|| The Sound Faction (dot com) ||

One of the best things in life is getting a chance to sit down with someone from one of your favourite bands to be able to talk about their music. To be able to hear their stories about how music affects them and what actually happens in the studio. I was lucky enough to be able to talk to one of the newest additions to one of my favourite bands, Tantric. Joe was nice enough to talk to me about what being on tour means to him and what he would do if he was President for a day. Want to know what female fashion trend actually confuses him? Well read on and you might also find out what Tantric song from the new album means the most to him too.

"It's a very subtle mind blowing feeling."
- Joe Pessia, Tantric

First off, for all our readers who don't know, tell us who you are and what you do for the band?

Joe Pessia and I play guitar and write songs with the guys.

What inspired you to get into the music industry?

Playing air guitar via a tennis racket to all the songs I was hearing on the radio when I was a kid, The Beatles, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith and the bee gees, and really wanting to do that. So I traded in my tennis racket for a guitar. And I made sure I looked exactly like Angus Young

The new album, "the end begins" was release back in April, as this being your first album with Tantric how do you feel it differs from previous Tantric releases?

I think the thing that we did was, we still had the common dominator of Hugo, we just wanted to find the balance of being true to the original Tantric sound, but at the same time everyone wants to put their own stamp on it too, you know what I mean? It kind of has the influence of the new members writing process, but you know we obviously loved the first two records and we wanted to be respectful of that.

So, to basically grow from it?

Yah, like I said it’s just that balance. I obviously think it has a different sound.

Where does the inspiration come from for your music?

Inspiration could be just Hugo coming with a vocal line, or you know when you are just warming up or just from screwing around and getting your fingers loose and coming up with a rift. All it takes is for the ball to get rolling, usually it’s either by accident or you’re hearing something when you aren't even trying to write. Once the juices get flowing it’s all over, because everyone is on board. It’s just that natural curiosity of what we can turn this into.

And is there one specific song that means the most to you?

I think Down and Out would be the one for sure, for two reasons. For One, because I was working on Down and Out with Marcus and Hugo, you know the original inception started with Marcus and Hugo, and I got involved in it and we were actually working on a side project, it was actually intended for Tantric. It slowly morphed into Tantric now, and that’s the song that started before this record and went on the record and obviously got heard by people. That’s probably the most memorable because we knew it was good, it was a good idea, and we just really wanted to get the most out of that song.

That actually leads into my next question, because it’s about that song. It has a very unique sound, the beginning had like an 'eastern' feel to it. Was that something you were influenced by?

Actually that’s something Marcus had come up with. What I think it is is that it has an Eastern vibe via Led Zeppelin. It's a very balanced; it has something from the Classical world and the Eastern twist on it and then having a rock band come in. We all thought it was a really special sound.

Do you experiment with different styles of music in the studio?

We do, sometimes for just our own amusement. For me the biggest thing is, I was always a big fan of like bands like the Beatles or Queen would have like one or two songs that were really eclectic sounding songs on the album. Totally deliberate left turn, kinds tongue and check, play something that would completely surprise everybody style wise. Even if it’s a throwback to a 30's tune or a rag time tune. That’s kind of something you kind of play around with, it’s that balance of having fun with it and wow, maybe we can use that in a song. Being able to capture a different style that isn't our main thing.

What is your process you go through when recording an album?

Usually what we do is get together weeks prior and work out arrangements and songs and just recorded it live in the rehearsal room. When we get in the studio we just work through it, and go through the tape and just see what hits us today. So we'll listen to one of the rehearsals and work on it and go through it and from that day forward till it’s done that becomes the song. It could be someone like Toby producing, saying I like this part, I like this part, but you guys should come up with something better for this part, or you should capitalize on the thing you did in the intro that can go here. He's usually kind of the ring leader to kind of listen to those ideas and lets work it out, this is what your strong on and this is what you should experiment a bit more on something. There is no preconceived schedule of we're going to work on these songs in this order, once we're done with that song we go on and listen to some of the other material we recorded and see what hits us that day.

So, it's basically how you feel that day when you go in?

Yah, sometimes it might be something as simple as the natural curiosity of, maybe we did something lighter, that was kind of lush and maybe when you’re done with that song you want to work on a straight up rock song, because that’s how everyone’s feeling.

Are there any bands out there that are huge influences on you?

Basically it's probably, I think all musicians reach a point where all the stuff that grew up, like listening to the radio because you didn't have the downloading options or satellite radio, all of them just stick with you. For me would be Queen, Aerosmith, AC/DC, The Beatles, they are always with me. Like when I hear a band now that’s current, I’m a huge Foo Fighters fan, STP; you know any people that you hear, like Jet, all these bands that you hear, they are everywhere, and even the littlest things excite you.

You guys are currently in the middle of doing a tour, and have in the past shared the stage with some of my favourite bands both new and old, like Framing Hanley, what does it feel like night after night to go out on stage and play for your fans and with everything in you?

It feels great. I mean the best way to describe it is you hope it's mutual. It's usually pretty obvious when it is, I'm sure you know when you go to concerts, maybe the audience is more excited than the band or vice versa you usually leave unsatisfied. But if you've been to a show and after every song where the band just put out you know, and the show has its peak and twist and turns. Sometimes songs go over better some nights better than others, when you have that show that’s great from start to finish both from the crowd and from the bands performance, I feel very satisfied, with both those things happening. I mean if we played a great show and had tumble weeds, it wouldn't feel that great. It's like planting a flag and saying okay mission accomplished tonight, let’s do it all over tomorrow. During that day whatever you do leads up to that, whether is sound check, changing guitar strings or checking amps, everything leads up to that show. I guess it would be the same as a Baseball player or something, all day they are thinking about playing that night, or with a boxer when the fight is finally over, you want to exhale and feel like you have accomplished something. Then the next day you do it all over again and you don't let up. You hope that every show goes like that.

What has been your greatest challenge in the music industry?

With the way things are now with the internet, there are so many bands, and the days of people going out and buying a cd or a record even are different now. The biggest challenge is trying to be heard and have your own voice. Just to sound different, some type of stamp that makes you not interchangeable. So, you don't sound like a musical color form, like let me take the head of this guy and put this leg on this one.

Not like you’re packaged?

Yah, I would say that’s the biggest challenge, of having something like that, if you got that you're half way there, because that at least you'll be heard. Then it's trying to make a great record and try to do a great show but at least you're being heard. Once you got your foot in the door then, then you can really get to work.

Music means something to everyone, what does being able to make music mean to you? And how does it feel when your own music has an impact on someone personally?

It seems surreal actually, because what never leaves you is how it felt when you were listening to an old Aerosmith record, or an old Led Zeppelin record and how much it influenced you and how you feel you just think you are the receptacle end of that and that’s it. But when you find out some of the music you are doing or have done actually moved somebody else, you realize you are just part of the whole process in a really cool way. Like Jimmy Page or Led Zeppelin, they are all influences too, they were kids once just getting off on the music. It just seems surreal. It's a very subtle mind blowing feeling.

If you were in charge of the music industry for a day, what would be the first thing that you would change?

I would probably try to shake things up a little bit, so you can allow a band to grow and give them some time. For bands their first time out, they might have this good record, that’s really raw, you don't want them to be in the position that they have to pull the plug because they can't do it anymore. It's a lot of here's your one chance, and if you don't make it, you're on a much smaller venue. Obviously years ago, it was the persons third or fourth record that broke. It's because even though the albums didn't sell, like these 70's bands, they still had the next record that they could make and tour and get more fans and so forth and there was more of a gradual landing then having an immediate impact. There isn't a level playing field.

Now, the five of us here at the Sound Faction are probably five of the most random people you will ever meet, and with everyone interview we try and ask five random questions.

If you could be president for a day, what would be the first law that you would either abolish or put into use?

More disclosure, or maybe honesty, or lack thereof penalties for a President. But if I was President, and that’s a loaded statement in itself, I would bridge the gap. I mean people over the past few years have maybe felt like they were mislead, I would try and figure out a way to diffuse that and create a bit more trust. A bit more of we're all in this together and not have the "we'll tell them this, this and this, but we'll do this this and this".

If you could be any old school rock god for a day who would it be and why?

There are a couple, but I would pick Joe Perry because he's the kind of cool. There are two guys that come close but that would be Jimmy Page and Hendrix.

If you were a scented candle what would you smell like?

I don't know, something fall. Something that you would smell in the fall. Like pumpkin maple pumpernickels. You know like something that kind of signifies that time.

What female fashion trend absolutely confuses you?

There’s a lot, I would say the muffin top.

If you could be the champion of anything, what would it be and why?

I would the champion of the world so I could sing the Freddy Mercury song.

We would like to thank Joe for taking the time out of his busy schedule to talk to us here at The Sound Faction. If you want to know more about Tantric please check out their Myspace or their Youtube.