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BEHIND THE SCENES FROM THE FLOOD - “BUNKISTAN”: I made the album demos in sequence, and after the intensity of “The Flood” and finishing the first half of the album, I took a month-long break to freshen up my head. This was the first song back, and it flew out of me. I’m pretty sure the demo only took five days. And I remember after it was done, thinking for the first time, “I wonder if some of that isn’t good enough to keep?” Turns out I kept everything but the drums and percussion.
The guitars were all done fingerstyle, played as I would play a bass. The main and counter guitar melodies went down smoothly, and the keyboard layers quickly followed (god bless the Korg Kronos Rhodes and String Ensemble patches, they’re just gorgeous). I broke out the dark, vintage-y Mike Lull passive P/J 5 (alder body/rosewood fingerboard) and flew through the take, including the solo. And then for the guitar solo, I felt strangely liberated, and imagined myself as a cross between David Gilmour and “clean jazz guitar guy” capable of soloing in 9/4. I could hardly believe it was me when I played it back. You take these where you can get them. To top it off, I thought it would be cute to have drummer Ray Hearne (HAKEN) play against type and play a fairly simple trance-like groove throughout the whole thing.
But the real inside bit of “Bunkistan” isn’t really how I tracked it. It’s what it’s about. It’s a love song for touring musicians, specifically with a tour bus. What happens is that, after the show, everyone gets on the bus as it prepares to roll through the night. At some point, people retreat to their little bunk spaces for eventual sleep, and the smartphones come out. Some text their spouse, or their sweetheart, or maybe even their possible hookup in the next city.
Zoom in on one bunk, one particularly tender thread, and that’s the sound of this melody the first time around. Sweet somethings back and forth.
Zoom out again and imagine two people, in two different bunks, doing the same - that’s the second melody, with more accompaniment. The bass enters melodically, and the keyboards become lush. A third bunk starts their own thread as the second chorus begins.
The bus enters a long mountain tunnel - perhaps the Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland - and the outside atmospheric noise changes. This is the breakdown and bass solo. The original thread is more exposed now, and yearning expressively, even earnestly. Missing someone.
The bus exits the tunnel, the guitar solo begins, and now everyone on the bus is texting. Sweet late night bits and bytes headed in different directions all over the globe. Hour after hour, text after text, kilometer after kilometer.
Eventually, dawn breaks, and one by one, the folks on the bus turn off their phones, and turn over to go to sleep. The music breaks down, bit by bit, and eventually stops. But the bus keeps rolling on, somewhere in Europe, into the early morning, and beyond.
“Bunkistan” is the album’s final nod to unqualified optimism. After this, it sets off on the long, inevitable march to its ultimate ending,
Olomouc, Czech Republic. You are pretty and have great food and Pilsner Urquell. Thanks for being good!
BEFORE THE MAYHEM BEGINS: A candid shot from an Aristocrats soundcheck. The chicken is keeping watch.
Heading for a day off in Olomouc, CZ before our show there. Thanks so much again to everyone in Bochnia and Warsaw Poland for two more amazing shows.
GOING DUTCH: When it comes to supporting the progressive instrumental community, nobody does it like the Dutch music press. There are *five* reviews of “Scenes From The Flood” that I haven’t shared yet and they are ALL from The Netherlands. The picture on this post is from the recent issue of Gitarist (NL), and I’ll share links to the other four articles below.
Progwereld (NL), unsigned - www.progwereld.org/recensie/bryan-beller-scenes-from-the-flood/
RockPortaal.nl (NL), Hans Ravensbergen - www.rockportaal.nl/bryan-beller-scenes-from-the-flood
DPRP.nl (NL), Mark Hughes - www.dprp.nl/reviews/2019-074
Background.nl - Pedro Bekkers - www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDreviews/BryanBellerScenesFromTheFlood.html
The Netherlands has always had a special place in my heart ever since my early career days in Hilversum and Groningen working with Mike Keneally, Steve Vai, Co de Kloet and the Metropol Orchestra. With the kind of care and attention the Dutch music community gives to expanded releases like “Scenes From The Flood” and other progressive artists, hopefully you can see why. 🙂
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"SCENES FROM THE FLOOD":
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Thanks so much to everyone in The Netherlands for their great support, and I look forward to seeing you on January 18 and 19 when The Aristocrats come to De Boerderij in Zoetermeer!
Thank you Vienna (this pic) and Kosice, Slovakia for two great shows! On to Poland for the next two nights...
The Aristocrats Guthrie Govan (Official) Marco Minnemann
Such an amazing album. Between The Buried And Me's "The Great Misdirect" is one of the hidden influences of "Scenes From The Flood". It was subliminal even to me until I saw this and thought about the whole album again. It's just great. If you haven't checked it out, do so!
The Great Misdirect is 10 years old today! 🎉
Btw, @paulbtbam this guitar part still kicks my ass.
#btbam @btbamofficial @prsguitars