LEVELSIX - Miscellaneous - http://maxpages.com/aeazine2/LEVELSIX

LEVELSIX
Interview with John Henry Sheridan

Brooklyn, New York's LevelSix describe themselves as a "heavy rock group praised for blending strong songwriting and melodic arrangements with a raw, super-charged sound." The influences of each band member range from Metallica to Megadeth to Black Sabbath to Type O Negative to Soundgarden to Guns N Roses to Amorphis to a host of others. The band formed in 2002 and have a single (Views) and a seven song CD (On The Inside) to speak for. The band have strong hints of originality, and some of their songs can be previewed on their website if you want to hear for yourself. The band earned respect from Type O Negative's Peter Steele, New York's Life Of Agony and hip-hop artist Ludacris. Read the review of their single if you're interested in hearing some feedback about their work before checking them out.

When did LevelSix start as a band and what is the current lineup?
LevelSix has been together for 2 years since the winter of 2004. Originally going by the band name On the Inside, we began calling ourselves LevelSix a little over a year ago. The lineup is:
Lou La Rocco - Lead Vocals; Rhythm Guitar
Justin Longo - Drums
TJ Hoffman - Bass; Screams
John Henry Sheridan - Lead Guitar; Backing Vocals

Who came up with the name LevelSix and what is it meant to symbolize?
Lead Singer Lou La Rocco came up with the name LevelSix. It is based on the sixth underground level of a government building in Dulce, New Mexico. On this level which also goes by the nickname "Nightmare Hall" there are supposedly all sorts of specimens of human clones and even alien corpses.

The official LevelSix website says that musically you sound like Soundgarden and Disturbed meets Depeche Mode and The Cure. In what ways does your sound reflect on these bands and what were the factors that inspired this?
Well, the rhythm guitar has that very concrete, sledgehammer-like sound to it and it is very percussive similar to bands like Disturbed or Nickelback. We are similar to the Cure and Depeche Mode in that we incorporate several simple yet interesting ideas at once to create a layer cake of sweet sounds. And Soundgarden influences can be heard in our irregular approach to melody and riffing as well as the powerful screams of the vocals.

Please describe your seven song CD On the Inside and the nature of the songs you recorded for it. Are you happy with how the production represents LevelSix or would you make changes on the next CD?
On the Inside is our fledgling attempt at being a rock band united in producing a "sound" so there is a lot of experimenting on it. It features 7 songs and a short and strange 8th track entitled "#&$% Party." It is a little over 30 minutes in length. And the truth is we learned a whole lot from the experience. While a lot of the lessons we learned would go on the "what not to do next time" list, we can definitely say that it was a worthy endeavor. Personally I am content with On the Inside in that it is an accurate snapshot in the band's history. It's always kinda tempting to put down the past, but I feel comfortable with it as an example of what we can do when we put our minds together. And producer Rob Carpenter was a a fun man to work with. He really helped us to step out of our heads and into the wonderful world of endless recording possibilities.

Describe the writing and recording process that went into On the Inside. What sort of a learning experience was this for LevelSix and how will it influence writing and recording the next CD?
The way On the Inside was written and recorded is a tale all its own, but in brief here's how it was done. Four of the songs were already written and recorded when I joined the group in July 2003 so all I did for those four was add lead guitar parts. Two of the songs were written together in the studio as a full band generally beginning with a riff that Lou or myself came up with and then sorted out from there. And then there was one song which was recorded before I was around, but took on a lot of its present form in the studio after I joined and wasn't completed til the 6th month of the recording session! For the whole CD we spent 6 months in the studio recording with about a three week break in there somewhere. Our studio ethic is good, but tends to be very slow. We generally focus on quality over quantity and therefore can spend a few weeks sorting out music before even attempting any vocal parts. Naturally I look forward to our next recording opportunity. I'm sure we will re-record at least some of the songs from On the Inside next time around to capture them in a more thought-out form, but I am proud of what the CD stands for: the beginnings of a new rock band.

How widely has LevelSix distributed On The Inside so far? Has it generated radio airplay since its release? How about label interest? The band recently gave a press kit to hip hop/Def Jam artist Ludacris. Has anything come of this so far?
Unfortunately due to finances we have not been able to distribute On the Inside much at all. We have handed out several hundred copies of our single Views in NY, NJ and PA. There have been numerous copies of the CD sent out to radio stations and reviewers across the country and in Europe. We are currently being played on a Virginia radio station and are working on several other stations in Long Island, Albany, and Philladelphia. From the Ludacris encounter there has been no particular news to tell of besides that LevelSix is beginning to make its presence known to several industry professionals including artists such as Life of Agony, Type O Negative, Ludacris, Mudvayne, Marilyn Manson and even Ric Ocasek from the Cars. We have personally spoken to these guys and have either shown them our press kit or our website and so far have gotten very positive reactions. In a recent conversation between our drummer Justin and Marilyn Manson, Manson complimented our music pointing out its distinction from today's popular rock music. He said that we are in a better position now than he was himself when he came to New York years ago to start his career. While these are only words, they do serve as an inspiration to stay on the course that we have been heading in.

Who writes most of Level Six's lyrics? Is there anything about contemporary society that particularly inspires the lyrics? In what ways do the songs reflect on these issues?
Lou writes the majority of the lyrics and I contribute to them as well. Some of the major themes in our lyrics are:
The pain of the male condition
Darker side of humanity
Relationships gone wrong
Religious and moral viewpoints
Strength and focus
Faith
A lot of these themes stem from the influence of commercialism and the media on our lives. These influences are basically rotting our brains and making us worse people. And perhaps in an even larger way, the lyrics speak about the influence that society in general has on us. Who are we? Who are we really?? Do you know who you are or is it the person everyone else tells you you are? Ya know? . . . and that just scratches the surface . . .

How many interviews has Level Six done and for which magazines? Which of these interviews do you think is most informative for those who want to learn about the band?
Presently this will be our first interview to appear in print although there are several informative articles that can be found on our website to learn more about the band.

Level Six has played CBGB in New York City before. Would you agree that the club has the best sound system in New York? One show the band played there was reviewed by writer Thomas Zadvydas. Do you believe he got a good sense of what the band is about?
Yes, CBGB does have one of the better sound systems among NYC rock clubs although shows there are usually at an ungodly volume even for me! And yes, I trust writer Zadvydas' ability to capture an atmosphere. From the work that I have read of his I am always impressed by his ability to bring the reader to the event through writing.

At what other venues in the local New York/New Jersey area has Level Six played up to now? At which of these places has the band received the biggest response and/or the most favorable press?
The other venues LevelSix has played at are: Brooklyn bars Chiller's, Peggy O' Neill's and Cha Cha's, Long Island bars The Courthouse and Patti and Johnny's as well as Manhattan clubs Acme Underground, Continental, CBGB, Arlene's Grocery and Don Hill's. Of all these places Don Hill's has been the most enjoyable and receptive place to play. It's a place where you can feel like you're playing heavy rock the way it was meant to be played . . . nice stage, good lights, and pretty good sound. CBGB is also a fun spot, but the club's attitude and the long equipment hall through the dark and bumpy club ain't so fun.

What have been the highest and lowest points of playing the New York/New Jersey area?
Well low points would be the shows where we played to only a handful of people on rainy weekday nights. The high points would be the shows that went well and made us feel like we were pursuing our calling. And fortunately the high points outweigh the low points.

What equipment does Level Six use when performing? Would you recommend any of this equipment to other musicians? For what reasons?
Well I can only speak for myself on this one. I use an Ibanez Joe Satriani Series guitar. I like the lightness if it and the whammy bar, don't know if I would recommend it though. For an amp I use a Peavey Bandit half stack. This amp I like a lot. It's got a very powerful distortion sound in it. I use this in combination with a number of BOSS pedals (The Chromatic Tuner, Compression/Sustainer, Phase Shifter, Digital Delay and Equalizer) and one DigiTech Digital Reverb pedal. I also occasionally use a Carvin Stereo Chorus pedal. I would recommend basically all of the pedals I use with the precaution not to overdo the effects and lose the guitar in manufactured noise. I've used combo pedals which can have all sorts of sounds programmed into them, but for my simple tastes I much prefer stomp boxes because it is easier to isolate particular effects and they are also quite durable.

Which other bands has Level Six shared a bill with? Have you generally gotten along with them? Are there any you would recommend checking out?
There are three bands that we have shared bills with that I would recommend checking out:
ZO2 (www.ZO2.com) - these guys are tight and have a strong and hooky songwriting approach. Melodic and groovy. They just did a 40 date tour with Kiss this summer I might mention.
Dirty Mother Nation (www.DirtyMotherNation.com) - grungy yet not too dirty (despite the name). These guys bring you back to the days of sex, drugs, rock n' roll and let's not forget a healthy dose of rock star arrogance.
Inborne (www.Inborne.org) - in the vein of A Perfect Circle, Inborne is brooding, dark and sometimes lead vocalist Veronica pulls out the djembe and gets tribal.

Describe the trip LevelSix made to Los Angeles, California recently. For what purpose did the band travel out there? How did the city compare to back home?
LevelSix spent time in LA for three main reasons: 1) get our press kit into the hands of a number of record labels that are based out there. 2) to promote on the west coast and 3) to have fun and take a trip together. By those standards I would say the trip was a success.

What was it like for LevelSix to meet and hang out with Mudvayne?
They were friendly down-to-earth guys who were willing to shoot the shit for a little bit and share their shock with us about our press photo of naked Beef (the band hype-man). They invited us down to their video shoot and we went and hung out with them again for a bit.

Talk about how Level Six worked with Peter Steele of Type O Negative and Joey Z of Life Of Agony. For what projects did you work with them and what sort of an experience was it?
Beyond being on a friendly basis with some of the members we have not done any projects with them. Members of LevelSix have performed on the same bills with Type O and Life of Agony as opening acts. We would certainly like to participate in projects with either band in the future. We are currently looking into producers for our next album and Josh Silver of Type O Negative is high on the list.

What do LevelSix have planned for the immediate future?
Our immediate plans are to continue mailing out press information to zines and radio stations and take what we've done thus far and bring it to the next level in a grass roots way. We are focusing right now on supportive and open-minded college radio stations and underground publications such as this one. While we are also making attempts to get into more mainstream media, we know that it is only with the people who really love music that a true and lasting fan base can be made. And these days, those who truly love good music are generally not found listening to popular radio or reading pop culture publications because these forms of media tend to be filled with temporary fads.

Any final remarks?
LevelSix would like to thank you for this opportunity to talk about ourselves and what we do. For a visual and audio taste of what we do visit us at www.LevelSix.net and yes, LevelSix is one word.

LEVEL SIX c/o
John Henry Sheridan
2160 E. 35th St.
Bklyn, NY 11234 USA
http://www.levelsix.net
info@levelsix.net

- Dave Wolff

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Page Updated Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:30pm EDT