Introduce the Cea Serin line-up to our readers?
My Name is Keith Warman and I play the guitars and handle most of the
production duties. J. Lamm is the singer, bassist, and songwriter. Basically, He is the visionary behing Cea Serin. Forrest O. is our rhythm/second guitarist in the live band. He didn’t actually play on the CD this time around. We don’t have an actual drummer yet. I would like to get one but he would have to be top-notch. I’m hoping that we’ll have Forrest and a reall drummer play on our next CD.
How long has the group been in existance?
Its hard to say. We’ve known each other for about 8 years now. But Cea Serin was more of an evolution -one chain link leading to another. The roots go back to the days of our first band known then as Ashen Dawn. Somewhere in time, we realized it was going nowhere. J began writing on his own -which seemed to work out quite well for him. I noticed this and decided to start laying down tracks. It sounded quite good. To be brief, Jay had a brilliant vision and I helped him to realize that vision.
In your own words describe Cea Serin sound & influences?
A fusion of different metal and new-age styles arranged and carefully crafted. Basically, we wanted to take everyting we love in music and put it all together in one epic metal-mass. The trick was to make sure that in doing so, the arrangements didn’t come out sounding like a copy and paste thing. We wanted to maintain a smooth flow as the songs would move between extremes -from the Brutal to the Melodic… from the Melancoly to the Surprise.
Some of our influences include: Megadeth, In Flames, Opeth, Yngwie Malmsteen, Yanni, Sarah Brightman, and Sarah McLauglin to name a few.
Name some bands in which you’ve shared the stage & opened?
None really. Our focus for the past few years has been in the studio. We wanted to build up a reputation for having some really strong material first. We felt that once we reached a certain point, perspective band members would take us more seriously. I guess one could say that we have taken a somewhat backwards approach in our climb to success: sell cds now… gig later.
Where & what studio did the production take place of your current demo?
At Cea Serin Studios of course. My own “prosumer” gear, lots of practice, and lots of trial and error made our own recordings possible.
I understand Cea Serin has been featured in radio commercials as well
one of the first bands picked to be in the US search for the new Metal
Blade Records artist on mp3.com, & was wondering if you can give us more
insight on this?
We really don’t know how they picked us to participate. We were up against some pretty
fierce competition. The only thing I can positively speak of was that we did get some good exposure from
that contest.
What’s the bands long & short term goals as far as touring, recording,
writing etc ?
Short term goals would be to get our debut cd released as soon as possible and get it out there. We are also in the process of getting the band together. Hopefully we’ll have that together soon. As for writing, Jay already has enough material ready for a new full-lengh cd.
What would you say is your biggest gripe about the music industry?
There are too many one-hit wonders, too many “In Today – Out Tommarow” fads, and just not enough talent. I’ve been hearing this one song on the radio lately and I like it alot. I read up a little on the artist and thought I would go ahead and get the cd. Turns out that the other 90% of the cd is pure shit.
Has there been any label interest ?
Yes. At the moment we are talking with two independent labels. Both of them seem to have a vested interest in what we’re doing and helping us to further our careers.
What type of image would you say the band projects?
Once we start playing live, Its my hope that the fans will make those judgements for themselves. I want to not only provoke deep thought but also to force new questions: Who are these guys? What are they trying to get across? Are they Angels or Satanists?
How did the band name come about?
The words “Cea” and “Serin” are actually two different words with two different meanings. They were put together to form a new meaning: Your soul, your conscience, the embodiment of your personallity. In essence, whenever you tell someone about yourself, you’re telling them what your Cea Serin is.
Are you happy with where the band stands today in the Int’l underground
Hard music scene?
I have no complaints about where we are at present. In fact, I think that we’ve come a long way considering that we have been promoting ourselves for nearly seven years now. We do have a long ways to go, however.
What do you feel sets Cea Serin apart from other Hard & Metal Acts?
The amount of variation yet cohesiveness in our style would be one. And J’s lyric writing I feel is certainly a cut above.
How would you describe a Cea Serin fan?
So far, most of the ones I have met are musicians. I guess we should expect that. But I believe we could appeal to a wide mass of audiences
given the mixture of colors we offer.
What is the most outrageous thing that ever happened to you on stage
during a performance or rehearsal?
Well there was that time we did our prog-power pre-show in Atlanta and J was trying to blow fire. He tried the first time and only blew out the candle, thus spitting Bacardi 151 all over the people in front. He tried a second time, same thing. He tried a third with the lighter, same thing. The fourth time was the charm. And the whole time no one cared. they just stood there looking at him like it was no big deal he was spitting on them. What the hell?
Who would you like Cea Serin to be on the road with and why?
Hmmm. Maybe Rammstein or possibily Nightwish.
What’s next for Cea Serin?
J. is trying to get the live band together. My efforts at this point are in improving my studio for the next release and promoting our cd.