10 Quick Ones with ADAM CIGNATTA of THE COMPLEX DIALECT – December 2017

According to a recent press release: “Seattle’s 8-piece progressive outfit The Complex Dialect is gearing up to drop their debut album, Change, set for digital release on December 1, 2017. Produced at the infamous London Bridge Studios by Eric Lilavois (Saint Motel, Atlas Genius, Surfer Blood) and mastered by Ed Brooks (Fleet Foxes, Death Cab for Cutie, Pearl Jam), Change is a concept album split into two sides, problem and solution, that explores various social-political issues through the eyes of various perspectives. The first half touches on acknowledging various issues from racial injustice, capitalism, loneliness, and the coping mechanisms we use to try and escape from it. The second half touches on perspective, connection, authentic honest processing, and strength. The Complex Dialect’s powerful, progressive message caught the attention of HuffPost earlier this month and today the band is thrilled to partner exclusively with Modern Vinyl to share an advance stream of the album prior to its release. Accompanying the stream is an exclusive track-by-track where the band takes readers behind the album, detailing the meaning and message of each song.”  We get Adam Cignatta to answer our 10 Quick Ones about new music, his influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Change is a nuanced album covering a broad swath of emotional range. I think first time listeners will get swept up in a song that connects with their mood of the moment, only to find upon listening later that a different song resonates more saliently with their extant emotional state. The onslaught of multi-syllable rhymes unleashed by Deadmics during “Rude” and “Capitalism” will take even the most seasoned of hip-hop listeners a few plays to catch all of the brilliance packed in his tight bars.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I have been playing piano for twenty years. My parents started my classical training when I turned six years old. Music has always been my primary form of self expression and of creation. As I got older I was heavily influenced by the music I listened to, forming my early identity around the culture created by the bands I fell in love with. I realized I wanted to be a professional musician about a year out of University, working long hours at a job I was not enthusiastic about. My escape was jamming with a couple of my oldest friends who had played in some local bands around Connecticut. We started recording some of our collaborations and I could hear the potential in the style of music I was developing. I decided to quit my job. I bought a tent, and I camped my way across the continent in the summer of 2015. When I arrived to Seattle it was like returning home even though I had never been here before. I was enamored and decided to stay.

3. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Neil Young, Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst), Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Elton John.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be?

Mac Demarco and/or Earl Sweatshirt.

5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?

The Complex Dialect is by far the most unique band I have ever been a part of. We are a dynamic confluence of disparate, yet distantly related musical influences. We are passionate and make music to bare our inner truth to our fans.

6. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

My favorite part is when I can connect with someone through my lyrics and my performance and they tell me after a set that I made an emotional impact. It lets me know that I am not as alone as I sometimes think and that people really do listen to lyrics.

7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

No one cooks, we usually order pizza or get some tacos. I am typically drinking some red wine into me along with Lola and Deadmics. Vocalists love wine! Craig doesn’t bust out an acoustic, but he starts off a lot of jams on his Nord. Ozzie is the wild card. Gib always cracks the funniest jokes. Bobby makes everyone smile. Earnie keeps everything together.

8. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

I currently work as an ABA Behavioral Therapist for the Organization for Research and Learning. It is the most rewarding job I have had the pleasure of being paid for. I love working with developmentally disabled children in a direct way where I can see the impact I can make in improving their quality of life. If my musical abilities were “Space Jammed” away by nefarious aliens tomorrow I would consider going back for a Graduate degree in Early Childhood Education or perhaps Neuroscience and pursue a career in the field.

9. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”?

I wish I had moved to Seattle sooner! Connecticut is not as fun…

10. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I would love to go back to 1997 when Modest Mouse was recording The Lonesome Crowded West. This album has been the most influential record on my development as a human and as a musician. I would not alter a single note, I would just watch the recording happen in front of me.

THE COMPLEX DIALECT LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Category: Interviews