“The Sonic Wave”

 Interview with Joe Funk, Thad Miller, Mick Peters and Ted Thomas

By Sergio Vilar

How did the idea arise of forming Thirteen Of Everything?
Ted: By chance. I used to play bass guitar in other bands but had not played actively in a long time. I always loved playing drums but had not played them with any regularity, only having played a set mostly at home with friends during a span of a couple of years long ago.  So around 1998-99 I set my sights on acquiring a set of Roland V-drums and seeking out people to jam with and see what it led to. Before I got any drums, I met Mick by chance at a local (Austin, Texas) club where we both went to see Robert Fripp with the King Crimson side project – ProjeKct 3, in the spring of 1999. We met each other standing in line to get into the club. I learned that Mick played the Chapman Stick and was a big fan of classic progressive rock. We enjoyed the show together and exchanged contact information. It was not until about 7 months later that I acquired the V-drums and phoned Mick to get together. A few weeks later we invited a co-worker of mine, Patrick McFarland (original keyboardist) to join us for jamming and fun.
There was never a grand plan other than to have fun and work on each other’s ideas. Though all had a love for classic progressive rock, it was never a goal to be progressive rock band, but just naturally evolved in that direction. We continued as a threesome hashing out ideas in the garage for the next 1-1/2 years or so.  We had an acquaintance who would occasionally come and play guitar with us but he could not commit to any regular rehearsals and we were to the point of really wanting to complete the picture with a guitarist. It wasn’t until the summer of 2001 that we connected with Joe through a mutual acquaintance. Joe was playing with his instrumental trio, Two Sheds, which coincidentally also featured a Chapman Stick player. They had recently recorded a CD and so we went to hear them perform. They were a trio of guitar/stick/drums, we were a trio of keyboards/stick/drums. They wanted a keyboardist, we wanted a guitarist. As fate would have it, Two Sheds split up when one of the other members left town, and so Joe contacted us. We all got along  well, both personally and musically and for the next year we worked hard on completing the arrangements of the existing songs, plus Joe brought in new ideas of his own. Though we had performed once or twice at informal parties with friends, it was not until we recorded the demo CD in the spring of 2002 that we were forced to decide on a name for the band. (This ended our favorite weekly activity of making each other laugh with humorous band name suggestions.) Patrick left the band a few months later, and Thad joined in November of 2002 to replace him.

Mick: I’d played in some blues/R&B type bands for a few years, but got burnt out.  We would play a four-hour gig, every 2 weeks, and while it was fun for a while, the music wasn’t where my heart was. So, I was drifting, and happened to drift into Ted.  If I’d arrived just a few seconds later at the Projeckt 3 gig I wouldn’t have met him and we wouldn’t be here, we’d be somewhere else. 

Joe: Actually, while under the influence of 6 bottles of NYQUIL, I was told by a BIC Lighter to join this band.           

Thad: I answered their advertisement in the personals section.

Which are the artists with those that you identify with on a compositional and instrumental level? 
Ted: For me, though I love many genres of music, I suppose I identify most with Genesis on a compositional level. The stately power of the music, the way the themes can recur not only within one song but also in other songs on the same album, the dramatic buildup, the dynamics.
Personally, I have many favorites outside of “prog” (XTC, Thomas Dolby, Bill Nelson, Ultravox, Catherine Wheel, Rush, and of course The Beatles, to name a few) but in addition to Genesis, my other favorite classic “prog” bands are Yes, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, U.K. and Jethro Tull. As a drummer, my instrumental influences are primarily Barrie Barlow (Jethro Tull), Phil Collins (Genesis), John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), Bill Bruford (Yes/King Crimson/U.K.), Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa/U.K.) and John Weathers (Gentle Giant).

Mick: Likewise. I became musically aware in the mid 70’s having survived my musical puberty listening to…well, I won’t say what I listened to, it’s too embarrassing.  But at age 12 I heard Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of The Moon” for the first time at school and it was a real eye-opener… I just had no idea such things existed!

Joe: Probably Bach, Genesis, XTC, Porcupine Tree, Jean-luc Panty… sorry…  Ponty. But my biggest influence has to be Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern -schplenden -schlitter -crasscrenbon -fried -digger -dangle -dungle -burstein -von -knacker -thrasher -apple -banger -horowitz -ticolensic -grander -knotty -spelltinkle -grandlich -grumblemeyer -spelterwasser -kürstlich -himbleeisen -bahnwagen -gutenabend -bitte -eine -nürnburger -bratwustle -gerspurten -mit -zweimache -luber -hundsfut -gumberaber -shönendanker -kalbsfleisch -mittler -raucher von Hautkopft of Ulm.

Thad: Anything with a synthesizer or organ solo in it.  (Except Planet-X.)

What feelings or ideas did you look for to express through the band? 
Ted: A sense of excitement, drama and uniqueness, with a dose of humor now and then. No literal agenda by way of lyrics – just good, thoughtful, poignant, meaningful, emotional, or sometimes humorous lyrics.

Mick: Musically I like to get a sense of power, but also contrast. Lyrically I like to hear songs about getting your clothes off with girls. Or alien invasion. Either is fine.

Joe: My intense feeling to humiliate the other band members (which is quite easy to do).  Mick likes to hear songs about getting your clothes off with girls, but writes tremendous lyrics about getting your clothes off with boys.

Thad: Disdain for simple music. Although sometimes we play simple to show our disdain for complex music. It just depends.

What is the idea behind Thirteen Of Everything?  What is your essence? 
Ted: We are primarily influenced by classic progressive rock of the 70’s, as well as newer bands influenced by that genre. We try to avoid sounding derivative or pretentious (at least to our ears). Though we’re all capable players, we’re not virtuosos seeking to show off with physical dexterity or speed just for the sake of it. We strive for listenability and an interlocking ensemble sound that reflects our fondness for odd-time signatures, syncopation, and tight arrangements, while emphasizing melody and thematic development. Hopefully this results in music that is at least compelling on first listen, but reveals more with repeated listening.

Mick: I have a great belief in the power of music. When I was 14, I was able to levitate while listening to Genesis’s “The Carpet Crawl”, and I want to try to recreate that feeling. Being in a band like this is a lot of work, but those occasional moments when the muse comes to say “hello boys” makes it worthwhile.

Joe: Actually, I taught Mick the levitation trick. Seriously, I like to make a lot of wacky sounds that hopefully fit in with the music.

Thad: Personally, I enjoy pretentiousness in music, so I try to add that element back in.

Has the music of the group changed much from the beginning? How has your sound evolved? 
Ted: Since the recording of the demo CD in 2002, we purposely created a new piece of music that is a bit more linear in form. This allows the music to stretch out and takes its time, rather than overlaying a lot of themes & ideas in a dense arrangement. For this new long piece Joe, Mick and I took turns writing a musical piece to follow the others’ previously written piece, instead of adding many ornamental parts on top of ideas. This was a sort of evolution in our writing style, in that it resulted in simpler pieces that gradually unfold and build up dynamically toward the end. And, though he rigorously learned the older songs very precisely, the addition of Thad replacing Patrick on keyboards, and our subsequent rehearsing and performing with Thad for the next year undoubtedly had an effect on our overall dynamic as well as the keyboard sounds. Also, I continued to gradually add more acoustic elements to the drum kit, eventually switching to an all-acoustic set. The new CD features all acoustic drums on all the newly recorded older songs, as well as the aforementioned new long-form linear piece,  plus an acoustic guitar solo piece. With the official CD completed, we are now able to put all these songs behind us (at least for a short while) and concentrate on fleshing out the many unfinished musical ideas we’ve had floating around for years as well as some even newer ideas. Thad’s writing now as well, and Joe recently got a new guitar synthesizer, so both of these developments will surely have an impact on our sound. So, I think this question will be better answered after we complete another album’s worth of songs.

Mick: A big change came with the departure of Patrick. He was a good writer and had a distinct style. We’ve just started writing more new stuff and it’s fun to see Thad contributing his own stuff. I’m sure the next CD (which will probably take years) will be very different.

Joe: The music is much better than it sounds now.

Thad: I expect the music will continue to change as I bring in my wacky ideas.

Could you give us a brief impression about the songs and the lyrics of “Thirteen Of Everything”, your CD demo/debut? Begin with “Flying East”... 
Ted: “Flying East” features lyrics by Mick, which he also sings, so he can speak to that. The musical idea began as a couple of riffs by Mick on the Chapman Stick. This is the one track on the album that truly evolved spontaneously (for the most part) through jamming and the live interaction during rehearsals regarding the arrangement of various ideas. When someone would play something new that the others liked, they’d say “yeah, do that again” or “do that but do it in a different way, a different place”, etc. Mick did bring in one section that we learned from his “composed” demo (the wacky rhythm in the middle), but otherwise we pretty much made it up as we went, seeking to create a dramatic arc, and then solve the puzzle of how to end it.

Mick: “Flying East” is really about remaining close to things even though they’re far away. Specifically I was sitting watching some English football on TV one day and realized that I watch more of that on TV here in Texas than I did when I lived in England, which struck me as strange. So, the “you” in the song is England I guess, and the “I” is me.

Joe: Bloody sentimental rubbish.

Thad: I get to play several nice electric piano sounds on this one. This is the only real song on the album as it is the only one with a lengthy synthesizer solo.

Continue with “Let It Go”… 
Ted: The music for “Let it Go” was written by the band’s original keyboardist Patrick McFarland. It was a song he had previously written long before the inception of the band, but was then arranged for the band. Incidentally, Patrick intended the opening riff to be played by a banjo (!). During the new final recording Joe added some very nice guitar chords, which improved one section. But otherwise I believe Patrick wrote and arranged all the music. Patrick sang the lyrics on the demo CD version of this song, however that duty soon fell to me for our live performances, and for the official album version. Joe wrote the lyrics, which he can speak to.

Joe: The lyrics are basically about “recovery from addiction”.

Subsequently “Sleepdance” comes, in my opinion one of the most beautiful tracks in the album... 
Ted: Joe wrote the music and lyrics, with some additional musical contributions from Patrick. It provides a nice change of mood from most of the other pieces, which are rather frenetic at times.  It gives me an opportunity to plod along in a John Bonham style. As I recall, Joe brought the lovely guitar phrases during one of his first jams with the rest of us, and it evolved from there with Joe and Patrick basically arranging it with probably some minor input from Mick and I.  We’ve added some additional mood-enhancing effects for the official album version. I’ll leave it to Joe to discuss the lyrics, which he wrote and sang.

Mick: I’ve always wondered, exactly what is “a stealth control”?

Joe: “a stealth control” is the dream-like essence of being bulletproof and invisible. Or, in Mick’s case, a terrific bowel movement. Actually, I wrote the lyrics to the chorus around the intro melody, trying to evoke one of my “Nightmarish” dreams. I then wrote the melody to the verses around the lyrics, trying to evoke one of my “Nightmarish” dreams. The final product successfully evokes this evocation.

Thad: Bloody sentimental rubbish.

“Replay” is a cut amid the two more extensive tracks. Which is the central idea? 
Ted: Mick can speak about the central idea of the lyrics, which he wrote and sang. He actually wrote the music as well. My comments would be that this is very poignant lyric with a nice dramatic musical buildup that evolves along with the lyrical content very well.

Mick: I heard a report on the radio where a prison inmate was given a tape recorder to make a documentary feature.  At the end of the day, as the lights were turned out he said “Well, that’s all I need to do, because tomorrow, and every other day will be exactly the same as the one you just heard”. It seems that this sentiment is more or less true for all of us, unless we find a way out. Some people do something dramatic, but for me, being in this band and playing this music is my way out.

Joe: Seriously, Mick has a fantasy about spending time in prison… Don’t drop the soap, buddy.

Lastly, the track where all the elements and musical distinguishing characteristics of the band are conjugated: “Bird In Hand”. 
Ted: This song stretches the limits on how many melodies, rhythmic elements and dynamics one song can cohesively carry, but I think it succeeds. This is the other song which the music was written pretty much exclusively by our ex-keyboardist, Patrick. He wrote this music after attending ProgFest in California in 2000, as a deliberate attempt to write a “prog epic”. We rehearsed it a million times, adhering to Patrick’s “iron fist” arrangement, polishing every nuance of the music (all before there was any singing or lyrics). It wasn’t until shortly before we recorded the demo version of this song in the spring of 2002 that I wrote and sang the lyrics to add to it. Patrick had recently announced that he wanted to leave the band to pursue other interests. The lyrics are basically about choosing whether you should pursue something at the risk of losing what you have, not realizing what you have until it’s gone, etc., hence the title. It can apply to any difficult decision one has to make, or chooses to make, but it was indeed inspired by Patrick’s decision to leave the band. I was hoping it would convince him to stay.

Thad: Personally, I’m glad he left.                                     

What can you tell us about the next disc? 
Ted:  It is called “Welcome, Humans” and it is being released in June 2005 by Musea Records. Musea are a well-known label based in France, specializing in progressive rock. The album includes sonically improved new recordings of all five of the songs from the demo CD, as well as the addition of  30 minutes of new material: One acoustic guitar instrumental by Joe called “Semprini” and a 26-minute 7-part piece collectively called “Late for Dinner”, which features a few main thematic elements introduced as separate parts (individually written by Joe, Mick and Ted, with lyrics by Mick), then combined and re-stated in different ways culminating in a dynamic ending. The album was produced and engineered by the band in a home studio environment. Mick engineered and mixed based on the comments from the band “committee” upon our listening to each new mix (which nearly drove him mad!). The CD will contain all the lyrics, with some band photos, and features artwork by a local artist.

Mick: It was an endless, winding road, full of potholes and road kill. But we’re very happy with it.

Joe: I think the finale of “Late for Dinner”  - “Xenophobe” is where this incarnation of the band found it’s groove: Mick did a great job engineering this one. I’m very proud of all our playing on this. It’s a grand way to end the recording.

Thad: It took Mick a very long time to mix this thing down. I don’t think the mixing committee helped speed this up.

Is there a tentative date of release? 
Ted: Musea has told us it would be out by the end of May 2005.

What are you doing at the moment? Are you performing shows? 
Ted: We haven’t performed since November of 2003, though we look forward to playing live again after the new album is released this summer. In the meantime, we are stepping back from the finished songs for a short while and concentrating on working on new song ideas.

Mick: Yeah, when we get back to gigs we’d like to have some new material to add to the album stuff.  Right now we’re in the early stages but we have a few things going.

Thad: Right now, at this moment, we are editing our response to these questions. We are not performing shows right now… at the moment.

Many thanks. Is there anything you would you like to add?
Ted: Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you and tell you more about Thirteen of Everything. We hope that the official album release will be well received. For anyone that heard our self-titled demo CD, the sound quality of “Welcome, Humans” is most certainly superior to the demo CD.  And though the meticulous arrangements of the older songs remain intact, they do feature some new twists and surprises. And besides, there’s an additional 30 minutes of new material as well. To anyone who is reading this, please visit our website at www.thirteenofeverything.com or email us at band@thirteenofeverything.com. And, if you are planning to attend NEARFest 2005, please stop by and visit us at our table.

Nucleus interview: 12/05/05