| The Derision Website | ||||||||||||||||||||
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TODD/ BASS, VOCALS, LYRICS BORN: JANUARY 6, 1969 Denver, CO MY FIRST RECOLLECTION OF MUSIC IS FROM ABOUT THE AGE OF TWO WHEN MY UNCLE PLAYED JOHNNY CASH AND BOB DYLAN RECORDS AROUND MY GRANDMA?S HOUSE. IN GRADE SCHOOL I WAS COMPLETELY ENTHRALLED BY THE HEAVY BOMBAST THAT WAS KISS. I WAS ALSO VERY INTERESTED IN MY PARENTS EIGHT TRACK TAPES OF CREDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL AND THE EAGLES. SOON I STARTED LISTENING TO PINK FLOYD, AND WITH TEEN ANGST CAME IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, AND THE MIGHTY BLACK SABBATH. THE PROGRESSIVE ROCK STYLES OF GENESIS AND MARILLION WERE AND ARE MAJOR INFLUENCES AS WELL AS BANDS LIKE THE POLICE. I CONTINUE MY SEARCH FOR INSPIRATION IN MUSIC, AND ENJOY MUSIC OF THE THIRD WORLD AS WELL AS THE INDIGENOUS FOLK MUSIC?S OF THE WORLD. MY MUSICAL EDUCATION STARTED IN THE FIFTH GRADE AND CONTINUED THROUGH THE TWELFTH GRADE, WHEN I BEGAN SINGING IN THE CHOIR. WHEN I WAS FIFTEEN I RECEIVED A GUITAR FOR CHRISTMAS, BUT A YEAR LATER I FOUND MYSELF SNEAKING INTO MY BROTHERS ROOM TO LEARN HIS BASS LESSONS. AT THIS POINT I BEGAN TO DISCOVER THE BASSISTS WHO INFLUENCE ME TO THIS DAY. GEEZER BUTLER, STEVE HARRIS, JOHN ENTWISTLE, JACK BRUCE AND STING ALL INFLUENCE ME NOT JUST AS BASSISTS, BUT ALSO AS SONGWRITERS. IN THE CASE OF JACK BRUCE AND STING, THEY ARE TALENTED SINGERS AS WELL. I ALSO LIKE THE PLAYING OF MIKE WATT, JONAS HELBORG, JEFF AMENT AND MELVIN GIBBS AS WELL AS VOCALISTS DAVID BOWIE, PETER GABRIEL AND JIM MORRISON. HENRY ROLLINS IS ANOTHER PERFORMER AND WRITER WHOSE STRENGTH AND RAGE I FIND INSPIRING. THESE VOCALISTS IMPRESSED ME NOT ONLY WITH THEIR SINGING ABILITIES, BUT ALSO WITH THEIR COMMAND OF THE THEATRICAL SIDE OF PERFORMANCE. MY GOALS ARE TO PERFORM TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES AND TO PROVIDE FOR PEOPLE THE FEELINGS I GOT FROM MY FAVORITE ARTISTS. I AM GRATEFUL FOR WHAT I?VE LEARNED IN MY PLAYING EXPERIENCES, AND WITH DERISION I?VE FOUND THE ULTIMATE OUTLET FOR WHAT I NEED TO ACCOMPLISH. |
ROBERT L. WILLIAMS, JR/ GUITAR, BACKING VOCALS Born: November 10, 1963 Louisville, KY I GOT MY FIRST INSPIRATION TO PLAY AT THE AGE OF EIGHT OR NINE AFTER SEEING A KISS VIDEO ON DON KIRSHNERS ROCK CONCERT. AFTER AN ILL-FATED ATTEMPT TO PLAY VIOLIN, INSPIRED BY MY PARENTS, I BEGAN MY TREK TO TRY AND MASTER THE GUITAR. I TOOK A FEW GRADE SCHOOL AND PRIVATE LESSONS, BUT LEARNED PRIMARILY BY LISTENING TO MY FAVORITE PLAYERS AND FRIENDS. I WENT THROUGH A VARIETY OF INSTRUMENTS AND STYLES, AND FOUND AN APPROACH I BELIEVE IS UNIQUE. BY THE TIME I GOT TO COLLEGE, I DECIDED TO TRY A MORE ACADEMIC APPROACH AND STUDIED CLASSICAL GUITAR. THE EFFECT OF THE NYLON STRING TECHNIQUE IS STILL WITH ME TODAY. I DON'T THINK I'LL EVER STOP EXPLORING THE INSTRUMENT, THE INFINITE POSSIBILITIES ARE WHAT KEEP ME PLAYING. GUYS LIKE ALEX LIFESON, ALLAN HOLDSWORTH AND DAVID TORN TAKE CARE OF MY TEXTURAL SIDE, WHILE TONY IOMMI AND PAGE HAMILTON THROW SOME GAS INTO THE FIRE. BUT THEN THERES SEGOVIA, LEO KOTTKE, WORLD MUSIC AND PEOPLE LIKE THELONIUS MONK TO THINK ABOUT. NOW THAT I'VE BEGAN STUDY OF THE CHAPMAN STICK, THERE'S A WHOLE NEW CREW OF TALENTED INDIVIDUALS TO LEARN FROM AND BE ENTERTAINED BY. AS MUCH AS I ENJOY INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS, THE SOUND OF A BAND ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH IS MY FAVORITE. THE MILES DAVIS POST BOP BANDS, RETURN TO FOREVER, RUSH, KING CRIMSON, PARLIAMENT, TRICKY, JAWBOX AND QUICKSAND ARE AMONG MY FAVORITES. THE INCORPORATION OF ELECTRONIC ELEMENTS AND ETHNIC MUSIC IS ALSO AN AREA I HOPE TO EXPLORE MORE OF AS WELL. I?VE ALWAYS ENJOYED ALL TYPES OF MUSIC AND HAVE TRIED TO INCORPORATE A VARIETY OF STYLES IN MY PLAYING. AS I MATURE, MY TASTES BROADENED TO THE POINT WHERE ITS NOT A MATTER OF MUSICAL STYLE,ITS A MATTER OF IS IT GOOD? DOES IT MOVE ME? MY VIEW IS THE SAME WITH DERISION. WE LOOK AT A SONG AS BEING GOOD OR BAD, NOT AS A DEPICTION OF A MUSICAL FLAVOR OF THE MONTH. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Band History/ Making of the first recording | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Robert Williams and Todd formed DERISION IN 1992. They discovered similar musical tastes and ideas and then created a band focused on melody, power, and sonic experimentation. The two spent the first year rehearsing and writing with another mutual friend on drums. With the start of 1993 came the exit of the original drummer and the entrance of Garry McCulley. His presence solidified the trio. They spent the next two years rehearsing their soundscapes for live and recorded performance. DERISION played their first live show in Denver at THE MERCURY CAF� in May of 1995. The band performed regularly at THE 6TH AVE. ROCK CAF�, THE ILIFF PARK SALOON, Cricket on the Hill AND THE PURE ENERGY NIGHT CLUB in Colorado Springs. The band began work on their debut recording with Jim Bush in August of 1995. Overdubs and mixes spanned the next three months. The second tracking session began in January 1996. Overdubs took two more months, and were never completed. The project stalled due to dissatisfaction with the progress made. The band concentrated on live performance and shelved the tapes for several months. Renewed interest in mixing the recorded tracks for demo and promotion purposes led the band to William Alexander of Daystar Digital, all thanks to a suggestion from Victor Richardson at Rockley Music. William brought a level of quality to the tracks they thought not possible based on the previous mixes. As a band they discussed recording more songs, since the set list included material written during rehearsals between studio sessions. They weren?t sure if the quality of recording wanted was possible to obtain from the source tracks. The possibility of beginning from scratch was an option and the search for a new studio was on. From the start they knew that FTM was a high quality studio. Along with a state of the art set up, the studio had been used by such quality performers as Bette Midler, Phillip Bailey, and Tony Bennett. Of course this was a long way away from the music of Derision, yet the band was treated with respect and made to feel of the same caliber. The next phase was to talk to an engineer, and that is when they met Steve Avedis. Upon the initial meeting with Steve, they felt confident he could help capture the essence of he band. The band was so impressed with his demeanor and the quality of his work, based on the existing tracks, that they began working toward enough songs for an independent release. More was accomplished in the Six weeks working with Steve than initially thought possible. Each mix improved as everyone became better acquainted. At the conclusion of the mixing process, nine finely crafted musical gems were ready to be mastered. Under the expert ear of Steve Sundberg and the Sonic Solutions System�, the aural tapestry was woven. Final touches were added by the photography of Jo Amram and Margie Carroll, and compiled by the staff of Joe?s Production and Grill in Boulder, CO. Thus, on August 4th, 1997 after two years of work DERISIONS self titled debut CD was complete and ready for aural consumption. But as they say, change is inevitable and all good things come to an end. Garry left Derision to play full time with our friends in Offering74. That among other reasons but Derision on hiatus until recently. (More on that later) Todd and Robert did some spoken word shows, both wrote a lot and Robert began playing sessions and studying the Chapman Stick | ||||||||||||||||||||
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