Page 33 - ROCKNATION ISSUE 26

ROCKNATION ISSUE 26 PAGE 33
PROJECT CENKER
VOODOO MOONSHINE

Hello Steven with Project Cenker and welcome to Rocknation. Where did you
record your latest music at?
First off, let me say that it is great to be here and thank you and Rocknation for keeping
the music alive, relevant, and in the public eye. “Father of Lies” was recorded at Studio
6, my home studio in Southern California. Technology is an amazing thing given that
the recording process is so advanced these days. The days of booking studio time and
hiring an engineer are over for me. This album was recorded old school. No ProTools, no
copy and paste, no time alignment and no auto-tune which is why the recording process
took a little longer. I approached the digital recording platform as if it was tape.
I hear a mixture of Britny Fox and Accept style vocals, how long have you been
singing lead vocals in that style?
It’s kind of funny how that happened. My entire career I’ve had limited vocal range
confined to my chest voice and struggled with trying to increase that range but when
I did I would blow out my voice because it was such a strain. I couldn’t make the transition from my chest voice to my head voice, so to speak. One
evening I was watching old concert footage of Nazareth and was amazed at how vocalist Dan McCafferty could sing so effortlessly powerful. And then it
clicked! For years I watched Brian Johnson of AC/DC sing and he always looked like he was about to blow a gasket. By watching McCafferty, I realized
it was all about muscle relaxation and using your vocal chords as a squeeze box to go higher. It’s kind of like getting a new distortion pedal for your guitar
and adjusting the gain control with the amount of air you squeeze out of your voice box without maxing it out. I am still amazed by it.
What artist has had the biggest influence on you?
Growing up it was Top 40 music until I heard “Highway Star” by Deep Purple for the first time. As far as the biggest influence that’s hard to say because
everything worthwhile stays with you subconsciously. Being a musician is both a blessing and a curse in the sense that I can’t listen to any music
casually no matter what it is or where I am without over-analyzing it. My first concert was Reo Speedwagon in 1981. After seeing and hearing Gary
Richrath playing a Les Paul through his roaring Marshall Amplifier, that moment set the stage for the rest of my life. I had been playing guitar for about
a year prior, not very seriously, but that moment in time sealed the deal for me. After that, without a doubt, it’s Randy Rhoads hands down!

If you had to tell someone what your music sounded like, what would you tell them?
Every recording in an artist’s career is a snapshot of where their headspace is as that point in time. After years of playing and touring in a Southern Rock
band, it was time to get back to what really moves me, classic riff-oriented rock and metal music. Bands such as Judas Priest, Rainbow, Black Sabbath
and the Scorpions are prime examples. To be accurate, the music sounds more like ABBA after a severe bludgeoning by Accept.

Do you write the music by yourself or do you work with anybody else?
Strictly in solitude, and always during the late night/early morning hours. That’s when my receptors are up and firing on all cylinders. It’s a strange
phenomenon when it happens. Most times when writing lyrics they happen so fast that I can barely keep up with getting my thoughts down on paper
before they are gone. I don’t know where they come from it’s just there for the taking. There is a small window of time to capitalize in before that window
slams shut. And when it does, I’m done for the night. Riffs are different. I can usually come up with something cool pretty quickly, but tying musical
sections together in a cohesive manner can be painfully slow. Above all, it has to move me in a rhythmic way. If a song doesn’t make me want to turn it
up and drive fast, it ain’t happening. That, for me, is the ultimate test.

How did you record the drum tracks? They sound HUGE!
That was a very long and tedious process to say the least. It was a matter of finding the right kick and snare combination and having the toms tuned to
sound like cannons. After that, I used various amounts of compression before and after they hit the recording bus to maintain a constant, linear signal
path. Mic placement is always crucial as well.

How has Social Networking impacted your project?
It’s been fantastic. Having the ability to instantly get the word out on a global platform is truly mind-
boggling! Major record deals have pretty much gone the way of dinosaurs these days. Anyone
can put out an album today with little investment. However, on the down side, there is an over-
saturation of let’s say less than sub-standard quality music being tossed out there which makes it
difficult to find a gem in a pile of rocks so to speak. Word of mouth is still critical in spreading the
word and music magazines like Rocknation are indispensable resources for new music.

Thanks for taking the time for this interview. Any last words to the fans?
To anyone who has taken the time to read this interview, thank you. This album marks the return to
my riff-rock metal roots free of ballads (not that they are a bad thing, just not in the cards this time)
and free of lyrical cliché’s. It is an honest reflection of some heavy, dark times. Hence the title,
“Father Of Lies”. This truly is my best work to date. However, it is true as the old adage goes,
“The proof is in the pudding”. You be the judge.

https://www.facebook.com/steven.cenker