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A Break from Normality

by Red Side Visible

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about

10 YEARS in the Making! That's right, 10 years. But it's so much different than that, so how about a story about the album?

Around 2008 after returning to the Cleveland area from NYC. I met up with Paul Stranahan about creating a new project. We both were jazz oriented musicians playing jazz and fusion primarely, but heavily into bands like Meshuggah, Mr. Bungle, Zappa, and more. So I asked Paul if he'd be interested in doing a heavier project. That project lead to writing a bunch of tunes for a new project Red Side Visible.

The songs were unbounded and complex, but geared towards the heavy side of things. After the original inception, we thought, what if we add Sax to the mix? And it expanded to adding Tenor and Alto. Interestingly enough, along with having through composed sections, coming from a jazz background, we kept a lot of room for improvisation and sometimes nearly "free jazz" like expression with super tight odd time glory... and probably a bit of a sense of humor about it all.

That's the thing with Red Side Visible, it never really takes itself too seriously. We decided early on to put no real bounds on the creative aspects of it. And as a live show we progressed the bands vision more and more.

RSV released the album "Enter Entropy" in 2010, that was available basically the day we went to France to play at the FIMU festival. Along with playing in France, and over Ohio, we also made a TV appearance and radioshow spots. For an extremely inventive band, this was pretty enlightening.

Unfortunately, as things go, people move and the band went through a few iterations before nearly fizzling out completely.

However, during 2011, writing had continued and a new set of songs was set to be recorded. Paul hit the studio the next year and finished all the drum tracks you hear on this record.

So what took so long?

Well at first, it became difficult to get all the sax parts recorded because of distances, time etc... and despite recordings some guitar and bass parts, it just wasn't quite ready.

But in phases over the years, more sax parts were tracked, and some evolutions of the tunes began to take some shape of the original vision. But it just never got completed.

Fast foward some years to 2020... yes that long.

I had in a bit of a metal "funk", as I wasn't listening to anything very heavy for the last probably 5 years. Kind of got bored with the whole genre of bands that really sounded alike and not finding anything particularly inspiring for very long. I had basically given up listening to it.

One day though in July of 2020, I was sitting near the stereo and decided to just check some stuff out and went on a hunt for good new music, and I stumbled on some great heavy stuff, some that was truly new and some that I simply hadn't heard before. The things that really attracted me to it was the very creative projects like Devin Townsend's "Empath" album... it's an extremely deep album with so many endless layers that it is an earful to take in.

A lightbulb went off...

"Why don't I just make this album without any limits?" Why not treat it as something more than a 5 piece band for live shows (that don't exist right now anyways). Why not do more? Why not just add whatever amuses or intrigues me?

On top of that, the level or production of these great albums, was really intriguing. I took myself on a much deeper study of mixing and production and tried to whittle out any excuses. I want the album to sound massive!

So away I went.

I began stripping away what was there before, re-recording everything except the drums. Remixing the drums, learning anything I could to make it fill in the space and feel great.

There are many diffrent guitars and amps and pedals and all kinds of different tricks on the album. Different mics, different positions, even had my daughters sing and layer parts for different sections.

On top of all the guitar and instrumental work, I decided to throw out all the stops on the vocals. So many takes and variations were taken. Just to see what I could pull off, using people like Mike Patton, Devin, Zappa as not only a guide, but as the motivation to take the handcuffs off.

You are in for an adventure with this album.

Paul was fairly skeptical initially off all the work I've put into this record, but he has said on multiple times now, just all the vocals and other aspects added, that somehow instead of sounding like an album written 10 years ago. It sounds fresh new and updated.

I can say, I know this has been not only difficult for me to put together and let go of, it's a lot to put on the line of my artistic vision, but that my family has been ever supportive of the millions of times they've had to hear songs and parts over and over again.

I'm not really sure what you're going to think of this thing. It's different, and I know a lot of people say that, but I think it might actually be different than pretty much anything I've heard. Certainly there are parts that sound like bands like Mr. Bungle, Dillinger's Escape Plan, Cleric, Zappa, Meshuggah, and many more, but ultimately the whole approach was different and I'm glad to see it came together as something new but inspired by many.

I can imagine, if you've followed me at all on this journey... you may have heard all kinds of variety in my music, from clean traditional jazz to classical guitar to weird avant garde experimentation and well, there might be aspect you aren't initially comfortable with. From screaming to pretty parts, to gong improvs to huge string sections and more.

I hope you'll take the time and many listens to catch the little things that went into this record. It will likely take a few listens to catch it all.

We will be releasing the album at the end of May, but if you pre-order you will get Snap Crackle Pop now, and Scary Visions in a few more weeks prior to the release.

Thank you for the support, it means a lot. Please share the music if you like it, tell your friends, family and people you don't even know ;-)

Support of creative projects like this really means a lot, so thank you for listening, purchasing, streaming, sharing, talking about and everything. And stay tuned for more.

Thank you, with all sincerity,

Tim

credits

released May 31, 2021

Tim Mirth: Guitar, Vocals, Keys, Violin, Viola, Other
Paul Stranahan: Drums
Chris Herald: Alto Sax

Daniel Spearman : Trumpet on Snap Crackle Pop

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Tim Mirth Akron, Ohio

Probably a musician by birth as I tapped my foot to life. I am into innovating. Improv is just how I am as a person in music and life. I think as musicians it is our responsibility to make advances and make changes, to push the envelope. You may say no one will listen, but if it is good they will. Keep trying I know I will, let us be creative and open minds. ... more

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