Cru cru Clash Valian, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Greg: Cru cru! Pigeon! nice to chat with you as well. A couple things! When I was 12/13ish, witnessing my older brother slaying old Metal riffs on guitar and listening to Metal and grunge music made me very interested in figuring out how to play an instrument. Always was inspired by how sick he could shred and just make loud raucous noises. I was playing jazz trumpet at the time and probably picked up a really crappy $50 acoustic guitar when I was 15. I would play it till my fingers bled haha.
Later when I was playing in a running-start jazz combo at the community college when I was 16, had this jazz prof who had a significant impact on me, David Blink. He strongly encouraged me to explore songwriting, music composition beyond just playing charts and soloing. It really pushed me in a good direction and he would always send us home with weird cool jazz recordings to listen to. Money Jungle - this Duke Ellington album that he shared has really stuck with me. Mingus and Roach were like getting in fist fights between recording sessions and you can hear it in the music. Its got such a great pocket and is so weird and such heightened tension between the parts. Mingus straight up plays the bass with a drum stick on a couple songs, its wild.
What is "Degrees of Freedom" and why does it feel so edgy?
Greg: Degrees of Freedom is actually a statistical concept. I used to teach math and was particularly infatuated with the ambiguous nature of it. But I like to think it acts as a bit of double entendre with out people might interpret it. Could be the exploration of all the degrees of styles of music and the freedom that I feel I get from not being limited to one style. Could be more like the the varying degrees of freedom that someone might have with their position in life. I like that it is discretely something but also interpretable.
I love edgy music. I grew up listening to grunge and metal. Transitioned to listening to a lot of noise, lofi, art rock, weird jazz groups in college / post-college. Jamming with people always liked to insert some pretty abrasive sounds. Lyric wise I don't think I usually write super edgy stuff though, more from the sounds.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Greg: Upfront before I released any of it, shared all the pre-masters with a couple musician friends and got a couple responses of how much they enjoyed listening from beginning to end. Made me feel pretty warm and fuzzy. Couple other friends said things like "like the spacey-weird vibes", "this is a masterpiece". More warm and fuzzies.
This online blogger from B-Side guys wrote this article that just nailed what I think I was going for. Basically just brought me to tears, its so well written up.
Do you consider yourself a music - nerd?
Greg: Nerds are like, cool now, right? If so. Yes. Definitely. If not. Yes. Definitely. I am pretty relentlessly passionate about music. The vibes. The crazy noises you can make. The weird things you can tweak in production mode. The genesis and process of writing and recording. The things I am not usually super passionate about is editing and really fine adjustment stuff. I lean on Tom to do all that, cause I hate it.
What’s your favorite album from the garage rock scene?
Greg: I haven't actually been listening to too much Garage Rock of recent. I'm quite enjoying the new Autopsy record and the new The Smile record though!
Can you tell us a cringe memory of yours?
Greg: This other parent at kindergarten of my daughter's knows my name and has said "Hey Greg" at least a dozen times now and I'm beyond the point of asking his name... it is... uh... really uncomfortable and cringey. I am usually pretty decent at remembering other folks names.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
Greg: Albums are listened to less. Playlists and individual songs more. It's enabled easier releasing of music for artists with businesses like Bandcamp, and CD Baby. It's forced major labels to be even more cutthroat. It's enabled for more artistic collaboration.
Would you describe your perfect day?
Greg: Wake up. Go for a run while listening to Dream Widow, Slayer, Autopsy, Metallica. Eat Siggi's vanilla yogurt with various berries and fruit. Roughhouse and play silly games with my daughters. Teach them some math. Make and eat some really dank Sichuan Chinese food for lunch with my fam. Drink Kicking Horse 454 Horse Power coffee made from a pour over. Go boogie boarding with my friends. Work on writing and recording songs. Eat some dank detroit style pizza with my fam. Play some piano songs for my daughters and wife while they run around and dance. Read them a couple stories and get them to sleep. Have a glass of Saldo Zinfandel. Play ping pong with my neighbors while listening to cool music. Play whatever the video game of choice is for that day with my childhoold friends. Go to sleep.
What’s your favorite movie?
Greg: Ghostbusters. The original.
Do you sing in the shower? If yes, what songs?
Greg: Yes. Sometimes. Frequent songs I sing in the shower are "Once Upon a Dream", "I Feel Pretty", and "Bli-Blip".
Do you agree with the Pigeon?
Greg: Hard not to with that intellect, humor, and critical prowess.
Review
"Cyrus" gives us soft indie rock in which a synergy is established between interspersed riffs and strong percussion. Later, the vocalist's voice is complemented by a blue melodic wall from dreams that echoes when it receives the sound waves of Clash Valian. In "Cyrus" there is a fusion between the mathematical riffs that delight natural amphitheaters in the afternoon and between intense dreamy strings to look at the night sky that make you feel like the smallest thing in the universe! In short, the sound of Clash Valian is quite unique, and "Cyrus" is an impressive single that deserves to be appreciated for being epic and multifaceted. Check out their new original album: "Degrees of Freedom"!
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