There's a new release that just dropped from 1,000 Year Flood and it takes a very unique approach to a progressive rock backbone mixed with a little bit of a folk-rock aspect as well but the cool thing about it is that it's got this sense of adventure to it in a way, and it combines these styles in an outside the box way using augmented chord changes and smart arrangement.
"Great Divide" is smartly woven and built in such a way that the song can wrap itself around you. It's actually somewhat nice to let yourself get engulfed in this track.
It has that sense of being a float in an ocean in a way. The sounds and chords are like waves that come and go and lift you up and down. It's like the song is alive and breathing and that is really different.
Now, you get that great like I said, prog rock undertone going on and the guitars are awesome. The tones of everything match and line up and the whole thing comes together along with the vocals to create this kind of atmosphere that you can really just get lost in.
And I for one really like that about certain kinds of music. I think we should be getting lost in music to an extent. Some songs are like good books in a way. It's like they're meant for you to be able to escape in them and this track is one of those.
There's also some cool sort of Pink Floyd influence happening here and there, and these experimental and slightly psychedelic approaches peek their heads out from time to time throughout the song's course.
You get these held out notes that float underneath the chord changes and allow you to float along with them.
A wondrous combination of textures and tones come together for the creation of this single and it works to the point where when the song is over you have to sort of plant your feet back on the ground again.
Sometimes coming back to reality kind of sucks but, you could always play this song again.
The other thing about this track is that it does have a little bit of a lush and full-bodied feel to it which in turn almost makes it feel like a live performance.
I also love this aspect because it lets you kind of imagine the presence of the band as they do their thing.
So, all in all there are quite a few layers to this track, and it's done with a lot of heart and the performances are dynamic and graceful in their own right.
This is certainly for anyone that has a love for a bit of adventurous music. Songs that don't exactly have boundaries or walls put up around them tend to be addictive.
"Great Divide" is a pretty good example of just that.
With the release of such a massive single, we wanted to have a sit-down with 1,000 Year Flood to find out where this song actually came from and what might be coming up next for the band.
Here's what happened.
Buzz Slayers: Let's kick things off with "Great Divide". This single had a very cinematic and classic rock feel to it! Where did this track come from? Oddly enough, the guitar lick that we riff off of as we are fading out was the first piece of this music we developed for this song. It was something I had in my pocket. I am a huge fan of Richard Thompson and I love the way he sometimes replicates bagpipes by leaving an open string droning in his riffs and solos. I would bring the lick out at rehearsals while we were checking sound volumes and we would just jam. On its own it was never a song, but I think we all knew we wanted to use it in some way. Then the pandemic crashed into us. We had a mood and we had some grooves, so from there we just tried to say something honest. Buzz Slayers: When did this all start for you guys? Joe and I connected at the end of 2018. Carlos joined us about a year later. We all played around quite a bit before that. I think that in every case, it was very quickly obvious who fit well in our little band of brothers and who did not. Buzz Slayers: What inspires you to write a song? Insomnia? That’s a tough question because I have ALWAYS written songs. I think most people dabble with some part of that. The real question is why do we share what we write? For me it’s because I am looking for a soundtrack. There is a soundtrack to every year of my life. Even when I was young and my grandpa gave me a Johnny Cash record for my birthday. I want to contribute to my own soundtrack, and I want to do for others what music has done for me. Buzz Slayers: This song has some great styles! Can you give us some of your top musical influences? Earlier I mentioned Richard Thompson. That is a big influence for me personally as a guitar player and songwriter. As an act, some of the influences that we all share in common are Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. There is a lot of Pink Floyd in this particular cut. A lot of the stuff we did panning the percussion and modulating the guitars was a reaction to wanting layers and atmosphere and not having a Richard Wright in the group. The difficult thing about drawing inspiration from Floyd and Zeppelin is that EVERYBODY loves it, EVERYBODY does it, and it defines an ERA of music. We spent a lot of time trying to honor these influences without sounding derivative or, frankly, old. Buzz Slayers: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music? One common bond for the three of us is that we are all parents. Somehow, by strange coincidence, we all have a single child, 4th grade boy, in our homes. (Joe has recently brought a foster child into his home as well). When we connected we all agreed that no matter how passionately we feel about songcraft and performing, our responsibilities to our families will come first. Buzz Slayers: Who's in your headphones right now? I never listen through headphones. All of my music experience these days comes from driving around in my car. I got a cd box set of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Live at the Fillmore for Christmas. I guess I am dating myself to be excited about that. I really enjoy listening to live recordings. I am pulled towards musicians and acts that can pull off their business without a safety net.
Buzz Slayers: Are you doing any live performances right now? We play, on average, once a month in Portland, OR or SW WA. No tours are planned at the moment. I spend most of my month looking forward to getting on that stage. The next show is on February 4th at Turn! Turn! Turn! in Portland. Buzz Slayers: This single feels like a big undertaking, is there any advice you'd give to other up and coming bands out there? I have no idea what the next big thing will be. Literally no clue. I would not be shocked if Spotify disappears completely before summer. Things go in and out of style so fast in the digital age. What lasts is being able to perform it. People have been worried about DJs and Karaoke for decades, but I don’t think the experience of live music is going to go away or be replaced. My advice is, no matter what you do, take it to people directly and in-person. We all need that connection-especially after the pandemic. Buzz Slayers: What can your fans expect from you in the near future? Better songs. I am immensely proud of what we have done so far, but the day I stop trying to be and do better I will retire. We may deep into some mash ups with other genres. There are all kinds of possibilities. The key, however, will be the songs. It’s always about the songs. We will create better songs. Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Thank you. Thank you for loving music. Thank you for not letting that buzz die when the world gets dark and heavy. Thank you for supporting us, and if you don’t then thank you for supporting the artists in your own lives and communities.
Comments