INDEED

Brian Hirst is the name of one of the great names of the new American progressive rock, besides leading two very interesting projects, QUEST FOR TRUTH and INDEED he is also the leader of one of the great underground progressive labels MOONCHILD, that released albuns of great bands like E-MOTIVE and FIG LEAF. Krepuskulum interviewed Brian.

KREPUSKULUM: Talk us about your musical way until the moment.

I've been playing keyboards since I was a kid. But the prog that I'm doing now started around 93 or so. Gigs are few and far between, since it's me and everything else on an Alesis Adat. But that may change of the next CD, and it's tour.I think on the whole it's been about growth. I started out with just a couple of keyboards, and then next thing I know, I'm recording this CD. The same goes for the label, I start out to include a song on a sampler of a small label, next thing I know I'm running this prog- rock label. On the keyboards, I'm always trying to go beyond something that I've done before. I've worked with various styles before, and more is trying to incorporate them in to the music, I think you can hear a lot of classical influence, as well as heavy metal, Prog-rock, space and new-age, however I've never yet successfully, I think, or completely integrated jazz into anything I've written yet. It always seemed to take away from the intensity of the music. Except perhaps in " Island Of Illusion". And I like to include aspects that are off to one side (sort of speak) like using 20 different keyboard sounds in one song (Surrealistic Sojourn), or doing a fugue (Climb the Mountain), or using rarely used modes like "Locrian" and "Lydian" , stuff that no-one else does, or rarely does.

KREPUSKULUM:  In your album QUEST FOR TRUTH, the use of the guitars it was larger, counting with Rob Wessel's participation, already in INDEED your work is more defined by the keyboards and synthesizers, why that decision?

I think part of that, had to do with discovering a larger amount of new analogue synth leads which I discovered the year before. They were much more prevalent in the second album. Not that this necessitates the disclusion of guitar leads, but I sort of wrote the songs around the keyboards more so on the second CD. But you'll hear Rob again in the next CD as well as a few other guitarists.

KREPUSKULUM: The album QUEST FOR TRUTH invests a lot in sweet moments and triplets and it takes us to beautiful trips as in music as " ATACK OF THE SEA DRAGON ", talk us a little about the creation of the music of that album.

The Quest For Truth CD on the whole was an allegorical story on good versus evil, but more specifically truth versus deception. The Sea Dragon is symbolized here in this scenario as a dragon of deception. A lie believed which deals a reverse, and in return necessitates a battle to be fought. We all fight the same battle in our searches for truth. This song however, focuses on a specifically more intense variation on this theme. The circumstances brought about, bring the native into a dungeon like scenario. And then through an impassable storm of confusion and unrest. The musical passages are crafted to paint a mental movie of the scenario in the listener's head, including the emotional impact.

KREPUSKULUM: Tthe music of INDEED is also progressive oniric trips, the album seem to have been built as a soundtrack for a film of SF, am I right?

Nope. So far nothings been created deliberately as a soundtrack. Although I've looked into that. The music's own theme's have always gotten in the way. I tend to write everything from a mind's eye point of view, and fit it to a story whether said, or un-said. Think of it, as an impression of an experience put into music.

KREPUSKULUM: Why did you opt for the instrumental music?You don't think of including vocal in INDEED?

I think in some fashion, I vocalize more through the music than I could to actual vocals. But circumstance, has a hand in it too. I'm a keyboardist, but not a vocalist. Albeit I may include some vocals in the next CD, I have some guest musicians lined up, including vocalists, and some of the unrecorded songs have lyrics .

KREPUSKULUM: What you think of the progressive rock scene of the present time? Which the best bands in your opinion?

I think the progressive rock scene needs a radio station that plays nothing but progressive rock 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in high-quality stereo. Right now, the only thing that comes close to that is spinner.com . While it's still growing in other ways, there's this barrier to be broken.

KREPUSKULUM:  As is the choice process for the releases of MOONCHILD, which are the new projects of the Label?

There's quite a lot on the verge of happening. We have three new bands coming out; Machina Coeli, Radio Silence, and Azazello.. In addition, were putting together two online radio stations which will use streaming MP3.

INDEED & MOONCHILD RECs. CONTACT:  info@moonchildartists.com