Torizon

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Torizon

Interview conducted on January 03, 2020

By Dan Locke

Brisbane rock powerhouse Torizon unleashed their unique blend of alternative rock upon the Australian heavy music scene in 2019. Produced by Robb Torres (Robbery Inc., Trapt) and Capitol Records, the quartet interweaves raw and emotive melodies with heavy-hitting groove. Incorporating influences such as Baroness, Evanescence, Flyleaf, and Haken, Torizon has created a distinctive sound with staying power.

LINE UP
Vocals & Keys – Mish Sharma
Guitars – Sarah Allen
Drums – Aaron Hose
Bass – Jeremy Edwards

You are a band from Brisbane (AUS) What is your upbringing?

Mish: Great question, we haven’t been asked this before. All four of us had very different circumstances and childhoods with a through-line of same insecurities, I guess that’s why we are in a band together haha! I was born in India and moved to Australia when I was 17…my upbringing was chaotic with sexual, psychological, and physical abuse which I recovered from in Trauma therapy. Sarah was born in England and also moved to Australia when she was a preteen and then moved around in the country for a while before settling in Brisbane. Jeremy was born in the Nation’s Capital Canberra and is a former Army Veteran and Paramedic, he moved to Brisbane when he started a family as Canberra tends to get really cold. Brisbane has great weather so it was an easy choice. Aaron was born in Melbourne and moved to Brisbane when he was younger as well. All of us were nerding out on music at a young age and found relatability in bands when the real world was unrelatable.

How did you discover music?

Cliche artist story -Music was my therapy and survival mechanism during an abusive and tumultuous childhood. It was the only thing I could relate to amongst the chaos so I would use it as an escape. I used to watch MTV Music Videos a lot and one day they were playing Bring Me to Life by Evanescence and I was hooked! That song made me want to create my own music

How did you start to write music?

I developed a passion for music around 15 years old and started making songs out of poems I had written. I taught myself how to play basic guitar chords on an old second-hand guitar and here we are many years later!

Describe your music.

I’d say it’s a good mix of Alternative Rock and Modern Rock. Our newer stuff has a lot more progressive influences with our time signature and modal choices but you guys won’t hear those songs till late 2021.sorry haha! So far, we have been well received in rock and heavy metal live shows which is AMAZING! Alternative Rock is such a broad genre and hosts many different styles under its umbrella. There is a lot of freedom to flex our collective creative muscles and write music which feels authentic to us. As we are not bound by the necessity to stick to a certain range of tempos or key & time signatures, we tend to draw upon different styles from ambient to heavy metal and everything in between

Who is the Star Wars fan?

Everyone except Aaron, because it’s too intimidating being such a huge universe…. but we’re working on it 😉

Sarah- How did you get your first guitar and do you still have it?

My first guitar was a terrible eBay strat rip-off with those tiny little 4” speaker amps and a tuner that worked like an ocarina. Needless to say, it didn’t last long before it all kinda fell apart. I’m a 7 string Legator gal now

Mish- How did you find your voice?

I was a choir kid so I used to perform a lot but I didn’t find my voice until I was around 18-19 and sang along to Evanescence, Mariah Carey, Linkin Park, etc. Eventually, I learned and performed extreme vocals but anatomically my voice isn’t built to sustain that style so I reverted to contemporary clean vocals. All of this helped to find my voice and develop different tones, colours, and techniques to keep the songs vocally interesting

Jeremy – How did you get your first bass and do you still have it?

I’ve played guitar since i was 12 but my first bass was a $20 no name P-Bass copy. It’s all I could afford at the time but I wanted to learn that bass I just bought a cheapy. I still have it for nostalgic reasons but Now I have a Mex Fender P Bass and a Yamaha TRX 505

Aaron- What was the first band you were in like?

My first band was great! We didn’t sound great, and weren’t great players… but it was definitely the most enjoyable way to learn an instrument. We were all very new to music and very young. Our song choices were typical and practice methods questionable. It taught me how to exist within in a team and even though no real success was ever found it was some of the most fun I’ve ever had!

How did you form the band?

Torizon was born at the start of 2019 as a passion project after taking a couple of years off music due to a vocal-cord injury. It started with friends getting together to write some music and record until we recruited permanent members. We released our debut EP “Singles Collection” in June 2019 which was produced by Robb Torres (Robbery Inc) and Ian Sefchick (Captiol Records) based in LA. Our singles “Hey You” “Find My Way Out” and live cover of “Thoughtless” gained worldwide interest and international coverage! Robb is our mentor and producer; he has a big influence on our music direction and growth. Our lineup was finalized in mid-2020 where we introduced our 7 String-Master Sarah, Jeremy on Bass, and Aaron on Drums. With the addition of new members and additional skill sets, we were able to invest heavily into our own private professional-level recording and rehearsal studio to ensure that our creativity is not stifled by time and money constraints.

How did your band get its name?

The name Torizon is derived from the word’s torsion and event horizon in black holes. The coupling between spin and torsion generates a gravitational repulsion responsible for an event horizon and singularity. From a personal point of view, when life is difficult, it can feel like you are being sucked in a black hole but it is important to remember that there is a horizon at the end of it all. We wanted the name to be unique and also reflect our values as a band without being too wordy or cliche.

What was your first performance at like?

Scary! It was my first time performing live in 2 years and after recovering from a vocal cord injury so I was really nervous. It ended up being a really good show and everyone had a ball.

What makes a good songwriter?

Discipline, willingness to keep improving, music theory knowledge, and knowing when to stop and walk away from a musical passage. You can always revisit the passage with a fresh set of ears and realize it was nowhere near as bad you first thought. Most importantly, being a team player and leaving your ego at the door.

What is the process of writing your music?

Torizon’s songwriting process is extremely collaborative, there is no designated songwriter per say. Mostly we tend to write our ideas to a click or a drum loop to start developing the feel. Once we have the feeling we sit down together and write all the passages on a DAW so we can all go home and refine the song before we jam it. All of us have formal education in our relevant instruments and music theory which makes songwriting a fluid and explorative journey. We use our respective home studios to capture ideas and send them back and forth to build the songs and give them their due course and time to grow naturally. Robb Torres, our LA-based Producer, shares his insight on the tracks pretty much from the demo stage until we are all happy with the overall final product.

Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP?

Yes, we are a part of APRA which is Australia’s version of ASCAP but with publishing rights included.

What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?

I wrote this two-chord song when I was 16 called “Wounds” but I didn’t record it. I actually didn’t start recording music till I was 19.

Tell me about the making of your first single “Falling”?

“Falling” explores the vicious cycle of abuse and how victims can be empowered to break free and become survivors of abuse. The lyrical theme of the song was pretty concrete from the first version. Musically it was re-written around three times. Originally it was a much slower and Paramore-esque song. We worked with Robb who felt we were settling and pushed us to delve further and it ended up being one of our most popular songs. Our live version of Falling is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy faster (yes it needs that many y’s to drive the point home) faster, we have shifted the keys to give it a more progressive feel, all passages have shifted in feel slightly, there are extended breakdowns…everyone loves this song live even at heavy metal/thrash shows which is really cool!

You recorded the single “Find my Way Out” during the Covid-19 virus lockdown. Tell me about it? Did you do social distance during the recording?

Yes, we had just wrapped up the songwriting phase as the lockdowns started. As we own our recording studio, it was easy to manage the sanitization and social distancing aspect of it. Aaron was in an isolated drum room and we limited the number of people in the control room to only the recording engineer and one more person to help set up etc. Guitars and Bass were recorded in the players’ respective home studios to avoid unnecessary contact. For vocals, it was just Sarah and I in the studio socially distanced.

How do you stay healthy while touring?

It’s actually easy for me to be a vocalist as I have to follow my strict vocal hygiene rules. I rest my voice a lot, steaming after vocal use, catching up on sleep while traveling, and going for walks. I love weights training but it can be tricky when touring so power walks are great because I despise running! I can sleep anywhere no matter how loud so I tend to nap a lot in between. Food is the trickiest part as you don’t always have access to healthy food, so it is wise to carry anti-inflammatory natural remedies such as slippery elm bark to avoid reflux which causes massive vocal fatigue.

How was your last show of the year, at the Backdock Arts?

It was a thrash metal show at Brightside Brisbane – We had a ball! All bands were super professional on and off stage and so much fun to hang out with. The venue was packed and we were really well received, sold a ton of merch, the sound was great made so many new friends. It was a blast

How do you stay healthy while performing?

Training. You always have to be “gig fit” regardless of how often you perform. We catch up twice a week to write music and rehearse which keeps us in prime playing position. Jeremy and I both train weights, Sarah enjoys archery and cario whereas Aaron plays hockey and rollerblades to keep fit.

What are you’re feeling about streaming music?

It’s good to have our music heard in different corners of the world. I don’t know if that would have been possible for an independently operating band without streaming.

How can people forget about the origin hashtag # Sharp in a musical score? Because of social media #sonyrecords vs. F#

STUDY MUSIC. It’s important to know your way around music theory to really get the most out of your songwriting. Hopefully, music nerds like us can preach about it and keep it alive?? I hope so.

Digital vs. vinyl?

I lean towards the digital world

What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?

Fiona Apple, “the way things are” – a portrait of raw anger and pain wrapped around catchy hooks, alternative rock/pop piano licks underpinned by jazz and funk-esque grooves. When I first heard this song felt that somebody in the world could relate to how I was feeling. It really has stood the test of time for me as I still listen to it almost every week!

Both (Pfizer and BioNTech) and Moderna have conclude Phase 3 Study of the Coronavirus vaccine. With the both vaccines, it takes two shots. How many people do you think will take it and how many will forget to take the second shot?

I don’t it’s a matter of people forgetting to take the second shot as Covid-19 is definitely in the forefront. I am more worried about the anti-vax culture who would definitely be putting other lives at risk.

How long before the whole world will be vaccinated against the virus. You have to remember there only has to be a 70% for Herd immunity (Herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who are immune.)

I’d say it won’t be straight away – all developed countries will probably have access to the vaccine before underdeveloped countries. I really hope we can find a way to get vaccines to everyone, especially in third world countries as quickly as we possible can.

Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?

100% we are still feeling the effects of Covid-19 even though Queensland is relatively back to normal in every aspect. International artists are no longer touring, our first international tour was booked, cancelled, rebooked with subject to travel restrictions. I think the biggest things that Covid-19 proved is the importance of self-sufficiency when it comes to making music, if you can make music with 2020 craziness you can do it anytime, anywhere.

What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?

Studying music, writing music, self-care, therapy, exercising, working from home and home renovations

Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?

Yes, Sarah has got me really interested in filmmaking so I have been learning all the basics to share the workload in that aspect of the band. All of us got lessons in good lighting techniques, camerawork etc. It was so much fun! Jeremy and I also started doing music marketing and PR work which has been really awesome!

95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. This includes people who don’t have television and using their computers to do streaming of programs and movies.

Which is your favorite streaming channel?

Amazon Prime and Disney Plus as they both have all my favourites. Australian Netflix is garbage compared to the rest of the world. If Australia had access to HBO Streaming that would be my favourite (because Larry David)

Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will includes [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?

Personally, I think Facebook is not set up to successfully carry out this service anyway. Twitch on the other hand is optimized for streaming which is why it has had way less issues. Artists have already been using Twitch for streaming, perhaps now more will migrate towards Twitch as an alternative for Facebook live.

How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merchandise to them at the show?

This is the perfect opportunity to engage fans in behind the scenes of the music. Show your fans what it’s like writing a song from scratch, which music equipment we use, unplugged versions, giving music lessons, going live on Facebook to just have a chat with fans. Another thing we did was to talk about our non-musical interests such as comedy, Star Wars, sports etc.

Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means thinks like playlist on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.

I wish it wasn’t but sadly it still is.

What about Holographic concerts in our living room?

Now that’s a fun idea! I dig it. But I probably won’t charge a fee for it.

If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?

I’d be a Child Psychologist. As a survivor of extreme child abuse and sexual abuse, I’d love to help children navigate through their trauma, break the cycle of self-blame & destructive coping mechanisms to validate their voice, thoughts and opinions.

What is your happy place?

Guided meditation in the sauna after a hard workout.

What is Jan. 22, 2021

You’ll see 😉 We are releasing our new single Burning Away

Anything you would like to say in closing.

Our mission statement is to create a musical meeting place where people of all walks of life can connect, share their lives and be a part of a unified community. We’d also like the fans to know that we are an extremely DIY band. All our marketing, photography, rehearsal, videography, recording studio and sound engineering are in house. Although COVID-19 did put a big spanner in our 2020 plan, we have been utilizing this newly acquired free time to write more music and continue working on our music theory education. Much like others, 75% of the band has lost their income for the foreseeable future due to the recent restrictions put in place, so if you can afford to please go to our store and support us https://torizon.bandcamp.com/ And if you can’t afford it, that’s ok you can support us for free by liking, sharing and following us on social media. But most importantly, please take care of yourselves and each other!