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So I'm sitting down with Cyrus of (7AT) Seven Against Thebes over some Seattle Starbucks to discuss among other things the debut Seven Against Thebes CD........ here's our interview ________________________________________________
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So what inspired you to start writing songs for Seven Against Thebes? I remember watching the movie Gladiator with my acoustic guitar in hand, & the rest is Seven Against Thebes (7AT). I remember being really inspired by the hi energy fight scenes so what can I say I began to write a catalogue of music dedicated to all that. I soon discovered how much I enjoyed writing songs about ancient man, chaos, &doing my best to capture adrenalin & slap it on a CD. But the more I wrote the deeper the questions seemed to become. mostly about mankind. The 7AT concept kind of evolved really - it's not just good work out music, but it also compares ancient man to modern man, & some of the the struggles between good & evil.. I guess you could say 7AT is a thinking mans music, & I've always been fascinated with the dark side or human behavior, ancient history, archeology, & mythology. Fuse them all together & you get a pretty dynamic setting. The classic book "The Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus also gets some credit - amazing ending!
What inspired the band name? i remember hearing this cool Indian proverb a while back, it goes something like this - Inside each man is 2 dogs that are constantly fighting. One dog is evil & the other is good. Which one wins the fight - the one you feed. Seven Against Thebes is really just another way pf saying Good vs Evil. The music takes a hard look at this epic battle that's been going on for centuries deep inside the psyche of mankind. The skies the limit on what I can explore or write about: just like his mind,
SEVEN AGAINST THEBES DEBUT CD
I like the Serpent eating itself on the front cover? Thanks! Like the music, the cover concept kind of evolved over time. The mythological Ouroboros symbol (Serpent eating itself) has been around for centuries, & has a powerful meaning. It means the joining of opposites, suggesting that opposites not only coexist but are also related in a cyclical manner. But it can also mean half light and half dark, self reflectivity, or even self destruction. It was used as the symbol for alchemy during the Middle Ages, as the goal of the practice was to join the conscious with the unconscious mind. The Ouroboros is also a negative, & self-destructive force, but there are positive aspects. The "self-devouring" nature of whereas in earlier interpretations, the cyclicality of Ouroboros was a disinterested observation about the nature of the world, in Christianity, it became more of a limited "vicious circle" which could only be broken through spirituality. To me the Ouroboros really symbolizes the destructive power mankind has upon himself, .On a positive note The Ouroboros was also the symbol for eternity, infinity, & even self resurrection. Bottom line - I believe the music of 7AT personifies everything about the symbol & in itself is quite striking. ________________________________________________
"The Ouroboros symbolizes the self destructive nature of mankind." ________________________________________________
What makes 7AT unique? I think what we've done here is pretty amazing. Take all the good things about alternative rock, & integrate it with touches of middle eastern instrumentation. Some of the topics explored on the album have been around for centuries, How appropriate to throw in some instrumentation that's been around that long. I'm a rocker first & foremost, but I've always been drawn to the music from other cultures, especially the music of out of the Middle East. To me its spiritual & very mystical. Instruments like the Sitar, & percussion instruments like the Tabla, Udu, & Djembe sound really cool when meshed against a mean guitar. 7AT is all about old world meets new world, or East meets West; not just in the writing but in the instrumentation. That was pretty much the concept - to fuse all these different elements into one band, one sound, one concept. That concept s Seven Against Thebes (7AT).
How was it exorcizing your demon as a writer? Well that's exactly why I write music. It's one of my only true dark outlet for me, not just a creative one, but in an emotional as well. Exorcizing demons through music is really what 7AT is all about. Music is the vehicle, a doorway, & writing music puts me on the other side of that door. Once your on the other side it's pretty amazing what you'll find. Some of it may not be very pretty, but it's a very honest & therapeutic place for me to explore and examine. I honestly don't know where this stuff comes from but when it breaks the surface I start writing. I've heard of method actors immersing themselves into characters before shooting films, I feel I'm doing the same thing as a songwriter? That was my approach, finding that really cool mental state to write music from, & let her rip. I really love that concept, capturing all that is what i7AT is all about.
What's it like for you to drift in and out of a song writing zone? Let's just say when your all alone with a Muse you better take full advantage of her. (LAUGHS). ________________________________________________
"Mankind is one gigantic dirtbag. Don't kill me I'm just the messenger..." ________________________________________________
I really like the song Mask ,what's the concept there? The whole Mask concept compares ancient man, to modern man again. It's the perfect 7AT theme song. To understand the Mask concept understand what motivated mankind the make a mask in the first place back in the 9th century. It enabled him to become something he wasn't, something more powerful than normal reality. Think about this for a second. When mankind put on the mask for the first time what do you think happened to his psyche? What an incredible moment this must have been for him as it intimidated others around him. Man began to use the mask on the battlefield giving him the upper hand out there. The mask opened up a whole Pandora's Box of emotions on places like the battlefield, during rituals & ceremonies - hence the lyrics "I need you to feel alive" means the mask puts him on this higher level of consciousness. But Mask is not reality, it's like a drug really. On a deeper level today man wears a mask just like he did thousands of years ago. The point to the song is what happens once the mask its removed, it's back to reality. The whole Mask concept personifies the human condition. The song ends with the chant "I need you to feel alive" over & over again like a broken record revealing his dependency on its power.
Tell us about Fruit Fly. Fruit Fly is about addiction. The whole addiction phenomena is fascinating, so I drew an analogy by comparing addiction to an annoying fly. Very much like a fly that enters your pristine dwelling in search of fruit, it gets under your skin & annoys the crap out of you. It doesn't care about you, or why it's there, all it cares about is what it came for. Very much like this annoying little fly, addiction can even be the same way even in a trivial sort of way. But the fact that this little fly was able to bypass all your boundaries and all your defense mechanisms shows it's power. Hence the lyrics "You razed the wall I knocked it down, I am the lost you are the found, I found the key to get inside, you are no longer sanctified." It's amazing how much of a pain in the ass one little fly can become. The more you wave at it, the more it's back in your face. It's so powerful it can even take over your entire life. ________________________________________________
"How do I respond to all the craziness in this world? All this crazy music..." ________________________________________________
What motivates the dark side? I remember reading some of BTK's poetry he sent to police before he got caught, it was chilling but I have to admit I admired it's purity. It's fascinating to get a snap shot of what this guys mindset was. "Suicide Note" attempts to do the very same thing by using the exact "word for word" note someone wrote before going on a rampage & eventually taking his own life. To me that's a very powerful concept, & as a result its hands down the most powerful piece of music I've ever written. I have no idea why some people do the things they do in this world, but maybe that's why we're so fascinated with it in the first place. I consider myself a messenger really, I mean I'm not your traditional rock star. I've never done drugs, in fact I take really good care of myself, & am the biggest dork in the world. I'm no different than say Anthony Hopkins. A perfect English gentleman but has the ability to become Hanibal when the cameras are rolling. There are some things in this world that can never be explained - like human behavior for example. The more you try to explain it, the more it cannot be explained. It just refuses to be pinned down, or defined. That's the beauty of 7AT. I mean if you want someone to blow sunshine up your ass go listen to the Gin Blossoms.
Who are some the writers & bands you admire musically? I really like those writers who break the "herd mentality". Trent Reznor is pretty brilliant, Suzanne Vega is one of my favorites as well. I like Michael Patrick of Filter alot, Peter Gabriel, & last but not least I cant help but to like Maynard (Tool), King Crimson, Kirk Cobain (Nirvana), Tom Morello (Audioslave) are all legends because they weren't afraid to be themselves and take risks. As far a bands go I love Filter, The Cocteau Twins, Tool, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Live, Stone Temple Pilots, Spoon, Audioslave, R.E.M. Nine Inch Nails.
If you had to give it to one band who gets to be your all time favorite, & why? I got to give it to Stone Temple Pilots. I remember shortly after Purple was released I was hooked. If they would of kept releasing albums like that they would of been the biggest bands in rock & roll history, period. In my opinion, STP was the best rock band to emerge from the wave of the early 90's. Scott Weiland was the devil. Mid ninety's Tool gets an honorable mention as well.
What was the best concert you've ever been to? (LONG PAUSE) Stone Temple Pilots on the Purple Tour. Seeing Scott Weiland perform songs like "Dead & Bloated" before he got busted for Heroin was something I'll never forget. It was pretty amazing. Which proves his writing and live performances kind of puts a face on Heroin. What was equally amazing was his musical transformation down from that wild ride. What goes up must come dawn. He was a total mad man on stage too, like he just escaped from an asylum. I remember thinking to myself man this guy's out of control. You could definitely feed off his intensity. He just blew me away.
Birth sign? Scorpio.
What's your favorite word? Nevertheless.
Favorite color? Deep Red.
Do you have a favorite quote? "Punks take offense, Pro's take notes". I made that one up myself. I like an artist that can take some constructive criticism. I've taken in my share, and I'm a better artist today because of it. In this business brutal honesty is the best policy. It saves a whole lot of time & money. If you can't take a little constructive criticism in this business you might be the next Courtney Love. Some artists out there have huge ego's, and are a total pain in the ass to work with. Pride can be the biggest stumbling block in this line of work. I simply refuse to work with those people. If you can't be honest with your fellow band mate, then why the hell is he in your band in the first place? ________________________________________________
"If you want someone to blow sunshine up your ass go listen to the fucking Gin Blossoms..." ________________________________________________
What really pisses you off? Songwriters out there who write songs just for the sake of making money. Yes - we're here to make money, yes - it's a business, I get all that. All I'm saying is you'll find most real artists don't give a shit about any of that stuff. I understand the marketability angle so don't preach it to me. All I'm saying is you have to stand for something - when the recording light is lit. I know alot of guys who are trying to write songs to impress either a label or an artificial fan base. Sorry that's not me. Just be yourself, if you got the goods everything will take care of itself. If your comfortable in your own skin it's only a matter of time before people realize it. I hate the corporate side of the music industry, it makes me want to hurl, I want no part of any of any of that. It's like reality TV. I knew a guitar salesman who told me one day "Hey man check out this song I just wrote, I hate it but I know everyone will dig it". I feel alot of artist have lost there way a bit in this business with that very attitude. Tragically it's exactly how we've lost our way as an artistic culture. The priorities are out of whack. I think some artists get caught up a little on the whole marketability angle, & they forget why they picked up a guitar, microphone, whatever in the first place. In a weird sort of way becoming a millionaire can be the worst thing that could ever happen to you. In my opinion the best songs ever written, were written before pay dirt. Think about it - it's the money that ruined it. ________________________________________________
"Songwriters need to ask themselves one question. Where does your motivation come from - your heart, or your pocketbook?" ________________________________________________
So why do it then? Watching the expressions on peoples faces during a show, having someone come up to you saying - man I dig that song you wrote - yeah that's why I do it. I love crafting thought provoking melodies that blow people away. 7AT is a battle cry. If I can help bring that out in others great. Sure who wouldn't want to make a million bucks, but does your music come more from your heart, or your pocketbook? I wouldn't change a thing about this music for money, I didn't start writing music for that reason. Songwriters need to ask themselves one simple question - where does your motivation come from when you write? From your heart, or from your pocket book? Above anything you have to remain true to yourself in whatever it is you do. So if your a songwriter and your reading this right now ask yourself this question - why did you write the last song you wrote? Only you can answer that. If you want to read my reasons all you got to do is hit the (TOP) button below...
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interview conducted by Kendall Cross. Property of Indie Music Media Copyright © 2009
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So
7AT takes a look at ancient man, & compares it to modern man?
