Before the Solstice: Musical Reflections of Strife and Promise

Every so often, a band emerges with songwriting so steeped in meaning and drenched in metaphor that fans latch onto it for the hidden truths and the connection to a voice that speaks, through song, all the things that they’ve kept silent.  Before the Solstice is this rare kind of band, with the ability to merge mystery with honesty and hope, all the while keeping a room full of mesmerized fans on their feet and hanging onto every word.  The music is inspired by topics we all struggle with, including faith, time, and death, which are explored, dissected, and reinvented.  Each song explores facets of the mind and heart related to the daily human and Earthly condition, carried by prophetic-like lyrics and melodic escapades.

Before the Solstice exudes a variety of sounds within their enigmatic compositions, like an impending storm, there are moments of tranquility and beauty that give way to a powerful downpour of pain, distrust, and self-doubt, which merges with the darkness that finally gives way to hope and light.  Their music is progressive and at times experimental, reminiscent of Tool and Alice in Chains, but also shimmers with hints of Radiohead and The Mars Volta. The band combines the classic rock sound of The Animals or the other-worldly feel of Pink Floyd with a modern rock backbone that invites confusion when trying to decipher their genre.  Singer/songwriter, Clint Bussey’s vocals are haunting, melodic and impressive, having been given comparisons to Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, and Our Lady Peace vocalist, Raine Maida.

The sound and essence of Before the Solstice lends itself to the band’s unfathomable background. The founding members of the band, Clint Bussey and J.W. Popavits, were both once part of the strict religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Though bassist, Popavits was relieved from his obligations to this religious organization peacefully, lead man, Clint Bussey had a much more difficult and painful time separating from the faith.  Upon his decision to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses, his life-long friends and family were no longer allowed, nor willing to further associate with him, based on the beliefs of the organization to which they subscribed.  Needless to say, he found a musical brother in Popavits, who understood this cruel process of disfellowshipping practiced by their ex-religion, and related to Bussey in terms of loosing faith in the religion in which they were raised.

Though it seems that the suffering associated with the consequences of leaving their religion would be enough for anyone, both Popavits and Bussey experienced even darker tales involving panic attacks, alcoholism, drug overdosing, death of loved ones, and finally the near-death of Bussey, himself.  This is the story of a band whose music comes from the deepest facets of being, played by musicians that have been through entire lifetimes in their short time together.

The Formation of Before the Solstice

Bussey and Popavits initially met at an open-mic on the southside of Atlanta and have been playing together since that day, over 3 years ago.  Bussey explains, “[Popavits] got up and played with a little band he was in at the time, and I was very impressed with his playing. I wanted to jam with him, so we hooked up and got his friend, Bradley Pittman to play drums. We have been playing shows and writing songs together ever since.” Though many drummers have come and gone, last year the duo found the missing link with Tony Runco and his mad skills banging with a pair of sticks.

What is “Before the Solstice?”
The name of the band harbors a cryptic aspect that seems to have a story of its own.  When asked about the conception of the band name, Bussey responded, “I was intensely interested in the Mayan Long Count Calendar and the date December 21, 2012. [The band name] was chosen as a statement saying, let’s procure the power of the people and expose the increasingly tightening grip of the corporate one world order that is trying to win sovereignty over the earth “before the solstice” of 2012. Let’s prevent another dark ages.”

The Songwriting Process and Musical Influences

Clint Bussey is the songwriter in the group, and writes his songs on acoustic guitar, before bringing the raw version to the band for input on its development.  Bussey describes the process stating, “Usually I write a song on my acoustic at home, and slowly put lyrics to it. I always try to fit in notes that wouldn’t be expected, along with a rhythm that would make you feel slightly inebriated.  Then we work on it as a band, usually breaking it apart and making room for J.W.’s wild melodic bass lines and keyboard. Tony then puts a backbone to it with the drums and keeps us from becoming to ADHD with the melody.”  Bussey’s major musical influences include Simon and Garfunkel, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Tool, Radiohead, The Doors, and The Mars Volta. It appears that it’s no accident that Before the Solstice’s music encompasses aspects of the musicians that inspire their songwriting.

When asked if a theme ran through their music, Bussey responded, “Death and rebirth is a definite theme, you also hear a lot about ghosts and the supernatural. Intertwining that theme would be an awakening call for humanity to break the chains of their mind controlling religions and governments.”

Some of your songs (Worldwide Veneer, Let it Die, Meaner Than Satan) carry controversial lyrics. How have these songs been received at shows?

Part of the attraction to Before the Solstice is the provocative nature of their music.  With lyrics such as, “Life. What is the point? Let’s smoke a joint and say ‘just fuck it all!’” or the incessant repetition of “Hate your God cause God hates you.”  Though these lyrics don’t exhibit the breadth of content within the music, I inquired into the reaction of people hearing these songs for the first time.  Bussey revealed, “There is never a luke-warm response. Some people really get into it, because they feel the same way about our defunct system, others get very irate as their Gods and heroes are supposedly blasphemed.”

The near-death experience and how it has impacted the music.

With the complicated and emotional background and baggage carried by the members of Before the Solstice, I hesitated to probe into the details of such personal experiences.  However, when inquiring into the near-death experience of Bussey, he offered an honest account of the second chance he’d been given.  He started by explaining, “I have suffered from severe panic attacks for most of my life, thinking that I am having heart attacks or being suffocated by a demon, and [the demons] find their way into the inspiration for much of my music. But my actual near-death experience greatly changed everything. In my early twenties, I began to self medicate my horrifying manic panic attack episodes with whiskey and liquor. I never went to a shrink, because I didn’t have the money or any faith in there ability to help me. My last drinking binge landed me in the hospital for 2 months in critical condition on life support with multi-organ failure ( I was drinking almost half a gallon of Gin a day without eating for weeks) from pancreatitis.  But thanks to my wife, brothers, and friends who came to my side, and I guess the hospital staff’s half-hearted medical care, I made it. It made the band have to wait almost a year to continue shows and recording, but it was as if I was born again with a new outlook on everything. I became less self-centered and thought about my family and those I love more, which lead to greater inspiration and drive to provide music for my fellow brothers and sisters struggling against the dark forces that surround us.”

What’s in store for Before the Solstice?

Before the Solstice has been working to finish up an EP they started before the health complications ensued.  The EP, called A New Song is planned for release in March of this year.  Bussey touches on his hopes for Before the Solstice, mentioning, “I want to finally release the EP that we wanted to release in 2008 and 2009, but my health didn’t permit it. And we would like to open for some national bands and play some more festivals. A tour is not out of the question. We need way more exposure, so show reviews, interviews, whatever puts us in front of people and gets the word out about our music, that’s what we need this year.”  Currently, the band is hitting the local Atlanta circuits, while polishing up their recordings before spring.

Before the Solstice will be playing at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, GA on February 13.

www.beforethesolstice.net
www.myspace.com/beforethesolstice
www.purevolume.com/BeforetheSolstice
Before the Solstice Facebook Fan Page

Related posts:

1. Before The Solstice Wants To Rock You Awake!
2. Before the Solstice at Eddie’s Attic, Saturday 2/13/10
3. Good Men by Audio-OK, a Brainstorm of Musical Insight