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With a nod to the past and a vision of the future, Unified Theory create their own way.
Good music is like a classic novel - it takes you to another place, another time, and lets you feel what the writer was feeling when the words came out and pen met paper. The music belies trends and stands on its own, a beacon to those who want to experience something that is at once different and yet like other great music. It pulls you in and lets you experience the pain, love and victories of the musicians.
Listening to Unified Theory's self-titled debut for the first time, it's hard not to be pulled in and mesmerized by the music and lyrics. Unified Theory combine the best of mid-70's folk-rock with poetic lyrics and Chris Shinn's entrancing vocals, creating a sound that crosses the divide and makes for music that is timeless and original, all at once. This is music that is passionate and revealing, yet at times it is able to mask the sadness contained in the lyrics. Tracks such as "Wither" are able to sound sweet and positive, yet at a closer look, the tale being told is one of sadness and potential unachieved.
Shinn's beautiful voice, when combined with the musical abilities of ex-Blind Melon members Brad Smith on bass and Christopher Thorn on guitar and original Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen, makes for a sound like nothing else in rock at this time. They aren't riding a trend, but making their own way. As rock returns to a more song-based existence, this is the music that listeners are searching for. This is really good music.
Seeing Unified Theory live solidifies the feeling. Their music is rock in a pure form. The songs played live sound much like the record, and the impressiveness of Shinn's vocals is strengthened - he sounds as good live as he does on tape. Each of the members have toured before, so there aren't the stage jitters found with many "new" bands. Smith is dynamic on stage and he and Krusen are locked in as a rhythm section. The only down side is that much of the audience when VOX caught them, at The Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, California, was unfamiliar with the music. While a great number of the fans were won over by the performance, it makes it difficult when radio is too busy playing whatever the current trend is to give something new a try.
Prior to the show, VOX had a chance to chat with Chris Shinn, Brad Smith and Christopher Thorn and talk about the Unified Theory movement, why this isn't Blind Melon Revisited and horrible ways to die. Check it out.
VOX: Let’s start with the very interesting story of how you guys all came together.
Brad Smith: Shall I tell it?
Christopher Thorn: Yeah, you tell it this time.
BS: Ok, I got a call from Christopher while I was in Seattle. I was just hanging out doing a whole bunch of nothing, and uh, Christopher said he ran into a great demo by band called Celia Green, and uh, the singer was kind of in limbo, and it was Chris Shinn, and Christopher called me up and said "Hey, we want to come up. I’ve met Chris and he’s a great guy." And they came up to Seattle and we wrote a couple of songs over a period of about a week. That’s basically how it got together.
Dave, I knew him from Seattle. Christopher actually recorded his other band and knew Dave through that connection. Christopher had produced a band that Dave was in. We called up Dave because we didn’t have a drummer. It was us three writing songs, and we asked him to come over in between his touring stints.
VOX: There are definitely worse drummers to know.
BS: Yeah! Absolutely. Dave came over and just nailed it. We had two songs in the can in about four days and at that point I knew this was a good thing to pursue, and so did Chris and so did Christopher. We all kinda just dropped everything else we were doing and just came together.
VOX: How do you guys write? What’s the creative process like?
Chris Shinn: The three of us all write together, whether Brad brings in an idea or I bring in an idea, that was one of the things we first talked about when we got together, that everything from that day forward would be fresh, new and no old ideas would be rehashed. This is something that would be done from the three of us from that day on. Of course, like a year after we had been friends and been sort of this band we brought in a song like for instance "California" was something that was off of Brad’s solo album that he had done, and then a song like "Not Dead" was something that I had written for my old solo EP that I had done. But we threw them in the whole Unified Theory machine and now you wouldn’t recognize them if you heard them back to back. But the process is pretty even, it’s right down the middle as far as I’m concerned. Even a song that I might have written most of the music for, it’s what these guys do to the music that makes it what I define Unified Theory as.
VOX: What were you looking for in the production of the record? Was there a critical element you were trying to get across? Was there a conscious effort to get away from the Blind Melon thing?
BS: Yeah, I think that kind of came into play, absolutely, I think we were very conscious of what we were heading into after Blind Melon’s tragic career came to a screeching halt. I mean, we were definitely conscious of, you know what, we’re not even going to dare try touch that or try to repeat that, and to tell you the truth, I wanted to move in a new musical direction anyway. I didn’t want to hang on to retro-roots and stand up there trying to do an acoustic version of "No Rain" in front everyone. It’s like, what’s the point? I wanted to push forward and feel like I was doing something that was valid and new and creatively stimulating for me. I don’t want to repeat myself too many times.
CT: And also, you know, sort of being inspired by Chris, you know and sort of the dynamic, as far as songwriting goes between the three of us. I mean, automatically, we knew we were heading down a different path just from, you know, hearing what Chris had done, and he brings a whole new perspective and a whole new set of influences that we were never influenced by. So, that sort of helped define the band and make the band what it is, Unified Theory.
But, I agree with you; I was conscious of not wanting to repeat ourselves.
CS: We also to make sure the record was…I think we did have a goal from the beginning that we wanted to make a record that made you want to put headphones on and bring back…"that"…
CT: Word.
BS: Word up.
CS: …there’s not a lot of records out now or bands that are making records, you know, and really pushing themselves musically. It’s really about who has the better gimmick and whatever. And every song, they’re really just, well, commercials. I mean if I listen to the radio, I can’t tell the difference between a new Coke commercial and the new Blink-182 single. I mean I really can’t. I mean, I just don’t know when it’s a song or when it’s a commercial…I really don’t. It’s just ridiculous.
But we wanted to make something that was full of ear candy and filled with textures and layers. That’s why records like [Pink Floyd’s] Dark Side of the Moon, you can still listen to and hear things you never heard! Because it’s so full of melody, full of so much…stuff.
VOX: A lot of the lyrics are reminiscent of Voltaire, moving in interesting circles. What writers or poets influence you?
CS: Voltaire?
CT: You’re not familiar with him? Yeah, he wrote for the "Roseanne" show for a couple of years…
BS: Now he’s writing for "Frazier," I think.
[Lots of laughter]
CT: I know it’s different for all of us, but for me, I’m just more inspired by the medium of music and what it is. I can’t really break it down to a band or a singer or a writer or person. I think I see it as more of a channel and when you get the right group of people together…and you get the right chemistry and there are things that happen that you can’t really explain but you can read each other’s minds, almost.
BS: For me, writing lyrics and stuff, I tend to lean more toward like the narrative and storytelling and things like that. And then, catching myself and not getting too descriptive in stories, and like realize that what The Beatles did is that they let one line be carried by the power of the music, and they could repeat it over and over and it would mean something different to everybody. But it’s a really powerful yet almost ambiguous statement, but the power of music gives it the credibility. We balance some of our lyrics that way as well.
VOX: Let’s talk about "California." What’s the song about?
BS: Um, the song’s about, for anybody, moving out to California. For me, when I was nineteen years old, I got in my car when I was in Mississippi, nineteen years old and drove out to California with a bunch of dreams and a bunch of things I was running from or escaping from and I just wanted something new for myself and it’s really, really tough when you move out here by yourself.
I think that song can speak to a lot of people, because I think a lot of people have been through their own situation like that, in my opinion.
VOX: Our favorite song is "Whither." What is the song about?
BS: I think the song is about…standing by and watching somebody wreck their life and you want to help them so badly, you know what I mean?
VOX: But it’s such a beautiful song…
CT: That’s actually what’s so great about the song, is that it feels good when you hear it, and when you dig a little deeper…the lyrics are a little different…but it still feels like, as bad as it can get, there is still a light at the end of the tunnel…
CS: It’s bittersweet, isn’t it?
CT: Yes, it’s bittersweet.
VOX: How about "Cessna"?
CS: That’s song’s about my fear of flying. I’m
terrified of it. We worked in the imagery, of Icarus and the wings of wax…but
it’s really about my fear of flying. I’ve been flying my whole life, but
I’m still terrified of it. All I can say is, thank God for Zanax!
VOX: It’s a horrible way to die…
[Laughter, but nervous laughter from Chris]