Category: Interviews
Fronted by Ed Lam, Cry of Silence brings uplifting harmonies and aggresive vocals in a mesh of New Rock and Alternative to Vancouver, British Columbia. Cry of Silence came together in the spring of 2004, and have since found a presence in their arena, reaching top spot at the Battle of the Bands and performing across the province. It was a great honor to sit down with the entire band for this Project Opus exclusive interview.
OPUS: A name tells a million tales. Why the name "Cry of Silence"?
Ed: The name “Cry of Silence” came from my friend Edmond. One day, a few years back (before the band even existed), we got so bored that we came up with a list of random idea names for bands. I had a list of really lame, yet hilarious names, but then “Cry of Silence” (on Edmond’s list) got our attention, so I decided to use that name if I ever considered starting my own band. Ironically, Edmond ended up being part of C.O.S as a guitarist for a long while until he had to leave due to occupational reasons. On the bright side, we no longer have to hear people saying at every show “two Eds are better than one”.
OPUS: Half of Cry of Silence's members were from “Freezing Cheese Disease”. What's the story behind that? How did you guys meet?
Gary: Young and I were in a band with one of my friends in high school, Ryan Takahashi, a really good lead guitar player - very “classical metal” - we kind of went through several iterations (“7% Milk”, “bei6”, and finally “FCD”). We started right at the beginning of high school and just kind of jammed every weekend - covers of punk/rock/metal tunes, and eventually starting to write our own material. We brainstormed ideas for a band name and wanted something memorable, yet fun, and the rhyming “Freezing Cheese Disease” won out. :) Combined and refined some of our material, and played for the UBC Japan Association's “Bandmania” in 2006. Unfortunately, Ryan got busy with his own schooling and I joined C.O.S. The “old” C.O.S lineup seemed a little pre-occupied with other things, and I could tell Edwin wanted to try and take things further. I asked Young to come on board since I played with him in FCD, and here we are.
OPUS: What are your musical backgrounds like? When did you start playing?
Young: In high school, roughly 4 years ago.
Ed: I started playing music when I was 10. I wanted to take piano lessons and music theory to gain my musical knowledge; and all those many years of hard work really paid off. It wasn’t until the age of 16 that I’ve finally had the time to learn how to play guitar. In 2001, I took singing lessons from Salve Dayo, and she made a huge difference in my singing ability.
Jay: Elementary starting with the cello, then joining band playing trumpet, baritone, trombone lols, all the way to senior year High School.
Gary: My family got me a little plastic toy guitar (with real tuning and frets, mind you!) back when I was, oh, like 8 or so. My brother taught me to play the main riff from “Enter Sandman”, and I busted it out proudly in front of my school at an assembly. :D My brother's my biggest influence, raised me on a diet of Metallica and Black Sabbath. In Grade 8 I picked up the bass in music class for the first time, since I knew how to play some guitar, and someone else had gotten to the school's guitar first. My family bought me my bass the summer after that year, and I've been pounding away on it ever since.
OPUS: Tell me about your inspirations. Is there anyone you look up to in particular?
Gary: Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica), Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), Justin Chancellor (Tool), Jeordie White (Marilyn Manson/A Perfect Circle), Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down), Alex Katunich (ex-Incubus). I think they've all had influences on me - I don't like to blindly follow guitar tracks; the bass is an instrument in its own right. Tool especially has a wonderful sonic texture where both guitar and bass have separate, yet complimentary parts, syncopated rhythms, and a very 'epic' feel. A lot of music is just loud, but they're powerful.
Ed: I’ve grown up listening to rock music when I was 8 years old, such as Guns N Roses, Aerosmith, Nirvana, and Metallica. In high school, I got into Greenday, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam etc. But for the past several years, however, the people who really inspire me the most are my friends who are also in bands themselves. A lot of them helped me by giving me advices, along with their point of views; and I would go to a lot of their shows so I could learn from them. You know who you are…thanks a bunch!
OPUS: There are two important elements to every musician's life: playing live and recording in the studio. As a band, which do you prefer? How do you approach each scenario differently?
Ed: I enjoy both recording AND playing live. Both are completely different from each other, but one thing they have in common is they require a lot of time for preparation and hard work.
Young: I prefer recording because it leaves tangible results, but I believe live performances are a better method to establish a band.
Gary: I'm a little bit more of a recording kind of guy, but both can be very satisfying. Recording is good for getting the music out of your head and into everyone else's, and I'm interested in the technology behind how it all works, but playing live is where you have the real fun. There's nothing like having your best friends screaming and cheering you on right there in the front row, and having random strangers ask for CDs, pass us compliments, etc., afterwards. It's the one time you feel important, like you have a purpose. That, and you can legitimately crank the ever-loving heck out of your amp and rock the house. :P
OPUS: Where was the best show you've ever played?
Ed: This past November in 2007, we played as an opening band for an all-ages show at a community centre in North Delta, BC. I enjoyed it because we get to play in front of a crowd who’ve never heard our music before. We received a lot of positive feedback after our set.
OPUS: When you're not doing music, what do you guys do?
Ed: I’ve recently got into swimming again. It’s a great way for me to exercise, and it also helps me build a stronger lung capacity for my singing.
Young: Work, school, computer, and occasionally play online chess.
Gary: I work full-time doing IT support - computers and gadgets are my biggest hobby, really. I'm kind of a big nerd at heart. I like ripping down computer systems and rebuilding them, experimenting with things, sometimes more than just sitting and playing video games like most people do.
Jay: Workin’ full-time as an excavator operator, hanging out, drinking, kickboxing, welding, driving my van, ridiculing the insane and punching suckas in the throat, (joking) everything up to welding is true, the rest are lies…
OPUS: Of your songs, which is your favourite and why?
Jay: “Departure” - something about it that I like so much, why don’t you take a listen?
Ed: Besides “Departure”, I also like “Burning Nation”. I was impressed when Gary wrote such a catchy tune, and I’m proud that he contributes his creativity to the band.
Young: “Hidden Problem”, because I like the melody.
Gary: “Burning Nation”, 'cause I wrote it. :D No, seriously, I'd have to say “Peer Pressure”. Ed's got a bit of that “epic” power I love so much. I love to listen to and play music that makes you want to bang your head.
OPUS: What would an ideal fan look like to you?
Ed: Just from experience, those who come to our shows, sing along (and bang their heads) with our songs…and of course, one who spreads the word about us! You know who you are! I have this one fan name Mike Soviet (who’s also an incredible artist in my opinion). Whenever I meet up with him, he’d be screaming out “Cry of Silence” and would even sometimes sing the chorus of “Departure”.
Gary: Anyone from any walk of life that just enjoys good music and doesn't mind the occasional F-bomb. I'm not picky; I think it's kind of elitist to pick and choose your fans - I just want to put out music that I love to play, and if people happen to want to listen, all the better for the both of us!
OPUS: What are the plans for Cry of Silence in 2008?
Gary: Get new gear! No, seriously, I just bought my new rig and it’s on the way as we speak. :p (Kustom GrooveBass 1200HD head into a 4-Ohm Avatar B410 NEO cab; Yamaha RBX260 for now, possibly a Squier 5-string in the future) We've been gigging with some truly atrocious stuff, relying on the venue's sound system to a fault. When they're good (props to Cheers Nightclub in Delta), we look and sound AWESOME. When they're lacking, or missing altogether, our little practice amps suck hard. After that, we might be playing in a benefit concert for the strife in Kenya right now, and then trying to get into the Supernova Battle of the Bands series in March or June for another run at it this year. We barely missed the wildcard vote last year, didn't have a lead guitarist at that time, and we were still a little rough with the vocal harmonies. This time I want to melt some face. :)
Ed: As Gary mentioned, we’re in the process of upgrading our gear for our live shows. Also, we’re writing new songs and we’ll for sure be playing more shows with other great local talent. But most important of all, we’ll be releasing an EP soon.
OPUS: Do you have any advice that you'd like to pass along to aspiring musicians?
Ed: A guitar is your personality expressed through six strings.
Jay: Hahaha well you don’t have to be talented or great to play in a band, people will always tell you that you won’t make it and that this won’t work. Don’t be a fool and listen, just do what makes you happy. (P.S. - tough times don’t last, tough people do!)
Gary: Write material. It doesn't matter if you don't finish it, just keep writing. Keep all your scraps, your random riffs, your bits of lyrics that don't seem to quite fit. It will be worth it when you realize you have a bunch of stuff that fits together into something truly awesome. That, and start with a nice wad of cash for gear, because they get expensive FAST. Above all else, be yourself - don't spend more time on your makeup and “image” than you do actually learning your material; bands are about music, so do it for the love of good music.
OPUS: Any last plugs? Where can we see you play next?
Ed: I can be found at the Anza Club every Thursday nights doing an acoustic set for their open mike nights, giving people a taste of Cry of Silence’s music. Other than that, just keep checking out our MySpace to hear our tracks and to look up any upcoming shows and other updates.
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