"Masters Of The Light"

By Sergio Vilar

Please, could you be on your beginnings how Witsend and that it took them to adopt the name Syzygy?

Paul Mihacevich: We are all from Euclid, Ohio, USA.  We grew up and went to school there… Sam and I used to play baseball in the schoolyard together.  I knew of Carl when I was a kid.  At that time, we did not know that one day we would be making music together.  Sam and Carl played in a rock band called Abraxas. They played out a lot.  I was working in a lounge band playing 5 nights a week.  None of us were playing progressive music at this time.  After Abraxas broke up, Sam introduced Carl to the world of progressive music and the two of them concentrated on writing and playing progressive music. They put together Witsend and began to rehearse the music they were writing.  Their drummer and bass player left the band and I happened to live just a few doors down from Sam.  I found out that he and I had a common interest in progressive music. He described Witsend to me and played some demos.  I was very interested.  I took some tapes home, learned the pieces and went down and rehearsed with them. From there, the current lineup of Syzygy was born. Sam and Carl were relieved that I was able to fill the drumming job. That is a very compact story on how it all came together.

Carl Baldessarre: As far as the name change goes, it was simply the result of us not properly protecting the name, Witsend, legally. Someone grabbed the rights to it after our "Cosmos and Chaos" release. Even though we could prove we had “prior use” and sued for the right to continue to use Witsend, we chose to adopt a new name and put the expense towards legally protecting Syzygy. The musicians and the mission remain the same, however: to write, record and perform music of great intensity and substance sustaining the highest standards pioneered by the great founding fathers of progressive rock. In short, make music which we would want to hear and worship.

Sam Giunta:  When Carl and I first started playing together in a band called Abraxas during the late 70's and early 80's, we were playing five nights a week catering to the top 40 rock and roll crowd. We had a huge following, and gained valuable experience, not to mention the fun we had.  Both Carl and I realized that our hearts were into playing and writing progressive music. At about the same time, our equipment was stolen causing the demise of the band. What seemed like incredibly bad luck at the time, was in fact actually fate. Carl and I decided to pursue our dream of writing progressive music and formed Witsend. I introduced certain progressive rock albums to Carl, which we would listen to by analyzing every passage  At the same time, we were both deep into classical and jazz studies with our mentor, Dante Picciotti. This helped our writing collaboration and technique. Our original bass player and drummer were extremely talented musicians but had to leave the band That’s when Paul miraculously stepped in.

Personally, I think that in "The Allegory Of Light" the classic influences are still more notorious than in the previous one. Do you agree?

Carl: Whether you mean “classic” (as in classic progressive rock) or “classical” (as in the classical music era), I would say the answer is generally yes to both questions. The real difference is that the "The Allegory of Light" material generally had more sophisticated and protracted structures.This was a result of our musical development and maturity. However, both releases had full representations of the grand progressive style, both are concept albums (although Allegory contained three true epic/concept pieces-- "M.O.T.H.", "In the Age of Mankind" and "Journey of Myrrdin"—while "Cosmos and Chaos" had part of one epic piece, "Mount Ethereal"). Our roots lie in both classic progressive rock and classical music theory, so it is only natural for us to mature along those lines.

Sam: I would also agree the answer is yes to both questions. This album was definitely the result of our musical development and maturity. I would hope that our next album is superior to "The Allegory of Light". We always strive for perfection and combine every major influence from all of the bands that we love into one package.

Why did you choose exactly that I title?

Carl: I am moved by the depth of the meaning of light, both mathematically and metaphysically. Light is a very interesting thing. It is at the very core of all things physical—an artifact and a clue to the very nature of the universe. Scientist have yet to truly understand what light really is and I mean even beyond the debate of particles vs. waves. Light represents the very dimension of time itself.  Metaphorically (and metaphysically), light is ubiquitous throughout the world as a spiritual ambassador to all people. It connotes God, love, hope, peace, etc. The antithesis is also true: that is the absence of light connotes evil, sadness, darkness, depression, lost love, death, etc. But, I believe both the physical and the metaphysical aspects of light are inextricably linked and must be considered together. I believe that if you are looking for the Unified Theory of Everything^tm, follow the light so to speak.  And thus, "The Allegory of Light" allowed us to explore both the spiritual/metaphysical realms (i.e. "M.O.T.H.", "Beggar’s Tale", and "Forbidden") and the physical/mathematical realms (i.e. "Distant Light", "In the Age of Mankind").

What can you be about the lyrics of the songs?

Carl: As I’ve stated above, the lyrics support this reverence towards light. 

Were you inspired by personal experiences or is it simply fiction?

Carl: I can only write based on something I believe in or feel very deeply.  Everything you experience effects everything else.  That doesn’t mean that everything written lyrically is to be taken literally.  Room for interpretation allows the audience to participate and we hope that is the case both lyrically and musically.

Could you describe the disk song for song?

Paul:  The disc opens with the concept suite "The Allegory of Light" It is a 3-part concept that was primarily created by Carl with Sam.  As we have said before, our music starts with an idea which we then build to create a collective whole. I would say "M.O.T.H." is our signature piece at the present time. "Beggar’s Tale" and "Distant Light" are a continuation of the concept.  "Zinjanthropus" is another suite that musically tells the story of the social evolution of man… the foragers and gatherers, the primitive hunters, the pastoral farmers. "Industryopolis" is the second half of the suite that moves into the age of industry to mankind’s waging of war and the impact of technology. "Forbidden" is a very personal piece done by Carl in which he performs the entire song. "Light Speed" is more of a straight-ahead guitar laden piece that was arranged beautifully by Carl. The last song, "Journey of Myrrdin" is an epic that pulls out all of the signature progressive stops.

Which of them you do believe that it reflects the musical essence of Syzygy better?

Carl:  That’s like being asked to pick your favorite child. Granted some of them are more archetypal then others, but they all seem to fit together into a purposeful whole. I am told that "M.O.T.H." and "Journey of Myrrdin" are great representations of what we are, but I will leave that up for you to decide.  In the Age of Mankind is an interesting piece as it is the highest representation of non-conformity. It is very linear and not formulaic. It really traffics in the unexpected.  Much of its curious and unsettled nature is given to the fact that the entire piece is based around a whole-tone scale. Whole-tones can be very non-musical and difficult, if not fun, to work with. I also enjoy the dichotomy of soft musical passages and very intense soundscapes being juxtaposed.  It is an epic story/program-oriented depiction of the evolution of mankind. The only thing it doesn’t have is lyrics to tell the story.

Paul:  Again, I think "M.O.T.H." is the signature piece.  If someone wanted to know how Syzygy sounds, I would recommend that they listen to "M.O.T.H." But the disc shows many different and important sides of the group together and as soloists.

Sam: If I had to pick two pieces that reflect the musical essence of Syzygy they would be "M.O.T.H." and "Journey of Myrrdin". I really like how they both evolved throughout the years. I agree with Paul in that I also consider them to be our signature pieces. Every piece on the C.D. has its own unique journey. They are all very special to me. 

Would you say that this new album opened them new horizons, be already mental or artistic?

Carl: Absolutely.  It did exactly that. That is a great question. Artistically, it fueled the fire for this group to understand the small gift we think we are entrusted with as musicians and the joy it brings us and hopefully others.  With that as inspiration, we have re-committed ourselves to each other and to get going on the next one and not take 10 years to release a follow up.  We are now committed to produce something to eclipse the Allegory (pardon the pun) and I personally won’t rest until that postulate is proven as fact. The artistic direction will likely unfold as we proceed.  It will most certainly be evolutionary from our current position. We demand quality from ourselves and that is a pretty good filter to ensure the output is just right.

Paul:  The new album is far ahead of the first in composition, execution, arrangement and production.  We have become older, smarter and hopefully become better musicians.  It raised the bar for us to measure ourselves against for the next album.  We always try to excel on each new recording.  I think growing older gives you a different way of looking at things and listening with a critical ear. We have become more intense and focused with the time that we involve ourselves with a project such as this.

Sam: I totally agree with Carl. It boosted our confidence level both mentally and artistically. It’s been also nice reflecting on each piece, its origins, and how it evolved.  It’s just amazing to me.  Thanks to the Internet, we have been able to reach people from all over the world.  All of our reviews have been positive. Everyone seems to be helping us achieve success, which has been fueling our fire for many future releases to come.

Are you attracted by to compose long songs, with more development?

Carl: We have a tendency to generate lots of ideas for one song. They germinate like seeds, so it's often hard and most important to know when to "stop writing". Having said that, sometimes I come up with riffs or little classical pieces which are very short and I don't push to expand them. It seems to balance out. Some ideas are best when contained while others never want to stop procreating themselves with musical subspecies. As far as what I'm attracted to, I look at composing like I look at meals. Sometimes you want an elaborate, seven-course meal of unique and exotic food embellished with lots of digressing discussions. But other times, nothing can be more satisfying than a bacon double cheeseburger from a fast food drive up window!

Paul:  The epic is always attractive… we will compose variations on a theme, twist and turn it and reinvent it and try different things.  We have 3 people in the group which can give us 3 times the ideas.  Of course this lends to the longer work.  A short composition with the right combination of melody, rhythm, arrangement and production can be as powerful as the epic. I look for a strong melody or idea.  If that is not there then a longer work will not hold my (or the listener’s) interest.  A strong idea/melody is more important than length.  Look at "Forbidden"… not a long work but very beautiful, very powerful.

Sam:  I've always loved epic pieces. All of my compositions are based on themes, not completed pieces.  At that point, it's just a matter of an exchange of ideas with Carl and Paul. We will write as many variations as we can from one theme resulting in an epic piece. We've always had to find the best way to polish, mold, and whittle down our creative ideas.

Let us change topic. What are you listening at the moment? Which are your favorite artists?

Carl: At this very moment, I am listening to some cover song that Paul and I recorded for a charity project and those have been fun ("Karn Evil 9", "Highway Star", "Immigrant Song").  We might throw a couple up on the website for kicks. Now to get to your real question: at the moment I just finished listening to a wave of newer artists like Transatlantic ("SMPTE"), Spock’s Beard ("V" and "Snow"), Kevin Gilbert ("Shaming of the True"). I have moved back to some other favorites like Andres Segovia, Yes ("The Yes Album") and Led Zeppelin’s "Physical Graffiti" recently—just to remind me how far I have to go.

Paul: I like to go back to the original prog artists. That is what inspired me to go in this musical direction in the first place. I enjoy a lot of the newer prog artists such as Spock’s Beard, Neal Morse, Transatlantic, Kevin Gilbert and so on. I like controlled mayhem, not extra long soloing but structure, sonata form. Much of what is “mainstream music” or what is being pushed by the media does not interest me. I enjoy pop, classical… whatever moves me. I do not listen to progressive music exclusively.

Sam: At the present moment I'm listening to the live "Lamb Lies Down On Broadway". Its very interesting to me to hear how they performed that album live. The interplay they achieve between the guitar, organ and synth is amazing. My favorite bands are Gentle Giant, ELP, Yes, Frank Zappa, Genesis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, and The Who.

Lastly... what could you tell to the readers of Nucleus?

Carl:  Thank you so very much for your support. We have been inspired to write another album because of the response we have received.  We deeply appreciate the support you and your readers have given us. We promise to give you the very best we have to offer with our next release and we won’t rest until we are satisfied that what we present will make a difference. Thank you very much for your insightful questions—it was our pleasure to speak with you.

Paul:  We appreciate their interest and support.  We have received many kind, positive comments and the reviews have all been great. There seems to be a great deal of interest in Syzygy and what we will do next.  We promise to meet the challenge and not disappoint.  Playing live is another goal, but there is much for us to do at present with a follow up to "Allegory"  We also invite listeners to explore our first album which has been remastered and reissued ("Cosmos & Chaos") under the name Witsend.  We will not take another 10 years to put out new music.

Sam: I would personally like to thank Sergio for the opportunity to appear in Nucleus webzine. I would also like to thank your subscribers for showing an interest in our band. We have an endless well of ideas and hope to continue making CD's as long as we can, and eventually play live again. Thank You!!

Nucleus interview: 10/05/04