Blistering.com-------------------V Shape Mind

By: Don Sill  

Pulling in elements from all sides of the rock spectrum V Shape Mind have developed a sound that is not quite heavy enough to be labeled metal and not quite light enough to be declared pop. Coined as "heavy-mellow’" by V Shape Mind’s own singer/songwriter Brad Hursh his music just sort of floats on the line as its own entity.

Hursh and his mates; Scott Parjani-drums, guitarist Jeff McElyea and bassist Vic Zientara; developed their brand of "heavy-mellow" music in Decatur, Illinois when they first formed in ‘99. With a heavy guitar driven flow combined with Hursh’s hauntingly soft vocals the band knew they were on to something special. They began playing the local circuit and soon built a loyal following in Central Illinois and found themselves at the center of Decatur's original music scene.

With the help of life-long friend Chad Gray, (front man of Mudvayne), V Shape Mind would soon would catch the ear of producer David Bottrill (Tool, King Crimson, Silverchair) who was in studio producing Mudvayne’s End Of All Things To Come at the time. Gray knew Bottrill was starting his own label and turned him on to V Shape Mind’s demo tapes. Needless to say, Bottrill fell in love with the band immediately and V Shape Mind became the very first band signed to his Mainstation imprint.

V Shape Mind’s debut album entitled Cul-De-Sac is a tightly crafted collection of tunes whose melodic sense and hard rock edge transcends smoothly through soothing vocals and alluring lyrics with a beat that bites and guitar riff’s that drag you in. The first single, ‘Monsters’, features Mudvayne’s Gray and it really captures the diversity of this band as the song ranges from driving rock to melodic like a slow roller-coaster.

Hursh spoke with Blistering.com recently about V Shape Mind’s debut album, his relationship with Gray and touring.

Blistering.com: You guys must be pretty psyched to begin the big tour with Mudvayne?
Hursh: Yes, we start tomorrow night and we’re definitely stoked for this.

Blistering.com: What are you guys doing in preparation for the big tour?
Hursh: Well, for the past couple of weeks we’ve just been practicing our asses off and trying to get everything ready to roll for this tour, man. We’re all very excited and ready to get out there and play in front of people, let them know that we exist and hopefully they’ll check us out.

Blistering.com: Now You and Chad Gray from Mudvayne go way back to when you guys were little kids, right?
Hursh: Yeah, since third grade.

Blistering.com: Did Chad give you any advice about being a rock band in the big leagues?
Hursh: Yeah… Chad has been in the game for a few years and I talked to him all the time and he’s always passing on little tidbits of information. I think that for me to just see his experience and going through it and the things he’s had to endure up to this point was a lesson in itself. He hasn’t said anything specific as far as advice goes, but by living somewhat vicariously through him these past few years has kind of given me some preparation as to what to expect and what to look out for and all that stuff.

Blistering.com: So, that must be pretty cool to get on a tour with one of your life-long friends whose band is at the top of the game right now.
Hursh: Yeah, totally… I think that one of the coolest things about it is being able to see my bud everyday and being able to hang out with him. He also sings on one of our songs, so I think that he’s gonna come out during our show and sing along with us and I’m really looking forward to that.

Blistering.com: And that song he sings on is ‘Monsters’.
Hursh: Yeah, that’s our first single.

Blistering.com: What inspired that track? What is that tune all about?
Hursh: That song is all metaphors and it’s just for whatever anyone wants to get out of it. But, for me personally it was just the idea of fighting with demons, you know. Whether they’re demons that you fight within yourself to become a better person or it could be those demons you encounter anywhere, those external demons. So, it’s a combination of both and just trying to stay positive in a very negative world, a negative environment.

Blistering.com: Cool, so there is a positive twist to the song.
Hursh: Yeah… I mean, lyrically it may not sound too positive on the surface but in actuality it is. It’s turning a negative into a positive.

Blistering.com: Is there a video for ‘Monsters’ yet?
Hursh: No, there is no video yet. I’m hoping we’re gonna do so within the next couple of months or so. I know nothing has been definite yet but I am hoping that we make that happen real soon.

Blistering.com: Now, what is the whole story behind the name of this band. V Shape Mind, what does it mean?
Hursh: Well, when we were trying to find that perfect name for us we wanted something that was pretty ambiguous, something that was thought provoking and make people get their own interpretation. I guess for me, it symbolizes balance and just a positive mindset.

Blistering.com: Lets talk about your debut album Cul-De-Sac. What would you say is the overall vibe of this record?
Hursh: Interesting question. I guess I would say that the overall vibe is just for people to use their minds and be open-minded and get your own interpretation on things. Lyrically it’s kind of like the name of the band, there’s lots of metaphors and lot of things that people can draw from and relate to their own experiences with without being so black and white lyrically with imagery or anything like that. It’s just a rock record with lots of melody and I hope that it can maybe reach a lot of people.

Blistering.com: You coined the phrase ‘Heavy-Mellow" for your sound.
Hursh: Yeah… It’s kind of a play off Heavy Metal cus’ we’re not a rock band. You know, we do have elements of heavy music within us and a lot of melodies… We’re a combination of those two worlds.

Blistering.com: You write all the lyrics for the band. What are some of the things that inspire you to write?
Hursh: I would say my surroundings. I think we’re all kind of products of our environment and I think that I take in what ever it is I have around me and I kinda sift it through and give my own interpretation and philosophy of where I’m coming from as a person and try to turn negatives into positives.

Blistering.com: What mind frame do you write best in?
Hursh: I write best when I’m under pressure, I think. [Laughs] Whenever I feel that pressure, like before we went to Vancouver to make the record we had a certain number of songs and I wanted to have a few more just to make it all complete and make everything kind of fit together. So, then I felt some pressure to write some songs and I write four and they all ended up being on the record and I’m really proud of those songs. So, the whole idea of putting myself under that pressure really came through.

Blistering.com: What were those four songs?
Hursh: Well, a song called ‘Glitches’, which is probably my favorite song on the record so far. A song called ‘Dangle’ and ‘ELT’ which is our hidden track and what’s the last one? I can’t remember… That’s pretty bad! [Laughs]

Blistering.com: I dig the track ‘Taste Of Vinegar’. It’s got some funk to it.
Hursh: Thanks man, that’s actually a really old song. I wrote that back before the band was really even happening. It kinda stood the test of time, a lot of the songs that I write go through a process of elimination, like survival of the fittest. Which songs will be the better ones and go together and have that cohesive element to it and for whatever reason that song is still around and still seems to work.

Blistering.com: Well, it say a lot that a tune you wrote so long ago was still strong enough to include on your debut album.
Hursh: Yeah, because a lot of other songs have fallen by the way side and that one is still around, still kicking.

Blistering.com: Now, as we said earlier, you guys are going out on tour with Mudvayne, Powerman 5000 and Fingertight. What can fans expect to see when V Shape Mind takes the stage?
Hursh: They can expect a good energetic live show. It’ll be four guys just sweating and giving out some energy and hoping to get some in return.

      Shoutweb.com ---------------------------by Jordana Reim

Shoutweb: You worked with David Bottrill for your forthcoming album. What was it like working with him knowing that he's worked with Tool and Godsmack? Did he intimidate you at all?

Brad: We're all fans of records that David has made, from his work with Peter Gabriel to Tool and so on. The experience was great working with someone of that caliber, the first initial meeting was a little intimidating for us but he really had a way of making us feel comfortable.

Shoutweb: How did you hook up with David? I heard it was through Mudvayne?

Brad: David got our demo from Chad when Mudvayne were making their latest record. Chad and I have known each other since grade school and have been best friends for a number of years. He knew that David was looking for bands for his new label so he passed ours along. We showcased for David and things just went from there.

Shoutweb: I heard that you used to play mostly cover songs in your hometown of Decatur, IL. How did you go about your transformation from a relatively unknown cover band into V Shape Mind?

Brad: We all had been in cover bands over the years. The transformation wasn't hard at all. It was just more difficult to find places to play. The bars in Decatur were more cover band friendly, so we had to start putting together our own shows and find bands from other areas to trade shows with. Once V Shape Mind was born, there was no question about writing songs and taking it as far as we could go.

Shoutweb: How was recording your album in Vancouver?

Brad: Vancouver was great, aside from the fact that it rained the whole first month we were there. We really dug it there, and the people that we worked with were very cool.

Shoutweb: Were you chilling with Nickelback up there?

Brad: We saw Nickelback every once in a while cause they were working next door, but we didn't chill with them.

Shoutweb: How have you been preparing for the September release of your album?

Brad: Right now we're in rehearsal mode, trying to get ready for tour plans coming up around the release of the record.

Shoutweb: You recently had a photo shoot in NYC for your album art and promotional photos. Tell us about that. Was there any concept you went with for the photos?

Brad: We did the shoot with Nitin Vadukul and he does fantastic work. We enjoyed working with him and he got some great stuff. There wasn't a concept we were going for per se, more just trying to get a complimentary visual for the music.

Shoutweb: I read that you were looking to expand to "popular" music. How were you able to do that or how do you plan to do that without conforming to cookie cutter popular music?

Brad: I think by just being ourselves and trying not to attach ourselves too much to a certain genre or fad.

Shoutweb: You have described your sound as "melodic metal." Those words could be taken as contradictory. What would you tell a critic who claims that metal couldn't be melodic?

Brad: Well I wouldn't call us a metal band, but I think there are elements of heavy music in ours. I've been a metal fan since I was a kid so I'm sure some of that has leaked into the songs. I also love melody so I think both have found their way into the music. As far as a critic is concerned, I think there have been lots of bands over the years that have been able to balance heavy and melodic music.

Shoutweb: There's a video on your website of Scott feeding seagulls. Where was that taken?

Brad: That video was done at our apartment in Vancouver. The seagulls would swoop down and catch bread that was thrown. Scott tried to see if one would take it from his hand and we got it on film.

Shoutweb: What videos can we expect to see up on your site in the future?

Brad: I'm sure the videos will be anything from serious to stupid or just anything we find entertaining.

Shoutweb: As a relatively new band, is there something you'd like your listeners to know about you before they hear your music? Is there a message you'd like them to get after they hear your music?

Brad: The only thing I would say is just to keep an open mind. Life is too short to think in limits.