JERRY LUCKY: Peter, let’s go back to the eighties…you were involved with a band called Mach One…tell us about that period?
PETER MATUCHNIAK:
Mach One started out as a bunch of friends hanging out at high school learning to write songs, which seemed like a lot more fun than
doing homework. I joined when the rhythm guitarist left, and my friend Simon Strevens replaced their drummer. I remember
when we first started working on "Into The Pit" -- Tim Sprackling played his opening keyboard part, I added in my twelve
string picking and then his brother Geoff Sprackling, one of the most promising 16 year olds I'd ever witnessed, added in his trademark
lead guitar parts. It was referred to as a real "crowd-pleaser" by Keith Goodwin (he'd been the press agent for Yes, Black
Sabbath, etc.) and he spent time helping us put together a series of gigs around London clubs, pubs and universities
across England. From that we got some great reviews in top
JL: Progressive rock was going
through a revival about then…what was it like to be a part of that scene? Good memories…or bad?
PM: Interesting question. It
was cool to be considered a part of a movement without even realizing it and we definitely benefited as a result. I remember
we traded off with IQ, where we offered them a support slot if we were headlining and vice versa. We also reformed Mach One
briefly in 1985 in order to play a last minute support gig at London's famous Marquee Club (for Pendragon or Twelfth
Night -- I can't recall which). However, at the same time we wanted to have our own sound and not try to follow any guidelines of a
specific genre. The trademarks of our influences were there but not as consciously or as obviously perhaps, although fans of
that era have found something to hang their hat on regardless. I guess I was happy with the benefits, but afraid to be tied
down at the same time. Like us, a lot of these revival bands were represented by Keith Goodwin at KayGee Publicity.
His offices were just down the road from my house and I used to spend a lot of time hanging out with Keith, reveling in tales
from his heyday in the seventies. Fish frequented those offices too, and he attributed Marillion's breakthrough during
this revival period to Keith. It proved that Keith was still very relevant and he had high hopes for us all to emulate
his prior successes, but we just made a blip in the end. A few years ago we managed to hook up again, but sadly he has
since passed away. Fish, who helped me get back in touch with Keith, wrote a wonderful eulogy and I would like
to think that other bands of that prog-rock revival would remember him fondly too. And of course Jerry, you know that Keith
wrote the forward in your book on progressive rock.
JL: Yeah, I spent a couple hours talking to him about everything from
the resurging prog scene to his first hand knowledge of Brian Wilson’s SMiLE album. He was fascinating. Now explain something, you
seemed to be in two bands, Mach One and Janysium…which was first?
PM: Janysium was my first band, which I formed with my best friend
Simon Strevens before high school -- in fact before either of us could really even play an instrument (laughs). I
was amazed when our demo tape received a great review in the Official Genesis Fan Club magazine by Geoff Parkyn. On another
occasion we had our tape forwarded by Phil Collins to a record company after a chance meeting with his mum. It
was all unreal, having tea with Mrs. Collins as she handed out personally signed photos from Phil to each member of the
band -- a very classy gesture. That tape included the epic 18-minute "Honest Policies", and a number of long instrumentals
as well as the silly, but fun song "Hippy In The Rain". It wasn't the kind of pop music that this record
company was looking for, but we sold thousands of copies of the tape around the world, which seemed like a decent start for a bunch
of 16-17 year olds.
JL: What caused the break up of those two bands?
PM: Janysium kind of fizzled out when Simon and I decided to join Mach One and take things more seriously. As friends, we all made great music and had a great time. But the truth is we were all still very young and struggling with turning this into a more professional venture. To complete our band we added two new members on bass and vocals which added to the sound, as well as the stress. Without the safety net of being at school, we fell victim to lack of money to support ourselves. Sadly we were just beginning to write some really great material and I feel we ended way too prematurely. After the breakup Tim, Geoff and I did write another album in 1985 as Mach One which we recorded in Sweden but has never been released -- we did play it live a couple of times though, all the way through. It was a concept album that was meant to accompany a book, the idea being that you listened to the music while reading. A strange concept, but interesting all the same.
JL: So what happened after Mach One broke up? Bring us up to date.
PM: Simon and I continued writing and recording together (a sort
of back-to-Janysium thing I suppose) in 1986, followed by a few months in
JL: So, Mike how did you and Peter connect?
MIKE EAGER: You know,
Peter and I actually connected over Craig’s list. He had posted a classified ad looking for like minded musicians for a casual jam
session. When I saw Genesis as one of his primary influences I was pretty much thinking that either this guy was going to be
a great musician or a Genesis fan attempting to play guitar, to be totally honest. I had no idea what to expect. Our first
jam really blew me away. His lead style added atmosphere to what I was playing. It was instant chemistry which seems rare
these days. But I’ll also add that his Hackett solos are spot on.
JL: And what was your musical background?
ME:
Well, my background in music is pretty typical I think. My Dad was a musician. He played lead guitar in bands while I
was growing up. I actually remember camping out in the car while he was playing his gigs some nights. He taught me to
play guitar when I was seven. I ended up quitting for a while due to the frustration of having fingers too short to reach across
the fret board. I picked it back up at the age of 11 though and haven’t stopped yet. I took lessons for 3 years from this
guy who played in a Zappa cover band. He was a brilliant player. He taught me how to read music in a mathematical form.
I thought that all music was written this way until I got a bit older and I realized that he had his own bizarre way of writing and
reading music. It was truly odd. Anyways, I started out playing in metal bands covering Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Judas
Priest. It wasn’t much later that I wanted to get a bit more experimental and start writing my own music. There were two
influences of mine that started to shape my music lyrically; Syd Barett and Jim Morison. I found myself writing poetry on napkins,
coasters, skin, whatever was readily available. The words seemed to flow. My actual music writing would come in spurts
but was definitely still in the development stages. I worked with this guy who turned me on to this band that I completely became
engrossed with; Brand X. I was already a huge Genesis and Phil fan but I had no idea of what he could accomplish in a fusion
setting. It still blows me away. So, my Prog side began to show in my music. I formed a band with some of my good
friends in the
JL: You and Peter are credited with the compositions. Is there any pattern as
to who writes what? How does a song come together?
ME: Peter and I work well together in that regard. I seem to have an overwhelming
amount of music burning to get out, so it seems that I would arrive at Peter’s and just barf out all of these ideas. Sometimes
they are in an almost finished form, and sometimes he needs to help shape the music into a cognitive form. That’s part of our
chemistry. Peter would then add ambiance, ideas and direction. He has such a knack for production; he can see the true
potential of a song. We then take a frame of a song and add ideas. We brainstorm a bit to see where a change might fit,
or how it could stop completely and pick back up with a completely different melody. We stir the pot together. Then once
a song is framed I start to find a feel for what the music needs lyrically. Now when it comes to songs that Peter has written,
it’s basically the same format but we switch roles. This usually concocts a strange blend of ideas and essentially, there
you have it; Evolve.
JL: Clearly your new music has many proggy embellishments, tell us your thoughts when it comes to writing.
PM: I tend to go with whatever I think of on the spur of the moment, usually starting with creating a sound first and using
that to inspire me. Hence the description of "Ambient Lead Guitar", because the sound is what I play to. The
end-result tends to be more progressive, although I wrote the hook for the Mike's country-rock song too, so it depends on the song
too. I definitely love odd signatures and unusual chords and melodies, but I let it happen naturally in what I play. On
this CD Mike came in with a lot of great chord progressions and rhythm guitar, so I worked more on writing melodies that were in counterpoint
or in harmony to his stuff, and I tried to fill the space where it made sense to do so. In terms of compositions, I seem
to be doing about a third of the writing and two-thirds of the arrangements. We both come in with proggy ideas as much as regular
song ideas, and we always seem to like each other's ideas. Mike's great to work with and is a prolific writer -- and he slips
in changes and odd time signatures so naturally that he doesn't even realize it until I point it out later! We always see to
end up with a new song each time we rehearse.
JL: I'm interested in musical influences...what you listen to right now...and the things that inspired you when you were younger?
PM:
Genesis is our common bond, there's no doubt about that -- and it's an important connection for Mike and I as he alluded to earlier.
The Beatles are another key connection. However, for me personally: my very early years it was mostly classical music.
My mum's dad played guitar, accordion and conducted an orchestra on Polish radio back in the 1930's and although I never got
to meet him, there was that influence in what we listened to at home. Later my older brother introduced me to Genesis,
Camel, Pink Floyd, Yes, Al Di Meola, Chick Corea, Alan Parsons, etc. and I was forever hooked with these progressive styles.
However, counter-balancing that, my sister used to play a lot of Motown, disco and all the latest pop hits, so I can appreciate a
well-crafted pop song at the same time. More recently I've enjoyed listening to ColdPlay, Fountains of Wayne, Fun Loving
Criminals,
ME: I would have to say that my early influences were so completely varied that it’s just odd.
I began with Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. My Dad taught me some licks crucial to every guitarist when I was young. I
remember learning; Play that Funky Music when I was 11 or so. My main inspirations were; Pink Floyd, Steve Miller, Led Zeppelin,
Grateful Dead, Genesis, Yes, Rush, Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Moody Blues, The Who, The Beatles and one of my idols John McLaughlin.
Nowadays
I listen to most of the same, but added some Ottorino Respighi and his classical works. I’ve also added some deeper prog influences
in the past 6 years or so like; King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Hatfield and the North, Gong, Steve Hillage, Soft Machine and Van der
Graaf Generator.
JL: How long has Evolve been together? What’s the “elevator” story of how you all got together?
PM: I posted
a simple ad online "looking for someone" with a life but a burning desire to create music. I mentioned Genesis as the hook and
as the filter. I never imagined I'd have the good fortune to meet Mike. A great musician, a great person and
I'm proud to say he's since become a friend for life. I was best man at Mike's wedding recently -- how cool is
that?
ME: We’ve been together now for almost 3 years, I believe. After Peter and I established our musical relationship
we knew that it would be tough to find like minded musicians who were both talented yet not itching to quit the day jobs and hit the
road. Not a bad way of life, just not the Evolve way. So, after a few auditions we found a drummer named Paul Sheriff,
again over the internet. Paul owns his own company yet this didn’t slow his drive to play. I believe that after some time
spent together as a band Paul’s drum style certainly took shape and began to add this certain energy to the Evolve sound. I
think of how Graeme Edge added that specific sound to the Moody Blues. It’s tough to find a more dependable guy then Paul; he’s
there when you need him there. Did I mention that he’s the DRUMMER and reliable, who would have thunk.
On the bass front we bounced around for a while with some different guys. The first cat was a solid player but didn’t quite have the same musical ideas in mind. The next bass player was talented as well but had a brand new family to be there for, so he bailed roughly 75% of the way through the recording for Decadent Light. I only wish he would have told us before his brilliant vanishing act. So, that leads us to our excellent bassist, Jim DeBaun. Jim is another talented and dependable guy who bailed the three of us out of trouble by coming in out of nowhere and learning an entire album worth of material in about a month. Jim and Peter spent the majority of the time working through to songs at Peter’s place. He’s done a fantastic job!
PM: Here,
here. Both Jim and Paul were a pleasure to work with and we're proud to say that we've all become great friends. I'd even
like to extend those compliments to our guests: Tali Azerad (additional vocals), David Gilman (flute, sax and violin), Steven Bell
(sax)....these guys are real pros, extremely talented, but yet willing to work with us and take our project seriously. It was
great to have them make it to our CD launch party and they felt like part of the band.
JL: What are the grand plans for Evolve?
I’m guessing everyone has day jobs…how will you fit it all in? Are you looking for live gigs?
PM: You find yourself becoming more efficient
when you have less time, and the reality is we have day jobs and our families must come first. We're practical enough
to see that once we see a song taking shape, then that's how it has to be, and not fret over it ad infinitum (cough, Peter Gabriel
take note!) Most of the songs on the CD were from the first times we rehearsed them as a band, and early takes at that -- and
these ended up being the best versions overall anyway. We've done the odd live show, but I like the idea and pragmatism of a
mini tour of dates in a short two-week period, perhaps with some lower-billing prog festivals. This idea came
from Midge Mathieson, stage manager of Jethro Tull, who was at our CD launch party and he was very keen on following up with us.
Our bassist Jim has the contact with Midge, so we might look into this more seriously as we work on our next CD. Let's
see...
ME: I agree that tour ideas are somewhat distant but never off the table completely. I believe that we have more
material to put out there before committing to any tour dates, but again this is debatable. How’s that for a vague answer.
JL: Where do you see the music of Evolve going?
PM: Mike and I have written so much stuff that we have enough for a couple more CDs.
And we keep writing more, and it's just a matter of taking the time to finish recording them. Right now we have a mixed
bag of stuff, but definitely a tendency towards longer, more drawn out pieces and instrumentals. I think that next time around
we want to show more of that side of our music and to keep things fresh, different...(cough) evolving!
ME: I agree with Peter
on this. I feel we have some unfinished business with the deeper progressive side of our sound.
JL: If you were stuck on
a desert island and could only have 5 CD's with you what would they be? and why?
PM: 1. Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down On
Broadway The ultimate progressive rock concept album. I was just a kid when it came out and it recalibrated my tastes.
I could just as easily have picked "Selling England By The Pound" or "Wind & Wuthering" for similar reasons. 2. Santana:
Moonflower Carlos at his best, accompanied by wonderfully live Latin percussion that lifts my soul whenever I hear it. No
habla Español, but I do a good job singing along nonetheless! 3. Camel: The Snow Goose A top
notch album of instrumentals that take you on a musical journey that epitomizes the very best of progressive rock. 4. Steve
Hackett: Spectral Mornings If I had to labeled as sounding like anyone, then let it be Steve Hackett. And let it be with
the variety and feel that he demonstrated on this one. I started going to see live shows on my own at 15 years old, and the
landmark tour for this album was one of the first I went to, Hammersmith Odeon 1979. 5. The Beatles: The Beatles (White
Album) I love the Beatles, but when I bought this album I couldn't figure out if I liked it or not. It was just so different
from anything I had ever heard, and I still find hidden treasures in it to this day. I love the quirky songs even more so than
the hits from this one...."Crème tangerine, montellimar...", etc.
You know Jerry, these choices torture me -- on a different
day, it could be a different five albums:
Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon, Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells, Paul Simon:
ME: 1. Genesis:
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway One of my all time favourite albums as this was their “Dark Side of the Moon”, with Gabriel anyhow.
This album got me through some strange times in my life. 2. Pink Floyd: Animals I am a huge Floyd fan but I don’t think
that any other album shows their true progressive roots as much as Animals. Rick Wright it brilliant on this one. 3. Grateful
Dead:
5. Genesis:
Wind and the Wuthering Wind and the Wuthering is an album that represents the highest level of musicianship I can think of.
The melodies, harmonies, writing, time changes, Mellotron work and vocals are utterly fantastic.
JL: Any thoughts in closing?
PM:
You know at the last Genesis show Phil Collins, putting his British-ness aside, told his band-mates Rutherford and Banks that he
loved them, almost as if this might be it for them -- and yet we all hope there's more to come. Well, I want to put
aside my British-ness and say to my band-mate Mike, I love you man and I hope we can show that the best is yet to come.
ME: Thanks man; that is just excellent! The love is mutual my brother. The best is certainly yet to
come. With the turbulence of the economy and the strange feeling of change in the air I feel that there is inspiration out there
for us all; speaking to musicians alike. I know that our next album will certainly be filled with the wranglings of raw emotion,
inspiration and nostalgic flashbacks. I think we can promise this.