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Text-Only Review Archive
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Harmonie Magazine (France) - Album Review of "Awaken the Man"
Progressive music, in particular American prog, is like the hydra with its multiple heads – if one head dies, another emerges elsewhere, to our delight. Din Within is a newly formed band that spouts out of the geyser that is New Jersey. In fact, it is actually a duet of the guitarist Josh Sager - who is student of Scott McGill as well as a self-taught student primarily of jazz – and the singer/bass player Mark Gollihur, whose mother (recently passed) was a music and musical theater teacher and who passed on her genes and musical knowledge. Both players, nevertheless, share a passion for progressive rock, particularly for artists such as Kevin Gilbert, Neal Morse and Spock’s Beard, and Rush, while also being avid listeners of music such as the Beatles, Jazz and Classical music.
Although the duet cannot lay claim to a music revolution, they clearly have the ambition to provide pleasure with a musical style that does justice to their influences and inspirations. It is undoubtedly the key to their success on this album. One could fear that a “studio project” consisting of a duo would lead to a sound that would be artificial and non-cohesive. Yet, it is the opposite. With assistance by Josh’s guitar teacher Scott McGill, and the drumming contributions of Mike Ian, the group creates a debut of excellent quality, with music that is perfectly written and played, carefully composed melodies, vocal harmonies that are a work of gold, and varied textures throughout the album.
It is enjoyable for the listener to try to identify the influences of the group; a guitar solo from Boston here, a jazzy digression there, pop music elements elsewhere, a big nod to Genesis in “Awaken the Man”; but to my ear, much of the music bears some resemblance to Spock’s Beard, and even the tone of the voice sounds a bit like Nick D’Virgilio. Though Din Within do embark often on long-format epic songs, their sound also includes shorter songs; the album is a complete work. It is a small jewel that one will want to listen to over and over again. It is fresh, carefree, and will lift one’s spirits such as a musical antidepressant.
Philippe Gnana
Original review (French)
Le progressif, en particulier améri-
cain, c’est comme l’hydre à multiples
têtes : vous avez l’impression qu’une
tête s’éteint qu’une autre surgit ailleurs,
le plus souvent pour notre plus grand
plaisir. Din Within est une nouvelle
formation qui jaillit telle un geyser du
New-Jersey. En fait, il s’agit à la base
d’un duo formé du guitariste Josh
Sager, élève de Scott Mc Gill et dont la
formation autodidacte pour l’essentiel
est d’orientation jazz, et du chanteur/
bassiste/ claviériste Mark Gollihur dont
la maman qui vient de disparaître, était
professeur de chant et directrice de
théâtre et qui a transmis à son fils
ses gènes et son savoir musical.
Tous deux partagent néanmoins une
passion pour le rock progressif, en
particulier des gens comme Kevin
Gilbert, Neal Morse et Spock’s Beard,
Rush, tout en ayant d’autres centres
d’attraction soit auprès des Beatles,
soit dans le jazz, soit dans la musique
classique. Pour autant le duo n’a pas
la prétention de vouloir révolutionner
quoique ce soit. Il a pour seule am-
bition de se faire plaisir avant tout et
de recréer une musique qui soit dans
la lignée des modèles qui les ont fait
vibré et inspiré. C’est sans doute une
des explications de la réussite de cet
album. On aurait pu craindre que la
configuration du duo aboutisse à un
artefact de studio un peu artificiel et
désincarné. C’est tout le contraire.
Avec le concours du guitariste Scott
Mc Gill, le professeur de Josh Sager
et la contribution du batteur Mike Ian,
le groupe nous a concocté un premier
opus de haute tenue, avec une musi-
que parfaitement écrite et construite,
des mélodies soignées, un travail
d’orfèvre sur les harmonies vocales et
des ambiances suffisamment variées.
On peut s’amuser à décortiquer toutes
les influences du groupe, un solo de
guitare à la Boston ici, une digression
jazzy là, des éléments pop ailleurs, un
final à la Genesis sur Awaken the man
(Arnaud mon ami, on se calme) mais,
à mon sens, il y a avant tout beaucoup
de réminiscences du Spock’s Beard,
jusque dans les intonations de la voix
qui ne sont pas sans rappeler… Nick
D’Virgilio même si Din Within ne
s’embarque que rarement dans les
grands débordements homériques
dont est capable son glorieux aîné,
le propos musical du duo étant
davantage retenu et polissé.
Un petit bijou sans prétention que
l’on a envie d’écouter en boucle.
C’est frais, insouciant et dynamisant
et ça vaut tous les antidépresseurs
et autres anxiolytiques.
Philippe Gnana |
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SonicBond - album review
One of our favourite "new" artists of recent months is Din Within an excellent partnership between American's Josh Sager and Mark Gollihur.
Stylistically, this is melodic progressive rock, very much in the American style, with strong hints not just of Spocks Beard, but also of Styx and their most progressive.
With feet firmly in the Spocks Beard / Styx / Glass hammer camp - but with plenty of great playing to keep the prog fan happy, including some superb, fluid keyboard work, this is an excellent debut.
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Prog4You.com - album review by Josh Turner (added June 16, 2008)
Might I suggest Din Within for those of you who took issue with the backwards-compatibility of Spock’s Beard Two Point Oh? Alternatively, those lighthouse customers who stayed onboard for the upgrade may also find usefulness as well as practicality in the go-to-market mechanisms stored on this disc.
Whatever the chosen model, there are checkmarks in each column of the option-laden matrix. Mark Gollihur’s bass rumbles in the vein of Dave Meros whereas Nick D’ Virgilio’s awesome groove is heard in Mike Ian’s drumming. Josh Sager, no doubt, embodies much of the same in his guitars.
Besides the rhythm section, the vocals and synthesizers – also architected by Gollihur & Sager - really spruce up their interface for better usability with power users and active listeners.
Also integrated into the system are Easter eggs from NDV, Kevin Gilbert, and Genesis. For instance, “Turn it Around” is encrypted with the granddaddy in that list. Once scrambled by the algorithm, it seems a lot like “Turn it on Again” as if it were instantiated by Kansas.
“Hey You (Part I)” and “For What It’s Worth (Hey You Part II)” fit together like keyed connectors even if they are separated by a lot of wireless space.
On another wavelength, the title track is patched with Transatlantic. Even if it ain’t the real McCoy, this well-laid track is tempered with lush keyboards and gladly handles Big Big Train’s Difference Machine with absolutely zero strain.
Once these works were scoured and searched, I decided that the opener, “Better Than Before”, was my overall favorite. The revealing clue could have been the fact that I played it a million times or memorized its words. To give it away, I just love the instrumentation, the lyrics and the singing, or in other words; everything about it.
It’s “Duel with the Devil” meets “Scenes from a Memory”. Plus, there is a smattering of “Cutting it Fine”, and “Distance to the Sun” is thrown in for good measure. If I were asked to submit a song that best represented progressive rock, this might very well be it.
By the way, if you’re clueless to my references, you have a lot of catching up to do. As for me, I’ve been an early adopter to these various product lines through each and every lifecycle.
A year or so ago, I took part in the beta program -- as they let me evaluate some cuts before they were fully cooked. Even though the music was still scheduled for quality assurance; back then, I was already thoroughly impressed. At a minimum, I was confounded by the consonance between the various core components in their dynamically comprehensive merge modules.
To decipher what I’m saying, they not only borrowed from bands that I’ve adored since square one; they made sure their innovative medleys were extensible.
Now with a successful twist on several standard packages, Din Within is the ideal crew to compile the next generation of progressive rock. Outside the lab and no longer prototyping, Awaken the Man marks the launch of their ultimate edition. Not to mention, this particular critic can honestly vouch for it. After a series of rigorous listens, it’s proven to me to be 100% bug-free.
9/10
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Kinesis - album review
Released late in 2007, Awaken the Man is the 63-minute debut CD by
an American symphonic prog band that will no doubt elicit comparisons to Spock’s
Beard, mainly because that’s the easy reference these days when a variety of
British progressive rock influences are run through an American filter. It’s not
a bad reference though, as Din Within have that same huge symphonic rock sound,
technical skills and crisp production married with catchy melodies. Kansas is
also a good reference, Rocket Scientists to some extent, and the one reviewers
below a certain age will miss, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (more so vocally and in
the ballads). In addition to the Yes and ELP influences, Din Within have more of
a Genesis influence than Spock’s Beard, while one song is quite Floydian. There
are loads of instrumental passages. Din Within’s singer is not on a par with a
Neal Morse when the lead vocals go it alone, but when backing vocals have been
added, it produces the Utopia effect of average singers combining to create
powerful ensemble vocals. Maybe the best reason to compare Din Within to Spock’s
Beard is that one gets the same feeling listening to Awaken the Man
that one got when listening to the first Spock’s Beard CD, that it will be
difficult to keep this band a secret much longer.
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MLWZ Radio Show (Poland) - review on website (March 2008)
(an edited version of this review appeared in "Metal Hammer" Magazine)
To idealna plyta dla sympatyków amerykanskiego rocka spod znaku grup Styx, Kansas, Kevina Gilberta, czy Spock’s Beard. W muzyce grupy Din Within jest tyle charakterystycznych pierwiastków dla typowego prog rockowego brzmienia zza Oceanu, ze nie sposób pomylic sie i juz zaledwie po kilku dzwiekach nie ma zadnych watpliwosci, ze ta muzyka to najczystszej próby prog rock „made in USA”.
Din Within to duet Mark Gollihur – Josh Sager. Graja oni na instrumentach klawiszowych, gitarach, basie i skrupulatnie dziela sie sciezkami wokalnymi. Do nagrania swojego debiutanckiego krazka, któremu nadali tytul „Awaken The Man”, zaprosili liczne grono artystów, dzieki którym osiagneli wspaniala glebie soczystego i bardzo przejrzystego brzmienia. Ich muzyka od strony produkcyjnej brzmi tak perfekcyjnie, jakby ich plyta byla wysokobudzetowa produkcja, a nie wydawnictwem niezaleznym. A pomyslami, którymi obaj panowie zaskakuja na „Awaken The Man” mozna by obdzielic co najmniej kilka innych albumów. Jednym zdaniem – jestem bardzo zbudowany jakoscia muzyki, która mozna uslyszec na „Awaken The Man” oraz profesjonalizmem i wspaniale wykorzystanym talentem panów Gollihura i Sagera. Niewatpliwie czerpia oni ze zródel, które inspiruja ich muzyke, z pewnoscia wypozyczaja pewne skladniki z twórczosci innych wykonawców, ale przyrzadzaja je w formie wspanialej muzycznej uczty, która niewatpliwie jest ich plyta, wedlug wlasnego oryginalnego przepisu. Tym samym, sluchajac muzycznej zawartosci plyty „Awaken The Man”, ma sie z jednej strony poczucie pewnego znajomego „zaprzyjaznienia” z dzwiekami granymi przez Din Within, a z drugiej – trudno oprzec sie wrazeniu, ze te znane nam motywy i tematy zabarwione sa nutka oryginalnosci i swiezosci. Tak, swiezosci... Podczas sluchania tego albumu niejednokrotnie lapalem sie na tym, ze szczeka opadala mi ze zdziwienia, ze w tej lagodnej, miekkiej i melodyjnej odmianie prog rocka, nazywanej czesto „muzyka srodka” mozna przemycic tyle nowych, fascynujaco brzmiacych elementów.
Zespól Din Within zadebiutowal w 2005 roku na skladankowym albumie „Tsunami Projekt”, na której spolecznosc rockowa oddala hold ofiarom pamietnego tsunami, które nawiedzilo Daleki Wschód w Boze Narodzenie 2004. Na krazku tym, obok utworów w wykonaniu IQ, Neala Morse’a, Izz, Avalon i Nicka d’Virgillio, grupa Din Within zamiescila swoje piekne melodyjne nagranie „Hey You”. Znalazlo sie ono takze w programie plyty „Awaken The Man” i to az w dwóch rozdzielonych od siebie czesciach. Nie mam watpliwosci, ze dzieki swojej zapadajacej w pamiec linii melodycznej jest ono prawdziwa wizytówka tego zespolu. Ze wzgledu na swoja piosenkowa przystepnosc, „Hey You” mozna by nawet nazwac przebojem. Lecz, co ciekawe, muzyka Din Within na tej plycie w przewazajacej mierze sklada sie z dlugich, ponad 10-minutowych utworów. Wlasnie od dwóch takich, epickich, bardzo rozbudowanych „strzalów” rozpoczyna sie to wydawnictwo. Zarówno kompozycja „Better Than Before”, jak i „Turn It Around” raza sluchacza swoim rozmachem, doskonalym instrumentarium (ach te rozki angielskie w podnioslym finale „Better Than Before”!) oraz genialnymi harmoniami wokalnymi w wykonaniu obu filarów Din Within wspomaganych przez wspaniale spiewajaca Jessice Sager. Te dwie otwierajace plyte kompozycje ustawiaja poprzeczke bardzo wysoko i, co wazne, az do konca plyty ani na moment nie wedruje ona w dól. Seria krótszych utworów (pompatyczny „Song For Life”, lirycznie wyciszony „Weight Of The World”, przebojowy „Hey You”, zapierajacy dech w piersiach swoja tajemniczoscia „The Bottom / Between Two Lives), stanowi ciag fenomenalnie zagranych dzwieków i melodii, które ukladaja sie w magiczne misterium wypelnione melodyjna muzyka nieprzecietnej urody. A na koniec albumu zespól Din Within zachowal jeszcze jeden rodzynek w postaci trwajacej blisko kwadrans tytulowej suity. Stanowi ona prawdziwe magnum opus tej, nie boje sie tego slowa, fantastycznej plyty.
Czasami jest tak, ze czego by nie nagral dany zespól specjalizujacy sie w charakterystycznym, byc moze ocierajacym sie nieraz o A.O.R, „miekkim” brzmieniu, to zlosliwcy i tak to wysmieja i szyderczo powiedza, ze to cukrowane popluczyny po prawdziwym rockowym graniu. Jednak fani, którzy ukochali sobie ten rodzaj muzycznej wrazliwosci, jaka przed laty zachwycaly grupy pokroju The Journey, Styx, Boston, REO Speedwagon, czy Kansas (nie ukrywam, ze i ja sie do nich zaliczam) z pewnoscia docenia to wszystko, co uslyszec mozna na plycie „Awaken The Man”. A gdy jeszcze wszystko to jest nasycone solidna dawka inteligentnie podanego prog rocka, to sluchajac plyty „Awaken The Man” mozna naprawde poczuc ogromna radosc i satysfakcje z „odkrycia” tak ciekawego nowego zjawiska, jakim na mapie amerykanskiego prog rocka jest Din Within. Jak dla mnie to najciekawsza rzecz, która przytrafila sie progresywnej Ameryce od czasu debiutu Spock’s Beard.
Loose English Translation:
This is an ideal record for the fans of the US rock form under the sign of such groups as Styx, Kansas, Kevin Gilbert or Spock's Beard. The music of the group Din Within has so many elements characteristic to the prog rock form "over the pond". After only a few first sounds you have no doubts that you are listening to the pure prog rock "made in USA".
Din Within is a duo Mark Gollihur - Josh Sager. They play on keyboard, guitars, bass. They share the vocal tracks. To their first record is entitled "Awaken The Man", they invited numerous artists and achieved formidable depth of juicy and pleasant sound. Their music, from the production point of view, sounds so perfect as if were a high budget label not an independent publishing. And the ideas with which both gentleman surprise on "Awaken The Man" one could fill up several different albums. In short, I am very impressed with the quality of the music that one can hear on "Awaken The Man" and with the professionalism and great use of talents of misters Gollihur and Sager. Undoubtedly, they draw form the sources that inspire their music, for sure they borrow some ingredients form the creations of other artists, but they prepare a great feast out of it all. Their record is such a feast prepared according to their own original recipe. Listening to the music of "Awaken The Man", you feel on one hand some familiar "friendliness" with the sounds played by Din Within, and on the other hand you cannot resist the impression that the motives and themes are colored with some freshness and originality. Yes: freshness... While listening to this album I caught myself several times tha my jaw dropped out wonder that one can contain so many new and fascinatingly sounding elements in such a gentle, soft, melodic kind of prog rock, also called "music of the center".
the group Din Within first appeared in 2005 on a mix "Tsunami Project", where the rock community honored the memory of the Christmas 2004 Far East Tsunami. On this record, besides the music of IQ, Neal Morse, Izz, Avalon and Nick d'Virgillio, the group Din Within published they beautiful, melodic recording "Hey You". This piece, in two separate parts, also became a part of "Awaken The Man" . I have no doubt that this is a real representative of this group. Considering that it is song-like approachable, "Hey You" may even be called "a hit". However, what is interesting, the music of Din Within on this record is in its prevailing part consists of over 10-minutes long compositions. Exactly such two epic "shots" open the album. Both the composition "Better Than Before", and "Turn It Around" strike the listener with its breadth and perfect choice of instruments (hey, these ENglish Horns in the final part of "Better Than Before"!) and genial vocal harmonies of both pillars of the band aided with great singing of Jessica Sager. These two compositions that open the album set the bar very high. What is also importatn the bar does not go lower even for a moment during the entire album. A series of shorter pieces (pompatic "Song For Life", lyrically quiet "Weight Of The World", hit "Hey You", and breathtakingly mysterious "The Bottom / Between Two Lives"), comprise a chain of phenomenally played sounds and melodies that are set into a magical misterium filled up with melodic lines of above average beauty. There is one more sweet bite kept for the end of the record by the group of Din Within - about 15-minutes long name sake suite. This one is a real opus magnum of what I do not hesitate to call a fantastic record.
Sometimes it is so that whatever a given band records while specializing in a characteristic, touching maybe A.O.R. , "soft" sound, some critics will laugh out and say that this is but a shadow of a real rock play. However it is different for the fans, who love the kind of musical sensitivity of The Journey, Styx, Boston, REO Speedwagon, or Kansas. I do not hide that I am included in that group of fans. Such fans will for sure appreciate all that can be heard on "Awaken The Man". And all this is also saturated with intelligently served progressive rock. One can feel really great joy and satisfaction from "discovering" of "Awaken The Man". Din Within is a new and interesting phenomenon on the map of the US rock. As far as I am concerned this is the most interesting thing that happened to the progressive rock America since the debut of Spock's Beard.
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Interview with Josh Sager (Progressiveworld.Net) — April, 2005
Din Within hail from south New Jersey and consists of Mark Gollihur and Josh Sager, who met in the early 90s, but didn't join forces as Din Within until 2003. Though they have not yet released an album, the duo has been hard at work getting that first album ready.
Joshua Turner: Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to answer my questions.
Josh Sager: Thank you for the interview. I’m happy to speak with you.
JT: You feature some exceptional music on your web site. Do you plan to show off this material live in the near future?
JS: Thanks; I appreciate the compliment. We would definitely like to play our stuff live. It’s going to take a lot of work considering the complexity of the music, but it's certainly something Mark (Gollihur) and I want to do. Finding the right musicians to play with us will be a task, but we have a few great players in mind for when we’re ready.
Finding the right venue to perform the material is probably the biggest issue. The Southern New Jersey/Philadelphia area isn’t exactly the Mecca of progressive rock…
JT: You have an unusual name for your band. How did you come up with the name Din Within?
JS: The name is Mark's baby. He had been using the name "Din Within" for about 3-4 years before he and I started working together. We decided to use it for our project 'cause it was a cool name and it fit. In keeping with the tradition of prog rock band names that cause funny stares when spoken (Porcupine Tree, Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, etc.) we thought it was appropriate. I was leaning towards "The Legend of NineFinger," but Mark didn't dig that one too much.
JT: Please tell us about any plans you have for an album.
JS: We definitely will have a full album's length worth of material finished soon. We're just about there, but there are a few songs that we need to finish up. One thing about us is we like to take our time. I'm about as anal retentive as it gets when it comes to making stuff perfect, so I'm sure that slows things down quite a bit.
JT: Have you got a title for the new album?
JS: Nothing concrete at the moment. We have a few names tucked away for when we get to that point, but right now we're just concentrating on the music.
JT: Will this album follow a theme?
JS: Considering the songs that we currently have I would have to say "no." Lyrically these songs all hit subjects that are close to us; things we're learning and dealing with now that we're "adults." We purposely avoid writing lyrics about meaningless subjects… at least for now!
JT: Your music is lavished with complexities that integrate very well. Could you describe your songwriting process? How do you formulate these ideas and how do you put them together to form such clever music?
JS: Thanks. Our songwriting process is pretty unique I think; at least as it pertains to other music projects I've been involved with or seen firsthand. I should start off by saying that both Mark and I have very strong personalities; we both have an Alpha Dog mentality, which as I'm sure you can guess has the potential to get us into a lot of trouble working together. When we first decided that we wanted to write music together we knew that some ground rules needed to be established to avoid any Spy vs. Spy action that may arise.
A new song usually starts out with one person bringing a riff, melody, or lyrics to the table, the same way every other band out there in the world usually does it. The person with the initial song idea is considered the "parent." What that means is that this person ultimately has the final word. If we both have different ideas about a particular part of the song and it doesn't look like either of us is going to budge, the "parent" ultimately gets to decide what will happen. It makes things much easier that way. Egos do get bruised, but we manage to get past it pretty quick.
I should also add that we try to flush out any and all ideas that come out; regardless of how stupid they may end up being. That includes "styles" of music. It just so happens that we're getting pretty comfortable writing this kind of music, but that doesn't mean that a death metal song or two isn't on the horizon. [grins] But we'll probably "brand" the other music that doesn't fit in with the current Din Within "mold" as another project, just to avoid confusion for the people who latch on to what we've done so far.
In past projects I was very quick to dismiss other band member's input if my initial knee-jerk reaction to their suggestion was negative. In retrospect this was a stupid thing to do, and certainly not a lot of fun for my band mates, but that's how I was back in the day. Mark probably wasn't as "in your face" in his bands as I was in mine, but I'm sure his situation was relatively similar. In this project we make sure that we spend as much time as necessary so the person with the idea feels that we've given it all we can. This does sometimes have a tendency to sidetrack us, but it's all about the journey, not the destination, after all! There have also been a few times where taking the extra time to explore these ideas has actually paid off very well for us.
JT: I've enjoyed all the samples on the web site, but overall, I find the long epic is best. It flows very well and introduces a vast number of catchy melodies. Out of the songs you've already put together, what's your favorite?
JS: That song – "Better Than Before" - is my favorite as well. I really enjoy working in a linear songwriting format. Dream Theater was very good at this on the Images And Words album, and that's kind of where I got it from. For example, in the second verse I wanted to change the music slightly from the first verse. The lyrics are different from verse to verse, so why shouldn't the music be as well? Mark didn't have a problem with it, so away we went.
I had a good amount of the music before I presented it to Mark. Mostly it was a bunch of miscellaneous riffs and ideas I had recorded into my computer. As I started going through the music I had, I realized that many of the parts fit together quite well. When I stuck them together into one idea and brought it to Mark he quickly added his own personality to it, and it didn't take very long after that to have a completed song.
Lyrically, BTB was fun as well. There's a good mixture of comedy, irony, and concept. It's the first time that I really worked on allusion and strong imagery; all of my lyrics in the past were just crap! To be honest, it's the first time I really spent a lot of energy on what I wanted to say. I'm certainly not saying these lyrics are worthy of Bob Dylan praise, but I'm pretty happy with them. Mark more or less forced me to write the lyrics by myself, and I'm glad that he did. It's also the first time I ever sang lead vocals on a song.
We have a new song almost completed - yet untitled - that is another epic. It's about 12 minutes long and I'm pretty sure when it's done I'm going to have a hard time deciding which one I like better, "Better Than Before" or this new one.
JT: I hear a lot of influences in your music; mostly I'd say Spock's Beard. I find a hint of Dream Theater below the surface as well. Who would you say are your musical influences?
JS: How much time do you have? [laughs] I have such diverse tastes; it's hard to just pick out a few. I'll try, however; just remember that you did ask…
I would say that Scott McGill (my guitar teacher) and the group Rush have had the two most profound influences on me. I can't even begin to tell you how much Scott has taught me and helped to shape me as a player and musician. His band McGill/Manring/Stevens ("MMS" - with drummer Vic Stevens and bassist Michael Manring) is, in my opinion, hands-down the best fusion band out there. They cannot be touched.
I wish I could give you a solid answer when it comes to Rush; they just ARE the greatest band ever. They had an instant effect on me the first time I heard them and I never stopped liking them. Spock's Beard is a huge influence as well; I think that's quite obvious from our music. I think Neal Morse is a musical genius, and the music he wrote when he was in SB is nothing short of brilliant. Dream Theater was big for me back in the early 90's, when I was practicing for hours and hours every day. John Petrucci's guitar played has definitely been etched into my mind permanently. They kind of dropped off a bit for me in terms of my musical tastes, but I can't deny their influence on my playing and writing. It's nice to see them finally get the recognition they deserve, and they're all extremely nice people to boot. You couldn't ask for a better combination than that!
I'm also a huge jazz fan, so you can include Miles, Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Herbie Hancock, Pat Martino, Joey DeFrancesco, Hank Mobley, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, and just about every other Blue Note hard bop jazz artist from the 50's and 60's. In college I was a classical music major (guitar), so you also need to include Beethoven, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Bartok, Webern… most of the contemporary composers.
Who else? King's X, Bjork, BT, Opeth, Pantera, Living Colour, Allan Holdsworth, Pat Metheny, the Beatles (of course), Slayer, King Diamond, Queensryche… all of them shaped me musically in some way. Kevin Gilbert is a recent addition, thanks to Mark. A masterful lyricist and most definitely my biggest lyrical inspiration.
JT: When did your involvement in music begin?
JS: I basically started when I was in 5th grade with the saxophone. I don't really remember why I didn't stick with it. My dad used to noodle around on the guitar when I was growing up, and my mom loved to sing, so music was always in the house. Around 12 years old I got into guitar and drums, and just gravitated to the guitar.
My only real musical regret is that I never learned piano. Certainly of no fault to my parents, but I wish I had started taking piano lessons at a very young age. Oh well… there's something to be said for shedding on the guitar, so I shouldn't complain. [grins].
JT: Everybody in your band is so talented. How did you stumble across such talented musicians?
JS: Thank you very much. Our "band" is really just Mark and myself; we both pretty much play everything on our songs, with the occasional guest appearance here and there. Whoever is best suited to handle a particular part gets to record it.
Mark and I met in college. I was in a band with one of Mark's best friends, and that's how we met. It wasn't until very recently that we ever worked on music together. I think we were both lucky in that our musician friends were both very talented and very supportive. I can remember spending hours in the lounge of the music building in college, exchanging riffs, having little guitar battles, talking about theory… I guess it really was just luck.
JT: Can you recall any Spinal Tap moments that have occurred in your musical career?
JS: [sigh] Yes, I have a particularly good one that all of my friends enjoy reminding me about. Back in the 90's Mark was in a prog power trio that had a gig at one of the local clubs in Jersey. His guitarist (Scott - also a good friend of mine) wanted to borrow my guitar cabinet, so of course I was happy to lend it to him. After the show he gave the cabinet back to me. I put it in the trunk of my hatchback (THE gigging musician's car at the time) and was getting ready to shut the hatch and head home. Scott said to me, "Dude, I don't think the cabinet is in the trunk well enough; I don't think it's going to clear the hatch." Being the egotist that I am, I shrugged him off, telling him that I'd put this cabinet in my trunk a million times with no problem. I'm sure I said "Dude!" about 300 times during the conversation as well.
Anyway, wouldn't you know that when I shut the hatch I heard the wonderful sound of glass shattering? I managed to completely destroy the rear windshield of my car because the cabinet wasn't put in correctly after all. There's nothing like getting out the trash bags and duct tape at three in the morning to fix a broken car window.
Needless to say I still haven't lived it down thanks to my friends … I also no longer have large guitar cabinets as a result.
JT: I'd like to get an idea of some of your current tastes. What's the last CD you purchased?
JS: The last CD I purchased was Live At Mt. Fuji by Gonzalo Rubalcaba. I'm waiting for the new Porcupine Tree CD to come out later this month, so that will be my next purchase.
JT: What is the last concert you attended as a fan?
JS: I just saw McCoy Tyner last week in Philly; an absolutely amazing musician and a living legend. I also recently just saw Herbie Hancock and Dave Brubeck recently. The best concert I ever saw was the recent Rush tour. Three hours of music spanning their entire career. It was worth sitting outside during the torrential downpour to watch and listen to.
JT: I would like to ask you about some of your favorites.
JS: Go for it.
JT: What is your favorite album?
JS: Bah! I hate this question. [laughs] I honestly don't think I could just name one. How about I cheat and give you a few at the top of my list?
Rush - Hemispheres, Grace Under Pressure, Moving Pictures
Scott McGill - Everything he's done (Hand Farm, Ripe, Addition By Subtraction, Controlled By Radar)
Spock's Beard - V, Snow, Day For Night
Opeth - Blackwater Park
Bela Bartok - Six String Quartets
Arnold Schoenberg - Six Little Piano Pieces
Bjork - Post
King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
Pat Martino - Live at Yoshi's
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue, 'Round Midnight
Wes Montgomery - Smokin' At The Half Note
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Living Colour - Vivid
Allan Holdsworth - Wardenclyffe Tower, Secrets
McCoy Tyner - The Real McCoy
There are a million more…
JT: What is your favorite band?
JS: Scott McGill (solo and with MMS) and Rush. Everyone else is a relatively distant second.
JT: I would like to ask about some favorites that are not specifically related to music in order to get an idea of some other outlets that might influence your music. What is your favorite movie?
JS: Seven Samurai. Anything by Kurosawa, actually…
JT: What is your favorite TV show?
JS: West Wing, Law And Order, Whose Line...
JT: What is your favorite book?
JS: Nelson DeMille is my favorite author, so I would have to say probably The Charm School . Values For A New Millennium by Dr. Robert L. Humphrey would be a very close second.
JT: I have a quirky question that I like to ask. It helps me to identify with the artist. Do you have any pets?
JS: Nope. I don't spend enough time at home to justify owning a pet. I don't think it's fair to leave a pet alone and unattended all day long, unless maybe fish. If I did have the time, however, I would love to have a dog.
JT: Before we wrap up, is there anything you would like to say to your fans at this time?
JS: Fans? You mean our families and friends? I talk to them all the time! [laughs] Seriously, though… I'm not sure how much of a fan base we have right now, but to anyone that's heard our music and liked it I would definitely like to thank them for taking the time to listen to our stuff. It's nice to know that some people dig what we're coming up with.
The music industry is a shell of its former self, unfortunately, so it's nice to know that there are still outlets available to fans of progressive music.
JT: Thanks again for taking the time to perform this interview.
JS: Thank you very much. Great name, by the way… [smiles]
JT: Great job on those tracks and good luck with the official release. I'm looking forward to hearing it.
JS: Ah, you're too kind. Thanks!
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Progressiveworld.Net song review — April, 2005
This group has it all. Their songs remind me of bands such as Splinter, A.C.T, and another newcomer named MoonSafari who mix numerous elements together with sheer ease. Rather than piece their songs together in separate disparate passages that don’t necessarily mesh (something many bands are guilty of doing these days in order to make an epic), Din Within is capable of blending everything together smoothly. I cannot recall the discovery of a band that excited me so much since the day I stumbled onto Spock’s Beard's "The Doorway." Interestingly enough, that's the band that is closest to their sound. Do not fret; nothing has been stolen off the Xerox machine. Spock's Beard's intellectual property is safe and sound, because Din Within is groomed in a slightly different way. Rather than sport a full beard, they don bushy brown sideburns, a thick goatee, and closely-shaven hair. While their music embodies the same spirit as other bands, you'll find their cuts to be quite uncommon.
Here are some samples you can currently find on their web site:
"Hey You" - There is dichotomy between the parts that are uplifting and downbeat. It almost has the feel of a Billy Joel ballad. At the same time, its symphonic traits remind me of the shadowy sides of Kaipa, Karmakanic, and The Tangent. This shows off the compositional skills of Josh Sager (the mastermind behind Din Within [along with Mark Gollihur]). The song is also one of the many generous contributions made to The Tsunami Projekt. When I first heard this tune on that album, I was instantly enamored with the band. I found myself reeling with the urge to hear much more from this artist, which is what ultimately led me to his site (www.joshsager.com).
"Better Than Before" - This song is so amazing it's startling. The melody brings two great bands to mind. I think of Spock's Beard's Snow for the instrumentals and harmonies. Dream Theater's Scenes From A Memory seems to be somewhere under the surface for its compositional choices. The singing, the synths, the harmonies, and the bass are all excellent. It has all the best elements of a great prog rock epic. This should put all the other artists on notice. The acoustic guitar solo in the middle breaks us away from any risk of stagnation. From start to finish, it's neither too loud nor too mellow. The level is set right where I like it. There is also a lot of variety in all the various parts and passages. I didn't tire of this song for a single second and I was moved to such elation that it didn't take long before I returned to it again. With this kind of material, I am awfully curious what they have squirreled away for their official debut. Josh is already hinting that he has another epic up his sleeve that might even top this one.
"Song For Life" - A fitting title since it brings Kansas' "Song For America" to life. It also has the accessible, commercial, and balladic elements that work so well in their other two samples. Toto and Asia are other bands that work themselves into the mix. Like Izz, we get blaring and bold guitar solos and co-ed harmonies. The guitar playing here emulates Al Morse and Paul Bremmer. Even though the song features female vocalists, the style of the singing emulates Neal Morse's Testimony.
Long before the actual release is ready, these samples have stirred me in my seat. While their friends and family have already given their seal of approval, Din Within is brand-spanking-new to the scene. Consequently, they have yet to recruit their first wave of followers. As for me, I can hardly wait to hear what they have in store for this new fan.
Rating: 4.375/5
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