“Little Ineffectual Nothing” Track List:
1. Mental Anorexia
2. Beyond Shut Eyelids
3. Shuddercase
4. The Harlot Prophecies
5. The Hate That Binds
6. Choke Out Your Pride
7. The Sardonic Blast
8. Beyond Despair
9. Untouched/Unspoiled

Up-and-coming Red Deer metal act Awkward Silence is fast gaining credit and fans across Alberta.

On the eve of the band’s debut album official re-release, vocalist and bassist J Michalski offered a little insight on how the Little Ineffectual Nothing [Awkward Silence, 2007] came to be, and the band that eventually followed.

You see, most bands form, write a while, play a few shows, and then release an album. But for Michalski and Awkward Silence, it was a sort of catharsis to do it in reverse.

“I love collaborating with other musicians and exploring ideas that I never would have thought of myself, but sometimes I like having complete control and to be able to go off on my own tantrums without others saying they would do something different,” Michalski admitted. “This was my way of finding out what I’m capable of as a song writer.”

So he started writing, recorded an album, and released it. When he started getting hounded for live shows, he found some other musicians to join him.

Of course, there’s so much more to it than that.

Why did you decide to record an album first?

I had tried to get this into a band format a few times before, and it never worked out. I always dreamed of playing these songs live, but it was looking like it wasn’t going to happen and it seemed like recording a CD was the only option.

What was your main goal for the album?

The first records that I really got into were experimental albums that didn’t really fit into one style of music. I still listen to bands like that today, so I wanted to make an album that sounds more like a compilation disc with different bands on it, rather than what most bands do with one style.

How did you approach the songwriting process, especially with covering most of the instruments yourself?

I’ve played guitar, bass and drums, so I had at least to some level an understanding of each instrument and found it pretty easy to complete the sound in my head, so sometimes I’d start with a guitar riff or a bass line, sometimes it was a drumbeat or a vocal line. Most of my lyrics are written free form with no beat or music in mind. There are a few songs that had music and no words or words without music, so I’d slap them together and try to make them fit.

How would you describe the overall sound and tone of the album?

It’s got some groove. It’s heavy; it’s progressive. It’s been compared to everything thing from Machine Head to Earth Crisis to All That Remains to Meshuggah to Sepultura to bands I don’t really listen to like Arch Enemy and Lamb of God.

Where did you record?

A buddy of mine, Andrew Groves, was going to play the drums on the recording for me. I moved around a lot, and we were a few provinces away from each other, so we planned to meet in the middle, which was Regina where he knew of a really good studio, Touchwood Studios. After Andrew passed away, I thought it was the right thing to do by sticking to our plan.

Who was behind the board?

Johnny “Six Pack” Gasparic. He engineered most of Into Eternity’s music, who I was a fan of for years. He had a good idea how to approach my material.

How did session drummer Jim Austin, best known for his studio work with Into Eternity, get on board?

I recorded all my parts to a drum machine, and after finishing the first round of recording, I asked Johnny if he knew any session drummers that might be able to play the songs. Jim had been asked many times before to play on other projects, but had always declined. Johnny sent him my tracks, and he liked the parts I had written and found them a challenge because they were very different from his usual style of playing. When it came to getting the actual parts down, the ideas were already there but I wanted it to sound like Jim playing, so we’d take the parts I had written and he’d throw his twist on them. There were elements in each drum part that I wanted to remain in the final take, so there was a lot of throwing ideas at each other and reworking parts. Jim had a lot of great ideas that filled out the parts and made them what they needed to be. He was great to work with; I’m glad I had that opportunity.

How long did the entire process take?

From the time I started to the time I had the disc in my hand, it was over a year, but it was done in sections. I took a few trips to the studio for recording, a week or two at a time. Then I took my time with the mixes, taking the tracks home to really going through them to find anything I wanted to change. I was very involved.

L to R: Randall Stone, Greg Glen, J Michalski, Rory Nicholson

I had been asked many times, after I finished recording, to turn it into a band. I had said “no” for a long time. First off, some of these songs are 12-years-old. I was sick of playing them at that point. And secondly, with how disappointing it was in past experiences trying to turn this into a band, I just didn’t want to be let down again. But then I met guitarist Rory Nicholson, and my thoughts changed. I figured I’d at least give it another shot because it would be pretty cool to finally play these songs live.

How did you find the rest of the band?

Greg Glen already owned the disc when he heard we were looking for a drummer, and I had heard him play in one of his old bands and knew he was a solid drummer. Randall Stone and I had jammed a few times at a buddy’s place, and he also had the CD when he heard we were looking for another guitarist.

How does it feel to have a complete line-up and finally hearing your music live?

It’s really kind of fucked up. I really thought I was finished with these songs after the recording and to now be working with some of the best musicians in Red Deer and playing my material is overwhelming. I feel honored that these guys would do that, and it’s definitely a thrill to finally hear them live.

How are you promoting the album?

We’re on MySpace and Facebook. We have also gotten radio play, landed spots on compilation discs, played on Metal Injection. Right now, the next step would be considering making a video, and just hitting the stage as much as we can.

Where is the album available?

Little Ineffectual Nothing is available online through iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, and over 300 other digital distributors worldwide. You can also order it through HMV, CD plus, etc. Or, if you’re in the mood, join us for a beer and get one off the guys in the band.

What’s next for Awkward Silence?

I had already started on new material before recording the first one, so there are a few songs that I’ve still worked on by myself; however, there are already a few collaborations.