Brian: The music for most of the tracks on "Entrance" was written in between 2009 and 2010. At the time I was living in Hartford, Connecticut and there weren't many opportunities to actually do anything with the demo. When I moved to the Boston area in early 2011, I met a few Berklee guys, including the future producer and co-engineer Dan Gonzalez. Dan dug the demo and decided to work with me on a full-length album. Dan seemingly knows everyone around here and he enlisted the help of a killer death metal drummer Alex Fewell (Forced Asphyxiation, Scaphism) to play on it.
You studied classical guitar at the Hartt School of Music. Can you tell us a bit more about your training and how it influences your approach to music?
Brian: The training was tough, lots of hours alone in practice rooms... haha. The biggest takeaway from Hartt was that there are lots of aspects of music creation and performance that go beyond just playing an instrument--reading, researching, analyzing, listening--all required elements that required many hours a day of dedication and focus. It really made me see musical works as stories; and as a performer, I was the voice.
I always liked the analytical side of music; seeing motives evolve into phrases, phrases turning into sections, and sections making up large scale musical structures. Tonal form was always one of my favorite areas of music theory, and it definitely shows in the track Osatan. An anagram for sonata, it also happens to be in sonata form.
You incorporate elements of black metal into your music. Do you think that there's anything about New England in particular that draws people to play black metal?
Brian: Definitely. The first thing that comes to mind are the distinct seasons we enjoy (or abhor), and within each of them, the almost daily chaotic fluctuations of climate, plus, lyrically, there are plenty of Western religion influences to poke fun at.
You raised over $6000 on a crowdfunding website to
release your debut album. Crowdfunding has become very popular but can
also be very controversial. What's your viewpoint on crowdfunding and its
role in metal?
Brian: Crowdfunding can be
a great way for unknown artists to fund their projects whether it's art, music,
or whatever. As long as you aren't
detracting from the integrity of the final project, I'd say go for it. Also, depending on where you do it, and the
type of campaign you set up, you really have nothing to lose. I will say this: the effort you put into it
directly relates to what you get out of it.
Every day I was emailing dozens of friends, family, and potential
supporters, explaining what crowdfunding was, and how they could help (even if
it wasn't monetary contributions). We
were lucky to make it, and I'm grateful for all the support we received.
Do you have any touring or recording plans for the
near future?
Brian: Already working on
some new material, though not sure when that will see daylight.If you could record a split album with any band, who would it be?
Brian: It would definitely be Obsidian Tongue. Both Brendan and Greg are incredibly talented in all their projects, and their latest release with Obsidian Tongue is immense.
Is there anything else you wanted to add or mention?
Brian: Yes, two things: I'm on the lookout for some great musicians to bring these tracks to life--to play live in the Boston/Cambridge area--so if you're interested in joining up, let me know. And, you can download the full-length debut for free at our Bandcamp site: http://vrawsche.bandcamp.com
You can also find more information on the official Vrawsche website:
