All Interviews
Stride
Joel in action
Posted on Mar 16, 2006
by Anders
Stride, a progressive metal band hailing from Houston, Texas is ready with their new album "Imagine", the first one introducing a vocalist from their side, and what an album. A nice travel into the realm of progressive metal with good songs, great technical elements and neo-classical parts, the singer is great, and the musicians have skills beyond what is considered normal, this is a band we will hear a lot more of in the future! I got in touch with co-founder and guitarist Joel Gregoire and he willingly answered all my questions.
Hi there, will you please start off by introducing yourself?
Hello, this is Joel Gregoire the guitarist for Stride. I am one of the co-founding members of the group.
A small introduction of the rest of the band will be great as well, together with a bit about what they contribute to the band with!
Gary Belin is our singer, Rick Flores is our keyboardist, Matt Kanzler is the drummer, and Mike Martin (our newest member) is our bassist. They all contribute in many different ways. Mike has been handling a lot of our press as of late just because his enthusiasm for this is great!! He has added a whole new dimension for Stride with his incredible technique on the bass, his songwriting skills, not to mention that he is an incredible singer as well!! Gary is a very gifted singer and frontman, and we all were just blown away by his performance on the new "Imagine" album. He also has some abilities on guitar and keys that we are hoping to utilize more with the band in the future!! Matt Kanzler is the backbone of Stride because I honestly don't think we would be getting the recognition if it weren't for him and all the stuff he has done over the last few years to get us "out there" so to speak!! He is also an unbelievable drummer with some serious, serious chops!!! Rick Flores has brought so much to the band and to the new album. His sense of melody and the ideas he comes up with are amazing and to work with him and the rest of the guys is quite and honor for me.
You are soon ready with your new release, how do you feel about it?
We are really excited about the new album and from the feedback we've seen from around the world have made us all really happy!!
What do you expect from it?
We just hope that it sells really well and that the fans like it.
When you started out to write/compose new material, what did you then want to accomplish with it?
We didn't have much time to write as a group for "Imagine" as we had all hoped. There was an opportunity for us to release the album right around the time we played Prog Power in Atlanta. So we were writing and recording all the way up until a few weeks before that show.
Do you feel that you have accomplished that?
Not really, I had written most of the songs and melodies and lyrics for "Imagine" and showed the guys and they all really liked the tunes a lot!! However, I feel that I write a certain way and I really wanted more of a group effort for writing this record but time just wasn't on our side for that to happen.
Where do you find inspiration when you write music?
Inspiration comes from everywhere. Musically a few of us grew up listening to more progressive bands of the 70's like Kansas and Yes and Rush, but we also have an 80's influence as well. Lyrically we just want to keep things positive and write about life and things like that.
Is there anything specific that have influenced the writing process to the new album?
Not really, we just wanted to have some insane chops, mesmerizing vocal melodies and some really good songs. I sure hope that we accomplished that!!
Can you mention 3 bands and 3 songs that have meant the world to your way of writing music/singing?
Sure can!! For me the 3 bands would be Kansas, Rush and the Dixie Dregs.
The 3 songs that have really influenced me are; 'Song For America' with Kansas, 'Limelight' with Rush and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' with Queen.
What do you want to bring the world with your music and how do you want people to receive your music?
We write the songs to make us happy and if the rest of the world digs it then great!!
Will you initiate us in the lyrical universe of the band, which themes do you touch etc…?
Mainly life is what theme we harness the most lyrically. 'Imagine' is about battling depression and overcoming personal obstacles. 'Alive' is more or less about having one of the days where nothing goes wrong and you just embrace that feeling (I wish everyday was like that!! Haha). 'How Far' is about personal struggles to achieve a dream that you've always wanted. 'Role Model' is about being a role model, hahaha!
Where is the inspiration for the lyrics usually found?
That's a tough one to pin down, it comes from anywhere.
Will you pick out your 3 favourite tracks from the new release and guide us through the music and lyrics, and tell us how you got the idea for the music and lyrics, etc…?
Sure!! But remember these are only MY personal favourites……………. 'Time' is the first. Musically Rick had this vocal cannon with the word "time" and this really awesome piano melody for that song. I just helped him put it together and orchestrate things a little. Lyrically it's about being imprisoned, and how time is the one thing that slips away no matter what. I wanted to lyrically leave it kind of vague so that anyone who enjoyed the song could "imagine" their own story so to speak.
'Role Model' is another of my favourites and to me musically that is the true essence of Stride. It captures the "storm" so to speak with the insane beginning and then the "storm subsides" as we journey through the song. And finally 'Ion Drive' is my other favourite and the main inspiration for that is NASA Space Center program. I love that stuff, that amazes me.
How important is the lyrics compared to the music?
Just as if not more!! Lyrics apply to EVERYONE where musically speaking I think that the musician's around the world can appreciate what we do but your regular non-musical person doesn't comprehend that too well.
Do you have any touring planned in support of your new release?
We want to, but nothing set in stone yet
How do you look upon the future of the band?
Hopefully we'll get a lot of fans who'll be dying to hear the next Stride album!!! That's about as far in the future as I look right now…………..hahaha
Will you share your 5 all time favourite albums with our readers?
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary Of A Madman
Yes - 90125
Van Halen – Van Halen
Dixie Dreggs – Bring Em Back Alive
Kansas – The Ultimate Kansas
Thanks a ton for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to add it now!
Thank you for this opportunity to get my band more recognition!! If it weren't for you and our fans then I would probably be playing solitaire on my computer right now!!!! Hahaha!!
Hello, this is Joel Gregoire the guitarist for Stride. I am one of the co-founding members of the group.
A small introduction of the rest of the band will be great as well, together with a bit about what they contribute to the band with!
Gary Belin is our singer, Rick Flores is our keyboardist, Matt Kanzler is the drummer, and Mike Martin (our newest member) is our bassist. They all contribute in many different ways. Mike has been handling a lot of our press as of late just because his enthusiasm for this is great!! He has added a whole new dimension for Stride with his incredible technique on the bass, his songwriting skills, not to mention that he is an incredible singer as well!! Gary is a very gifted singer and frontman, and we all were just blown away by his performance on the new "Imagine" album. He also has some abilities on guitar and keys that we are hoping to utilize more with the band in the future!! Matt Kanzler is the backbone of Stride because I honestly don't think we would be getting the recognition if it weren't for him and all the stuff he has done over the last few years to get us "out there" so to speak!! He is also an unbelievable drummer with some serious, serious chops!!! Rick Flores has brought so much to the band and to the new album. His sense of melody and the ideas he comes up with are amazing and to work with him and the rest of the guys is quite and honor for me.
You are soon ready with your new release, how do you feel about it?
We are really excited about the new album and from the feedback we've seen from around the world have made us all really happy!!
What do you expect from it?
We just hope that it sells really well and that the fans like it.
When you started out to write/compose new material, what did you then want to accomplish with it?
We didn't have much time to write as a group for "Imagine" as we had all hoped. There was an opportunity for us to release the album right around the time we played Prog Power in Atlanta. So we were writing and recording all the way up until a few weeks before that show.
Do you feel that you have accomplished that?
Not really, I had written most of the songs and melodies and lyrics for "Imagine" and showed the guys and they all really liked the tunes a lot!! However, I feel that I write a certain way and I really wanted more of a group effort for writing this record but time just wasn't on our side for that to happen.
Where do you find inspiration when you write music?
Inspiration comes from everywhere. Musically a few of us grew up listening to more progressive bands of the 70's like Kansas and Yes and Rush, but we also have an 80's influence as well. Lyrically we just want to keep things positive and write about life and things like that.
Is there anything specific that have influenced the writing process to the new album?
Not really, we just wanted to have some insane chops, mesmerizing vocal melodies and some really good songs. I sure hope that we accomplished that!!
Can you mention 3 bands and 3 songs that have meant the world to your way of writing music/singing?
Sure can!! For me the 3 bands would be Kansas, Rush and the Dixie Dregs.
The 3 songs that have really influenced me are; 'Song For America' with Kansas, 'Limelight' with Rush and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' with Queen.
What do you want to bring the world with your music and how do you want people to receive your music?
We write the songs to make us happy and if the rest of the world digs it then great!!
Will you initiate us in the lyrical universe of the band, which themes do you touch etc…?
Mainly life is what theme we harness the most lyrically. 'Imagine' is about battling depression and overcoming personal obstacles. 'Alive' is more or less about having one of the days where nothing goes wrong and you just embrace that feeling (I wish everyday was like that!! Haha). 'How Far' is about personal struggles to achieve a dream that you've always wanted. 'Role Model' is about being a role model, hahaha!
Where is the inspiration for the lyrics usually found?
That's a tough one to pin down, it comes from anywhere.
Will you pick out your 3 favourite tracks from the new release and guide us through the music and lyrics, and tell us how you got the idea for the music and lyrics, etc…?
Sure!! But remember these are only MY personal favourites……………. 'Time' is the first. Musically Rick had this vocal cannon with the word "time" and this really awesome piano melody for that song. I just helped him put it together and orchestrate things a little. Lyrically it's about being imprisoned, and how time is the one thing that slips away no matter what. I wanted to lyrically leave it kind of vague so that anyone who enjoyed the song could "imagine" their own story so to speak.
'Role Model' is another of my favourites and to me musically that is the true essence of Stride. It captures the "storm" so to speak with the insane beginning and then the "storm subsides" as we journey through the song. And finally 'Ion Drive' is my other favourite and the main inspiration for that is NASA Space Center program. I love that stuff, that amazes me.
How important is the lyrics compared to the music?
Just as if not more!! Lyrics apply to EVERYONE where musically speaking I think that the musician's around the world can appreciate what we do but your regular non-musical person doesn't comprehend that too well.
Do you have any touring planned in support of your new release?
We want to, but nothing set in stone yet
How do you look upon the future of the band?
Hopefully we'll get a lot of fans who'll be dying to hear the next Stride album!!! That's about as far in the future as I look right now…………..hahaha
Will you share your 5 all time favourite albums with our readers?
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary Of A Madman
Yes - 90125
Van Halen – Van Halen
Dixie Dreggs – Bring Em Back Alive
Kansas – The Ultimate Kansas
Thanks a ton for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to add it now!
Thank you for this opportunity to get my band more recognition!! If it weren't for you and our fans then I would probably be playing solitaire on my computer right now!!!! Hahaha!!
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