Interviews: Interview with CANVAS SOLARIS Drummer Hunter Ginn
Posted on Sunday, July 18 @ 13:15:45 EDT
Topic: Interviews
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Hunter Ginn
(Their Own) Statesboro Blues
by Tommy “Hashman” Hash
One of the most inventive bands to ever appear on both the progressive rock and the experimental hard rock scene, Statesboro, Georgia's Canvas Solaris has released a series of records that are intricately infused with musical nuances that are nearly impossible to execute, but are not impossible to listen to. With music that invokes the edginess of King Crimson, At War With Self, Spiral Architect, Cynic, and Zero Hour, they are helping lead the revolution for music that knows no headroom and breaks all the rules while remaining accessible on the ears, I've said it before in a past review - "If Charlie Haden was a metal bassist, if Ornette Coleman traded the wailing sax for blistering guitar, if Herbie Hancock hung out with Keith Emerson, and if Buddy Rich ran on pure aggression instead of the dope, this is what you would come up with."
Never afraid to take their chances with what they can do musically, Irradiance (Sensory/Laser's Edge Group) is the latest of the Canvas Solaris catalog, being record number five. Even with the lineup changes, nothing has slowed this band down, and drummer Hunter Ginn has been in the fold insect the band's inception in 1999 (along with guitarist Nathan Sapp), as he speaks on what entails upon this musical monstrosity.
"Our writing always occurs under very natural conditions," begins Ginn, "Sometimes, we write individually (bassist Gael Pirlot and guitarist Chris Rushing both turned in individual songs for the last album), but most often, Nathan and I write collaboratively. Once the basic structures are in order, we begin the typically long and obsessive process of orchestrating and layering the instruments. Of course, depending on the piece, the time this stage requires depends on the song. For instance, on the new album, “Vapor Chasm” called for relatively little layering, based on the austere feeling of the piece. “Glacier,” by contrast, urged a much more rigorous approach to orchestration. Essentially, no matter how experimental the music, artists have a moral imperative to do what’s right and appropriate for the piece."
And from five different records being boldly intricate from one another, the latest came about by simply going with the flow, "This must be the most incidental of all Canvas Solaris records," states Ginn, "Frankly, we had no intentions of writing a fifth album, but, before we knew it, we had before us a critical mass of material that we wanted to record! So, to answer your questions, this record had no specific mission attached to it. That it is easily our most focused and concise album is simply a matter of happenstance. Having said that, I cannot deny the differences between this record and the four that precede it: fewer parts per song, shorter pieces, increased repetition, an emphasis on vertical as opposed to horizontal development, etc. "
Through the course of the five records, the band has advanced in different ways, "We’ve continued to mature musically, I think. That sounds cliché, of course, but I think that as we’ve expanded our palette, we’ve found subtler, more artful ways to incorporate those different sounds. I suppose that we’ve simply gotten better at doing what we’ve always done! I think that our sound materialized on Penumbra and that we’ve been involved in a process of refinement and distillation ever since. Irradiance, though it sounds much heavier than our last few discs, packs all of those sounds into shorter, more concise songs. Expanding from a 3-piece to a 5-piece has broadened the potential of our music, as well, particularly in regard to having a full-time keyboardist now. "
With the lineup changes, the band has prevailed with their own musical stance, but it wasn't met without difficulties as the drummer explains, "Losing Ben devastated us. Ben is such a unique talent and such a wonderful guy, to boot. But we’ve been unbelievably fortunate to have Chris, Donnie, and Gael involved in the band. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds and have contributed so wildly and so deeply to our music. Between the five us, there are literally hundreds and hundreds of influences, which keeps our idea-reservoir well stocked. Plus, having members dedicated solely to one instrument apiece (Ben switched between bass, guitar, and keyboards) results in a richer and more fully-realized sound. So, while we were emotionally rattled by Ben’s departure, we have found similarly sympathetic and talented band members."
Besides the guitars, bass, drums, & keyboards - many other exotic instruments find their way into the mix expanding upon the creativity of this band, "It really just depends on the song," hints Ginn, "“Accelerated Testing Phase,” a relatively straight-ahead tune, doesn’t seem to call for anything beyond the basic guitar-bass-drums trifecta. Yet other songs, whose dynamic contours are wider and deeper, require additional textures to bring out their fullest effects. The break in “Threads of Dead Space,” for instance, occasioned the conga/doumbek/djembe accompaniment, as well as the Theremin and 7-string guitar parts. Other times, we will arrive at these choices in the studio. Jamie has a tremendous ear for detail and some of my favorite moments have resulted from his guidance (e.g. the guitar line at the end of “Syzygial Epiphany,” the filter during the intro of “Chromatic Dusk.”). "
The albums have come in unique digipacks with distinctive artwork gracing the cover and liner notes, this too adds to the atmosphere that the bands creates musically with this visual take on things, "We have a strong belief in the power and the necessity of the entire album package, so we’ve always chosen our album covers very carefully," elaborates Ginn, "We feel that an album should look like it sounds and I feel that we keep getting closer and closer to that ideal. I have been thrilled with all of our album packages, though. Bill Ellsworth provided great pieces for the >Penumbra Diffuse and Cortical Tectonics LPs. Recently, we have been working with Mars-1, whose astounding work has graced our last two records. Mars-1 is a phenomenal talent and I would recommend anyone with an enthusiasm for genuine surrealism investigate his art. Working with Michael has been a similarly wonderful experience. We really provide him with very little: text, artwork, our logo. From there, it is up to Michael to breathe life into the design, which he does with aplomb. His choices are exquisite and consistently in line with our own thinking. "
You'd have to imagine that when this band plays live, each tune is more given rebirth with the spontaneous vibe of a live show, but the personal lives of each band member has prevented them from going out and hitting the road at a large pace, "We really haven’t done much traditional touring. Our situation as a band, frankly, makes any such thing very difficult. We all five work full-time jobs, have wives/girlfriends, and live in three different cities, so the logistics merely of rehearsing are difficult to manage. The shows we’ve played, however, have been great. Back in 2008, we played a couple of great shows with Behold…the Arctopus and Dysrhythmia, and it was a thrill to be able to share the stage with two like-minded bands. We do enjoy playing live, but recording music is for us an enduring passion. We love the laboratory! (As for capturing any live shows on DVD or CD) no plans at this time. I feel that our time would be better spent writing more material, rather than simply replaying our old songs live. There are several exceptions, but by-and-large I am not a fan of live albums."
Where will Canvas Solaris will go next? Ideas are on the table as they are writing mode with ideas being thrown around here and there, "Presently, we are writing some new material, which is sounding quite different for us: heavily orchestrated and not particularly metal," concludes Ginn, "We’re also tossing around the idea of recording a couple of other cover songs, the two most likely of which are Emperor’s “I Am the Black Wizards” and Mr. Bungle’s “Carry Stress in the Jaw.” "
Copyright & Publishing:2010 Tommy Hash for Ytsejam.com
CLICK HERE to Read a Review of Irradiance
CLICK HERE to Read a Review of The Atomized Dream
CLICK HERE to Read a Review of Cortical Tectonics
CLICK HERE to Read a Review of Penumbra Diffuse
Please Visit:
Canvas Solaris at MySpace
The Laser's Edge Group
Laser's Edge at MySpace
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