VIRTUALITY PRESS Interview with TRANSCENDING THE MUNDANE Magazine Artist, activist and musician, guitarist Scott Mosher is a man of many trades. To immerse yourself in his work, especially his new CD, VIRTUALITY, is an experience in many facets of talent. His latest CD is a combination of instrumental music and vocal music, touching upon many different genres, yet naturally appealing to progressive metal fans. Here is Scott to tell us more about it:   1. What are your thoughts on your new cd? Overall, I am fairly happy the way it turned out. It was somewhat exhausting as the entire project is an extensive creation beyond just the music. The VIRTUALITY project is literally broken down into 3 areas: 1) the Music, 2) the Art, and 3) the Philosophy. Each is a separate entity, with the musical node being the most fulfilling, but they are definitely inter-connected and function on parallel mediums. That said, with the promotional hurdles in front of me, I would truly say, the most enjoyable part is done. The actual difficulty resides in the promotional aspects of pushing a CD that is not specific in genre. VIRTUALITY is not an immediate listen, rather it is ostensibly music that takes a number of spins in the old deck to saturate the listener.   2. What is your philosophy regarding an ambient mind? "The ambient mind" is a state of being where the creative engine works within abstractions of music, art and personal ideology. The forces that inspire me on an emotional, intellectual and artistic level converge a form this entire paradigm. For example, I have strong ideals and principles that influence and inspire the lyrical and musical motifs, which are in turn defined further in context with the ambiance and style of the artwork in the booklet. I suppose that is why I did the entire project myself, as it is something of a non-linear conceptual impressionistic piece that truly resides within myself. The bottom line is pure self expression on all levels.   3. In relation to your musical projects briefly explain your past work and what has led you to where you are today musically. I've done my time in bands, dysfunctional and otherwise, that for the most part, never made it out of rehersal/song-writing mode. For a while I had this barrier preventing me from realizing a specific musical goal, because my interest in music pretty much runs the gamut, from hip hop to jazz to new age to rock, and anything in-between. I could never come to a conclusive genre which to write in, and add to that the fact that I have an aversion to being pigeon-holled. I much prefer to be a defining force in all aspects of my creative endeavors. I think you could say that kind of perspective is not conducive to a democratic band situation. Anyhow, when I did the 'Ambient Earth' new age CD in '96, I was listening to a lot of trance and space music, and when I got back into song-writing mode, I started writing semi-progressive music that pulled certain characteristics from these diverse genre's that really inspired me to take it to the next level, which is, I think, where VIRTUALITY begins, and all traces of my sanity end. (LOL) I think my common sense left me at that point, too!   4. You are one of the few artists to incorporate art, music, and personal viewpoints into a package without forsaking any for the benefit of the other- what inspires you to do so? Uh, perhaps the possibility of running for political office in the future? Well, you just hit upon the 3 elements I mentioned earlier as defining 'the ambient mind'. (I'll take 'the ambient mind' for 100, Alex). I don't think intelligent music, has to be exclusive of political and/or socially aware themes. Actually, within the style of music I am working it's very condusive to these dramatic and evocative themes, such as environmental destruction, urban decay, the breakdown of personal responsibility and other social ills. I'm trying not to treat it like a soapbox, but of course, at some point, anytime one expresses strong personal viewpoints in a popular medium, one get's labeled. It's really not my place to argue that, I just write generally about the subjects and events that influence me on an organic level. They just tend to be in the realm of politics, sociology and environmentalism.   5. You are obviously very political minded- what are some personal ideals you hold dear? Haha! Do you want fish with that can of worms we are opening? My ideals tend to fall in the progressive area of modern politics. The issues that are important to me encompass a pro-environmental socially conscious outlook. I have strong reservations about our current administration for a wide variety of reasons, but suffice to say, and partisian viewpoints aside, though we as a country are moving forward, I don't necesarily feel it is positive progress in a number of ways. Incidentally, my biggest problem today is the amount of influence and control corporations have over our daily existence, and not just on a political level, but in all aspects of life. This could take an entire magazine just to touch upon some of the broader issues, but let me go on record as saying you can use the current corporate music culture, in all it's prefabricated, cookie-cutter structure as a microcosm of the globalized world. Perhaps we should discuss the significance of carbonated beverages in the workplace to break the tone here? (LOL)   6. Not many artists are daring enough to put out an album mixed with instrumental and vocal tracks like this- was this intentional and do you feel comfortable with both styles? Actually, it was intended to be a vocal project. The irony is, the collaboration between Todd (Corsa, vocals) and myself, expanded well beyond the original concept, and I hope we can increase the use of vocals on the next CD. Honestly, most of the instrumentals are intended to be vocal pieces, but with time constraints, it wasn't possible to work out melodies and vocal lines everywhere I wanted to. This entire CD was unquestionably a learning experience in all aspects. I do want to incorporate more vocals into future songs, and hopefully I will allow Todd more time to conceive his vocal ideas. I do feel comfortable with both styles, but I do feel strongly that vocal music has a more distinct feel, and leaves a deeper impression on listeners than instrumental music. People like to hear music with a human voice as it brings a more organic element to electronic music.   7. Do you plan on putting together a live band or will you stick to studio projects? What projects do you have prepared now? This seems to be a ubiquitious question, the concept of forming a band around the music. While it would be very interesting I don't know if I have the patience, and desire to do that. Performing live would require incredible visuals to do it justice, and I don't know if I can afford Industrial Light & Magic, John Williams and the Philharmonic just yet. The music itself could either be an surrealistically enlightening experience or a monstrous trainwreck, no doubt about it. Plus, I would have to hire my keyboard as a full-time musician, and those things just require to many ammenties. I would probably have to fire myself! I am working on new music even as we speak which hopefully will expound upon the musical foundation I created with VIRTUALITY. It seems like it will be heavier, more vocal-oriented; incorporating a slightly more progressive approach in places.   8. Your artwork on this disc is first class, what inspired the art that appears on Virtuality? Lot's of Dr. Pepper, some temporary insanity and a healthy dose of the HELLRAISER: HELLBOUND soundtrack. I am a graphic artist by profession with a strong background in CD cover design so, I conceived the art in the CD booklet to serve as an art portfolio of digital art. Imagine to my dismay when it reflected the nature of the music! Actually, I wanted to hold this project to a high standard for personal reasons, the only unfortunate sidebar to that is now everytime I do a new CD, I am going to bankrupt myself in the process! It's great being a self-financed, independent artist, eh?   9. How can a solo artist like yourself get your name out there and have the right audience become aware of your work? What is your greatest obstacle? Well, as Chris from F5 (the band, not the NASCAR Company) can attest, it's not easy. We, as self-financed, independent artists, have the deck stacked against us. The current music scene in relation to radio, magazine, retail and internet coverage for independent artists and musicians, is a minefield. Ground level 'zines like yours, the independent internet radio stations, some college radio and small business record stores are certainly the foundation, but as we all know, half the battle is self-promotion -- shamelessly, tirelessly, and, much to chagrin of the neighbors and discussion board members, perpetually. The audience for musicians doing something different is there, and is probably growing, but respective to our ability to advertise and promote, hard to reach. It's a catch-22 situation, and it's definitely not easy. While a medium like the net allows us access to the entire connected cyberworld, at the same time, it facilitates barriers and foster's competition. There really is no easy, discernable answer. If there is, someone contact me immediately!   10. Looking ahead, what goals and plans do you have for yourself as a musician and a person? Access to a wider range of cheap hawaiian shirts is on the personal agenda, in addition to maintaining vigilance in promoting music that is not corporate-friendly. Like I mentioned I plan approach the next CD with increasing amounts of elements I find complimentary such as melodies, vocals and rhythmic progressions. Perhaps a greater collaborative effort from other musicians may also find it's way into the mix. Hopefully, by that time I will have won a grammy award, retired from public employment and avoided the debauchery of superstardom. The trappings of daily existence get boring!   11. Thanks for everything Scott- is there any final comments? Please add anything we may not have covered that you would like to be. Support Independent Progressive Artists! Props to you Brett for your continuous dedication, man, and let's hope Grover from Powermad shows himself at ProgPower V.2!