this is a feature article I am working for a group as a freelance gig...if anyone can look it over and give me some critical feedback I would sure appreciate it

Psymbience Is
© by Mark D. Maxey/M-Squared Productions


Psymbience, a band within the same playground as Flaming Lips were in the early 1980’s. The birthing ground of experimental music deep within the roots of southern rock and country. Both bands are unique in that they don’t play the normal rock sound as most bands are in Oklahoma City.

Psymbience consists as a hard working band of five high school friends. They have honed their progressive rock music in the past five years. Practicing more than five hours daily seven days of the week, they have a compressed sound reminiscent of the progressive art genre in Europe. Eric on guitars, Bobby on drums, Brian on bass and Allen rounding it all out on his keyboards, comprises Psymbience. The practice studio at an innovative practice hall for over 30 bands, their space is full of wires, equipment and instruments. It looks more like a science lab rather than a five piece band studio. Their artful praxis is heard late into the night at the Westside Music Box.

Psymbience is a concept role-played out through their music and lyrics. Basically each feeds upon the other and lives within the co-existence of cycles. Life is evolving as does their music and lyrics. While most bands may have a specialized lyricist and/or arranger, this band is fully immersed within a co-existence of collaboration. “We use our first names, as it really does not matter who we are, it matters on the expressive collaborations of the whole,” Bobby states. “As a group we are like the natural life forces living together…predator and prey.”

“While each of us has many years of classical training we expand to experiment with sound to portray the musical expression of that thought behind the lyrics,” Eric says. “We relentlessly practice and germinate each step of the arrangement.” “As we formed the group before the name came about,” Bobby reflected, “we wanted no egos…total responsibilities of the whole. We basically said, ‘Fuck no’, on focusing in on one person.” From complex drum patterns mixed up within structured rhythms the expressive sounds takes the listener on a symbiotic journey of sorts.

After four years in the practice studio before recording their first CD, they are now branching out to perform internationally. “We realize that our real market may be in Europe, we still want to bring awareness of art to the United States,” Brian said. As well the boys have created a total independent arm for their music. “We have incorporated as a limited liability corporation (LLC) and created our own label.” Brain elaborated, “We wanted to formulate a corporation that helps other art bands have a viable means to present their art to the masses.” “We want to break boundaries not only individually but musically as well with original substance,” Bobby said.

The art work for the album was created by nationally recognized artist, Martin Stanfill. The artwork compliments their ideals with visual representations. Simply by looking at the total packaged CD you would first think this is a mainstream major label act. Personally I have never seen such a polished package, from a freshman release by a band, with music that backs it up.


Sure it would be easy to classify this art band along the lines of King Crimson, early Genesis, Pink Floyd or Sigur-Ros, but that is not the case. While they may have influences from these bands…what they create is different and more their own mix. Why classify or put in a box an evolving cohesion that is both modern and growing? Simply, Psymbience is Psymbience. Check them out at http://psymbience.com and for all means….buy their recently released CD. I know you won’t be disappointed by this independent group.

04/03/2005

Posted on 04/03/2005
Copyright © 2024 Mark Maxey