Interview with Advent

By Jill Hughes

USAProgMusic:  How did Advent come to be as a band? Did all the members know each other before the band formed?

Alan Benjamin: After my previous progressive-rock band (Tangent) dissolved, I spent several months aggressively trying to find another suitable situation. Although a few opportunities seemed somewhat promising, it became increasingly obvious that the only way to find a truly satisfying musical situation was to create one. So, in late 1989, I placed an ad in a local music magazine called The E.C. Rcker. (The weekly publication vacillated between this name and The Aquarian, but I’m pretty sure it was in the “Rocker” phase at that particular time.) As the magazine typically catered to more commercial, club-oriented music (heavy metal, hard rock, etc.), my expectations for finding any like-minded musicians were low, but it was really the only geographically relevant resource available at the time.

Much to my surprise, I received a call from (keyboardist/vocalist/composer) Henry Ptak, whose musical background and desires seemed remarkably compatible. Having been “burned” so many times with disappointing auditions, though, I adopted a strict policy of holding an initial (pre-audition) meeting to discuss our respective ideas and listen to samples of each other’s music. As such, we agreed to meet at Henry’s house and after a brief introductory discussion, he put on a cassette recording of “Rear View Mirror”—at which point I immediately knew, beyond any doubt, that I’d finally found the right collaborator to form the foundation for what I was really hoping to do.

Henry’s younger brother, Mark (also a keyboardist/vocalist/composer), was still attending the Berklee College of Music at the time. However, he joined the band immediately upon graduating the following year. Mark was such a perfect fit that I honestly have no recollection of how he actually came to join the band—as far as I recall, he just showed up and that was it. (At that point, it would have seemed absolutely unnatural for Advent to exist without him.) So, by the middle of 1990, the group’s historical three-piece “core” was firmly in place.

The three of us worked rather feverishly on developing/recording material for our first album at the time. Within a couple of years, we also found a great drummer (Mike Carroll) and Stick player (Pete Filatov), but logistical/personal issues eventually led us back to the band’s original three-piece lineup. After many failed attempts to find suitable replacements, we finally decided (around 1999 or so) to focus rather strictly on developing our next (second) studio album, that would eventually be entitled Cantus Firmus. Fortunately, toward the end of the process (in 2005), we finally found the perfect drummer in Drew Siciliano.

Upon the release of Cantus Firmus, priorities shifted to getting the best possible live show up and running as quickly as possible. To this end, I was very fortunate to stumble upon Greg Katona at a local gig with his formidable Genesis-tribute band, Foxtrot. (I really have to thank my wife, Amy, for finding Foxtrot and suggesting we go out and see them.) All we needed was someone to cover bass and, after a short-lived term with the very talented Stick player Brett Bottomley (who lived so far away that he ended up not being able to stay), bassist Ben Rose answered an ad (on Craigslist). Once Ben auditioned and joined, we immediately knew that this was the full-band lineup that we’d been trying to assemble for well over a decade.

Ben Rose: I joined the band by responding to a Craigslist ad at the end of 2006. Later on, I began to realize that we had some mutual online friends at ProgressiveEars.com and Tappistry.org.

USAProgMusic: Your latest album, Cantus Firmus, has a slight hint of the so called "Canterbury" sound. "Canterbury" being most closely associated with Caravan and the like. Who are your main influences?

Henry Ptak: It wasn’t until I’d met Alan that I became aware that some of the work I enjoyed by people such as (keyboardist) Dave Stewart was actually considered Canterbury. While I do like some of that stuff, I had been listening to a lot of Renaissance choral and brass music during the time I was working on Cantus Firmus. I always liked Gentle Giant, Genesis, and Procol Harum, but in general, I tend to be of a mind to try to find out who the people I liked listened to and provided their influence—and, invariably, that led me back to the classics. Not surprisingly, I found myself listening to a lot of English classical music (Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Holst, and so on), in addition to a lot of my favorite piano composers—especially Ravel, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin.

Alan: First of all, I must admit to being a big fan of the Canterbury scene, particularly as centered around bands involving Dave Stewart and Richard Sinclair. (Richard is now a dear friend and we’ve actually been trying to find a way to play together. I really hope we can make it work before too long!) It’s interesting that you mention Canterbury, as I always consider it to be more of an underlying element—especially discernable in some of Henry’s more upbeat material. “In The Tree,” from our debut album, probably provides the most direct evidence of such, but I think his compositions also tend toward sounding “British” much of the time—in a way that may also hint, albeit indirectly, at the “Canterbury sound” as well.

USAProgMusic: How often does the band get together to practice and/or record?

Mark Ptak: Well, we’ve all got our day gigs and families as one would expect, but basically, we would usually get together once a week for a full band rehearsal when there are gigs coming up. It’s usually a fine-tuning process when we all get together, though, because we would have diligently practiced our individual parts at home during the week and then use the full-band rehearsal time to get comfortable playing together—especially since some of the guys are relatively new. But recording? I guess I’d have to say that the scales have tipped a bit more heavily to the recording side in the past (when we were just a three-piece) because there would be a lot of trial-and-error in molding some of Henry’s ideas, trying them out on the sequencer, then living with the results for a short time—and possibly shifting things around a bit and then re-recording, or having Alan try some things on guitar two or three different times before we’d get it right. And sometimes that would go on every night (and, on occasion, even until sun-up) for weeks at a time. Part of the problem was not having a full band to try the parts in a live context to see if they worked. I think we got a bit lucky in that respect with some of Cantus Firmus. With the next set of material all this will change, I’m sure, and we’ll probably get more done in a shorter amount of time now that the band’s a complete unit.

USAProgMusic: How many of the band members make a full-time career out of music (in one form or the other not necessarily with Advent)?

Henry: I teach piano and also play in a Beatles-cover band called The Mystical Majesty Band in my increasingly shrinking spare time—and, over the past year, I took on a choral-director position at a church in West Orange (NJ). So I guess you could say music is a full-time job for me at this point.

Greg Katona: For the past 10 years or so, I’ve been teaching guitar full-time and keeping busy with my Genesis-tribute band, Foxtrot. Now I’ve got the added joy of playing some challenging (big understatement!), rewarding, and beautiful music with Advent. (As an aside, let me just say that the guys in Advent made me feel like a complete member of the band from day one, never treating me like the “new guy,” separate from what had been the core recording group. I, in turn, am completely dedicated to the band and look forward to what it will become. After all, we’re only three gigs in!)

Alan: I realized, at a very early age, that there was virtually no way to make a proper living playing the music I enjoyed most. As a result, I gave up music as a full-time career after leaving a Philly-based cover band called Merlin back in 1982 (at age 19). While I wish the music industry was different, choosing a separate career has really empowered me with respect to working exclusively on the music I really love, without compromise, and I certainly have no regrets.

USAProgMusic: What type of music elements (harmony, versatile instruments, etc.) do you think are the most important when you go to write songs? What were some of your goals when you wrote Cantus Firmus?

Henry: It can be any of a number of things. I tend to like to try to capture an emotional mood—and the most frequent inspirations of this kind come from lyrics. Arthur (Hoffman) was usually good at writing a lyric that presented interesting challenges as to how to communicate the text musically, but it could be anything—a literary work, a succession of chords, and so on. I don’t really have a favorite source of inspiration that I go to all the time, but on Cantus Firmus, I think it would be true to say that the lyrics had a lot to do with my musical decisions. “Ramblin’ Sailor,” on the other hand, was inspired by an old folk song for which I had always wanted to create a new musical setting. As for the goals, at the risk of sounding redundant, we just wanted to write something that we all enjoyed and found musically satisfying, and hoped that others might like as well.

Mark: I think it depends on where my head is at the moment, or what I may have been listening to at the time that I’m messing with my ideas. “Awaiting the Call …” definitely came out of a more jazzy time in my life. Plus, I tend to go for more of the high-energy stuff, anyway. I also really like well-constructed melodies that you can walk away singing … but not right away. That’s why I really like Henry’s melodies—they make you work at remembering them, but in a good way. “Alison Waits” is a prime example of that. It jumps around a lot as the harmony changes, but it works well.

As far as goals are concerned, one goal I always strive for when writing is to come up with something that the listener will want to replay immediately after hearing it the first time. Then I think you’ve got them hooked. I’m not one that music really grows on. Either I like it instantly and want to hear it again or I don’t. There are exceptions of course, but I think you can learn a lot about yourself by what strikes you immediately.

Alan: From a personal perspective, my primary goal is to write music that actually “says something.” Virtually all other elements are secondary, at best. It’s a very difficult thing to qualify, but some of the relevant adjectives that come to mind are interesting, emotional, engaging, and melodic. I suppose, in this respect, it pretty much boils down to “substance vs. style”—which, again, is almost impossible to define (but I know it when I hear it). From a stylistic perspective, I’m pretty open-minded, but I will state that harmonic/modal “interest” is one of the elements that I especially enjoy.

Ben: One of the things that really made Cantus Firmus interesting to me is that, as  intricate as the music may be, with changing time signatures and different instruments flying in and out, there is a reason for each change. As a broad categorization, I would say that, in Henry's music, the intricacy follows the melody and not the other way around. I also like the balancing compositional voice that Mark brings in. His tunes, like “Awaiting the Call …,” groove in a little more contemporary way, and bring more elements that I would associate with fusion or bands like Level 42. I'm really excited about how this will all play out on the next album with the added input and cohesiveness.

USAProgMusic: What are some goals for the band as far as gigging, sales, etc.? Do you want to put out albums just for fun/love of the music or do you have the expectation to become a household name in Prog?

Henry: I guess the answers are connected to each other. Simply put, we want our music to be enjoyed by as many people as we can reach, and it would be nice if this can be accomplished in the present or not-too-distant future, if possible. The future is something we know very little about, and I think we're practical enough to realize that we do this for the enjoyment we get today. I think it's disingenuous, however, to suggest that we don't care whether our work is popular or not—many people rashly suggest that they don't care, but I think a lot of artists who make this claim are just trying to defend their freedom-of-expression against those who might try to hinder it in some way. I think we (Advent) are all in agreement in that, if we can become a "household name in prog" (assuming, of course, that prog itself becomes a household name) by continuing to write and perform music that we personally enjoy, I don't think any of us would consider that a liability! There is no unspoken assumption amongst us that "obscurity equals profundity." It would also be nice if people who don't usually listen to prog were attracted to our work, and that's one of the strongest incentives I can think of for sharpening our live show and its presentation. Whatever we can do by gigging, sales of existing work, or by expanding our catalogue, are all means to attracting more and more people to what we do.

Alan: At the heart of everything I do in Advent (and I believe this is at least fairly similar for most of us), the primary goal is to write/arrange/perform music that I’d most like to hear. In fact, I’d say there’s a blatant disregard for marketing or appealing to any audience other than our fellow band mates. Once all the music for an album is committed to tape (disk, technically speaking, these days), however, we really hope it will reach like-minded listeners who find it enjoyable as well—and do what we can, within reason, to help get this music out accordingly. So, in terms of business-oriented goals (CD sales or even becoming a “household name in prog”), I personally have no explicit targets beyond trying to sell most of the CDs we ended up pressing. Now that the band is finally gigging, though, I’m really hoping we can continue to play out at much as possible (well, given the market for live prog, anyway) as, in addition to being one of the most enjoyable experiences, I think the ensemble playing is improving dramatically with each live performance—and I can’t wait to see what happens as the band continues to refine and optimize this aspect of what we do.

Ben: I want to make records that I'm really proud of—and would love to play some of the other festivals and shows, especially in other countries. I think that one of the wonderful things about progressive music is that it provides an excellent platform to showcase each instrument's contribution, and that it is flexible enough to incorporate such a broad range of influences.

USAProgMusic: You had the opportunity to play your first gig at the NJ Proghouse this past year. What made you decide to finally play live and why had you not performed live previously?

Alan: As I mentioned earlier, Advent had grown to a five-piece formation back in the early 1990s—at which time we rehearsed a live set and were just about ready to start gigging when our Stick player unexpectedly ended up needing to leave the group (for personal reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with the band). Our search for a suitable replacement (bass or Stick player) proved so frustrating that our original drummer ended up leaving before we found anyone. So, after a period of (unsuccessfully) trying to find at least two other musicians to fill this void, while also attempting to develop new material for what would later become Cantus Firmus, we realized that it just wasn’t practical to do both—and made a conscious decision to focus the majority of our efforts on the latter, in spite of the absent rhythm section.

During the time the album was progressing, however, we’d occasionally find time to place ads and hold auditions—but, in all honesty, most ranged from inappropriate to downright disastrous. Toward the end of the album’s development, however, we were incredibly lucky to find Drew—and were extremely pleased that there was still time to incorporate his wonderful drumming on the CD. However, without a bass player, Advent still could not reasonably think about performing live. Additionally, the closer we assessed the arrangements on Cantus Firmus, the more it became obvious that another guitarist would also be required. So, once the CD was complete, we shifted our primary focus to locating the best possible candidates—and were extremely fortunate in finding Ben and Greg, both excessively talented and remarkably compatible, to fill these respective roles.

With a complete six-piece lineup finally in place, the group rehearsed rather intensely to get the live show up and running as quickly as possible. While the material on our debut CD had been performed as a five-piece live act, Cantus Firmus was built entirely in the studio—so this also meant that each piece from the latter album needed to be rearranged, pretty much from scratch, for optimal live performance by a six-piece ensemble. So, in effect, we had to virtually rearrange all this material from scratch, while also keeping on top of everything that had already been arranged/rehearsed thus far. (Henry was particularly busy in this regard.)

Jim Robinson, at the NJ Proghouse, has been an incredible supporter of live progressive music, here in New Jersey, for many years now. I’ve always enjoyed the great shows he’s put on, starting with the Flower Kings performance at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick back in 2001 (about a week before 9/11)—and, over time, I got to know Jim a lot better and eventually we became good friends. I distinctly remember bumping into Jim at the Kansas/4Front show (at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank) in March of 2003 and, for the first time, discussing the possibility of Advent making our live debut at the Proghouse. From that moment forward, it really became more of a commitment—and we were absolutely thrilled to have been able to make it happen in May of this year, once the band was finally ready. I’d also like to mention that Ray Loboda has also been a tremendous supporter and friend as well.

USAProgMusic: How do you remember all the music when you play live since your music is so intricate? Do you read it or is it all from memory?

Mark: For me, the first step is to reacquaint myself with the tune in question from a rhythmic standpoint, making sure I can move my hands independently in the way the song would require. (This can be done, for example, on the train to and from work.) Once I can do that in my sleep, then I’ll pull the music out and learn the actual notes. I’m not a very good sight-reader, so I rely on the hours and hours of practice to really ram the stuff into my head. I’ll tell you one thing though, listening to and pulling apart Gentle Giant tunes all my life didn’t hurt in terms of recognizing your part amongst the chaos <laughs>. It’s still tough, though.

Greg: I’ve been relying on music for most of the current set due to the complexity of some of the pieces, but of course the music has to be in the head and hands already, with the score acting as memory-jog and “map.”

Ben: There are still some songs that Greg and I read live, like “Ramblin’ Sailor,” but I hope to be performing entirely by memory soon.

USAProgMusic: Alan, when you played at the NJ Proghouse you had many different guitars and instruments to get different sounds. Can you talk a little bit about the different instruments you use?

Alan: Sure, it would be my pleasure. The symphonic nature of the group’s arrangements actually demand that both Greg and I each come equipped with, at a minimum, electric, 6- and 12-string (steel string) acoustic, and classical guitars. Furthermore, there are aspects of my old BC Rich Mockingbird Supreme electric that require it being used for “Awaiting the Call …” (coil tap for shimmery clean sounds) and “Remembering When” (“Varitone” switch to get that filtered, reed-like texture on part of the melody)—while the whammy bar on my Ibanez Radius is required for three of the other pieces. The Les Paul was actually optional, but I liked the way it sounded and it was fairly easy to incorporate—plus I recently had it restored and thought it would be fun to give the axe a little stage time. (On our second Proghouse gig, I ended up putting my other whammy-equipped BC Rich Mockingbird in the set and left the Les Paul at home, by the way.) Fortunately, Greg really only needs one electric guitar—but the whole lot is still quite a task to manage (and amplify properly). Lastly, I also play violin, but only on “In the Tree” (one of my favorite tracks from our debut CD) at this point.

USAProgMusic: What did you learn from the NJ Proghouse performance that carried over to perhaps change the set list or the way you performed at Prog Day over Labor Day Weekend 2007?

Alan: From a personal perspective, the biggest lesson was to simplify the task of switching between various guitars during the set—especially when it comes to the acoustic/classical guitars that need to be swapped for one another on my Gracie stand (the stand that holds these instruments in place so that they can be played while I’m still wearing an electric guitar as well). Also, collectively, just having the ability to run an entire set in front of a live audience—including all of the corresponding logistical components—proved to be a very helpful experience.

USAProgMusic: Did you have any expectations when you went down south to play for ProgDay? How did you feel your overall experience was?

Alan: Having attended ProgDay in 2004, I was already familiar with the wonderful environment there—both in terms of the (Storybook Farm) venue, as well as the fun of hanging out with fellow musicians and enthusiasts at the hotel. However, the nicest surprise was the exceptionally friendly and helpful staff, who handled even the most difficult aspects of our (rather involved and demanding) production with efficiency and grace. I really had a blast!

Greg: ProgDay was great fun! It was a shame that we couldn’t have our sound guy, Jim Zipf, with us. The sound people there were great, talented, efficient chaps, but this music ultimately requires someone who really knows the music!

Ben: I was very impressed by the professionalism of the stage team. Getting Advent set up in an hour or so is no small feat.

USAProgMusic: What was one or two of your most memorable moments at the ProgDay event?

Mark: The whole event was memorable for me, really, and I’ll probably never forget it considering that was my second gig. In particular, I guess I’d have to say sharing the stage with the likes of Oblivion Sun. They played a great set (which, thankfully, I got to see that Saturday) and it was an honor to be there playing the same weekend. Really nice guys, too.

Alan: Believe it or not, I think my strongest memory may be frantically unpacking and staging all my gear (behind the stage) while Skeletonbreath’s performance provided a rather intense and enjoyable soundtrack for the proceedings. (I just wish I had the chance to actually watch them play.) Seeing Oblivion Sun and having the opportunity to hang out with Frank, Bill, and Stan was also most enjoyable.

Greg: Seeing Oblivion Sun’s performance!

USAProgMusic: Any live performances in store for Advent in the future?

Alan: We’re taking a few months off from playing right now, primarily due to various commitments and logistical constraints. However, once the new year rolls around, the band is planning to get out on stage again as quickly as possible.

Ben: <cough> Would love to do FMPM.<cough>

USAProgMusic: Are you currently working on a new album? Any new surprises for your fans?

Henry: We still have a few things that we're trying to finish up, but yes, there are plans in the works for “Advent III.” There is one song that did not make it onto Cantus Firmus which I thought might be better-suited to a subsequent release since it has a bit more of a 1950s Philip Marlowe detective-mystery feel. As the piece is mostly finished, we're also hoping to work it into the live set in the not-too-distant future. I have a few other things in various stages of completion, and I know that Mark and Alan also have some ideas they'd like to see developed further. There are also some deliciously spooky Louisiana-folklore sources for which I'd like to provide a musical setting on the new CD, if possible. The only thing we know for certain is that the next album will probably have a more American flavor in at least a few of the songs—nothing that was deliberately planned with that end in mind, but simply owing to sources of inspiration that just happen to be closer to home. It will also employ more of a live approach, since we now have a roster of excellent players and are, therefore, very keen to develop more of a true “band sound” in our recording process. And yes, there will be a surprise or two—but I won't spoil it by revealing too much for now!

Ben: We are working on the next Colossus compilation, and are looking forward to starting on a new album after that. These will be the first recordings for the full six-piece band, and we’re looking forward to making the most of each person’s unique skills.

Alan: As Ben mentioned, the next order of business is completing our piece for the Colossus Inferno project. However, we’ve also started plotting out some of the ideas for the third Advent album as well. We’re probably a bit too early in the process to be talking about many surprises, but I am definitely optimistic about how things will go. In the interim, I just wanted to thank you for this very kind opportunity to be interviewed in such detail. We sincerely appreciate all your support and hope that your readers enjoy the additional insights into the group as well.