¤ A i d a n s   D r e a m¤

VM Underground recently interviewed artist Demian Bridwell, currently of Aidan's Dream.

VM Underground: Hey Demain how are you doing?
Demian Bridwell: I’m doing really well. I’m sitting here at work (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), pretending to actually be working, but instead doing an interview. By the way, for the record, my name is spelled Demian… lol.

VMU: You have recently put together a project with producer and songwriter VM. Could you elaborate more on that?
DB: Vic and I have known each other for 25 years. We met on a school bus in 1979. I was 8, he was 6. So we’ve been friends for most of our lives. Music had always been a big part of our lives, and we played together in a band back in late 1992, early 1993. He and I have A LOT of very diverse musical tastes that we probably couldn’t get away with using in our other projects. I had the idea of doing an all acoustic album about a year and a half ago, but as my ideas panned out it started sounding more like one of those CD’s you would by in the Tranquility section at Target, with the guitar, bird sounds, and waterfalls.. lol… That wasn’t what I was going for. I had been bugging Vic for a while to do a project with me.. I had sent him my guitar tracks for the song that became “See My Eyes”, just to get a critique on it. Within a couple of days he had sent it back with everything on it that you hear. That was really how Aidan’s Dream was born. We just decided that we liked the sound, and we wanted to go from there. As I said, we’re both really into some off the wall stuff, musically. I’m really into a lot of different ethnic instruments, like the Indian sitar, Japanese koto, the tin flute that you hear in most Irish Celtic songs, etc, and I’ve noticed that Vic also uses some of those sounds in his solo stuff. It seemed like a good match.

VMU: The song, “See My Eyes” was done over the internet. Could you tell us how that happened? And also what did you use for acoustics and recordings for that song?
DB: I had recorded my guitar parts at home, and I loaded them onto my computer, and exported them into MP3. I then emailed the MP3 to Vic. He loaded it into his recorder, and did the rest. As basic and cheesy as that process sounds, I think it came out sounding really well. So far, this is how ALL [Aidan’s Dream] songs have been done. Here’s where I cheated… “See My Eyes” is, in all practical purposes, an acoustic song, but that’s not an acoustic that you hear. That is my G&L ASAT Telecaster, with the pickups set in the middle position, running into my Boss BR-8 recorder, and EQ’d to sound like an acoustic. The sad thing is, even though I wrote the settings down, I’m having a hard time recreating that sound…

VMU: What other projects are you working on now?
DB: I currently have one other project, as well as one full band going. The project is going to be called Earth Ashes Dust, and it’s an EBM/Synthpop thing. This is really just me on my own doing everything. I’ve got a couple of songs in the works for this project, but it has definitely taken a back seat for now. The full band is actually a re-forming of a band that I was in 9 years ago. Probably one of the best bands I’ve ever been in, if not the THE best. Great singer, great bass player, etc. We all gel really well. I can’t really describe the sound, because, truth be told, we don’t sound like ANYONE else. If I really HAD to give a description, I would say that we are heavily influenced by U2, The Church (a band that most only know because of the song “Under The Milky Way”), Delirious, and maybe early Radiohead. We also don’t have a name at the moment, but, right now, as we speak (type), we’re looking into using the name EP3

VMU: Do you prefer studio recording or home recording?
DB: Well I’ve done far more home recording than I ever have studio recording, so I’m going to have to say home. It’s much more convenient. Plus, you’re not paying a producer to tell you how bad you suck.

VMU: How long have you been in this music scene and what other bands and projects have you been in?
DB: I started playing guitar when I was 13, and joined my first band, Black Rose, when I was 15. I’m a little embarrassed to say that it was a glam rock band. Hey, it was 1986, gimme a break. We were highly influenced by Poison and Hanoi Rocks. It was a really fun time, but it was more fun than it was music. Between that, and the early 90’s, I had only done little short lived bands with friends, nothing major. Here is where it gets funny. In ’91, I auditioned for Vic Mendoza’s death metal band called Crucial Terror. I was actually auditioning to be their bass player, but for some reason I grabbed one of the guitars, and did this 10 or 15 minute guitar solo. They decided to make me their lead guitarist after that, but I was booted after only one rehearsal. It was fair. I really didn’t understand the music at the time. However, a year later, it came back around. Vic had just left the band Ritual, and I replaced him. He later came back into the band, but only as vocalist. So that was really the first time he and I played together. I left that band and joined a band called Monastery, which included Tony Aiello, the guitarist from Time Spent Burning. There were several more bands from then, until now, including a very short lived band called Buena Basura, which included original Christian Death guitarist Rikk Agnew.

VMU: Do you enjoy analog or digital?
DB: Hmm….. there has always been a lot of criticism of digital since it was introduced. Old school engineers argued that analog gave a much better sound, and that digital changed the sound. In my experience, digital records EXACTLY what it hears. So, if the sound is bad, it’s because YOU sounded bad. That’s a hard thing to swallow sometimes, but it’s the truth. I’ve only ever done one analog recording, so I can’t really say what I prefer. I do think the capabilities with digital are endless, so I’m liking that a lot.

VMU: What is the name Aidan's Dream about?
DB: Aidan is my son. Who is now almost 6 months old. Vic and I bashed our heads trying to come up with a name that wasn’t taken. One night, Aidan had fallen asleep in my arms, and I just thought it was the coolest feeling. I’m a first time father, so the smallest things with him amuse me. Anyhow, the next morning I pitched the name to Vic, and he went for it. Thanks Vic.. lol

VMU: What do you use as far as gear?
DB: My setup is pretty simple. For home recording, I have my Boss BR-8. It’s a nifty little unit, but it’s only 8-tracks, and it records onto zip disks, which are quite expensive. I’m looking to move up to 18 or 24-track in the near future. For guitars, I’ve got a G&L Custom ASAT Tele. Truly a beautiful guitar. The nicest I think I’ve ever owned. It’s funny how people call it an “imitation Telecaster”, because it doesn’t say Fender. But [what] most people don’t realize is, that G&L is more “Fender” than Fender guitars actually are. It’s the company that Leo Fender started after he sold the Fender company. I also have a Fender Tele, and a couple of Strats, as well as an old Gibson SG that I don’t use anymore, and a Yamaha acoustic that’s older than I am. The amp I use for playing live is my trusty Crate Blue Voodoo 2X12 combo. That’s by far one of the best amps to ever be released. I am, however, looking to retire it soon.

VMU: Do you enjoy live shows or recording?
DB: I love playing live. LOVE IT, and I MISS IT. I can’t wait to start playing again. I’ve been in hibernation for several years now, and I feel it’s time to wake up. I turn 33 next month, so I’m not getting any younger. As much as I like recording, I think it’s a pain. I love getting down and experimenting when recording, but I always try to get things too perfect, which I think we really shouldn’t worry so much about. I would much rather capture a certain vibe. I like playing live because you can just let loose. There is just nothing like running off of pure adrenaline. It really comes out in your playing. If you’re having a good time, chances are the crowd will too.

VMU: What were some of the worse experiences in playing live?
DB: Those moments are kept secret son, ya hear? Um, probably back in ’93, in a band called Electric Rattlebone. The singer for that band later went by the name Kandy Kane, in a band called Rackets and Drapes. Anyway, we were booked to play a show with a local band called Long Tall Sally. We were pretty much following the sound that was big at the time, the “Seattle” thing, and Long Tall Sally was kind of a Goth Punk band. We didn’t go over too well with their crowd. At one point, when it was quiet, one kid yelled from the back, “We don’t like you”. Yeah, I was happy to end that set and leave. Oddly enough though, about 100 people from that show signed [up for] our mailing list. Go figure.

VMU: What do you think about the Christian and secular market?
DB: Well, I’m Christian, and I think there are some great Christian bands out there, especially these days. But I haven’t abandoned the secular music that I listen to, and I don’t think I ever will. I’ve played Christian music in the past, and I’m playing it again now. My only criticism of the Christian music scene in the past, was that, these bands really sacrificed a lot to put themselves out there, and yet they were VERY poorly compensated for that. I’m talking about the signed Christian bands, obviously. They would leave their jobs, their families, etc, to go on tour, and come home without a dime in their pockets. I don’t find that fair, at all.

VMU: What are your major influences?
DB: Geez… you name it, I like it. I love everyone from The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Who, Moody Blues, to Queensryche, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Delirious. I also love a lot of eclectic music, like Clannad, Sarah McLaughlin, The Corrs, and over all, I STILL love good old U2. I also love bands like Apoptygma Bezerk, Beborn Beton, Faith Assembly, etc. Those are all EBM/Synthpop bands. Very cool stuff. As far as new bands, I am REALLY liking Time Spent Burning. I love the sound there. Tony’s guitar playing just blows me away now. Incredible. As far as musicians themselves.. Randy Rhoads is the all time reason for me picking up the guitar. Also, Eric Johnson, David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), gotta be one of the best players on the planet. I think the late Chris Oliva, from Savatage, was actually a very under rated player. He was definitely one of my favorites back in the day. There are so many to mention.

VMU: We put Aidan's Dream on the "Detached System: Complete V.1.” What was it like for you to be on the same compilation with different styles of music?
DB: It was strange. With the different sounds on there, and with AD being far different from any of the others, I was afraid that people would just skip over our song, and go to the others. I really feared that people wouldn’t like it. But we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on it, which I really appreciated. I am really happy to just have been selected for it, honestly.

VMU: If you had a choice to be endorsed with a company, what would it be and why?
DB: Probably guitar strings, Dean Markley, because you go through them so often. It’s kind of a pain to have to go to the music stores every couple of weeks to buy more strings. You could always use more and more of them. Who really needs 30 guitars, or 15 amps? I’d take the string endorsements. Having said that, I wouldn’t MIND 30 guitars…. lol.. I just don’t NEED them.

VMU: Do you ever see Aidan’s Dream hitting the mainstream or do you prefer indie?
DB: Mainstream, no. I would be VERY surprised. But I could see a small indie label having some interest in it. It would be a lot of fun. For right now, AD is just a project. You’ll see releases from us every so often, but you will never see AD play live, not even if we were on an indie label.

VMU: If you had a chance to explain what its like in the indie music scene to a young band what would it be?
DB: I would say it’s an open door. There are so many more great bands out there than who we see on TV, or hear on the radio. That’s where indie labels come in. Just because the major labels aren’t beating your door down, doesn’t mean that there aren’t people out there who will like you, and want to hear you. Having said that, my advice would be to just have fun. Enjoy what you’re doing, because it really is a blast. Don’t take it TOO serious in the beginning. I see a lot of bands, still in their infant stages, who are takings things SO seriously that they stress themselves out, and end up not having fun with that they’re doing. If you’re not having fun, I see no point in doing it at all. Just play, put your stuff out there, and see who salutes you.

VMU: Thank you so much for this interview, Demian any last words?
DB: Last words? Is this an execution? I would just like to invite anyone who likes AD’s music, and would like to hear more, to drop us a line at Aidans_Dream@yahoo.com, or to write to me personally at Demian_Bridwell@yahoo.com

VM Underground
March 26, 2004