Music Interview

Dissonance

by Jett Black

Dissonance: very high energy, melodic, electro-pop band with a definitely dark, "gothy" mood and motivational under-current. At home in Dallas, Texas, Dissonance now prepares to release a second CD with a few surprising developments woven into its evolution. Cat Hall, the spicy studio-diva herself charged with such inspiring vitality for living and creating more vibrant new music, passes a few tokens of insight into the jukebox for us to enjoy.

When will the next Dissonance release be available?

That's a question that a lot of people have been asking. Hakatak, our label, was in limbo for a while because Paul Robb, our producer, and the founder of the label got signed with his act Brother Sun Sister Moon to Virgin. This obviously divided his attentions. Now that that's more underway, Paul's thinking of breathing a little life back into Hakatak. There may be a second album released on Hakatak this summer. There are a few major labels that are interested in Dissonance as well and we may get picked up by one of them. The problem with the major labels today is that no one knows who's going to have a job from one day to the next. Things are beginning to smooth out though - tvt, for example just announced that they have 23 million they want to invest in new acts. That's a very good sign.

Describe the how the new release differs from the self-titled debut.

Most of the new album's material has already been written, although we may decide to add a few more tracks as David and I are always writing. In many ways, the newer material has more continuity of sound than the first album did We've gotten a little more polished, I guess. You'll probably also see 2 word titles.

What influences enter into the new release that are not evident in the debut CD?

Since the first album came out, I've been listening much more to film scores than I have music off the radio. I really didn't want to be "influenced" as such by top 40. Dissonance has always had pop sensibility, but I wanted to experiment a bit with music that was structured differently. I've also been listening to a lot of Frank Sinatra lately, but I don't think you'll hear Dissonance doing a cover of "That's Life" anytime soon.

Let's talk about touring for a moment. Are there plans for a tour this year? If so, then where?

We always talk about touring - doing it is another matter entirely. Oddly enough we get several requests from the Midwest - Chicago in particular - to come out and do shows. If we get enough of these requests in the same general area, we just might. Certainly when the second album comes out, we'll tour to support it.

How has recording and performing affected your personal life outside of Dissonance?

Recording and performing - it's funny, but even people that don't know me and have never heard of Dissonance ask me if I'm in a band or an entertainer of some sort and that even happens on the days that my hair isn't nearly as exciting as it usually is onstage. I think once you start performing, it becomes a part of who you are and shapes the way you act and react. Recording is my favorite thing in the world. I'd rather be in the studio than any other place. Getting used to the way your voice sounds on playback takes a long time, but once you finally get it in your head what you sound like, you can better utilize it.

Where is Dissonance headed as the year 1999 continues to unravel?

Dissonance took a brief rest in February while I did some recording with another project I'm working on in tandem with Dissonance. It's called Sinistar, and is much more an artist/producer construct than a band construct.

In what other ways does the new release contrast or compare with the debut CD?

Obviously, Dissonance's "style" centers largely around multiple layers of vocals. Harmonies and stacked voices play a big role. That will still be the case with the new material. The content, however, might surprise a few people. There's definitely a different mood to the new stuff.