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Hi,
first off I just want to congratulate you on your new album. To
new fans could your please fill us in on the history behind it
all?
Hunter - Thanks a lot! Nathan and I formed the band in
1999, we played death metal for several years, and then we decided
to go instrumental in 2002. This
incarnation of the band has been intact for nearly four years now.
How
has your new album been received by the media?
Hunter - Surprisingly well, actually! I’ve personally
been floored by all the positive feedback we’ve gotten on
Penumbra. I was somewhat anxious that fans of Spatial/Design and
Sublimation would be put off by the ambience and prog vibes of the
album, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead, critics and
fans alike seem to have embraced the album warmly. It does our
hearts good, I tell ya.
I
know artists don¹t like to put a label on their music - but a
spaceship from outer space has just landed in your backyard, and
is demanding an answer - so how would you describe your music to
an alien from another galaxy?
Hunter
- I would expect that aliens would totally get what we’re
about without our having to say.
If
your music was an emotion, which one would it be?
Hunter
- I don’t think I could ascribe one emotion to our music.
The goal of our writing, after all, is to inspire a range of
emotions in the listener.
Who
and what inspires you when you write a song? Walk us through the
creation of a song?
Hunter - All sorts of things: nature, the night sky,
Corsendonk, love, sadness, other great bands, great films and
books, etc. A CS song usually begins with one basic idea, and that
idea is developed by the other members of the group over the
course of a few days. Once the framework has been set, we work on
layering and texturing the songs. That can take as long as we feel
necessary.
Who
has produced and mixed the album? Are you pleased with the result?
Hunter - Jamie King produced this album, as well as our
first LP, Sublimation. We’re very pleased with Jamie’s fine
work. It is a joy and a privilege to work with someone as gifted
as Jamie, who has also produced albums by Between the Buried and
Me, Beloved, Glass Casket, He Is Legend and a number of other
groups.
Who
has done the artwork? And how important do you feel it is to have
a great cover?
Hunter - Bill Ellsworth did the cover for Penumbra, and I
can’t imagine the album with different artwork. I tend to
associate the colours and textures of the cover art with the music
itself. At a certain and inscrutable point, the two become
inextricably linked.
Do
you have any touring plans?
Hunter - Yes, we plan on doing a short tour up the East
Coast in August. We’re very much looking forward to playing our
music to people who have never heard us before. I hope we don’t
suck.
Let’s
speculate – you have been granted a free slot on a tour of your
own choice – who would be your ideal touring partners?
Hunter - The Mars Volta, without a doubt. They are the best
and most inspiring group going right now. There is a richness to
their music and ideology that is just unbelievable. It would also
be an honour to play with TOOL, Battles, Spastic Ink, Behold…The
Arctopus, and a number of others.
How
do you feel about the co-operation with your label?
Hunter - Sensory is just the best. We love Ken (Golden,
owner), and the label has really done a lot to promote the album
and get the Canvas Solaris name out there. I hope we can continue
to work with Sensory for a long time to come.
The
internet is a very important source for many metal fans – how do
you use the internet and how important is it for you and other
bands?
Hunter - Whether or not you want to participate, things
like MySpace and Pure Volume are great vehicles for getting your
music heard. We were reluctant to go that route for awhile, but
then we realized it would only be to our band’s advantage.
And
how do you feel about the metal scene in general at the moment?
Hunter - It would be easy to be really bitter about how
much bad metal is being released, but there’s enough creative
and good music being made that I don’t have to be bitter! This
year, I look forward to new music from: TOOL, Martyr, Blotted
Science, Negativa, Scale the Summit, While Heaven Wept, Behold…The
Arctopus, Dysrhythmia, Tholus, Spawn of Possession, Katatonia,
Twisted Into Form, Hammers of Misfortune, Enslaved, and Green
Carnation. It should be an excellent year in metal.
Which
song do you consider to be the best one you have ever written?
Hunter
- I’m really proud of “Horizontal Radiant” which, to my
mind, distils all the best elements of Canvas Solaris into one
11-minute piece.
Name
an album, person or event that has had a huge influence on your
life … and why?
Hunter - Cynic’s "Focus" album has had a
greater and longer-lasting impact on my life than any other,
really. My parents are the greatest people on earth, and they
constantly inspire me to better myself. The greatest event in my
life so far was getting engaged to my beautiful girlfriend of
nearly 6 years. Our getting engaged made October 14, 2005 the
greatest day of my entire life. She makes me whole.
Which
music do you listen to at home?
Hunter
- Lately
I’ve been listening to:
Tord Gustavsen Trio, KiloWatts, Velvet Cacoon, Alphataurus, In the
Country, Bohren & der Club of Gore, Arvo Part, Boards of
Canada, Isildur's Bane, Steve Reich, Battles, Kraftwerk, Hate
Forest, Murcof, Faure, Ulver, Alchemist, Scale the Summit, Minus
the Bear, Fresh Maggots, Guapo, Sleeping People, God Is an
Astronaut, Ildjarn, Simon Steensland's Kamikaze United, early
Chick Corea, Iceberg, Enslaved, The Advantage, Gorguts, Marconi
Union, and 3.
Vinyl
has had a small comeback lately – do you still prefer “the old
sound” or are you a CD/DVD kind of guy?
Hunter
- I like both vinyl and CD/DVD. They’re both very different
media. I tend to think some music—prog, grim black metal, doom,
acoustic jazz—sounds really great on vinyl. However, it’s hard
to argue against the fidelity, dependability, and convenience of
the compact disc.
Last
question - do you have any famous last words for our readers?
Hunter
- Thanks
a ton for listening or reading. Your support is appreciated more
than you could ever know. We hope, one day, to make it over to
Europe
! Tech-metal wishes,
Hunter/CS
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