dancing in mind

by airhole

Photos by Harriet

We subject B-Quartet - Bani Haykal (vocals/ bass), Bani Faizal (guitars/ vocals), Bani Raizan (guitars) and Bani Hidir (drums/ vocals) - to the usual curious and fanboy-ish questions typical of this free webzine. So what's really dancing in their minds...?

When did you guys decide to form a band?

We are not a band. We are a group of goblin-eating children.

It was December 1999 when we decided to start jamming. It was an impulsive thing. Hidir and Haykal had just began liking to play music and we knew Faizal and Raizan had already been playing. It was pretty much a straightforward thing after that. But, back to the question, December 1999.

Haha... you sure it's not children-eating goblins? What sort of stuff did you guys jam to when you first started out?

Vaguely massacred blues. It was horrifying! It was terrifyingly terrible!

Well, honestly, I cannot believe that. What made you guys move in the direction of composing your own original music?

Perhaps it was the environment we grew up in. We used to jam at this god-awful place (but credits have to be given because if not for them, we would not have had the time of our lives jamming our hearts out, however names shall not be mentioned) where the old-timers will say "you have to play this kind of music to make money". Personally, we were all like "fuck you, and you". We do not like people telling us the "there is only 1 musical direction you must take and that is ours" crap.

That made us a lot stronger in a sense that, unless we went through that period of people trying to brainwash us into thinking so, we would probably never start doing our own stuff. So we were in that place, just that they made us want to move away faster. Thanks.

Hmm, I guess we can only thank them now! Who were your music influences when you first started out?

There are two horizons.

Metallica, Jimi Hendrix | Yellowjackets, Dave Weckl, Wes Montgomery.

After, another 2 more horizons.

Megadeth | Siti Nurhaliza.

Then, It just got pulled a bit more together.

G3, Dream Theater, Rage Against The Machine.

So you guys are cutting an EP now? How many songs are there? What are the things the consumers would be interested to know?

There are probably going to be 5 1/2 songs in it. Interested to know? Um...Ezal played keyboards on 'Dancing In Mind', 'Table 62' and 'Alphanumeric'. Everyone played guitar on 'Dry Rain'. (Yes, inclusive of the engineer and Ezal)

Even the engineer! The direction of the band, I noticed that as more gigs go by, you guys are tending away from the genre of rock to the more progressive genres of music. So where are you guys headed?

We do not know. It is supposed to move. As long as the music is moving, it is fine. We are not for definitions and all that music "genre jargon" crap. If it's like this or that, it's rock or blues or jazz or pop, none of that long-winded open-heart music genre surgery. None of that for us thanks.

Spoken like a true musician! Ha! So what are your influences now?

It is still quite diverse. We still like Megadeth, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Travis, Coldplay and U2. Hidir loves radio friendly music like Avril Lavigne, Hoobastank. He also loves Nuno Bettencourt, John Mayer, Paul Gilbert, Mr Big and Toto. And more recently, Mars Volta, Radiohead and stuff like that.

Faizal and Raizan are listening to Dave Matthews, Jamiroquai, Incognito, Infectious Grooves, Jamie Cullum and Toto.

Haykal listens to Bjork, Screaming Headless Torsos, Sting, Phish, Primus, Rage Against The Machine and Radiohead.

What I like about your original songs is that every piece seems to be rather well developed. I believe that a song should not contain a guitar solo JUST because there is a guitarist in the band. And that is what I like about your songs. Any comments?

We are curious about this, but how would you describe well developed? The guitar solo thing, it's an unanimous decision. Guitar solos, if possible, cut down. There is little point showing off if we cannot do it.

Well developed? Well, when I hear what you guys put out, I am under the impression that there is a lot of musical maturity in the songs. Hence, the notion of your music being well thought out and developed arises. So what was the main inspiration for forming a band? Music? Groupies? Girls? Money? C'mon, be honest...

Coincidence. At our grandma's place we had what we needed to jam. There were 4 of us and each roles were easily defined for playing in a band. Everyone went to respective places and played.

Okay, here are some questions about the gigs that I have watched. At the Esplanade gig (Spread the Love 2005), I saw Ezal playing keyboards. At the Bar None Sessions, I saw an Apple i-Book on stage. Are these additions just temporary or will they be the mainstays of the band in the future?

We're still experimenting. Not really knowing what to fix yet, But sometimes, trying to defy ourselves does make us a bit annoyed with ourselves. We're just messing around.

Ah, that might be a good way to challenge your musicality! By the way, which local bands in Singapore do you guys appreciate?

THE OBSERVATORY!

Hmm, seems unanimous... what advice would you give fans who want to create your type of music? This question is for me, but what the heck...

What? We are coming up with a series of manuscripts, which dictates a rather ridiculous point of view on how to kill influences and stay away from subconscious inspirations. It also narrates the life of L.K Richardson, the founder of modern day Radish Is Green foundation. It is not an open interpretation, but it has got a lot to do with how life is a mess when we listen to too many things around us. One of the many important topics to take note of is that how notes go beyond the normal range of CDEFGABC. That there is a mysterious note X that many fail to see. This formula will ensure a faster growth in your understanding for suicide and a more absurd reason to just "go to hell". Of course, the shortcut is that if you could break the code before the codes are released, you will realize that the best way to be as wonderfully imaginative is when you take soap, 2 live wires from a fan or hair drier and a bucket full of water.

Test this out by mixing all

Your hands inside and pain galore!

You'll freeze to death and realize,

How woolly mammoths can live on ice.

With the right amount of made up gases, you could find a pigeon that roasts mankind. Destroy that pigeon before you seek, the many millions that are really weak. Inflict the torment to the people, as you harm more men than men themselves.

If you take Pi and multiply it with X, you won't get the answer. But you will get somewhere. Burn the road that sells your fate, and understand your worth and rate.

Normally this formula works. If you want to take this step further, there’s an abyss in the lake, just south of here, a man will wave, and bring you there. Before he takes his knife and gun, use your soap, and zap the fuck. If that fails and he lives to grope, then hack the tree, and kill the fuck.

Haha, that was indeed lovely. We hope to see that in one of your songs in the future!

the workmen's tools

So what do the talented quartet use to craft their infectious tunes? Read on...

Are you two like Yamaha endorsees or something? All Yamaha guitars!

Nope, I WISH! I got my guitar by winning the Yamaha Asian beat competition and had to spend the voucher on Yamaha products.

I remember you telling me about the Boss DS-1. Seemed to me you liked it quite a bit, any other pedals you really love?

What? Quite a bit?! I like it A LOT!!! Other pedals, hmmm, I kind of like the sound from POD Line 6 effects as well.

I know you play fewer solos, but how do you make each note count for your solos? By the way, I also like your style, different from your bro, but still rocks my ass! Damn! I hate you guys!

Shoot the bugger!!! Well that's part of it. Er, I just play whatever ideas I have in my head. I will probably listen to music for more inspiration. And also practice and hone these ideas with the band.

Hmm, that sounds pretty good. What is your ideal guitar tone?

Fat, warm and clean. Guitarists like Steve Vai, Pat Metheny, Eric Johnson, Paul Gilbert have one of the "bestest" tone in the world.

I actually like your rhythm tone. The clean one is crisp without sounding brittle. How do you achieve that? I spend shit loads of time trying to achieve the presence without it being brittle.

To me, the amplifiers play an important part because I do not get my clean tone from my pedal board. Some of the amplifiers I have used just SUCK!!! It will sound muddy, distorted and super sharp and you just cannot help it.

Whammy techniques: I notice your whammy techniques are pretty unconventional, so did Steve Vai influence you?

Ha ha!! YEAH BABY YEAH!!!

Heh, yet another Steve Vai fan. As regards the acoustic song, or at least the song that started with an acoustic the band played during Spread The Love 2005 , do you find the Ovation uncomfortable? After all, it is a bowled body.

Yeah, it is a bowled body and I am not used to it. It was the first time I used an acoustic for a gig.

I remember the Steve Vai Guitar Competition where you played the guitar with your tongue. When are we going to see that lovely tongue of yours in action again?

Hahaha!! Soon? Possibly maybe...

Hmm... I think many fans would love to see that tongue in action again.

Are you two like Yamaha endorsees or something? All Yamaha guitars!

No la! We wish we were... stuff of dreams, man. Wet wet dreams. Hah! Just so happens that when we won the Asian beat competition 2002, we had this Yamaha voucher to spend on ONLY Yamaha products... so there you go Yamaha guitars it is.

It is a good thing Yamaha products are of quality. I notice a multi effects board (KORG AX1000G) and some boss pedals, what do you think of boutique pedals? Do you really like your Korg or are you going to change when you get more moolah?

Boutique pedals?? *Scratches head* WTF! Aha! I do not know what these are, man! And Korg? Korg is okay lah... A bit too digital but still good enough for me. The boss DS-1 helps to get more tone from the Korg though. And yes, of course... more moolah means a change of some equipment.

During the composition of music, how do the solos come about? Do you just whack or chart out some progression?

A bit of both. First I just whack, if it is nice, it stays. If it is not nice then no choice but to reinvent!

But nowadays, we do not have much solos... in fact in the 5 1/2 songs in the EP, I played only 2 solos... the rest are just simple lines to complement the chords my brother is playing. Hidir would sometimes chip in with ideas/lines/crap on what to play!

What is your ideal guitar tone?

Tone? Warm yet bright enough for the higher notes to scream through! Haha, like wet but no water... Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai to name a few. Must be those expensive racks, hahaha. Gimme more moolah!!

I may have accidentally unleashed the psycho in Faizal with all that maniacal laughter. Anyway, after so much shredding, do you warm up before starting to play?

Argh! You know how much I hate to be associated with shredding!!! Nothing against shred... I love shred, it's just that I can't do it! (Editor: Right, we believe you. Hurhur). Warm-ups? Does carrying my shit load of effects count as warming up?? Its freaking heavy...

Sorry for the wrong inference for shredding, but heck, if you have seen me play, what you guys do is called shredding. Really! Anyway, I hope you guys use some kind of strap locks, especially when you play 'Dry Rain'.

Nope. No strap locks. Just whack only. Just throw my guitar. If it falls, it falls.

I hate it when you guys smile so beautifully and just execute your difficult guitar parts so easily. Want to comment on that?

Smiling is just a decoy to distract the audience in case we mess up our lines/solos/chords etc. If we ever mess up, most of the people will not notice because they would assume that we did fine (because of the smile!) Ha! Smile boys. *click*

Faizal does sound like a mad genius on guitar…

I find it hard playing bass because I have short arms. Do you face the same problem?

Is that really a theory? Haha. Sorry. I don't know. The initial problem I had was: because of short arms, maybe. I used to have my bass hung down low. And had a really really hard time juggling. So I raised it all the way up so that it felt a lot more comfortable to play. In short (forgive the pun) as long as it's comfortable, get on with the programme.

Well said! So, how do you sing and play at the same time?

Sing and play at the same time? It is like writing whilst talking on the phone at the same time. Anyone could get used to it. The maestros who are doing it are: Linda from Lunarin and Ginette from Astreal. I do not know them personally, but I do know they play the bass and sing at the same time. Due respect to be given.

Ah... so are there any bass pedals in your set up?

The SansAmp but it is not mine. I borrowed it. (Editor: I believe it would be the SansAmp Bass Driver DI)

Why do you keep rubbing your head when you talk? Is it a good luck thing or you didn't wash your hair again!?

I just need something to touch when I talk I guess. If it is not singing (hands on bass), it's got to be on something else.

Oh gosh, are you suggesting what I am thinking? Er, never mind, next question! Do you find it difficult to sing in tune with the whole band behind you? Or are you just confident as long as you can hear them (as opposed to hearing yourself only)?

Yes. I doubt my voice every time. Even in the studio. I don't know, it is a phobia, maybe. I definitely need to hear Raizan's guitar and my own voice, sometimes. Most of the time I can't hear a thing. I have no confidence. I am the most negative person I know. And contradictory as well.

Hmm, okay, let me just say that you have been doing a fine job so far. No big boo boos yet. So does being a fan of good movies help you in your playing? In song writing? Inspiration?

The reason why I love movies is because I like writing stories, and I see a co-relation in applying what I learn in film making to music. I do not suppose it has any effect on playing at all.

Song writing? Yes. I'm very inspired by how these brilliant minds could achieve such things in life. Songs, like movies, have structure, patterns, climax and feel of it all. The beauty of film is that you get to see and hear these structures and sometimes the patterns. The beauty of songs is that you only get to hear these structures and it becomes a visual imagery of sorts when that happens. I would think of pattern re-occurrences (my very new current interest in gaining more understanding in electronic music) or structure that can be built, like a movie, and put things around. Fill the void and leave some gap to dwell in. Pattern re-occurrences get boring after awhile so structure is very important. blah-blah-blah, boring. Colouring the song becomes art.

It inspires thinking, I guess. There are philosophies everywhere in everything, movies included. Getting inspired is easy. Put a whole lot of thought to something, it is enough to inspire one to create a cult.

I do agree with you. My appreciation of movies is somewhat like yours, but shallower! Ha! So, on a lighter note, how many basses do you have? Any dreams for another bass?

I have 3 basses at home. One is with a friend (hardly use that one) and another is collecting dust at home (hardly use this one as well). The one I am using is one and only. It's hard to keep a relationship, especially with something that doesn't like you back... so you have to play it smart...HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!

So it seems like the psychotic behaviour exists in musicians, as seen in ½ of the B-quartet. I wonder how the last (but not least) quarter of the quartet would fare in my psychoanalysis…

What drum set do you have at home? What is your set up like?

I have a Pearl Export Series Kit. Set up is really simple. I have the drums placed like Chad Smith. Like a snare, a tom and like two floor toms thing. I used to use EVANS heads for the toms, but I donated them to school. I use the stock heads. It sounds pretty good anyway haha! My hats are a pair of 14" Zildjian A Custom Mastersound Hats. 2 crashes, a 16" A Custom Fast Crash and a 16" ZBT Crash. I use a 20" A Custom Rivet Ride and sometimes I incorporate the use of a Zildjian EFX Oriental Trash and a K Splash stacked together. They sound pretty similar to the Mike Portnoy signature stax.

Wow! Sounds like you got a nice set up (but what do I know, eh?) Do you use the Iron Cobra, like so many drummer friends I know?

Nope. The Iron Cobra rocks though! I've tried using it in several gigs, and I thought it was really good.

Your method of drumming seems rather aggressive... it seems like you hit the skins really hard... do you use the classical way of gripping more or the new way (by new way, I mean Dave Weckl's way)

I have never tried the Dave Weckl's way on live shows. Partly because it's really difficult for me to play with that method and it also hurts! Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong. Haha! I hit the drums hard because a friend once said, "you have to hit hard!" And I also came from playing drums in a house where you cannot play loud! The Police came over twice, by the way, and it became like taboo. So I pretty much just vent my anger on the drums.

I always think that good drummers can do the usual perididos and stuff, but most importantly, the control of the hi-hat, what are your views?

Yeah? I am not sure what to see in a good drummer, although I really am more particular about guitar players than drummers. Most guitar players just blow. But drummers are slightly different, a close example would be Elfi of Fatskunks. I will look for precise strokes, steady timing and the volume thing. The control of the hi-hat thing should be an important factor as well, I guess.

Sticks sticks! Do you have enough drumsticks to play pick-up sticks with your band mates when they are bored?

Haha! No I don't have enough sticks. I have to start getting more!

Do you have a preference for certain woods for your drums?

I don't think so. What is the wood that was used for Jeff Campitelli's drums on Strange Beautiful Music? I think that would be really nice. The Mars Volta drummer's sound is also good! Deen Castronovo! Yes! That guy from Journey! The drum sound off the 2001 live show was just beautiful. Oh, you know what, I'm just really bad at all this. Haha!

I love it that you 'seem to not know what's really going on' in the times we talked, but c'mon let's be honest, are you the real mastermind behind Faizal's guitars? hahaha... but really, do you get bullied cos you are the youngest in the band?

Haha! Err, bullied? I don't know, man. But I guess it's all in good fun. Haha.

the smitten bard

We get the craftsman of words in the band, Haykal, to give his lowdown on the thoughts and feelings behind the songs on their upcoming EP, The Smitten Bard.

1. -
- is a song. Why would I not want to elaborate on this? I am opening it up for interpretations. It is quite obvious isn't it? It has got a title but I do not think it is ready to have a title. It is a pretty straightforward thing. The arrangements were stripped to the bare essentials.

2. Dancing In Mind
It is about someone who does things and my perception on things about someone who does these things.

3. Table 62
Songs are written because I want to talk about them. Main parts were written at a dinner-tea thing. Again, about someone who does things and how people perceive it to be and how I perceive these people who perceives things about someone. And to wrap it up, a chorus. The song itself was supposed to be this massive giant step for the band, simply because this was the first prototype of such a form. Its arrangement was made to counter a lot of things with the melody which was a pain but nevertheless pleasurable. In the recorded mix Hidir did this Venice-like thing in the pre-chorus just after the solo, which made the entire build up better; rather than having it stagnant throughout.

3.5. The Serenaide
A little add on to 'Table 62'. Perceptions, principles and philosophies in life; how they could be narrated. Taking it in (in totality inclusive) is a totally different issue.

       The world will turn amidst your fears.
       The sun will set despite your tears.
       The rain will fall amidst your call.
       The time will run despite your fall.

Melody is to sit on the throne for this one. Despite the fact that the chords had to have their own voicing so that it won't just have to be coming from 1 medium. Normally, most of the times the chords used have to have their own voicing. A melody from one to another so that when the main melody kicks in you sort of have this big rip that happens. This tear where you have 2 melodies going on but one is out there and the other is something that happens on a much more subtle level.

4. Alphanumeric
It is like an annual journal. The initial concept was to sing a song based on numbers. I had a whole chart (sounds big but it’s chicken shit) on how I'd calculate this. Then re-worked a lot of it and thought it won't work. It had a lot of faults and I'm still rewriting a lot of things in it. All the words of the songs were converted to numbers and eventually, I'd be singing numbers, not words first problem, was the fact that I can't squeeze the syllables of the numbers together to sing a decent melody in time given. Plus, there's so many numbers, I confuse myself with the words that actually amount up to that. There's a series of it written on the HOMELESS box that I wear. It's the chorus to the song. "62-19-139"

5. Dry Rain
Sometimes I just have to ramble and talk about nothing. This song is about nothing. You think it is not going happen, but it does. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing. It is like a loather. Talks and craps and loathes all day and night, things work out differently. What's that? Absolutely nothing. It makes no sense.