DAYS BEFORE TOMORROW
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 10th December 2009.
Days Before Tomorrow is a progressive rock act from New Jersey, America. We recently reviewed their debut studio album The Sky Is Falling, and came away most impressed.
We caught up with guitarist and band founder Scott Kahn, and guitarist Derek Davodowich for a chat.
Could you give us a brief summary of how Days Before Tomorrow got together?
Scott: I started the band back in 2005 with our original keyboard player Jason Buchwald. It wasn’t until a year into things that we finally connected with Eric, a singer who lived two hours away from us in Philadelphia, who it turns out was a lifelong friend of my sister, played with my wife when they were toddlers, and was in the same bunk with me at day camp. The other band members came along at various points in time over the next few years until the line-up really solidified just months prior to recording The Sky Is Falling.
How would you describe your sound?
Scott: Melodic progressive rock. Catchy songs with hooks and harmonies, but also backed by intricate musical arrangements.
Derek: Lots of layers and textures, a big arena rock sound like some classic ‘70s and ‘80s bands such as Pink Floyd, Rush, or Genesis.
How did the sound develop? Was it a conscious decision to steer it in one particular direction or did it develop more organically than that?
Scott: When we started out, we were going in more of a modern rock direction. It hadn’t occurred to me to really pursue progressive rock (despite my love of the genre) because I wasn’t playing with musicians who embraced that kind of music. So there were some interesting musical moments, but the influence of artists like U2 and The Police were far more prevalent than my love of Rush, Porcupine Tree, and Marillion.
It wasn’t until connecting with drummer Jason Gianni that it became clear to all of us that making the music more progressive was exactly what it needed to bring it to the next level. That influenced the selection of other new band members, and we’ve never looked back since — this style is the true calling of everyone in the band.
When you released your debut EP in 2006, the band was just Scott and Eric Klein (from the present line-up). How does the sound now compare to then?
Scott: So different! The rhythm section is on another level, the guitars are heavier and more intricate, and the harmonies are much bigger! We evolved one thousand percent from where we were at on the EP, which is why we re-recorded those songs with the new band, and completely transformed one of the tunes (“Can’t Do Anything”) into a very different song from its original version.
How did Ron Nevison and Earl Cohen get involved with The Sky Is Falling? They have quite different backgrounds from each other, genre-wise. Earl Cohen’s history is impressive, but quite different to the sort of music you play.
Scott: We had worked with Earl Cohen previously. He mixed a single for us that we recorded for a record compilation — a remake of the classic Nelson tune, “After The Rain.” Although he’s best known for his work with some of the top artists in pop and hip-hop (Christina Aguilera, Pink, Usher), his favourite artists of all time are actually Peter Gabriel and Genesis, so musically, he had the right background to work with us, and he definitely had the mixing expertise. We knew from the start that we wanted him to mix our album.
One of the big reasons we were excited to work with Ron Nevison was because he has worked with bands that crossed genre lines, like Jefferson Starship, who had big AOR hooks and harmonies, but were also pretty progressive.
Derek: I remember when Scott called me up and said that he sent Ron Nevison some of our demo material, and that he loved it so much he called Scott back immediately to work with us. I almost fell off my chair.
What did they bring to the album that may otherwise have been missing?
Scott: Ron helped us with some of the arrangements — changes that really transformed a few of the songs. Compare “Wrong” with the original version on our debut EP and you can hear one obvious example of his handiwork. And he brought great ideas to the vocal arranging and harmonies. He’s the king of big vocal harmonies in rock music. He also brought some great techniques for recording that can only come from having worked on so many classic albums.
Derek: Earl has killer mixing skills. Listen to how our acoustic guitars shimmer in the mixes, for example. Most bands today that have acoustics in their rock mix… the acoustic guitar sounds really suck. Finding space for multiple guitars, keyboards, big harmonies, and still hearing kick-ass bass lines and the kick drum is a real art. Earl has that nailed.
Is there anyone else in the music industry you’d love to work with one day?
Scott: I’d love to work with Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree). His production values are outstanding and very relevant to our style. But if you’re talking about playing with other musicians, I’d love to play with Steve Hogarth (Marillion), Roland Orzabal (Tears for Fears), Iva Davies (Icehouse), or Jim Kerr (Simple Minds). In the prog world, I love and respect too many of the guitar players to want their spots in the bands.
Derek: I want to work with hot female country recording artists! (laughs)
What are your favourite tracks on the album, or is it all good?
Scott: I’m proud of the album, but “Lighters” and “Sky Is Falling” are two of my favourite songs that I’ve ever been a part of creating.
Derek: It’s all absolutely fantastic. Seriously, what I thought was my favourite song is constantly replaced by a new favourite. “Last Song” started out as my favourite, but now it really just depends on my mood on any given day.
What about the writing and recording of the record... which moments really stand out?
Scott: Besides hanging out with Ron Nevison, one of the most legendary producers in the history of rock music? (laughs)
Derek: Scott and I must have cut the guitar solo in “You’re Not The One” twenty different ways before Ron was happy. “That sucks” was Ron’s catch phrase of the week. (laughs)
Are you pleased with the result...and the reviews you’ve had so far?
Scott: I’m blown away by all the extremely favourable reviews we’ve gotten, but I know that we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of what this band is about. I think our next album will get closer to the heart of what we’re really about as melodic progressive rock musicians.
Are you musical perfectionists? Even now are there bits you’d like to go back and alter?
Scott: Perfectionist? Talk to Eric about that! (laughs). Myself… I’m pretty obsessive about guitar tone, feel, and performance, but I’m willing to leave tiny imperfections in if the vibe is there. I don’t feel a need to alter anything we recorded, but I’m determined to continue evolving as a technical player.
Derek: Oh, absolutely. You always hear things differently over time and wish you had done this or done that. But at some point you just have to accept it and move on.
Who did the artwork for the album?
Scott: Steven Bentley is an amazing graphic illustrator who works on video games and related imagery. We spent weeks searching the Internet for artists who had the right illustration style, and he had the right blend of ‘50s sci-fi vibe with modern edge. When we approached him about illustrating our concept album and shared with him our belief in the marriage of art and music for a complete “experience,” he was very excited to get involved with this project.
I’ve read that you turned down a few deals with record labels in relation to this album. Are you simply waiting for the right one, or do you intend to go it alone?
Scott: We’re definitely just waiting for the right one. We’re a band with crossover potential — arena ready anthems and rock songs that the typical rock fan can latch on to, but we’re also a progressive rock band with intricate stuff happening. We just want the right label who shares our vision of bringing this music to a large audience and not just a niche market.
What is your opinion of the record industry in general?
Scott: It’s not a great time to be trying to bring the “next big thing” to a large record label. They are so afraid to take any risks right now! All they want to sign are artists who sound just like other existing artists with a known sound and style so they can guesstimate exactly how many units they will move. And then they’ll still overprice new releases at $16 each and wonder why they don’t sell. The industry in general has gotten stuck in the whole singles mentality and no longer cares about albums, audio quality, or the whole listening experience. They’ve caved to the lowest common denominator.
In the past, 45s were singles that encouraged people to purchase full albums. But now, the single IS the record label’s primary saleable item. They don’t care about selling full albums anymore. They’re helping to kill quality music.
Derek: Yeah, what he said (laughs).
You’ve won ‘Record Of The Year’ at the Los Angeles Music Awards 2009. What does this mean to you?
Scott: It’s refreshing to know that there are serious music listeners out there who get what we created. We’re really honoured by this recognition.
Am I right in thinking you’ve won/been nominated before in the writing category?
Scott: We’ve had finalist nominations in a few Billboard Magazine songwriting competitions, but all of those were based on our EP and album demos. We’re kind of done with the competition thing now, though.
Does Days Before Tomorrow play the live stage often? If so, any plans to come to the UK?
Scott: We play a lot in New York City and Philadelphia. We’re hoping to get over to the UK and Europe in the spring of 2010 for a short tour.
What’s next for you as an individual, and the band as a whole? Is it all about The Sky Is Falling at the moment or are you already thinking about the next record?
Scott: We’ve been writing a lot of new material — we have almost half of the next record in development. As a musician and songwriter, you can’t just turn off the creation process. It’s part of who I am. It’s what I do. I write. I create. And hopefully, we’ll get to focus more on the writing and recording in mid 2010, but I know we’ve only just begun really promoting the current record, too.
What question do you hate being asked? Have I avoided it?
Scott: Hell, I’m wondering what haven’t you asked! (laughs)
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Scott: We love talking about gear, but that’s another conversation that can run on for days.
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Scott: Watching the new sci-fi television show Flash Forward on the DVR.
Derek: I’m either going to play my guitar or chase after some chicks. That’s more exciting than getting back to my day job, right?
Thanks for your time guys!
Thanks again to Scott and Derek. You can check out the Rock Realms review of The Sky Is Falling here.
http://www.myspace.com/daysbeforetomorrow
http://www.daysbeforetomorrow.com/
Purchase the album: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dbtomorrow2
