Im here today to talk a little about the band Redemption. They are a progressive style metal band out of Los Angeles. Consisting of Nick Van Dyk Keyboards and guitars, Ray Alder on vocals, Sean Andrews on bass, Bernie Versailles on guitars, Chris Quirarte and Greg Hosharian ..boards. The band currently has a new Cd out called "The Orgins of Ruins" and are just starting a U.S. tour to support this new work. Check out their Myspace page for dates and info. www.myspace.com/thebandredemption

Metal Mike: Ok first of all Nick, What got you started in music?

Nick van Dyk: Piano lessons when I was seven. I was pretty serious�I played in competitions and all that. About ten years of classical training. I also played the trumpet. But really, when I was 13 or so I heard Purple Haze and fell in love with a distorted guitar. It was pretty quick to go from that, to Deep Purple, to Iron Maiden, etc. I started playing guitar when I was around 15 or so.

Metal Mike: How hard was it to get the band off the ground and to keep it together early on?

Nick van Dyk: It began as a project and by the time it took on the qualities of a band (i.e. a steady lineup, a plan to record another CD, etc.) things had already gelled. So really, once it got started it wasn�t that difficult to hold together.

Metal Mike: How did you approach Ray Alder to become your Vocalist? And What prompted this?

Nick van Dyk: I�d been friends with Ray for some time before we started work on the first CD. He agreed to help put together the first CD and sing on a song. Frankly, I think he wasn�t sure the songs were strong enough, or the lyrics good enough, to have himself overly associated with it. When I played him the pre-production work for Fullness, he loved it. He really wanted to do it. And I wasn�t going to say no, obviously.

Metal Mike: tell me what was going through your mind, as you recall, when you were invited to the Progpower Festival?

Nick van Dyk: I wouldn�t say I was expecting it, but I wasn�t shocked. I�d been friends with Glenn Harveston for some time, and he�s always looked for young prog bands for at least one or maybe two spots in his roster, so I thought we had a shot at it. I do remember thinking that I didn�t have a band put together, and I asked Ken Golden (head of Sensory, our record label at the time) if he thought we should do it. His answer was hilarious, as only Ken can be: �That depends�are you going to suck?� Haha!!

Metal Mike: You had a difficult line up at this festival, as schedules seemed to be a problem. Tell me what was going through you mind as far as commitment to the band?

Nick van Dyk: I hate to sound boring but I really wasn�t worried about any of that. Jason had too much going on with Symphony X so we needed a new drummer�that turned out to be quite a blessing because Chris is a huge part of our sound. Fullness hadn�t yet been written, so Ray hadn�t joined yet, but we were working with Corey so that was good. I remember being excited with Bernie said he was in, so there�s a little bit of emotion for you. ? But generally everything was pretty even-keel.

Metal Mike: And you are playing the Progpower Festival this year as well right?

Nick van Dyk: Yes. We have the third slot on one of the nights�I think the first night.

Metal Mike: How different will it be for you this year as compared to the first?

Nick van Dyk: It will be night and day. We�re a much tighter group, we have stronger performers, we�ve got stronger songs, we�re better known, we�ve got a deeper catalog, we�ve got the opportunity to fine tune our chops out on the road here for several weeks with Dream Theater�there really will be no comparison. We�re going to kill this time.

Metal Mike: How did Greg Hosharian find his way into your band?

Nick van Dyk: Greg had played with our drummer, Chris, before. They reconnected through the Internet, of all things, right around the time we were looking for somebody to do touring keyboards for us. It�s worked out really well�Greg is insanely talented and a terrific guy.

Metal Mike: Tell me a little about your new cd "The Orgins of Ruins"

Nick van Dyk: With our self-titled first CD, I knew really as it was being released that I would do things differently the next time. It was, after all, more a demo than a full release by a band. I think I grew a lot as a songwriter, and I assembled a real band, and worked with an accomplished producer, and that all made Fullness a much stronger record. So we had set the bar much higher for our third CD. I knew Fullness would blow away the first CD; it�s much harder to top Fullness. And in all honesty, while a few people don�t care for it, most people really loved the song Sapphire and I�m not sure I can top that from a songwriting standpoint. But I do think we have a very strong set of songs on Origins, and I do think I continue to mature as a songwriter, and we had the advantage of working with our producer much earlier on, and with much better equipment, and the consistency of working with more or less than same band (minus a change in bass player). Plus as I knew that Ray would be singing this time, I was able to write melodies with his voice in mind.

So I think that while Fullness is a very special record, Origins picks up in many ways where that left off, and features stronger production and a more organic sound as well as great songs that our fans should really enjoy.

Metal Mike: Who is the main songwriter in the band or the directional leader?

Nick van Dyk: I write the music, including basic melodies and basic ideas for bass. I might have some very basic thoughts on drum parts, but Chris generally writes those and then as we are in the studio recording, we might change parts here and there to try new ideas. I function more as a producer in that area. Same with bass. On the melodies, I will give my ideas to Ray and we will work with them in the studio, with Ray changing a little bit here and there.

Having said this, I do try to involve the guys. It�s just that most of them have other bands, and I don�t want to put them in a position of having to decide which band gets which idea of theirs. I can work at my own pace this way, as well, which is the only way to make the ideas flow naturally. You can�t force yourself (or others) to sit in a room and write and expect the results to be as good as they�d be if the ideas come more organically.

Metal Mike: What has been your biggest sacrifice for the band thus far, something you had to change or give up?

Nick van Dyk: I�ve been fortunate in that I haven�t had to do anything. It�s a financial investment, but other than that, I haven�t had to make any real sacrifices. I have creative control, more or less, since I write the music, and I like to work through consensus rather than force my ideas on people so it�s very collegial.

Metal Mike: has there been any family let downs by being away and on tour? special events missed... things like this? How do you keep things in perspective?

Nick van Dyk: Writing and performing music takes time, so I�ve had to spend a lot of time working on it, and the demands of my day job already keep me in the office many nights. So that�s a challenge. But I don�t miss special moments. I�m not going to miss my child�s birthday, for example. Music is an outlet but it will never be my primary career. That alone keeps things in perspective.

Interview by Metal Mike