A few years back, Hampshire College student and drummer Tyler Gorman was working on a soundtrack for a horror film project. The film never materialized, but he continued working on the music for his own enjoyment. In the summer of 2010 he met up with synth player/keyboardist Gabriel Chicoine, and the two realized a mutual and abiding love for soundtracks from the ’70s and early ’80s, particularly those by John Carpenter and Italian progressive rock outfit Goblin.
Gorman played Chicoine some rough cuts, and things blossomed from there. Synth and keys player Alex Hornbeck joined up a few weeks later, and the jamming and songwriting began in earnest. Early 2011 brought bass player and keyboardist Rhees Williams into the fold, and Dust Witch was complete.
Initially formed as an homage to horror movie soundtracks, the band, Chicoine says, has since gone off in its own direction. He says the music is now rooted firmly in the world of ’70s prog.
“It’s a totally under-represented or misrepresented genre,” says Chicoine. “So I think a lot of people are psyched to hear our band playing progressive rock that doesn’t sound at all like Dream Theater.”
Dust Witch’s music incorporates oodles of synth, frequent time signature changes, and oft-shifting dynamics.
“We’ll spend a lot of time writing a 20-second part until it has its own energy, and then figuring out how to stitch it into the song in a way that creates a sense of movement,” Chicoine explains. “In this sense, we’re composing our music in a way that is much closer to classical music or jazz than rock. There’s also a lot of awkward vocalizing required to express musical ideas, not totally unlike scatting.
“It’s not very cool,” he jokes.
In addition to Goblin, the quartet draws inspiration from ’70s European prog bands like P.F.M., Latte E Miele, Magma, Eskaton, Yes, King Crimson, and horror soundtracks like those of Suspiria, Deep Red, City of the Living Dead, and The Thing.
The band recently recorded a demo and is currently in the mixing process. Chicoine says it’s the first piece that the group wrote collectively and, in true prog tradition, contains several movements and clocks in at an epic 14-plus minutes. Be on the lookout for a full-length in 2012.
“We’re also interested in collaborating with local filmmakers and visual artists to create soundtracks for short films, especially with an experimental or horror theme,” says Chicoine. Any interested parties are invited to contact the lads via Facebook.
For more info, including horror movie and prog band recommendations, visit facebook.com/dustwitch.
