June 15, 2005

Interview with Joseph Cumbo of Sonic X

Today’s interview is with Joseph Cumbo of Sonic X who never lost sight of their dream and followed their hearts and love of the music through the 80’s and 90’s with perseverance, dedication and lots of hard work. Their debut album had a rocky start but has received a lot of attention and as its name suggests “Sound” is the band’s main focus. The band writes songs that they themselves would want to hear on the radio and during the 10 years their sound has matured and they have perfected their craft. If you missed their debut album you can check out samples in the current Jukebox …And like their name suggests you would expect some explosive sound and Sonic X delivers. Enjoy the interview and start to get ready for the follow-up album due out in a few months …Sonic X is on course!

1. Sonic X is a name that has been brought up in many music conversations since your debut album was released, but would like to start out the interview by asking you to introduce yourselves and tell us about the band and the music…

The band consists of Adam Troy on Vocals, Adam is originally from New York, moved to Florida, then he moved to Canada from Orlando Florida to join Sonic X, he's been compared to a cross between Sebastian Bach and Jon Bon Jovi. He is a great frontman with loads of charisma.

Lawrence Falcomer is our Guitar player, official Music Conductor and Co-coordinator. He is also in my opinion one of the best Guitar Players on the planet. He's very quiet, much like Jimmy Page and usually shies away from interviews and the limelight.

Michael Marquez is our Drummer and the hardest hitting drummer I've ever heard, aside from John Bonham of course. I've know Michael the longest as we go way back when we met in High School…and I'm Joseph Cumbo the Bass Player and Media hog…I tend to handle a lot of the Interview and media requests along with Adam. I also lay down some solid Bass tracks; John Paul Jones is my hero.

Our Music is Melodic Hard Rock and we've been compared to a lot of bands such as, Whitesnake, Metallica, Skid Row, Bon Jovi, Queensryche…you get the idea, it's hard to pin point who we sound like so I guess we're a little unique I like to call it.


2. Your first album has received a great deal of attention and given us a taste of what Sonic X is, how do you feel about this release and can you tell us if there is one song on this album that has special meaning to you as a band and could you share some of the story with us?

We like our Debut CD although it was recorded a few years ago and we've changed quite a bit as a band since that record was written. Our song writing has matured quite a bit and we're more critical of what we keep and use than we used to. As far a special song is concerned, as a band we've always like the first track on the CD, "News for You" it captures the attitude that Sonic X wants to convey. "City of Sin" also has a really cool vibe to it and my personal favorites are "Lonely Heart" and "Feed the Flame"…You asked…Lots to choose from I suppose.

3. Your debut album is fantastic and you must be very happy with all of the great feed-back and comments; I was wondering if you could take a moment to describe what a debut album means to a band, I know you all had to work very hard to get to where you are, how did it feel the first time you saw the finished product?

Thanks for the compliment Kathy and that's a great question. The answer would vary depending on which Band you are talking to…As they say you have your whole life to write your first record and a like 6 months to write the follow up. I believe a debut album means a lot to a band because typically you've lived a long time with those songs and you've changed and nurtured them to the point of exhaustion…I think you're more attached to your first record for that reason and also, it's like anything else, you're first is always going to be something very special.

When I first opened the box and saw the "Sonic X" CD for the first time I had a mixed bag of emotions…my first reaction was…"It's about time"…then that was replaced quickly with, "Wow, we finally did it" I was very happy to see and touch it, it is a dream come true.

4. The follow up album is highly anticipated and scheduled for release later this year! What can you tell us about the progress of the project, do you have a working title, can you tell us about any of the songs in particular or the over all feeling of the album?

The album is progressing better than we expected. We have 10 songs laid down on demo and the rest are written and will be recorded soon. Adam and I exchanged some ideas about the title but we haven't had a full Band discussion about it just yet. Once we finish recording all the songs we should have an idea of what the running order and vibe of the album will be. The Title will probably come to us at that time. We have a real good collection of songs for this record and so far the reaction to the Demo tape has been extremely positive.

If you're looking for a few songs to watch out for I would say the songs that are getting a great reaction so far are; "Wicked" look out for that track as it is a Killer song; My Condition, Carried Away and we also have a ballad that everyone is drooling over called "Breathe".

5. Each album for a band shows a new, further developed side to the musicians and the group, what do you think the second album is going to show the world about Sonic X?

You're going to hear some great melodic Rock tunes, much like our first record but better sounding and also performed better…Not that the first record isn't but we've taken our song writing and performance to a higher level I believe.

There are some truly killer tracks on this new record and we're very anxious and excited about it. Hopefully the World will hear it and say, this is a great Rock & Roll record.

6. When you are working on new songs and developing your ideas what sort of process do you follow, do you all work together in an open format or is there specific song writers that bring the ideas and then finish them together?

We actually do a combination of both. The majority of the time Adam and Lawrence will come to rehearsal with ideas, a verse, chorus or maybe even a riff. Sometimes we jam out ideas and structure a song around something we're jamming. We've written complete songs around something we jam on the spot. We're actually a very good Jam band since we've been playing together for so long.

7. I think that the 2000s have been great for the music, I see and hear it returning to the forefront and believe that over the next months and years we will continue to see an increase in melodic music, what would you like to see happen in the music and the industry in the next while?

I would love to see Hard Rock back obviously and it has come back to some extend, although Rap is still so huge at the moment. There are tons of good rock bands out right now and it would be great to see this type of Music rise to the forefront to the level it was in the 80's and early 90's.

8. How is the music scene in Toronto and Canada as a whole, here in the U.S. the music is regaining popularity while in Europe it has maintained over the years, how has it been where you are?

There are lots of great bands coming out of Canada these days. Nickelback is a great example of a successful Canadian Hard Rock Band. I also like, 3 Days Grace, Sum 41, Simple Plan, Tragically Hip, Tea Party…etc…

9. Sonic X has been a long time coming, with each artist perfecting their talent and following a life long goal of music, what would you say is the strongest motivator for you guys to create the music and give it to the world?

Wow, that's deep Kathy. Quite simply we love to make music that we ourselves would want to hear on the Radio or go out and buy. When we write we always test ourselves and ask, would we buy this if we heard it on the radio?
You can't really write for a hit or anything, you just have to make yourselves happy.

The other important motivator is that you want to leave your mark on the world and release a really good product that hopefully will stand the test of time.

10. Thank You, do you have a message you would like to send out to close the interview?

We would like to thank all the people that have bought our debut CD and have written us and follow the band, we appreciate all your support. I really believe the 2nd "Sonic X" CD is going to be a Killer Album based on all the feedback we've received so far Our web site is: www.thesonicx.com and you can catch up on all the latest news and updates on the web site. We may have some previews of the new tunes on the site before the CD is released as well. Also, thank you Kathy for keeping Hard Rock alive and for your continued support of "Sonic X" on your site….Take Care everyone!

Posted by Kathy at June 15, 2005 06:41 AM