Your latest album “Insomnia” comes out many years removed from your last physical product. Can you explain to the readers what Mastermind and its musicians have been up to over the past few years before signing with Lion Music?
“There are multiple reasons behind the apparent disappearance of Mastermind... in truth, we never really went away, but we were working in the dark. We never had any kind of support from our previous record label. They really didn't understand the band and didn't put much effort into promoting us. If you're going to be with a small label, it had better be one that actually believes in the band or it's a waste for everyone involved. We were quite active playing live around the eastern USA, but it was a struggle without any label support and virtually no American distribution. After beating ourselves up with that for a few years we had problems retaining a bass player and things just kind of fell apart at the end of 2006 when our last bass player departed. It was very frustrating to say the least. Every time we would start to get ahead, developing an audience in some area or another, the bass player would quit!
But the main problem as I see it is the people who run most of the record labels - big or small - lack any sort of imagination, so if you don't sound pretty much exactly like all the other bands out there, you don't get much interest. We had several offers for “Insomnia”, but none worth considering until we made contact with Lion Music. I had several label heads tell me personally they thought “Insomnia” was a great record, but it didn't fit in with what they were looking for, which generally meant another band that sounds like Dream Theater. Making a great record is what it is all about, is it not?! But if you don't sound very similar to what else is out there, getting it heard can be a challenge.
We also spent quite a bit of time at one point flirting with a major label and management company which seemed very promising, then that totally fell apart which was very disappointing. Add to that the difficulties in keeping a live band rolling and I felt I really needed to just step away from it for a while and figure out what to do. It was a difficult time. Rich and I continued playing together, but not as an original act. We put together a blues-rock band and just had fun with it. We still do that in clubs and bars locally just to keep playing, but basically Mastermind went into hibernation at the end of 2006 and I continued to shop the album around. I was pretty bummed out but too exhausted to continue at that point. I had really burned out on the music business, scene, whatever you want to call it. I didn't have the mental wherewithal to pick it up and start over again.”

I remember witnessing Mastermind live at the 2000 Powermad festival in Towson, MD - and one of the things I always loved about the band has been your ability to stand out amongst other progressive rock or metal acts. What qualities or insights do you think the band brings to the table to differentiate itself and make such an impact on the scene?
“That's great you have seen us live! Powermad was a good event, too bad it went under. There are several qualities that make Mastermind unique... one of the main reasons being I don't particularly care for most of the contemporary high profile bands that everyone else wants to emulate, so we don't (emulate them). We go our own way. That's great for creating original music, but somewhat less than desirable for creating product, and product is what record labels are about. My roots in music are deeper and broader than most guys out there now, so there is more to draw from when putting music together. When somebody calls Judas Priest or Iron Maiden old school for example, I can't help but laugh. I know that hard rock music didn't begin with KISS or Van Halen. It never ceases to amaze me that so many musicians - and fans - have such little knowledge of the history of rock and therefore have no idea what other things have come before other than in the most superficial sense. When I was younger, and even today, when I hear something I like, I want to know everything about who that guy learned it from! That lead me way back into blues, jazz, the earliest rock'n'roll, all the way up to the present day. So, we have the ability to draw on a vast background of knowledge in our attempts at crafting something unique. I don't know how much impact we've had on the scene, but I have heard some things that most definitely could have been derived from our material. Ultimately I'd have to say, beyond our most hardcore fans, differentiating ourselves is really what the problem has been for us in terms of latching on to any scene.”


I am old school, I still listen with my ears and let the music take me where it will

Songs like “Break Me Down” and “Meltdown” infuse more of the darker, more modern influences of say A Perfect Circle or Tool against Tracy McShane’s forceful, emotional vocal delivery. Describe the variety of songwriting on “Insomnia” as well as your philosophy of making each Mastermind album different from the next?
“I don't really have a philosophy of making each Mastermind album totally different, it just sort of happens. My main approach in that regard is simply not to repeat myself in terms of writing, and after so many years things just evolved naturally. You can't do the same thing forever! At least I can't. Mastermind made a name for itself in the beginning of our career as a heavy, bombastic, progressive rock power trio. We never set out to *be* anything, we just wanted to make music we liked that no one else was making at the time. We didn't even know there was a prog scene then. Actually, when we were starting out there wasn't. But as the underground "nu-prog" scene grew in the 90's and dozens of “me too” bands came out of the woodwork, my feeling was far too much of it was sounding the same based on the original pioneers in progressive rock. We did that very early on when no one else was doing it, but "Prog" as we saw it was becoming redundant and it was time to cover more ground, reach for more contemporary elements. But as Jens is fond of saying, "people always want the same soap in the soapbox" and clearly that works from a commercial stand point... just look at AC/DC for example. Some bands can experiment and get away with it, but usually only if they are in a very established position, and even then sometimes they don't get away with it.
As for songwriting, I really just write whatever moves me at the time, that's all I can do. I do write for the particular people I think will be involved with the recording, so that shapes the writing somewhat. I was also trying to get to the point faster. In our hyped up fast paced text message world, 5 minutes is the new 20 minutes!  I think going for a modern sound was more in the production process than the writing. We could have made “Insomnia” more similar to some earlier things sonically, but then we'd be repeating ourselves which I try to avoid.”

You’ve dealt with a variety of record labels through the years, both domestic and abroad. What have been the highlights do you believe in terms of your discography and what do you feel about the music industry in 2010 compared to your mid 80’s start up with Mastermind?
“Each album was something of a highlight as each one reached into new territory. I think our third album "Tragic Symphony" really brought us into the public eye the most. It was our first album to be licensed in Asia, Europe, and the States simultaneously. "Angels of the Apocalypse" made inroads into the world of metal, so that had some impact reaching new fans, mostly in Europe, but I've never thought of Mastermind as being a metal band in the strictest sense.
The biggest change I see in the music industry over the past 25 years, besides the obvious issues of digital distribution and the internet's effects on labels, is the explosion of the web and the social networking thing. Now anyone with a computer can record some sounds, put it up on MySpace, and call themselves a recording artist – the democratization of music so to speak. The real problem with that is virtually (get it ;)) no one takes the time to really learn their craft before unleashing their noise on the world. They don't make demos, they don't play in front of live audiences to see what works, they just shit it out and put it out there. The result is there is *so* much garbage to wade thru to find the real gems, the world is completely over saturated with music that mostly sounds the same and for the large part is just awful. Don't get me wrong, there is some good stuff out there, but it is buried under a pile of shit so deep most people don't want to take the time to look for at.
Also, much like cable did to television, everything is subdivided, categorized, and sub-categorized to death and unless you fit into a very specific marketing niche, no one will know what to do with it. It's a rule of marketing... the larger the market, the more the products are the same. Just look at anything from cars to consumer electronics to music, movies, everything pitched at a global market…, it's all very homogenized with just the smallest of differences. When the rare and really unique thing manages to break through somehow, it isn't long until there are 1000 things basically exactly the same to the point where the originators are often buried alive by it. So, as much as the internet levelled the playing field for guys like me, it also dramatically lowered or even removed the bar to get into the game. It would be like if anyone off the street was allowed to play professional sports and you were forced to watch the game... you get the picture. The other thing too is video... nowadays most people listen with their eyes and some absolute drivel gets recognized and even goes viral simply because of the video quality. I am old school, I still listen with my ears and let the music take me where it will.”


In the beginning, rock was outrageous, dangerous, exciting... new!! Now it is a whore-slave to the corporate machine and used to sell consumer goods

How would you describe the personalities within the band and what special qualities does each member possess to make Mastermind stand out?
“Everyone involved is very good at what they do! Being the band leader I would say I have a good group of loyal comrades that trust my judgement. Rich plays drums and handles the playing live logistics, Tracy is a cult of personality and makes us look good, Jens does his thing, and I do everything else.”

What are some aspects of your musical career that you think the average follower takes for granted? Do you find a lot of musicians come up and ask you for specific career advice - and if so what kind of information do you provide?
“I really don't know... that we make a lot of money perhaps? Unfortunately that is not the case. I will basically tell anyone whatever they want to know if it is within my grasp and I have time. Most people want to know how to get a record deal and I tell them, first you make a good album. That seems obvious, but a lot of people don't get that. Then you do what it takes to get someone to listen to it. People ask about everything actually, from guitars to recording to whatever. I try my best to give them a satisfactory answer.”

Describe what progressive rock and music in general mean to you? What were some of the first albums and musicians that moved you to pick up an instrument and form a band?
“In the beginning, rock was outrageous, dangerous, exciting... new!! Now it is a whore-slave to the corporate machine and used to sell consumer goods. Sure, some guys pretend to be dangerous... I guess that's really it, things are very pretentious now and have been for quite some time. Music has gone from trying to move your soul to just entertainment, like clowns balancing on a ball in funny makeup. Ooo, ah... tomorrow you will forget about it. Disposable. But they got your money so who cares. I want to reach inside of people, move them, touch them in some way. The Beatles were what moved me to want to play in a band in the very beginning. The Cream is what got me serious about playing guitar and learning about where that kind of playing came from (i.e. blues). The Mahavishnu Orchestra showed me that jazz could rock hard, and ELP took rock to music college. All these bands had a tremendous impact on me because they were new, exciting, and totally unique in their day. Nothing like what they did had really been done before.
I think music in general has become such a part of the background of everyday life that level of excitement may never come again. Not from a rock band anyway. But music that actually moves you on some level, that is really something special and quite timeless. It is also increasingly rare as far as I can tell. Also, those bands weren't referred to as progressive rock much in their own time, they were all just unique bands in a world called rock. The term prog-rock really didn't come about until many years after the fact, so it was just great music that I enjoyed and appreciated. Personally I never identified with just being a prog artist, I like all kinds of music, still do. That just happens to be how Mastermind was generally categorized, so from a promotion point of view I embraced it. I still don't consider myself to be a prog musician.”

What sort of goals do you set for yourself personally and professionally? What would be some events that you would love to see come to play in your life?
“I'm pretty happy with most of the aspects of my life actually, but I would like to make more money from the music so I can spend more time making music. Unfortunate as it is, money is a necessary evil and it would be nice to find a good business partner to handle that aspect of things so I can spend more time making music! I'd also like to find the time to spend with some other instruments such as cello and clarinet, just to enjoy it and get my mind into different musical spaces.  I would also like to see if we can get this band out on tour. So... a good business partner or manager that could get us out on tour and increase revenues, that is what I would like to see happen.”

The medium for music consumption and distribution seems to be moving away from physical product and into more digital mediums. How do you view the marketplace? Does less actually physical sales means a smaller number of people interested in progressive music?
“No I don't think so. I think the redundancy of it makes people less interested. Just more of the same gets old fast. I suppose for kids that never experienced it in its heyday, who never saw ELP or Cream at their peak, Hendrix etc.. then maybe it is new and exciting, but it is a thing of the past and not really relevant to their lives I don't think, no matter how good it is. These bands I've mentioned were relevant to their time, embracing the spirit of the era, breaking new ground. Now it is basically retro and is about as relevant as building a new '57 Chevy might be. Sure that would be cool, and it's fun to pretend you are living in days gone by, but is it going anywhere? I don't think so.
Also, since there is such a glut of sameness everywhere I think the thrill wears off a lot faster. The real problem with digital music is that it is so easy to get for free of course, that is the value people place on it.... none. Music is free, it's everywhere, so who cares. Like picking up a rock off the ground. If you really get into studying rocks you may find a real gem! But otherwise it's just rocks lying around everywhere, nothing special, nothing to even pay attention to. That's very unfortunate.”



What we need to work on is people who think they have the right to impose their will on others because of whatever reason...

Will the next studio album take as many years to hit the streets or can we safely say we may expect another album within the next couple of years?
“I have no idea. I guess the bottom line is how well this one sells. We put out a couple discs on our own and I learned I really have no desire to be a record label. It's too much business and if I'm just doing business I would pick something a little easier and more profitable than the music business. I just want to make music. So as long as we have a label that will get the stuff out there and work the promotion end of things - and pay us our due without having to fight for it every time - we will probably continue to make more records. We have already begun recording new material and I have several hours of music written. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. So far the Lion Music experience has been very positive.”

How much of your time do you believe you spend working on Mastermind from the music perspective versus handling all of the business aspects of the band? Have you found it easier or difficult at times playing in a band with your brother all these years?
“Most of being a band that gets into the public eye is the business and marketing aspect of it. Sure, it takes time to write and record an album, but it takes far more time and effort to sell it and stay in the public eye. I grew very weary of doing that all on my own over the years and that was a contributing factor to being out of sight too. If you think about any band that you know of that is really well known, huge household names like The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Alice Cooper, KISS and dozens of others, there was a business member involved with that band all along.... Brian Epstein, Robert Stigwood, Shep Gordon, Bill Aucoin, you name it... you would have never heard of any of these bands if it wasn't for these people. Even the bands you know of on the lower end of the food chain generally have some sort of business partner and management.
Unfortunately for Mastermind, we never met that person, so whatever level of exposure we have is due to word-of-mouth, a bit of marketing effort from the record labels, and me. I am the only spokesperson for Mastermind in a public sense and quite honestly, that wears me out sometimes. I'm not really the kind of person that likes talking about myself all the time, but that is a large part of the job. As for working with my brother, I wish he would take on some responsibility in the promotion end of things, but it just isn't in him. Otherwise Rich is extremely dependable and since we grew up on the same music, for the most part we don't have any problems. I complain to him about things but he takes it in stride. I guess being the older brother, that's just how it is!  Unfortunately for us, our parents never had a bass player.”

If I had the chance to spend an evening in the presence of the following for dinner, I would choose the following five dinner companions and this is why…?
“I think it would be really interesting to spend an evening with Ginger Baker. He's one of the most colorful people in the history of rock and could tell tons of stories about the history of rock music. Jack Bruce too... I have met him before and he is quite a character. Keith Richards perhaps. He seems like an interesting character as well and another Sagittarius, we share the same birthday. I always enjoying hanging out with Jens (Johansson), he's a colorful and intelligent guy. Other than that... I don't know, Bill Clinton perhaps. Maybe he could give me some insight into what's really going on in the world and who really runs things. There are some people I've met via the Internet I would like to meet in person, but they aren't famous or anything. Just ordinary people I seem to get along with and hope to meet someday.”

What as a society scares you about the world we live in and what do you think we need to work on to improve our world as a whole?
“Geez... don't get me started! What we need to work on is people who think they have the right to impose their will on others because of whatever reason... religion, money, a sense of moral superiority. We need to get away from fossil fuel and manipulating everything for a profit regardless of the human cost. We need to knock the rich a few notches down and get some real power back into the hands of the people, but I don't see that happening for many many years, if ever. Humans need to reproduce less! With all the wealth and technology in the world today there's no reason why anyone should be homeless or uncared for if they are ill other than greed and profiteering. But what do I know, I am just a musician! I step outside sometimes and I'm amazed the world works at all…, that there is food in the grocery and the trash gets collected. I am glad other people are in charge of that stuff. My job is to sooth their souls with music, perhaps give them a few moments of escape and peace of mind so they can do that stuff while I am sleeping.”

When you have the free time to pursue other interests outside of music and Mastermind, what do you enjoy and do you share any of these interests with members inside of Mastermind?
“Playing guitar and jamming with other talented musicians is probably the thing I enjoy most in life, so I do it as much as I can. I also enjoy good food, cooking on occasion, good sci-fi, and sex. I like lots and lots of sex with my girlfriend. I also like to travel when there is a reason to and I have good company. I like working with people towards a common goal, building and creating things. I like working with my hands. I enjoy art. The members of Mastermind don't really associate with each other much outside of the time we make music together. Not because we don't get along, but because we live too far apart. My brother moved a good distance away from me at the beginning of the decade so we don't hang out together other than when we are playing. That too I suppose was a major factor in Mastermind slowing down... Rich's moving, and his kids growing up and demanding more and more of his time and money, so we never do anything together anymore outside of playing, and even that is far less frequent than it used to be I am sorry to say. We used to get together fairly often, but the way the economy is today, not so often now. Tracy lives in her own world basically, so again I only see her when we are gigging or rehearsing. We talk on the phone occasionally, but less than we used to now. Life is busy! Everyone is working harder and harder just to keep up. I see Jens on occasion when he is home in NYC, but he has been very busy with Strato the past few years, so again, I haven't seen him in quite some time. I do stay in touch with everyone via email, but it's not quite the same as hanging out and enjoying each other's company.”

Can you remember the best piece of advice you were given throughout your career and who delivered this advice?
“Always take your wallet on stage with you... Geddy Lee.”

Will you be doing much touring in support of “Insomnia”, and if so how will you determine the set list as you have an extensive back catalogue to choose from?
“We would love to tour, but the economics of it do not look promising at this point. Hopefully that will improve. As far as determining what to play, I would choose something from every album and possibly some select cover tunes as well to keep things interesting. It depends on what kind of gig it was... a 20 minute support set would emphasis “Insomnia” of course since it is the release we are promoting. A two hour show we could include all kinds of selections from our catalogue. If anyone out there reading this feels like they could help us with arranging some live shows (that pay actual money), please get in touch. Thanks Matt!”

www.mastermindband.com
www.myspace.com/mastermindband
www.lionmusic.com

Composed by Matt Coe