is
an early example that you can make money selling digitized music online.
4.YOUR ALBUM HAS AN EXCELLENT GUITAR
WORK AND A REALLY LOUD BASS. DO YOU THINK THAT ALL PROGRESSIVE METAL BANDS
OF YOUR GENRE SHOULD HAVE THOSE PREREQUISITES?
Thank you very much for the compliments.
I don’t think that these things are pre-requisites for progressive music,
but they have certainly become expected by fans of the genre. In my mind,
progressive music should be about constantly challenging conventional ideas
about music in general. Instead, I think it’s become more of a formula
- 9-minute songs, crazy time signatures, fllashy lead guitar work, polished
recording, Geoff Tate vocals, etc. – which is not really what being progressive
is about. There are two bands today that I believe are truly progressive:
Pain of Salvation and Opeth. They approach their writing with no constraints
and write whatever they feel like writing. That to me is progressive.
5.WHY DID YOU USE A DRUM MACHINE? OBVIOUSLY
BECAUSE OF A LACK OF DRUMMER, BUT WILL YOU CONTINUE THIS WAY? WAS THERE
ANY GOOD PROGRESS ON THE MATTER IN THE MEANTIME?
Really, we would love to have used
a “live” drummer for the CD and would love to use one for the next CD.
The challenges that we face are (1) that we live so far apart (I’m in Chicago,
Dan’s in Denver), and (2) adding another musician to the mix increases
the complexity of writing, collaborating, and recording. That said, we
are fairly committed to finding a real drummer for the next CD. Several
great drummers from other bands have offered to play on the next CD, so
it looks like we’ll be moving in that direction.
6.DON'T YOU THINK THAT YOUR GENRE IS
UTTERLY UNDERESTIMATED SINCE SOME OF THE BEST BANDS IN METAL COME FROM
THERE? WHERE DO HEX AIM SINCE YOU KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE NO HUGE CROWDS
FOLLOWING YOU, NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOU PLAY?
We’ve never had the expectation
that we could make a living playing our style of music. We just love writing
and recording and playing, which is the only reason we do it. Having fans
enjoy our music is a wonderful, unexpected bonus. If we could ever make
any money that would just be icing on the cake. I think this approach prevents
us from being disappointed. I’ve seen too many bands and musicians give
up on music because they don’t make enough money or don’t get enough respect
or recognition. That’s crazy to me. I mean, why did you get started playing
music in the first place? Probably because you loved music, and nothing
to do with making money. Do it because you love it, not because you want
to make money at it.
7.YOUR LYRICS SEEM TO BE A BIT FOCUSED
ON TECHNOLOGY AND ITS MERGE WITH THE HUMAN RACE. OUR SYNTHETIC SOUL IS
FINALLY WHAT WE'LL FINALLY GET FROM ALL THAT?
Yeah, I think that’s an accurate
representation of the concept. Dan and I both are interested and have careers
in the computer industry, which causes us to think a lot about the future
of technology. Every day you see technology merging more and more with
everyday activities. From a positive perspective, our productivity, our
ability to communicate with and extend our reach, our ability to learn
is greatly improved. But, at the same time, we are becoming much less connected
with each other, while we learn advanced concepts in school, we forget
the basics, and technology is able to perform many “human” jobs. Like being
a drummer, for instance. It’s all very exciting and we should continue
to innovate, but we need checks and balances along the way to make certain
we are doing the right thing. There is a great line in the move Jurassic
Park, where Jeff Goldblum’s character says “you spent so much time trying
to figure out if you could, you never thought about if you should.” I think
we are faced with this dilemma on a number of issues today.
8.HEX IS QUITE A DARK NAME FOR A BAND
OF YOUR KIND! HOW DID YOU CHOOSE IT?
Well, we wanted something that
represented technology and doom without sounding immature. I think Dan
suggested the name HEX, and it stuck. Not a very interesting story.
9.YOUR KEYS BRING TO MIND THE DARKSTAR
PROJECTS OF DAN ROCK WITH THEIR FUTURISTIC SOUNDS. DO YOU AGREE? WHICH
PART DO KEYS PLAY IN YOUR MUSIC?
I have a Darkstar CD, but I have
to admit I haven’t listened to it much. Synth is becoming less and less
of a focus in HEX. When recorded our initial demos, we had a lot more synth
than you hear on the final CD. I like synth that is unobtrusive, in the
background, and adds ambience to the song. That’s probably the direction
we’re heading.
10.WHAT FEEDBACK DID YOU GET FROM THE
STATES? ARE THERE STILL FANS INTERESTED IN THAT KIND OF MUSIC OVER THERE?
Metal is making a big comeback
over here. We are getting more and more festivals, and bands coming over
from Europe. So, I’m optimistic about the future of US metal. The feedback
we’ve heard has all been very positive. Hopefully, we’ll get a similar
reaction when the next CD comes out.
11.WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP FOR HEX? HAVE
YOU GOT ANY NEW MUSIC READY?
A lot of things have happened to
us personally over the last year, which has caused a bit of delay in getting
new material ready. But, we have begun to write and are shooting to have
our 2nd CD out later this year. It will be self-produced again and will
likely feature a real drummer.
12.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT
WOULD IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
Great question! Emotion: passion.
Painting: actors performing on the stage.
13.WHICH WORDS DO YOU THINK COULD BEST
DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC?
Another great one! How about dark,
contemplative, progressive, contemporary, heavy and with great grooves!
14.WHICH SONG WOULD YOU DEDICATE TO
THE WOMAN OF YOUR DREAMS?
I don’t know if I’d dedicate anything
from our synthetic soul! Seriously, though, I don’t think that a simple
song dedication can possibly express the joy, appreciation, and love that
result from that level of relationship. I’d rather dedicate my life to
ensuring that the woman of my dreams (my wife) and I have a great life
together. I think music is one small part of that.
15.THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK
YOU ANYTHING AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?
Thanks to Behind the Veil for the
interview and the great review of our CD. And, thanks to all the fans that
have supported us. If you haven’t heard HEX, check us out at www.hexology.com.
George “Volt”
Tassis
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