¤ U n f i n i s h e d T h o u g h t ¤
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Interview with Unfinished Thought VMU catches up and gets behind the scenes with Michigan based Unfinished Thought! VMU: How are we today? Joe: I am well thank you. It's fall in Michigan which is our favorite time of year. Stacey's sick however, so I'll be answering these questions. She's doing her best to rest up as we're getting married in two weeks! VMU: Where are you from and who is the current line up? Joe: We are from Kalamazoo, MI. Unfinished Thought is a duo - myself (Joe Kiser) and my soon to be wife Stacey Nelson. I play all of the instruments and Stacey does the vocals and plays piano. Unfinished Thought Live consists of: Stacey Nelson - Vocals Joe Kiser - Guitar Erin Millikin - Bass, Backing Vocals Cory Fisher - Guitar Nate Nelson - Keyboards Craig St. Grey - Drums VMU: How did you guys come together? Joe: I was recording instrumental tracks while attending college in Grand Rapids, MI. I was living with my best friend, Nate Nelson (Stacey's brother), and he was lending some vocal talents to my instrumentals. He has an amazing voice, but it didn't really fit the style of my music and he had his own thing going too. One day his sister came to visit and I knew she was a singer so I asked her to record on a track of mine (The Timid actually...now re-recorded for our 2nd album). From then on we've been inseparable - professionally and personally. VMU: Very intense and emotional sound! How many releases have you put out? Joe: Thank you. We have released two full length albums. We released our first album, Becoming Aware, in December 2002. It was a completely self-financed and self-promoted release. We were learning every tiny aspect of the business from scratch at that point. From our album artwork to our website to our press photos - everything was new to us. Things were pretty dead for the first three months until Evanescence came onto the scene in March 2003 (they have a similar sound to us). They began playing our debut CD in between sets on their tour with Cold and from then on things have been steadily building for us - it's really incredible. We were able to secure financial backing for our next release, Based On Actual Events, which we released in April of 2004. We also released a DVD version of our first video on that date. Both have sold incredibly well and the response has been overwhelming, but extremely welcomed. VMU: Could you tell us who produced them and where were they recorded? Joe: I produced both albums myself in my own studio in Kalamazoo, MI. VMU: I also noticed this was just a studio project? Joe: Yes. Unfinished Thought was always supposed to be strictly a studio project. Stacey and I had both been in "full bands" before and we just didn't like the experience. We didn't like having to compromise on every single issue to meet the demands of the individuals in the group. We just felt the music suffered as a result of all those compromises so we wanted to do something that was the result of a two person collaboration - something that we could say sounded EXACTLY how we wanted it to sound. We still do this on our records - it is always just the two of us in the studio. What we did not anticipate, however, was the tremendous response we would receive when our albums were released. We have built an incredible fan base via the internet - all without ever playing a single show. The problem is that it becomes difficult to keep your fans attention when you don't play live and you take about a year to record another album. Playing live would fix that problem as there would always be constant activity with the band. We also realize that we have a legitimate shot at gaining massive national attention so we both agreed that we needed to play live. We now have a live band put together and we'll be starting our shows in November. Stacey and I will still be the only ones recording future albums, although we are going to be adding a live drummer. In any case we believe it's imperative to maintain complete creative control over the band - live and in the studio. VMU: Were the albums recorded analog or digital? (if computer what programs) Joe: The albums were both recorded digitally. I use Cubase SX as my primary tracking and mixing program. I was using Cubase VST 5.1 for Becoming Aware and then upgraded to SX for Based On Actual Events. Now Steinberg has released SX 3 and I don't even have 2 yet... I've experimented with programs like ACID, but I don't use them much on record. I have several plug-ins that I use with Cubase, most notably the Steinberg Mastering Edition which I use at final mixdown. I also use a lot of Waves plug-ins. VMU: What decided you to do the project live? Joe: As I was saying before, we found that keeping our fans entertained was becoming more and more difficult as we took longer and longer to record our second album. We produced a video and released several different art-related imagery projects, but we still would go for four months without much to say other than "Thanks for buying our first CD - our second will be done in a few months!". Playing live will alleviate that problem as there will always be something going on with the band - always a new place to see us play live. Also we realize that we have a legitimate shot at gaining national recognition and playing live is an essential ingredient in that level of success. VMU: Could you tell us (in detail) what gear you use? And is this the same equipment you will be using live as well? Joe: I use Cubase SX as the heart of my studio. I run this on a 1.2 GHz PC with 1024MB of RAM. I use two 120 gig hard drives to house my audio. I use a Delta 1010 8in/8out PCI interface to get the audio in and out of my computer. My mixer is a Mackie 1604VLZ Pro - 16 channels. For outboard gear I use an Alesis 3630 Compressor, a Yamaha reverb unit, and an Aphex 204. I use a few different EQ units as well as some miscellaneous effects like the Alesis AirFX. I monitor with Alesis M1s and a pair of Sennheiser HD80s. For drums I use a Roland V-series set. I use a combination of real-time playing and MIDI programming to make it all come together. I record the drums live and then tweak the hell out of them with quantizing and velocity editing. I also have a Roland RS9 synth that Stacey uses to record piano and I use for pads and other snyth parts. Most of the synths on record are soft synths however. For vocals we use AKG C3000s. We recorded the entire first album with only a Shure SM57 for vocals. We stepped up to the AKGs for the 2nd album and you can really hear the difference. I now use those mics for EVERYTHING including acoustic guitar and acoustic piano. My main two guitars are an Ibanez RG570 and a Schecter. I record all guitars direct using a Line 6 Spider head. I have a pretty large (and still growing) collection of pedals. My Boss Metal Zone found the most use on our first album, while I used a Big Muff for most of the 2nd album's distortion. I also really like the ProCo Rat for distortion (made here in Kalamazoo!) Those are my three main distortion pedals. I have an Ibanez Tube Screamer that I use for overdrive tones. Other pedals I use heavily include a Morley Wah, Small Clone Chorus, MXR Phase 90, Boss Pitch Shifter, Boss Octave Divider, and a Boss DD5 Digital Delay. I used Ebow pretty extensively on the 2nd album as well. I swear by GHS strings (also made near Kalamazoo - endorsement deal?!). :) I use a close representation of the above gear for live guitar. Our drummer plays with a combination acoustic/electronic kit. He uses a Pearl acoustic kit combined with some Roland electronic pads. Live keyboard is performed with my RS9 as well as a Kurzweil. Our other live guitar player, Cory, also uses Line 6 amps and Schecter guitars. VMU: How will you be doing your shows visually? Joe: There are so many things I would like to do visually with our shows. Unfortunately due to the budget  restrictions of
running our own label and the limited capabilities of the
first few clubs we'll be playing, we'll have to keep our
visuals to a minimum. I have plans to have artwork
displayed on stage as well as a large video screen, but
those will have to wait until next year at the earliest.
For now we'll be winning the crowd with a unique stage
sound - a show that never stops from song to song. It
should be very interesting to watch, but hopefully even
more interesting to listen to.VMU: I know its hard for a lot of indie bands to get their foot in the door and I believe promotion is a very important thing to do. What could you tell the new up and comers that are struggling in the scene how to promote? And What works best for Unfinished Thought? Joe: The first thing you need to learn about promotion is that no one will work harder for your music than you yourself. Lots of people will come up to you as an independent artist or label and offer their help (some paid, some unpaid). They may in fact have sincere wishes and they may want you to actually succeed, but the fact is they will only work on your promotion for as long as you are paying them or for as long as they are interested in you. Both of those factors will end before your desire for promotion ends. The key is finding HUNDREDS of these people and having them all work at the same time. It takes multiple exposures of your image and of your music for a potential fan to become interested enough to buy your CD. That's why you can't focus entirely on one promotional media, or more narrowly, one promotional website. The key to our success has been the internet. Specifically our own website and four or five other key player sites. Those players are MP3.com (RIP), eBay, Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, sites like LiveJournal and MySpace, and finally other bands' websites and message boards. The first thing to do online, if you are serious about using the internet as a promotional tool, is to get a well designed website. Hopefully you will know someone in your circle of friends who can help you with this - I was fortunate enough to have a brilliant web designer as a best friend (Matt Davis - our web designer). Another important thing to do that a LOT of bands overlook is to spend the /year to register your own band name as your domain name. Having a geocity or angelfire site (any free site with popups) is incredibly unprofessional and people will notice that. I guess that's my main point - professionalism. The most important thing you can do is to carry yourself professionally in EVERYTHING you do for your band. Get business cards, create a logo, use band stationary - treat it like a business and people will respect your efforts. Your image is not just a band photo - your image is how you conduct business, how professionally you treat your email communications, etc. Perception is everything in this business. If you project the image of an incredibly successful band with managers and agents and publishers then one day soon you will be. People will have no idea that you're really a small "local band" doing everything you can just to pay for your gas to get to shows. VMU: Do you feel that internet is a strong tool for promotion and sales? Joe: Absolutely. It's the reason we've gotten so far without ever playing a live show. We've done incredibly well as a band that basically only exists online (to this point). We've got thousands of fans all scattered throughout the world yet we can walk through our hometown without a single person recognizing us. We've sold CDs to fans on six continents - that kind of success would not have been possible 10-15 years ago. VMU: How do you feel about the mainstream music scene in the U.S and over seas? Joe: I used to be heavily informed of the music scene both here and abroad. I was an avid reader of Rolling Stone and I watched my share of MTV as well as listened to the radio frequently. I learned enough to be great at music trivia and music history, but to be honest once I started making music full time I needed a break from music with my free time. I stopped listening to the radio in my car - I now listen to NPR or talk radio which I know is geeky, but I just need a break from the noise of it all now. I don't pay attention as much as I should to mainstream music now. I know it's "pseudo-cool" to say you don't like mainstream music, but you should always be informed of current trends if you are serious about selling your own music. You don't have to like it, but you should definitely be informed. I do try to pay particular attention to what's coming out of the UK. Muse is a great example of a band that you should pay attention to. VMU: Who are your musical influences? Joe: I am influenced by the grand concept albums of Pink Floyd, The Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails. We both love Depeche Mode, Jeff Buckley, David Bowie, VAST, Tori Amos, The Cure, Kidneythieves. We don't try to SOUND like our influences - we just try to gain inspiration from their musical integrity and their unique qualities when compared to their peers. VMU: What really drives you to do what you do? Joe: What drives me is not as interesting a story as I wish it were. I am usually a very sad individual. I am hard to impress and it's hard to focus my attention on any one thing for more than five minutes. Nothing much keeps my interest except music. Music at first was my way of dealing with my depression. Writing lyrics was a form of expression that I really needed. Then as time went by and people began to notice what Stacey and I were creating, music became a way to define my life and it was a definition that I really liked. I feel comfortable being known as a musician. I wouldn't feel comfortable or happy doing anything else. VMU: I downloaded the "Umbrella" video, very emotional! Could you tell us what that was about visually and lyrically?  Joe:
Lyrically that song is about dealing with mental illness
- specifically social anxieties and fear of public
places. (A common theme in my lyrics - also behind
"Through Crowded Rooms") It's about the
paralyzed feeling some people feel when contemplating
going outside of their house and interacting with
society. It's extremely frightening for some people,
including myself. The "Umbrella" is a mental
device someone would use to overcome those fears.
VISUALLY, the video tells a slightly different story. The
video was a way for us to explain some of the concept
behind the entire album (Based On Actual Events). The
main character in the video, "The Timid", is
also the main character throughout the album - somewhat
of a mentally ill stigmatic figure. She is bothered by
visions and institutionalized. She is seen in the video
clutching a map that she has drawn - the map leads to a
very specific place that the video does not resolve. The
album, however, does resolve this place - but I can't
tell you more than that. For more info, try searching our
message board for things like "Nov 18 2007" and
"Salem Cemetery" and "Enigma
Publius". That might give you an idea as to what I'm
up to. In the end of the video "The Timid"
escapes from the hospital and ends up trying to run to
her stigmatic destination.VMU: Who produced/directed the video and how long did it take to shoot? Joe: The video was directed by an MSU film student named Ara Howrani. He did an amazing job. His director of photography, Scott Lynch, also contributed heavily to the production of the video. Scott works for Cardboardbox Films and has done a lot of interesting projects. I met with Scott and Ara early on and described a concept I had for the video and they were able to really run with it and bring it to video using a very MINIMAL budget. They brought in an entire film crew for the shoot (also film students) which was conducted over a two day period (two LONG days). The first day of shooting was focused entirely on the piano shots with Stacey and making the rain which was a blast to watch. The 2nd day of shooting was focused on location shots with Erin (our live bass player) running through the woods in 30 degree temps and then lying motionless for hours in a hospital room. It was a great experience and one that we are looking forward to doing again. We have several ideas lined up for future videos. VMU: What do you express in your lyrics and who is the main writer? Joe: Stacey and I both contributed lyrics to the first album which concerned matters of mental illness, depression, addiction and things of that nature. We split the writing duties about 50/50 on the first album. I ended up writing all of the lyrics on our second album. Stacey saw that I had a unique idea for a concept album and she let me run with it. The second album was less personal and more thematic - I was more interested in telling a compelling story rather than expressing my own feelings. A lot of the traits given to the main character in the album are traits that I posses however. VMU: "Based on Actual Events" could you briefly explain to us how that came about and what inspired you to do this release? Was it complicated to build a whole project on a story/character with so many emotions, was this an actual true story? Joe: I've always been interested in grand concept albums. My two favorite albums of all time are Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and The Smashing Pumpkins "Melloncollie and the Infinite Sadness". Both albums involve the creation of main characters and common themes and they always tell a story - not necessarily sequentially, but a story nonetheless. I thought that idea was just amazing - that a musical album could tell such a story and capture an audience's interest for years to come. They are mysterious and I've always worked to create a sense of mystery for Unfinished Thought. Based On Actual Events was our first concept album, but from now on they will all be concepts. Here's the main concept of the album (from our press release): Based On Actual Events is a story that cleverly shifts back and forth through time revealing the tragic details that have led to the mysterious disappearance of an unforgettable individual. The Timid is a lonely recluse unsuccessfully managing his own mental instability and deepening depression. When a series of seemingly random events bring him face to face with the chance to take his own life or start anew in a memoryless world, he must decide his final destination before fate chooses for him. Based On Actual Events chronicles the last days of The Timid's life as he battles unimaginable coincidence, cruel circumstance, accidental insanity, hopeless insignificance and the frightening vulnerability that is naturally created by the presence of human thought. Think of this album as a premonition of the future rather than a detail of the past. VMU: I haven't listened to the whole CD yet but what I've heard online is phenomenal! (I promise no bootlegging!! To the readers this CD is a must get!!) The vocals are very passionate and emotional! Could you tell us briefly how the singer got started and has she taken any vocal lessons in the past? Joe: Stacey comes from an extremely talented family. Her grandmother and mother both have incredible voices. Her brother Nate (our keyboard player) also has an amazing voice which we will actually be utilizing on stage. Stacey learned to sing from her mother and she did quite a bit of singing in church. Her early influences were Tori Amos and Sting - both incredible singers. She has had no formal vocal training. I am incredibly lucky to have met such an amazing vocalist. VMU: What tours are in the works and will you be touring the west side? Joe: We are actually just over one month away from our live stage debut. We will be playing primarily Midwestern shows for the next few months (Michigan, Indiana, Illinios, Ohio) with occasional trips far out of town. We want to hone our live sound before taking it on the road for an extended tour. With the CDs still selling strong online there's no need to rush. We will hopefully be heading out to the west side of the country within a year. VMU: What can we expect in the future for Unfinished Thought? Any deals in the works, worldwide distro or new music? Joe: The future is looking VERY exciting for us! We hit the live stage starting next month. We've invested so much time into rehearsals and other preparations for these shows - we are very anxious to get out and play. Early next year we will begin recording our third album. I've written a few songs for it already and Stacey and I are both extremely excited to start recording again. This album will also be a concept album although I'm not ready to explain the concept just yet. Another exciting point about this album will be the addition of live acoustic drums. We've invited our live drummer, Craig, to play on the album and we are all excited to hear what live drums will do to our creative process. Look for "Unfinished Thought: Exits" either late 2005 or early 2006. In the meantime we'll be touring as much as we possibly can. VMU: Thank you so much for your time! Any last words? Joe: Thank YOU very much for your interest in our music and for inviting me to do this interview. For my last words I'd like to invite your readers to visit our website to find out more information about us and to download free music and video: Unfinished Thought Official Site: http://www.unfinishedthought.com UT Message Board: http://www.unfinishedthought.com/messageboard.html UT Street Team: http://vtp.unfinishedthought.com Thanks again!! |
