RoR - Hi Scott, just checking to see that this works...
SC - Yep, it works.
RoR - Sweet, I'm not such a techie maladroit after
all.
SC - Yeah, well I'm a computer geek so no problems.
RoR - I'm supposed to be, but I live in the UNIX
world...
SC - I see...
RoR - Is that disdain in your
typing?
SC - Nooo...
RoR - Actually, I want to
pick your brain for drum prog tips as I just bought a DM5 and have to correct
all my MIDI mistakes post production so you're in for a treat!
SC - Ah, well I'm sure I could lend some ideas. Dm5
is made by who?
RoR - Alesis it's their module.
SC - Ah, we're diehard Korg boys.
RoR - So I play electronic
drums to the module, record it to a QY20. Do you play the drum parts on your
keyboard or through drum pads?
SC - Keyboard. Jimmy calls me a hand percussionist!
RoR - So what drum sounds
do you actually use, the Korg ones? Or something like Gigasampler or soundfonts?
SC - We use Korg sounds live, but of course everything
can be modified in the studio.
RoR - And the Scholomance
drum sounds are ten times better than the ones found on Emperor or Morbid
Angel's "live" drummer sounds.
SC - They're pretty close to being pure on the new
CD. We only really modified the EQ to get things to stand out. Korg's sounds
are very dark for the most part, made for metal.
RoR - Ah... I'll have to get
some... :-)
SC - Excellent evil keyboards too.
RoR - I get these Akai disks
full of sounds, but that's when the note duration problems come in.
SC - Is that a problem of having too much data loaded
in?
RoR - Yeah it might be. If
I use what I time tracked "live" the note durations are only like two ticks,
instead of like 15 for a 32nd note, so when it triggers the .WAV sound the
cymbals or toms are "choked".
SC - The Korg will clip notes if the memory is too
full. We have songs that take 90% or more of the onboard sequencer memory.
Yeah, I avoid going into computers except in the studio.
RoR - Do you find yourself
composing more on the keyboard or on guitar?
SC - Keyboard or piano mainly, although I'm trying
to get back to writing on guitar.
RoR - And when do the drum
parts come in? Do you have a basic rhythm or just play to a metronome?
SC - Usually right after I get the piano riff down
enough, then start going at it to the click.
RoR - Right hand bass drum,
left hand snare?
SC - No, left kick, right snare... Or any combination
necessary.
RoR - I guess I would wonder
how much is composed "live" if any, or if separate pieces are brought together
later? Like, does each person compose their own parts, or does one person
take care of one song?
SC - Jimmy and I both write keys and pianos, but separately.
He has songs where the basis is entirely his, then I have mine.
RoR - Are your solos planned
out or improvised?
SC - We play at least 90% close to the same solos every
time unless we wanna just go off.
RoR - (Jumping gears completely
here) So what's life in Willard like this time of year?
SC - Life in Willard is always basically the same.
It's a town of 2000 people so it's the small town atmosphere. It's not very
cold yet and people are doing the Christmas thing.
RoR - Are you into the whole
holiday thing?
SC - I like Halloween! but I don't care for religious
holidays.
RoR - Ah. How about getting
presents? Everyone loves presents!
SC - That'd be nice but I don't really get presents,
so Christmas is pretty much a waste of time.
RoR - Did you meet Jimmy in
Willard? If so, then that's pretty cool for two guys like you in a town of
2000.
SC - We met in Springfield through other bands and
musicians. We played together in another band before Scholomance. We actually
used to dislike each other.
RoR - It's funny, I knew a
bunch of guys from Springfield... College town? How did you get to like each
other? the music? Or the love of the Korg?
SC - Yeah springfield has like 5 colleges... Well in
the course of playing in this other band, we realized that only the two of
us agreed on what we really wanted to play, so after that band broke up, we
started this one together.
RoR - Where you a guitarist
first or pianist? I guess I'm assuming that you were classically trained?
SC - I was a guitarist first. I've played guitar for
about 12 years, and piano for 4 or 5 years. I've had absolutely no training.
RoR - That's cool! But you
read music?
SC - No, can't read it at all. I play by ear. Jimmy
can read music though, but he's also mainly self taught.
RoR - Without the discipline
of training, most people just sort of go for "groove" and forsake the techincal
side, what made you strive to get better?
SC - I suppose it's just my personality and upbringing.
I won't settle for less than self torture really! Of course certain people
were inspirational to me too.
RoR - Are you just totally
serious all the time? You look pretty mean in your photos. What sort of inspirations
did you draw from then? Musically and otherwise...
SC - I am a very intense individual, definitely not
mean but when it comes to music, I take it very seriously. I'm kind of a goofball
outside of music and art...
RoR - Ah... Do you find yourself
just chucking whole songs/projects after working on them for a long time because
all of a sudden they just seem to be completely not working for you ?
SC - When I started I just wanted to be a rhythm guitarist,
but found no lead guitarists, so I had to learn lead too... I've only tossed
a couple things. I'll usually work on something until its done right and won't
quit on it.
RoR - Do you ever find your
imagination outplaying your techinique? I mean do you create songs that you
can't yet play?
SC - Once in a great while, but what usually will happen
is the idea just changes itself and presents itself in a new way. I can usually
play what I hear in my head. Accidental things turn out to be cool a lot of
the time.
RoR - So in The End (no pun
intended) are you happy with the final result of The Immortality Murder?
SC - Mostly. It could always be better but with the
limited amount of time we had to do this album, it came out very good. I'm
very happy with the art and sound quality.
RoR - You did this album in
like 8 days, right? Most times there have to be tons of sacrifices, especially
with how technical this is, are there any cringe factors that only the band
could hear? I was still digesting the first song after two weeks...
SC - Yeah about 8 days recording and mixing... There
are mistakes that make me wanna hurl sometimes, but most people would never
know they're there.
RoR - In a year when I have
the album memorized you'll have to let me know where they are...
SC - I dunno if you'd still be able to hear them!
RoR - Since most of this was
sequenced (another assumption) then there was a lot prepped before the studio,
right?
SC - Well the drums were of course all done. That was
a lot of work. Prepping the drum tracks took forever at home, but then there's
no mistakes in the studio. And we lay those down first day, so it takes away
a lot of stress on that first day of tension.
RoR - You said that you play
them in real time, but do you then go back through and edit by hand?
SC - Oh yeah, I have to make sure everything is just
right later. There are about 4 to 5 drum tracks per song so it gets tough.
RoR - Death metal hand drumming...
Do you have drummers that you listen to for ideas, or do the rhythms come
from the songs that you create?
SC - I really freakin' love listening to drummers.
I listen to drummers more than guitarists. I can play drums a little, but
I tend to suck...
RoR - Really? Like who?
SC - Dave Witte, Mike Portnoy... Uh... Sean Reinert
of course. The guy from Meshuggah is a god and I should be shot for not remembering
his name now.
RoR - Tomas Haake I'll send
someone over to shoot you . Do you ever listen to programmed drum albums like
Oxiplegatz?
SC - Yeah I like those CDs the programming is almost
totally inhuman sounding, but those are cool CDs. Erlandsson's (Daniel) playing
on the new Arch Enemy impressed me too. It's not overly technical but its
tight as hell. The dude from Children of Bodom is tight too.
RoR - I really like Erlandsson
on the 2nd Eucharist. It's weird, I like Peter Wildoer, but only in Darkane,
I much prefer Erlandsson in Arch Enemy (especially Black Earth).
SC - Eucharist were just awesome all around. Oh he's
amazing too. I was diappointed with Insanity, but Rusted Angel still kicks
my ass.
RoR - You mentioned the inhuman
sounds on the Oxiplegatz, but that's almost the way that he made Adrian play
on those first ATG albums... Yeah, but then people just dug SotS. That was
all Alf I think on those first 3.
SC - Those were some technical albums. They don't really
get credit for tech metal, but they're pretty intense at times. I like them
all actually. They're all different.
RoR - Did you ever feel like
there's a bar that was raised before you in terms of the music you're creating?
Like you felt you wanted to be the most technical, or the most...
SC - I never wanted to be the most technical, and we're
far from it. My main concern is still being able to write good songs that
are memorable, while incorporating extreme levels of musicianship. I will
always dig the challenge of this stuff though.
RoR - It's only my opinion
of course, but I feel that the technicality didn't say, exponentially increase
this time around, but the songs (while not bad mind you on ATOL) are so much
more powerful this time around. It's almost like you had this bolt of direction
that goes straight to the listener...
SC - Its mainly the piano stuff that's more technical
this time... There's a lot of it that's harder to play though, mainly due
to key changes and time changes.
RoR - Andreas gave me some
listening instructions this time, and it was pretty good, he told me to listen
to disc 1 a few times, then work with disc 2 to really appreciate the music,.
Then go back to disc 1. The vocals really are a dominant force there. That's
also what's sneaky about real technical music, things can sound simple until
you try and play it.
SC - Yeah, the vocals are absolutely demented this
time...
RoR - I love it... But evidently
some people don't? What's up with that?
SC - I like sneaky stuff. I do some weird things on
guitar that ya cant hear. Like sneaky stuff? I dunno. Fuck 'em. I'm not here
to show people Metallica riffs. We're here for the people who like this style
of music. We're here to make those people happy with this stuff.
RoR - But you did include
the second CD... (to play devil's adv...)
SC - Well that had to do with the vocals though. The
music is still the same.
RoR - Right. That's what I
was talking about, the vocals!
SC - I think I got lost. Heh
RoR - That's ok, you were
like at Defcon 3 all of a sudden! I was saying that some people have trouble
with the vocals.
SC - I think these vocals may be over the top for even
death and black metal people though. We're really happy with the vocals. You
should've heard the vocals tracks in the studio minus the music. Scared the
crap out of us in there. It's The Exorcist on crack.
RoR - One thing that's pretty
funny is that it's been really difficult to review albums lately. I mean,
I got the New Bolt thrower, the new King Diamond... I think they just change
the covers each time...
SC - Yeah, there's lots of bands like that.
RoR - You guys are the one
raising the bar, you know... And maybe if Watchtower reforms.
SC - The Eye was the only King album I ever really
liked.
RoR - Really? I like Conspiracy
a lot, but I dig Mikkey Dee.
SC - Watchtower kick ass. You know Jimmy did some solo
stuff on the new Spastic Ink don't ya?
RoR - NO! I didn't! So should
I even broach the subject of the lyrics with you? Between these and the artwork
for ATOL, you scare me a little, heh heh...
SC - You're welcome to delve into the lyrics if you
like.
RoR - You mentioned something
somewhere about being part poetry, part nightmare material? And that you wrote
the first 4 songs in one sitting?
SC - Something like that... First 4 songs, the whole
concept part came at one time... They're part nightmares, part reality, part
mystery.
RoR - I ask because they are
very enigmatic, yet seem pretty personal as well.
SC - That's pretty much my writing style. I don't like
being blatant with writing. SC - I like to give people something to think
about and challenge myself in the writing as well.
RoR - But it seems like there
was a certain someone or somebodies that should be skinned alive?
SC - Heh heh
RoR - Maybe a certain porcelain
faced whore?
SC - Yeah, those people are always inspiring for writing.
Maybe.
RoR - Actually, it sounded
like you had been hangin out with ... (censored to keep the guilty anonymous).
SC - Well, I've gone through more than my share of
shit with the opposite sex.
RoR - I think this lifestyle
doens't facilitate a steady family life, yet Jimmy has a child, am I right?
SC - Yes he has a daughter.
RoR - How hard is it to blalance
family life with everything? It always makes it difficult to tour.
SC - Well, he is divorced so he has the whole custody
thing to deal with... It's hard for him sometimes. Jerry and I are usually
single. I think we both can go through a girl a month.
RoR - I'm assuming that you're
not endowed with a healthy trust fund, so that means a full time job as well,
right?
SC - Yeah, we all have full time jobs. I'm trying to
get through college as well.
RoR - Ah, what are you studying?
SC - Computer programming and web design.
RoR - Wise, stay away from
science.
SC - I like science, but I suck at chemistry.
RoR - I have a degree in it,
but can't remember anything anymore. It's pathetic actually.
SC - I prefer the hands on stuff that you can actually
touch. I'm a big nature buff and I definitely like animals more than people.
RoR - What's your job that
you're there till 3? And am I right that you're near the Ozarks?
SC - Yeah, I'm in the Ozarks. Its this whole lower
to mid area of Missouri and northern Arkansas. I work 2nd shift and I'm a
cook. I leave at like 2 or 3 in the afternoon and get home around 10 then
I just stay up all night.
RoR - (Back to the gear, another
jump...) What do you have, like a Korg workstation that you use to write and
play with?
SC - Yeah a Korg x3. It's a 16 trk with a disc drive.
RoR - And there are enough
sounds on board to use? Or can you just load more at will?
SC - Oh you can get a lot more on disc, but there are
plenty to use and modify already.
RoR - And you mentioned that
they were dark for this style of music...
SC - Yeah, the keyboard sounds are really dark, and
the drums too. You can build some really wicked sounding combination sounds.
Its not like Roland where everything is happy happy. We dont get to use a
lot of the weird sounds since they dont attack sharp or fast enough.
RoR - You couldn't use some
of them because of the attack? Do you have any tricks you'd share with the
more techie readers?
SC - Oh yeah. Yeah, well you can maybe imagine how
things have to be really tight in this style of music, and if a key doesn't
attack fast enough, it tends to sound too loose. I'm sure I do have some tricks
but I wouldn't even know what they are since I don't know any other programming
freaks like myself.
RoR - You feel that the guitar
is more or less dominant this album?
SC - I wouldn't say it's dominant, i'd just say it's
more equal with everything. I think everything has its place on this album.
We made sure every track was going on a different frequency. We still almost
ran out of space in the soundscape though. Things started to fight with each
other since there's so much going on. We also try to write the songs so each
instrument is in a different range, not like high guitars, high keyboards,
high bass. We fill it out pretty well.
RoR - That's a good point,
everyone seems to want to tune down and have everything compete in the same
frequency range.
SC - Well we generally try to keep everything sounding
the same when we come in, or else you lose your real sound... Like you can't
be changing your guitar sound to suit the studio if you want it to be YOUR
guitar sound. It can all be adjusted in the mix.
RoR - That's true. And BC
Rich is the guitar for you? What types of effects are you using?
SC - Yeah, I'm a BC Rich freak, but I still play my
older Ibanez's too... I use a ZOOM effects processor with an ADA MP1 preamp
and a Mesa Boogie poweramp
RoR - The Iceman? From your
Tom Warrior days?
SC - Noo not that old... I sort of collect the 540P
Alex Skolnick models. They were only made for 2 years but they're the best
shred guitars made.
RoR - Have you heard the new
Testament?
SC - No, I haven't cared for them since Skolnick left.
RoR - But he's BACK!!!! I
mean the new OLD songs... First Strike Still Deadly.
SC - Really? geez, I just totally ignored it.
RoR - It's not bad, my buddy
the Testament freak is totally into, I think it sounds really cool, but some
of the atmosphere from the originals are gone... They just re-recorded tracks
off the first two albums... Skolnick redid the leads.
SC - Does he go off?
RoR - It all sounds pretty
similar to me, but smoother. You might hear something completely different
though. The drums are completely processed...
SC - Well Testament never really had impressive drums.
RoR - True. We opened up for
them last September, Jon Allen from Sadus was playing drums then, I got to
sit there and watch, I'm a Sadus fan from day one... But enough about me,
heh heh.
SC - Oh yeah, Sadus were cool.
RoR - To segue back in, how
far do you see The Immortality Murder going? Would you put a limit on it if
things were getting too big? I mean, you might have to move to LA you know...
SC - Yeah, right... I really don't know how far it's
gonna go. ATOL had quite a bit of longevity though.
RoR - I can tell that music
is your life, but would you want to have to perform the same hits over and
over, or always retain the freedom in creativity that you have with The End
now? You know how the music business can get...
SC - Well I like my freedom, but I wouldn't mind making
decent money off what I do, but that's just not gonna happen. There are bands
who sell 100 times what we do and still don't make a penny.
RoR - So are you content to
live life as it is now and continue to make music this way, or do you see
a time limit on this? That's true about the money, but with The End's new
distro, you may start to see something.
SC - Well hopefully as I get done with college, I'll
be able to live more comfortably. I'm OK now, but you know... I'd have to
work a little less and have more free time. I'm content just having a good
label that pays our recording and all that good stuff.
RoR - I don't know how everyone
else will feel, but with the new album I went from a listener to a true fan
of the band. I think there's really something special going here...
SC - That's cool. I hope the general public feels the
same. I'm happy that we've really topped the first CD. That's often hard to
do.
RoR - I also listen to the
last album with new ears. You have to know that these albums are so complex
that it takes a really long time to hear everything. But that's what gives
them their longevity. Like I still hear new things on Control and Resistance,
or Focus.
SC - Yeah, it gets hard for me to sit back and really
look and listen to them as someone new to us would do. You get really jaded
to the stuff, even though it is complex. It eventually becomes somewhat easy
to play for us.
RoR - Ah. Are you thinking
about live performances right now? Or at any festivals? Or would that just
be a logistic nightmare?
SC - We're thinking about getting out locally again,
but honestly... The scene here is so pathetic that it's almost not worth doing.
You can hang 1000 flyers, advertise on the radio, and get 5 people one night,
100 another night with no promotion... It's just a total gamble.
RoR - Well, I think that this
is going to have to be the end for me here. I really appreciate your time.
Keep in touch if you like, and I'll spread the word heavily!!!!
SC - Alright, thanks for the interview.
Scholomance:
Scott Crinklaw- guitars, piano, percussion
Jimmy Pitts- vocals, piano, keyboards
Jerry Twyford - bass
Scholomance's Official Home Page can be found at: www.angelfire.com/sc/scholomance/main.html
