I said I was going to start doing band & artist interviews, well here’s your first one, with band members Steve Grogan and Scott Basal. Steve is the leader of this project called, Burning Vanity, with him doing a special concept album. Steve is from Troy, N.Y. I’ve known him for quite a while, and done some shows with him around the scene. A few of his other interests other than music, are fiction writing, fitness, and horror films. He is also a family man.

To learn more about Steven and this Burning Vanity project, enjoy the interview here….

1) How old were you when you first picked up guitar?

STEVE: I was about 16 because it was my junior year of high school.

SCOTT: I was probably 15 when I got my first guitar.

2) Did you take lessons or were you self-taught?

STEVE: I took lessons for a while. Then I gave up after a few months because the guitar I had was all out of whack. The action was way too high because the bridge was actually in the process of ripping itself off! Little did I know, that particular situation would give ANY guitar player a hard time. I finally got around to playing again in 1995 or so, when I finally bought myself a brand new guitar.

SCOTT: Mainly self taught but did study classsicaly for a period of time

3) Who were your favorite guitar heroes?

STEVE: Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins, Brian May from Queen, Robert Smith from the Cure, David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine, Gary Louris from the Jayhawks. I like a lot of obscure, indie rock guitarists…players who are known more for their ability to add texture rather than sheer technical prowess a la Steve Vai or Yngwie…although I give props to those guys too!

SCOTT: I think I’ve always wanted to play guitar (since I was a teenager) but Jimi Hendrix and Trey Anastasio are my favorite guitarists and have inspired me to believe that anything is possible with guitar.

4) What was the very first cover song that you learned?

STEVE: The main riff to Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” I never bothered learning the whole song until much later because, at the time, I was dating this “indier than thou” girl who made fun of me for learning even that much.

SCOTT: Pink Floyd song Fearless

5) What made you want to start making your own music?

STEVE: I’ve always been the artistic type. As far back as I can remember, I was writing short stories and poems. I’m into the whole “write something that expresses who you really are” thing rather than the “write what will make you a lot of money” deal. What really kickstarted me was the first time I heard SIAMESE DREAM in its entirety. I wanted to write songs that moved people the way that album moved me.

SCOTT: When I first heard guitar that I really liked and wanted to do the same thing beacause i thought it would be cool to ‘rock out’ and make cool sounds and do something different/unique that people would like.

6) What was the very first band that you were in?

STEVE: A power trio called Judo for Japan.

SCOTT: Sol Energy

7) Can you share any crazy road stories or embarrassing onstage moments?

STEVE: Well, this is SORT OF my moment. It was when you and I played a gig at Flavour Cafe and a certain someone showed up to give YOU a hard time. My neurons immediately started firing…I had no idea what was going on or if it was going to get physical, but I was ready for it if it did. I’m not sure you want me sharing something that is essentially YOUR story, so I will stop there.

SCOTT: First time playing out at open mic spent most of first song tuning (there was another guitar and a vocalist)

8) What is your dream guitar or amp?

STEVE: I like my Marshall halfstack. As for guitars I would like a Fender Strat because most of my heroes played them. I’d also like a Les Paul SG, and maybe even a Fender Jaguar…or Jazzmaster. I always forget which model Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth played. He plays the same model as one of my other indie rock unsung guitar heroes, Adam Franklin from Swervedriver.

SCOTT: Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul, acoustic upright bass, Martin acoustic Amps: Fender, Marshall, Mesa Boogie

9) If you were to open for a national act (someone famous),
what band or solo act would it be?

STEVE: I think the hard rock music I play would make Burning Vanity a good match to open for the Smashing Pumpkins. In terms of the more acoustic or less-heavy stuff, I’d like to open for Iron and Wine or the Jayhawks.

SCOTT: I’m not sure of an answer for that one.

10) A lot of people say that Albany is not much of a music scene. What would you do to improve that?

STEVE: Well, I think what you’re doing here will maybe begin to change things. Your blog still has a wide readership, and these interviews will bring attention to the lesser known bands that play originals. Then you have groups on social media outlets like Facebook, where people are very supportive, positive, and non-judgmental. We need to unite a core group of musicians that are like that, people who will share gigs even if they aren’t necessarily fans of each other’s music. Maybe then the original bands can gain some respect from venues. We have to stop blaming the cover bands for dominating the scene and just work, work, work!

SCOTT: More places where cool bands can play (like underground type places like basements and abondoned warehouses). Less heavy rock bands. More eclectic mix of styles. Less egos. Less deuche bag/conceited/asshole/self-absorbed musicians. Better use of waterfront. Outside places where musicians are encouraged to play (or are even paid to)

11) You’re making a concept album called THE AGONY OF ECSTASY with a protagonist named Samson, who becomes a rock star and fails in life. How did you come up with this story, and what made you want to tell it?

STEVE: Well, I have always been a firm believer that no writer can REALLY pin down where inspiration/ideas come from…unless, of course, they were inspired by true events. As for this project, I have always wanted to try my hand at a concept album. The story was a mixture of ideas from records I’d heard over the years, in particular Pink Floyd’s THE WALL where you have an out of control rock star, and the Who’s TOMMY, where the protagonist becomes a spiritual leader but then fails his followers. As for what made me decide to tell it…I just decided to go with my gut. Like I said above, I have never let public taste guide what kind of things I write. It’s a bad idea to do that because the public is very fickle, and what’s popular one year will be shunned the next. So I followed what my instincts told me, and I started to write the songs. It was almost like writing a novel because each song is like a chapter in Samson’s life. When I listened back to what I wrote and felt that each song stood on its own, that was when I knew I had something…because a concept album has to be more than just a cool story. If the songs don’t work, the most badass idea in the world won’t save it.

12) A side question for Scott here: the bulk of these songs were written years ago. What inspired you to sign up to play bass for it, especially since you consider yourself a guitarist?

SCOTT: I was interested in idea of concept album, and playing the bass for a studio project where I might have some input beyond the bass

13) I notice that some of the songs on the concept album are pretty heavy rocking. They remind me of 70s punk with the likes of the Stooges and the Misfits. Were they part of the influence on this album?

STEVE: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! You mentioned the dreaded P word! LOL. Seriously though,I HATE 99% of all punk music. It’s just too one-dimensional for me. My major influences have always been rooted in classic rock because I admire the ambition. And of course anyone who knows me will also know the Pumpkins are still my biggest influence. Even though they aren’t classic rock, they REMIND me of that stuff. I read one review that called SIAMESE DREAM “a Boston album for the 90s,” and I think that’s pretty accurate.

The biggest influences on this project were much more ambitious than punk. There is the epic-in-scope-AND-length MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS. I already mentioned THE WALL and TOMMY. Another influence was Frank Zappa’s JOE’S GARAGE in that the first half has more songs, but they are shorter, while the second half has fewer songs, but they are longer and more prog-like.

14) Do you plan to play these songs at gigs?

STEVE: Absolutely! We have recorded all 18 songs via drummer Brett Petersen’s home equipment. We plan on making a demo of the best takes. In other words, we will NOT make all 18 songs available at first. The plan is to hand out this demo for free at gigs to garner interest and build momentum. Any money we get paid from any shows will go into a studio fund so we can record it properly.

(NOTE: As of this writing, Brett Petersen has dropped out of the project. A search for another drummer will begin while Steve and Scott record their solos and bass parts.)

15) Will you release the concept album on CD to sell or will it be an internet only release?

STEVE: It will definitely be out on CD. Let me get into the structure of the album a little more here. The concept album is written like a play, in that it has 3 acts and consists of several characters. My original plan was to release three EPS, one for each act. Recently, I decided I had to change the release approach. Act 1 is only 25 minutes long. So the new plan is to put Acts 1 and 2 on one CD, and act 3 on the other. Yes, that means this will be a double album. A lot of people shy away from that kind of stuff. In fact, the only band I personally know of in this area who released a double CD was the Lawn Sausages, and even then that was a LIVE double. My hope is that what we are pulling off here is going to be something special and unique, not just for local musicians but for anywhere. And not to sound arrogant, but I think we DO stand out. Even if you take me alone…I mean, there aren’t many people around here who would tout the Smashing Pumpkins as their biggest influence.

16) Post links where people can find your music.

LINKS:

www.reverbnation.com/burningvanity (concept album songs)

www.myspace.com/andthetraitors (hard rock, but not related to a concept album)

www.myspace.com/stevegrogan (solo acoustic)

www.youtube.com/user/wcman100 (solo acoustic stuff)

burningvanity.wordpress.com (read about updates on the album)

We are also on Twitter with the user name “burningvanity.”

When you want to play the best live show possible, not only that you have to be confident and play the best music possible, I think your show needs to have some audience participation. You want your fans to be part of the show. A lot of times I would see cover bands when the singer would go out in the crowd with a wireless mic and let somebody sing a few lyrics, or the guitar player would let a fan from the crowd play guitar for a song.

Let the crowd take photos and shoot videos. Talk to the crowd in between songs. When you’re a guitar player, I would see guitarists walk up close to the stage and play guitar in front of some fans face up close, they seem to like that.

Another creative way of audience participation, is letting the crowd dance with the band on stage which maybe best for the final song of the show. Very few bands are into audience participation and when I get my own band going someday, I’ll do whatever I can to make the crowd feel part of the show.

You can keep a fanbase and get more fans that way. You’ll get even more respect.

Kev

The older and more professional bands & musicians are usually good at putting themselves out there ’cause they know what they are doing. They’ve been around it long enough ’cause they know how the music industry works and knows how the music world goes.

For the younger bands just getting into the scene, they’ve got a lot of learning to do. The younger bands seem to be doing everything they can to get noticed. They seem to be jumping at every opportunity that throws at them. It seems like they’ll get any gig they can get, and they seem to be wanting to play almost anywhere.

I understand bands & solo musicians do whatever they can to achieve their dreams & goals, but they need to do their careers responsibly and carefully. I mean, there are sleazy things they have to watch out for. They have to be careful of the scams that go around the music business, the pay to play schemes, they have to worry about getting ripped off by venue owners, etc. All kinds of bullshit.  This is why you can’t say yes to everything that throws at you. Some of these bands will still think this stuff is legit and a good opportunity for them. Plus, worst of all they have to watch out for sleazy club & venue owners ’cause not all of them are going to be so kind to you, believe me.

If I ever get my own band going, I’m going to be careful with everything and take everything we do seriously. Before getting booked a gig at some venue, look into it in detail and make sure the gig is worth it before saying yes to it. Don’t be afraid to turn down gigs you don’t agree with. You don’t need to agree with everything in the music world. Don’t be afraid to be real and honest about things.

Of course, when you say this stuff to other bands, they’ll think you’re full of shit and they’ll get upset easily, when all you’re doing is just looking after them as a fan and friend.

If you want your career to be on a positive note, you have to take everything you do seriously. This post is not just aimed at the young and new bands, this is aimed at the some of older bands as well, ’cause even they can mess up their careers sometimes as well.

Take it all seriously… the way you put yourselves out there. Your music, the way you promote yourself, the way you book gigs, the way you enter contests & other competitions, the way you talk to people, etc.

Another thing, communication skills. When you want to put yourself out there, you have to have your best communication skills possible. Having a good attitude and being professional is a must. Bands make the mistake that they think they can act however they want to in the music scene. They think they can act like an asshole to people whenever you want to, but if you want your music to go somewhere you can’t. Bands have the worst communication skills, it’s crazy.

This goes for me too. In the past, I wish I put myself out there better but I learn from my mistakes and I’ll learn to do much better in my next musical run.

Kev

A lot of local musicians who have their own personal facebook pages, would have a lot of friends in their friends lists. Meaning, they would have somewhere between 1,000 to 5,000 friends or way more. Not me.

I don’t care to have that many friends. I like to keep my facebook page, short and simple. What I use it for, is to keep in touch with family, friends, people I knew from high school, supporters/fans, local musicians, people who I think are interesting or cool to me, etc. I don’t add a bunch of random people. I’m very selective and choosy of who I add and don’t add.

I believe that those people who add a bunch of people randomly, are just desperate for attention. Not naming names. They just want to make themselves look popular online when they are not really. And I’m pretty sure, that other people didn’t send them add requests. They go around trying to add as many people as possible, to see if they actually accept them.

Of course, if you call them out on this, they would think it’s marketing or promoting of their music, when you know that’s a flat out lie.

I’m okay with adding a bunch of random people on my facebook music fanpage, but with my personal facebook, no.

Kev

So we talk about how to tell musicians who have big ego problems, lets talk about how to deal with them. When you become a musician, and the more popular you become, you’re going to run into a lot of musicians with huge ego problems. A lot of them will think they are better than you and more important than you.

The trick is, don’t let them. Don’t let them think they are better or bigger than you, no matter what they say or do. Other local musicians have tried to destroy my reputation as a person and a musician lots of times before. They tried to do it with all the bullying and harassment over the years, but they failed every time. You need to be one tough, son of a bitch. The trick is, you want to think you’re better than them. It really works too.

Another trick is, just keep going with the music. Keep playing and prove them wrong that you are talented and something special. You don’t have to give up music if so many musicians are coming after ya. When they do that, it’s pretty likely they are jealous of you and they will never admit it.

This is another reason why you need to be a bit of an egomaniac yourself, so you can stay above them. Don’t let ’em ruin you. Other musicians just want to see you fail at your career ’cause they know that you are talented, that’s why they do what they do. Period.

Kev