In this interview spotlight, I chat with Forever In Transit about the latest music, AI, dream collabs, and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
This AI thing is getting way out of control. I have students using ChatGPT to write death metal songs about country music…and country songs about being sad. You can feed some Ais a text prompt and create a Hollywood-quality short film. How do you feel about this new wave of technological innovation?
I am by no means an expert when it comes to AI. To my understanding, AI needs to be trained on source material, often coming without the consent of the artists who created it. This raises the question of whether the output of a particular AI is a derivative work of the intellectual property used to train it, and many artists have expressed concerns about an AI version of themselves being used without their knowledge or consent. On the other hand, AI could be extremely valuable as a tool to facilitate creativity, for example, generating a prompt that serves as a springboard for a new song, or for generating complex reverb effects. I could even envision an AI production assistant that helps to automate certain tasks to allow the artist to focus more solely on the creative aspects of their work. Whether we like it or not, I expect that AI will become increasingly prominent, and I am hopeful that there will be potential positives that offset the growing pains as we are challenged as artists to wield it.
I know it’s hard…but what’s your favorite song and/or favorite artist of all time? If not favorite, in your top 3?
My favorite band of all time is Cynic. They are incredible musicians, uncompromisingly unique, and very much ahead of their time. They’ve definitely had an influence on me as a musician. What I really appreciate is their ability to craft well thought out songwriting with catchy and memorable melodies, then arrange it over a backdrop of intricate music, with esoteric lyrics and influences from everything from death metal to new age to fusion music. My favorite song is “Carbon Based Anatomy”, but each of their albums has something mind-bending and unique to offer!
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific or different with this project? What’s the back story?
Our upcoming album A Coming to Terms deals largely with the challenges of navigating the process of self-discovery, the difficulty of separating our concept of “self” and outside influences, and ultimately growth and the trials we go through to become the best version of ourselves. Lyrically, I explored many different perspectives of philosophy and spirituality as reference points. I wanted to find a balance between the positives of self-discovery and growth, but while respecting the trauma that we sometimes have to experience to get there. I hope anyone listening to the album will find some meaning in the concept we present on A Coming to Terms.
Musically, I wanted to expand on the different sounds and styles presented on our debut album, States of Disconnection in any way that I could. I pushed myself to grow as a composer and lyricist, as well as an instrumentalist. A Coming to Terms is more dynamic compared to our earlier material – more aggressive and driving, but balanced out by stretches of ambience. I feel the lead single “Let Go Your Earthly Tether” offers a good taste of this contrast! I handle essentially all of the songwriting for Forever in Transit, so each of these songs are deeply meaningful to me. Every song I write for this project comes from a personal place, and I want to grow with each release. That is where the name of the band came from – Forever in Transit. I am always on a journey to expand beyond my comfort zone, and I hope to convey that message through our music!
The lineup for this album includes Jeremy Schroeder on guitar – who has played on every Forever in Transit release – as well as newcomers Chris Lamendola (vocals) and Daniel Ross (bass). I always try to pick a lineup that I think will complement each song, and in that way I view Forever in Transit more as a collective than a traditional band. I am very fortunate to have these guys along for the ride!
What drives you to create? What keeps you going, especially on the bad days?
One big part of why I love to write music for Forever in Transit is that I enjoy the feeling of being taken to another place while listening to music. I remember when I was first diving into progressive music, being taken for such a ride on these epic, 10’+ songs! I always admired how many different influences and sounds could be incorporated into the genre, and loved how the music tends to take you on a journey. On the opposite extreme, I am a fan of ambient music, where you can just drift off and lose yourself in a wash of sound. I love creating music that transports you to another place, and balances busyness and driving energy with floating stretches of ambience.
I think what keeps me going is that I can immerse myself in creating this whole world that gives voice to whatever I am feeling or experiencing in a given moment. I can find catharsis when I am frustrated or stressed out, I can find beauty and meaning in sorrow, and ultimately I understand myself more through the lens of the music I write, even if it is something only I will ever hear, navigating the shades of gray in my experience. Going back to the whole ethos of Forever in Transit, I am driven to grow and explore, and that is manifested in the music that I write!
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? Please plug them with a link so readers can check them out.
One of my favorite experiences working on A Coming to Terms has been working with Diego Tejeida, who would be my answer to this question! He mixed the album, and performed an incredible keyboard solo on the upcoming song “Enter the Void”. He is a phenomenal keyboardist and sound designer whose style I’ve admired for a very long time, and the level of care and attention to detail in his mixing is unparalleled compared to any other artist I’ve worked with! His current band, TEMIC, released their debut album last year which I highly recommend checking out – energetic, melodic progressive metal with tons of awesome soundscapes and electronic influences!
Where is the best place to stay connected with You?
The best place to stay connected is through the Forever in Transit Facebook and Instagram pages. I plan on posting plenty of content around the making of the album, including playthrough videos, behind-the-scenes clips, and production breakdowns. I manage all of our social media myself, and try to reply to every comment and message!
I appreciate Your time. Want to say anything else before we sign off?
Thank you very much for your time! Keep an eye out for our next single which will be out in late June, as well as the full album, A Coming to Terms, on September 17th!
