Interview w/ Caspian

Closing out the week with another installment of my ever growing interview series! Today, we catch up with Beverly, MA's own Caspian, whom you may remember from my Artist Spotlight post I did about them last month. The band have been touring feverishly behind their latest album "Waking Season", and the band recently took part in a street festival in their beachside hometown that drew a massive crowd of fans and music lovers. Guitarist Philip Jamieson recently sat down to talk a little bit about the band's beginnings and where their hard working devotion to music emanates from. Here is the transcript from that interview:

What is your name and position in the band?

I'm Phil and I play guitar, keyboard and whatever else is needed.

How did you meet your fellow bandmates and when did the band form?

Our first show was in August of 2004 here in Beverly, MA. We all attended the same college, though didn't all know each other at the time. We connected officially in 2003 when Cal and I decided to get together and find a drummer and bassist to jam with, hence he got Chris and Joe on board and I met them that way. We practiced together for a year before playing our first show.

Describe the sound of Caspian to those who aren't familiar with you guys?

These days I just say it's like modern classical music, performed by a rock band more concerned with conveying mood and emotion than wowing people with sheer musical ability and skill.

What inspired you to get into music and how has that helped shape you to this point?

I got into music in high school after watching a film of Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin playing the guitar. It immediately connected with me in a very primal manner, and made me feel like I had found a way to express how I was actually feeling about all the things that occupy the mind of a high school kid. I'm much older and have experienced much more now that I'm 34, but the same principle still applies - I play music because it is the most effective tool I have discovered for me to properly communicate how I am feeling and what I am thinking about. Having the presence of music around to help me clarify these things has saved my life on numerous occasions, or at the very least helped me feel more connected to the beautiful but ugly chaos that is the human condition.

Take us behind the recording process of your latest album "Waking Season" and what the whole recording experience was like?

We spent awhile writing the record (over a year) and recorded it in 3 weeks at two different studios in New England in January 2012. It was the first time we worked with an official producer (Matt Bayles) but his role ended up being more engineering and mixing since we had a very clear picture of what we wanted to capture with "Waking Season". It was a very different experience for us and just what the collection of songs needed.

Recently, you guys performed an outdoor show in your hometown of Beverly, MA can you describe what the whole festival was like?

Surreal is the only word that fits the description. Performing songs that you've played for people in over 40 countries, 50 ft. from your front door step was very powerful. Looking out and seeing all kinds of people - and I do mean all kinds of people, since it was a free block party and the whole town seemed to come out - listening to our music with open ears in such a receptive environment was so fascinating and wonderful. At the same time, like every time we step on stage whether it's in Berlin of Beverly, we are chiefly concerned with playing the best show we are capable of, so lots of the emotions start coming out hours and days after the actual hour of performing has finished. When we're on stage we try to stay in the zone as much as possible and not mess it up. 

What do you love the most about your hometown of Beverly and what is the music scene like there?

It's probably different for all of us. I like being near the ocean and having a community of friends that are like family. I also like that it's relatively quiet, at least compared to Boston or other larger cities close by. There isn't much of a music scene here that I'm aware of, which is fine since I'm inspired much more by life experience than music most of the time when it comes to writing it oddly enough.

If you weren't involved in music, what do you think you would be doing to pass the time?

I'd love to be making films or running a high-quality pizzeria.

What's coming up next for you guys, planning to play any more shows before the end of the summer?

We are playing a benefit show in Manchester, NH at the end of the month, then we are preparing for a full North American tour all of November, and a European tour next January and February. In between we are chipping away at writing new material, and plan to release an EP this October containing 2 new compositions and some remixes. Thanks for listening to our music and for supporting our band. We would be nowhere without the support of our fan base.

Lastly, what would you like to say to your fans, any last words?

Thanks for listening to our music and for supporting our band. We would be nowhere without the support of our fan base.

Thanks once again to Phillip for being so gracious with his time in doing this interview! I understand how busy these guys are, and it was a real treat to have an opportunity to get to know the band a little bit better and understanding how they operate with regards to writing and performing music. For more info on the guys, 'Like' them on Facebook here, follow them on Twitter here, and check out their latest album "Waking Season" now available for streaming and purchase via their Bandcamp site located here amongst a plethora of other digital retail outlets.