DAYTON - What you are about to experience is music without compromise. Musical beats, melodies and rhythms that flow pure and in perfect collaboration and unison.
So when does these guys start singing?
That's the beauty of the duo Collaboration Element. Each song is musically more challenging due to the fact that all their music is instrumental. The band uses voiceovers and scriptural passages to help bring out the message.
"We wanted to try something different and complex. Each song takes time, precession and practice to perfect," say Jason Mcintosh and Greg Jones. "We use our instruments instead of our voices."
Their upcoming CD The Science of Music will be out in the summer. The pair have musical roots from bands like Genesis, Yes, Rush and current rock bands like Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment. While musicianship is the key element to what they do, Mcintosh and Jones hope to someday employ video screens and other tech equipment to enhance the experience. Future plans include playing a set with a biblical video package from Genesis to Revelation.
The pair say Christian progressive rock instrumental music is quite marketable. "Instrumental music can be interpreted so many ways. Lyrics, in a way, pigeonhole the music into a category. This way, we can sound like anything from Yanni to Steve Vai or Joe Satriani to Dream Theater. There is no place for mediocrity in Christian music, and we demand the very most out of ourselves when we play."
The collaborators met eight years ago and formed the band in February 1999. Jones (guitar/synthesizer sequencing) served as musical minister at Xenia Christian Center and now focuses on his musical career and computers. Mcintosh (drums/percussion/bass/keyboards) is the praise and worship leader for the youth group at Way of the Cross Church.
Mcintosh nd Jones are holding auditions for a bass player and keyboardist. Interested parties can contact them by e-mail at [email protected] or check them out online at www.collaborationelement.com . Also visit www.gatheringgrounds.com for performances of Collaboration Element and other bands.