Intervals [Interview]
Welcome to 2016! With a new year stretching off into the distance, I talked to Intervals mastermind Aaron Marshall about the story behind The Shape Of Colour – a release crammed with instrumental guitar-driven excellence that ranks as one of my favourite albums of 2015…
You’ve really had to fight to make The Shape Of Colour a reality. Could you please explain the story behind Intervals’ latest evolutionary shift?
I’m not sure I would say it was a fight as much as it was a test of my will.
Essentially, Intervals began as sort of an accident. I had one song for whatever my next project would be (at the time) and a good friend of mine insisted to shoot a “play through” video of the tune. I had no real intention of releasing it, but he convinced me that I needed to put it on the Internet.
Without being too long-winded, everything sort of snowballed from there. After a handful of releases (one which even featured a vocalist) and a couple years of touring, it was evident that there was an impending shift in personnel on the horizon. 2015 saw that become a reality, and I promised myself that I would continue to see this through.
The Shape of Colour is the result – and while in retrospect there have been some difficult moments leading up to this record, I think everything happens for a reason.
How’s it feel to have The Shape Of Colour out there?
It feels great. Rather cathartic, even. I feel like I said most of what I wanted to with this record, but I’m already thinking about the next one.
I’m actually really looking forward to refining the direction that this album has taken me in.
What is your earliest musical memory?
I have a couple, and I’m not sure which came first, but my mom took me to see a lot of live music when I was really little. It may be either seeing Aqua at a random mall or seeing The Backstreet Boys at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
What, were you expecting a Slayer reference? Haha!
Looking back on the years that have passed since then, what have been the highlights for you? If you were to pick some moments for a Top Gun-style montage, which would you choose?
Playing Bohemian Rhapsody with a 150 person ensemble of choir and dancers behind me in high school; winning a battle of the bands with my first local band at one of my favourite venues (The Phoenix) in Toronto; playing that same stage (as Intervals) to support Between The Buried And Me a few years later; touring Europe with Protest The Hero and drinking Hungarian moonshine while pretending to play Blindfolds Aside on stage with PTH in Budapest; and I think it’s safe to say my life may have peaked that very night!
There’s more, but that’s the good stuff!
What was your creative process while writing and recording The Shape Of Colour?
It wasn’t much different than how I had written the previous Intervals material. I think the difference was my overall goals. The biggest being deliberately challenging myself to only write in standard tuning, and not allowing myself to use any seven-strings or anything like that.
A lot of people have been asking about that, and it’s more just a personal goal. Subsequent releases could very well see some down-tuned stuff again, but that was sort of the goal I had in mind with this record.
How have you evolved, as a musician and as a person, since you first formed Intervals back in the day?
I think I just see this whole thing differently. I used to be the starry-eyed kid waiting for someone to come along and offer up that big ol’ recording contract, but I’ve learned a lot from my peers and from my personal experiences.
Apart from that, as a musician, I’ve learned to embrace my strong suits, rather than trying to be a bunch of things that I am not. That seems to work out much better for me, and I find more joy in growing those aspects rather than trying to reinvent the wheel all the time.
What do you have planned for 2016?
I have a really awesome tour that I’m looking forward to announcing, and hopefully a bunch more of that to follow. I’d also like to work on a few collaborative efforts and even find some time to work on a new EP, if possible!
Thanks for taking the time to do this – it’s a pleasure to support great musicians!
Any time. Thanks for asking and take care!
If you enjoyed this interview, read TMMP’s review of The Shape Of Colour here; check out Intervals’ official website; and follow TMMP via Twitter and my brand new Facebook page for more from the world of world-class music.
If you’re a regular reader, thanks for the support! Don’t stop, and keep going!