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| Side Line Interview Issue #48 July 25th 2004 |
Texas seems to be the hotspot for innovative electro talent and Houston's own digital heroes,
Provision, are no exception! This infectious and hard hitting trio led by enigmatic ringleader Breye
Kiser have paid their dues after years of non-stop U.S. touring and relentless internet promotion.
By building a fanbase from the ground up, the sky truly is their limit. Now, they're releasing their
second LP, 'Visualize' this month and, as usual, Breye had something to say about it!
By: Dan Koven
1.) Provision has been kept a well-guarded underground secret for several years. Why is now the
time to unleash your potent electro fury to the masses’?
PV: Our upcoming 2nd album Visualize will be the first time that many new fans discover us.
Visualize expands the signature sound we developed on our debut album Evaporate, which listed
at #44 in the “Top 100 best sellers” on A Different Drum’s website for 2003. This was quite a
feat for an unsigned synth act pushing a self produced, self released debut, but due largely to our
relentless promotion and touring. People are still unaware of us. But we feel the masses will see
something special in our progressive dance, EBM, synthpop hybrid sound on Visualize. We
guarantee it to be our best release to date!
2.) Give us a brief summary of the challenges associated with self-releasing and self-promoting
over the past four years. What were the biggest frustrations you faced?
PV: The biggest challenge was gaining exposure to push an album on our own. We first overcame
it by touring, and we had A Different Drum distributing us. But we owe most of it to our fans for
promoting us continuously since 2001. The biggest frustration was landing a record deal. You're
out there busting your butt, going broke, and seeing acts getting signed that just started out. It
gets you down sometimes. We had no "connections", so it was all about exposure for us. Making
a name for ourselves. If you can't make yourself known, then why should a label invest in you?
That's how we looked at it.
3.) You’ve signed with A Different Drum in the U.S. What attracted Todd to offer a contract and
what are your mutual goals?
Breye: We're known for our relentless promotion and touring. We're doing something unique,
and we're one of the hardest working synth acts out there. I think that made us attractive. We
had 3 offers on the table when Todd sent us a Contract. It was the best deal for who we are, and
the independence we want. I think Todd was looking for an act with diversity, and experiance.
One that's constantly on the Live circuit promoting themselves and the label.
That's who we are.
4.) Speaking of touring, and I can personally attest, Provision is known as an energetic, prolific
live act. Tell us what goes into your shows and how fans react (to your antics.)
PV: We change our set up often, keeping it fresh and new. The fans connect with our universal
message, and we've gained most of our fans through our shows. We have fun with it, take
requests, and make alternate live versions of our songs.We come to the stage ready to energize
the crowd. Ted from Imperative Reaction recently said to us- "It's amazing how you come to the
stage every night, like there's 5000 people in the crowd". We have the best fans in the world!
They love our antics and getting Leslie to do "The Butt", and they make it all worth it.
5.) Let’s talk about the new album, “Visualize.” Specifically: lyrical inspiration, studio rituals and
delegation of duties while recording.
Breye: 4 of the songs reflect the pain, dreams, and hopes of others. This was a first for me,
because Evaporate was about my life and fiction. 5 tracks are for my finace Jen, how our
relationship began and matured. The remaining ones hark back to Evaporate, and of things that
fell apart. As painful as they sound, they ultimately helped me heal.
The music is written and programmed at my loft - Red Square Digital. Pre-production is handled
by the band as a whole, as the songs mature to the recording stage. Recording is done at
Carlos's studio - Covision Creative. Carlos is my assisstant engineer, and runs the machines when
I cut vocals. His loft is filled with his own paintings which are dark and serene. It's the perfect
atmosphere. We burn insence and candles often, and it's very peaceful.
6.) Finally, as we head toward the end of ’04, what tour or release plans can fans expect to see
materialize?
A Different Drum is releasing our first single - "Could've had it All" and our 2nd album - Visualize.
The single and a bonus disk with our album will feature remixes, b-sides, and music videos. We
plan to tour the U.S. this summer, and would like to begin recording our 3rd album in November.
Stay tuned to www.provision-musik.net for all the latest news on us, and we hope to see you all
at our shows in 2004!!! Thank You to all the fans, to you Dan, and Side Line for giving us this
interview.
Provision, are no exception! This infectious and hard hitting trio led by enigmatic ringleader Breye
Kiser have paid their dues after years of non-stop U.S. touring and relentless internet promotion.
By building a fanbase from the ground up, the sky truly is their limit. Now, they're releasing their
second LP, 'Visualize' this month and, as usual, Breye had something to say about it!
By: Dan Koven
1.) Provision has been kept a well-guarded underground secret for several years. Why is now the
time to unleash your potent electro fury to the masses’?
PV: Our upcoming 2nd album Visualize will be the first time that many new fans discover us.
Visualize expands the signature sound we developed on our debut album Evaporate, which listed
at #44 in the “Top 100 best sellers” on A Different Drum’s website for 2003. This was quite a
feat for an unsigned synth act pushing a self produced, self released debut, but due largely to our
relentless promotion and touring. People are still unaware of us. But we feel the masses will see
something special in our progressive dance, EBM, synthpop hybrid sound on Visualize. We
guarantee it to be our best release to date!
2.) Give us a brief summary of the challenges associated with self-releasing and self-promoting
over the past four years. What were the biggest frustrations you faced?
PV: The biggest challenge was gaining exposure to push an album on our own. We first overcame
it by touring, and we had A Different Drum distributing us. But we owe most of it to our fans for
promoting us continuously since 2001. The biggest frustration was landing a record deal. You're
out there busting your butt, going broke, and seeing acts getting signed that just started out. It
gets you down sometimes. We had no "connections", so it was all about exposure for us. Making
a name for ourselves. If you can't make yourself known, then why should a label invest in you?
That's how we looked at it.
3.) You’ve signed with A Different Drum in the U.S. What attracted Todd to offer a contract and
what are your mutual goals?
Breye: We're known for our relentless promotion and touring. We're doing something unique,
and we're one of the hardest working synth acts out there. I think that made us attractive. We
had 3 offers on the table when Todd sent us a Contract. It was the best deal for who we are, and
the independence we want. I think Todd was looking for an act with diversity, and experiance.
One that's constantly on the Live circuit promoting themselves and the label.
That's who we are.
4.) Speaking of touring, and I can personally attest, Provision is known as an energetic, prolific
live act. Tell us what goes into your shows and how fans react (to your antics.)
PV: We change our set up often, keeping it fresh and new. The fans connect with our universal
message, and we've gained most of our fans through our shows. We have fun with it, take
requests, and make alternate live versions of our songs.We come to the stage ready to energize
the crowd. Ted from Imperative Reaction recently said to us- "It's amazing how you come to the
stage every night, like there's 5000 people in the crowd". We have the best fans in the world!
They love our antics and getting Leslie to do "The Butt", and they make it all worth it.
5.) Let’s talk about the new album, “Visualize.” Specifically: lyrical inspiration, studio rituals and
delegation of duties while recording.
Breye: 4 of the songs reflect the pain, dreams, and hopes of others. This was a first for me,
because Evaporate was about my life and fiction. 5 tracks are for my finace Jen, how our
relationship began and matured. The remaining ones hark back to Evaporate, and of things that
fell apart. As painful as they sound, they ultimately helped me heal.
The music is written and programmed at my loft - Red Square Digital. Pre-production is handled
by the band as a whole, as the songs mature to the recording stage. Recording is done at
Carlos's studio - Covision Creative. Carlos is my assisstant engineer, and runs the machines when
I cut vocals. His loft is filled with his own paintings which are dark and serene. It's the perfect
atmosphere. We burn insence and candles often, and it's very peaceful.
6.) Finally, as we head toward the end of ’04, what tour or release plans can fans expect to see
materialize?
A Different Drum is releasing our first single - "Could've had it All" and our 2nd album - Visualize.
The single and a bonus disk with our album will feature remixes, b-sides, and music videos. We
plan to tour the U.S. this summer, and would like to begin recording our 3rd album in November.
Stay tuned to www.provision-musik.net for all the latest news on us, and we hope to see you all
at our shows in 2004!!! Thank You to all the fans, to you Dan, and Side Line for giving us this
interview.