Cyderian Son have honed a progressive and engaging sound, edging both alternative rock and metal. The band continue to evolve a sound that skillfully navigates the contours of progressive, alternative rock, with precision and power intertwining with plentiful hooks along the way.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Keenan Williams-vocals

John Conte-guitars

Mike Giglia-drums

James Nascimento-bass

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Cyderian Son? How long has the band been around?

JC: I was in a band called Clockwork, a power trio that took heavy influence from bands like Rush and Zeppelin, but took a lot of contemporary and post-hardcore influence as well, bands like Fall of Troy and Chiodos, but also Muse and Primus. Just a cool, weird mix of genres that was a lot of fun. Got around to recording some singles but never past that. College sort of pulled us all in different directions, then one day in 2014 Keenan called me asking me to join his band Isis & Isles (Cyderian Son’s predecessor) and we’ve been working together ever since.

KW: NyneVolt was my first band, which quickly became Isis & Isles, where I first played with James. We were a progressive rock band, but at the time I don’t think any of us really knew what exactly that meant. Then through that band I got into a post hardcore outfit called Verbatim which inevitably went on indefinite hiatus. They both were around at the same time, but only lasted a couple years. 

MG: My first few bands were mostly cover bands in high school while I was in marching band with Conte. Then in college a few of us got together and made Verbatim which eventually led to me meeting Keenan as he became the vocalist for Verbatim. We made a pretty cool album but ended up, like Keenan said, on an indefinite hiatus. Then at some point Keenan asked me to come to an Isis and Isles practice which eventually led to Cyderian Son.

JN: Aside from being in Nyne Volt/Isis & Isles along with Keenan, I have also been in a band called Johnnycola when I was in college. We were basically an indie pop band. The band never necessarily broke up or went on hiatus, it’s just that everyone lives about 45 minutes away from each other for like a year now. The singer (whose name inspired the band name) still writes music for it. I’d say it’s probably a solo project at this point. 

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

JC: Like I said, the band was originally called Isis & Isles. We thought about changing the name for a few reasons, one of which being lineup changes, some founding members weren’t a part of what we were doing anymore, so it felt a little inauthentic, and we also didn’t want to be associated in internet searches with “Isis” (either the band or the extremist group). So Cyderian Son came about as we were making an effort for a unique name that could be recognized, but also a little ethereal and mysterious.

It’s a bastardization of the word “Sidereal”, meaning “of or pertaining to the stars”, and “Son” implying that we all come from the same matter, the “stardust” or “primordial ooze” if you will, organized in the same way by the pressures and forces of our particular corner of the universe, and we can aspire to divinity in a very real and human way. 

KW: So in my opinion Cyderian Son has become a completely new project separate from the others, although there were members of old bands who have played with us, now it’s just me and James. But the name actually comes from Sidereal as in Sidereal time. Sidereal alone means of or with respect to the distant stars. We liked the idea of that from a philosophical stance. The sun is the star that provides us the energy necessary for life as we know it. So Cyderian Son for us meant the child or children of the star or stars, we just all happen to be sons. The word Cyderian spelt like that was merely an aesthetic touch.

MG: they've both covered it perfectly

JN: Yeah, I couldn’t have explained it better

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

KW: We all contribute to the writing process. A lot of the time we’re just talking about things that we experience in this culture. The world is in a weird place and has been getting progressively worse and a lot of time we are just reflecting the effects of that, but for the most part it’s socially conscious, but things are always developing so I can’t say the lyrics will stay the same and there always other things occurring in our lives, but for me what I can say is I’m gonna talk about what I won’t accept or hurts us as a society until it’s not anymore. 

JC: We really all make meaningful contributions to the songs. Keenan writes all of the lyrics, but if one of us came to the group with lyrics we would work on it together and make it the thing we want it to be collectively. A lot of songs will start with someone’s riff, or beat, and then over the course of time and effort it’ll change form completely. The songs on Necropolis started out as entirely different entities than they were recorded as, and they’re still evolving even now as we play them. Mike, James, and myself all have classical and jazz training in music, while Keenan learns and composes entirely by ear. I think it gives us an edge honestly, having a creative mind not bound by the confines of written music, and it’s kind of fun figuring out how to transcribe what he’s saying into the written form.  

MG: Keenan typically has a vision of the song and generates core concepts the song will follow. Usually the riffs and a back beat he’s imagining. Then we each put our own touch on the parts. I usually try and rewrite the drum part to be more playable and feel better between the limbs while trying to add some jazz/gospel sticking and patterns to give the drum parts a little more life than just following the riff directly.

JN: The writing process is very collective. Keenan writes all the lyrics, but the music can vary on who writes what. I write my own bass parts usually, but sometimes, that’s not the case. There are two songs on a new album (Guna) that we are working on and the bass parts were entirely written by Keenan. 

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

JC: For me it’s a lot of Animals as Leaders, Contortionist, some newer bands like Cryptodira and Kaonashi, but we really don’t like to bog down within a genre. We went through a period where a lot of what we listened to was stuff like Sade and Anita Baker, and the NYC jazz scene for us is always a reminder that you can literally do anything, both inspiring and grounding. Towards the tail end of writing Necropolis we were really digging on Songs From the Big Chair, by Tears for Fears. Sometimes it’s necessary to break out of the music you write and play so you don’t go crazy. That said, there’s always room for more Meshuggah for me.

KW: It’s interesting because we are already working on our next release and new stuff is constantly coming out but right off the bat Coheed & Cambria, The Contortionist, 

JN: Definitely Coheed & Cambria and The Contortionist. Especially when it comes to bass.

MG: Recently it hasn’t been bands but more just listening to drummers on instagram and getting inspired by the patterns and parts they play. Lots of the times they’re doing crazy stuff in 4/4 which doesn’t directly translate into our odd time parts, but that’s where the direct inspiration ends and it becomes time for me to get creative on how to apply some of these ideas.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

JC: Jimmy Page was a huge part of my early development as a player and performer. Even as I develop and expand tastes there’s always a piece of his playing in mine. As I got older I became engrossed in Rush’s music and approach, and that still heavily shapes my perspective on a lot of the aspects of music, both in creation and business.

JN: Flea was for sure the initial inspiration to start a band. Red Hot Chili Peppers were my favorite band for most of my teens and while I don’t really take much influence from RHCP anymore, it was Flea who not only inspired band interest, but inspired me to take bass playing seriously.

MG: To be honest I don’t think I have anyone that inspired me to start a band. I started playing clarinet in the junior high school band. Unfortunately I didn’t get drums because well everyone wants drums. So I ended up getting my own drum set and learning on my own. Then i guess naturally the next thing would be to start playing with other musicians which is what ended up happening. If I had to give a band/song I’d say “Writing on the Walls” by Underoath. It had no repeating parts and still flowed smoothly from start to finish.

At the time I didn’t know that this was progressive music as the music is always progressing not repeating, but I think that could be a reason why I wanted to write music and ended up writing progressive music particularly. Also the drummer used to sing as well which I thought was awesome. I tried it a couple times but once my drums parts started getting really difficult I dropped that goal. Sometimes I try to sing along while playing but at this point to hit my parts cleanly I really need to focus on them.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

JC: Usually I just panic about how bad the sound guy is going to mix us. Unless it’s a good venue, it’s real hit and miss. 

JN: All I’m thinking about is, who is doing sound? And do they know what they’re doing?

MG: Drink some homemade coffee liquor, then cry because I usually have to setup sound for us because there’s no sound guy or the sound guy really enjoys mic feedback. What’s with hiring people that don’t understand room natural frequency response or how to remove feedback

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

JC: I think working with Jamie King. We had a real issue getting our first album mastered, so we looked up who did The Contortionist’s Language, and looked more into Jamie, saw the extent and magnitude of his catalog, like this guy made some of our favorite albums and we had no idea. We also saw that he offered mastering and mixing and recording services on his website, so we had him master our debut, [R.E]:M.ILY.

After that, we set up a recording session with him, for “Mayans”, to really test ourselves. He had one day free, so we drove down, recorded the whole track the next day, and drove back right after tracking. It was a huge confidence boost, sort of made us feel justified that we weren’t wasting our time with this whole band thing. He’s one of the best at what he does, and he’s also great to work with. 

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

JC: It’s a personal life goal of mine to be Action Bronson’s touring guitarist. I love Cyderian Son but if Mr. Baclava calls I might have to take some time off. All kidding aside though, a tour with Coheed and Cambria would be a dream come true. I also think touring with Rage Against the Machine would be incredible.

 JN: CHON, Animals as Leaders, The Contortionist, Coheed and Cambria. There are other bands too, but I won’t make my list too long. The main reasons why are because I love their music and the members all seem very down to earth.

MG: I’d like to open for a Bill Nye talk (or really any engineer/scientist talk tour) where he uses science to show how our leaders are completely failing our future selves with lack of regulation regarding global warming, socioeconomic disparities etc.,  maybe to start getting people thinking that art is a science and science is an art. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

JC: We’re wrapping up the writing process on our next album, called Guna, so we’re really excited about that, it’s another jump from Necropolis and we really can’t wait to start demoing it out. Other than that, keep up with us for new music and content, and once it's safe to do so, we’ll be gigging hard. 

MG: BIRD UP!!!

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