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All Too Human originally started as a recording project between Maurice Taylor (bass) and Chris Lucci (drums). Chris McIuan (guitars) was brought on to play the guitar parts from songs Lucci and I had previously written and wanted to record. After rehearsing for a few months, we went into the studio to begin recording tracks for the album. During the recording process, we decided to try and make a band out of the project. Paul Vander (vocals) seemed to be a perfect fit for our music because his voice is so diverse. Towards the end of the recording process, it was decided that we would pursue this as a band and we began rehearsing together for possible live gigs. |
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| TDE: |
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How, where, and with whom did you record? |
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| Maurice: |
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The CD was recorded at R/R Digital Studios in Lake Jackson, Texas. We were looking at some other studios when McIuan came on, and he suggested we should check out the studio where he was working (R/R) to see if we liked it. We met the owner, Jason Rooks, and hit it off really well. This was the first full-length heavy metal CD to come out of his studio. Jason mostly records country acts, gospel groups and pop singers. |
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| TDE: |
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I hear a lot of influences in Paul Vander's voice. Geoff Tate, Midnight, and Geddy Lee among others. But mainly I hear the same vocal style as Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Is he an influence for Paul? |
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| Maurice: |
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Paul is more into modern rock than the rest of us, well, except maybe McIuan who still likes the 80s glam-rock stuff. Paul told me that Eddie Vedder and Lane Staley are two of his main influences these days, but the singers he grew up with were, of course, Geoff Tate, Geddy Lee, etc. Paul tries to use the vocal styles of different people to create his own sound. He also studies various vocal techniques to enhance the range and control of his voice. |
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| TDE: |
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What are the current plans for the band? |
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| Maurice: |
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Right now we're taking a break to take care of some personal things. We are planning on going back into the studio some time in the next few months to start recording our second CD. We've had some small label interest and hope we can gain some backing for the new CD. We have some ideas for new material but haven't completely finished writing any of the songs. The new album will definitely be heavier. |
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| TDE: |
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Tell us about the Muzix days. |
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| Maurice: |
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Muzix was a short-lived band between Chris Lucci, myself, and a guitar player named Oscar Mangini, who is credited on our CD as providing some of the material. We were together for about a year and a half but never found a lead singer. We were really into Rush back then and a lot of the material from Forever And A Day was written during that time. Although we were heavy into Rush, we were trying to use some elements of jazz, classical and heavy metal but were always afraid of trying to do something too diverse. Oscar eventually quit because of different musical tastes, then Lucci and I just decided to go separate ways. Lucci went on to play in a cover band, and I stopped playing music for a while. |
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| TDE: |
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When you write songs together, is it a jam thing then or just parts written by each and everyone? |
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| Maurice: |
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We write different ways. Sometimes I'll bring ideas to the band, sometimes McIuan brings ideas. Other times, we just jam together to see what comes out. We eventually go back to see if we can piece any of the material together. The material we write individually is very different. Lucci brings rhythmic ideas that we play off of and Paul will normally bring an entire song to the band. His material tends to be in more of a radio-ready song format. McIuan is trying to write material that will hopefully expose more of the masses to progressive elements. Sometimes I write in song format, other times I'll write the music strictly from an instrumental standpoint and worry about the vocals later. Occasionally we e-mail sound clips of song ideas to each other. |
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| TDE: |
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Who is Jason Rooks and how did you meet him? |
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| Maurice: |
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Jason is the owner of the studio where we recorded. We met him through McIuan. Jason was very helpful during the mixdown and mastering process of the CD. He and I worked really well together on the songs we produced. He has a lot of creative ideas in the studio, but he also lets you try different things to compare sounds and recording techniques. Anyone in the Texas area who is interested in recording should seriously consider recording at his studio in Lake Jackson. It was Jason's idea to have the CD mastered at Bobby Terry Productions in Nashville. For me, this was a very educating part of the recording process. |
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| TDE: |
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Your best live memory both with All Too Human and other concerts? |
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| Maurice: |
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My best live memory with All Too Human was playing at a club called Cardi's in Houston. It was our Houston debut and people were pretty excited about the show. Our friend Eric ran lights for us, and since he already knew our music, the lights he used during the concert really enhanced the show. My best experience ever was playing in front of 2,000 people in downtown Houston in a band I was in a long time ago. It made me feel like a rock star. Too bad it was Latin pop music. |
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| TDE: |
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You've mentioned that there are plans to record again in mid-1999. Will it be the same style as the debut album or a new direction? |
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| Maurice: |
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Our newer music will be a lot heavier and a lot more technical. People said our first CD was not heavy enough, and I guess subconsciously we are trying to make up for that. It's not that there's anything wrong with sounding heavy, it's just that I think music should be a little more diverse instead of sounding the same all the time. I don't want to lose the progressive rock aspect of our band just to satisfy the metal people. |
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 Comments, remarks or ideas? Please mail us. |
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