released August 25, 2017
Thomas Jackson Park (Grid Resistor) : Sound Engineer, Cover
Recorded in St. Louis, Missouri. 2017.
►►►GRID RESISTER INTERVIEW WITH COMPLETELY GONE RECORDINGS◄◄◄
CGR: Good evening, Thomas.
Thomas: Hi there!
CGR: How are you?
Thomas: Good, and you?
CGR: Pretty good, thank you! There's an air show happening all over my city.... Fighter jets are constantly zooming by my house, but it's not tooooo bad this year. Still loud.
Thomas: Ah. Time for headphones?
CGR: Hehe. Yes. So, what have you been up to lately? Obviously, Grid Resistor is your latest project. And, I'm not sure if everyone knows yet. But, you have recently retired your most well-known project, Mystified. How does it feel to have this metamorphosis from one artistic ideal, to another?
Thomas: Well, it's a bit of a relief. I felt that, as mystified, I had this need to always be successful- get the plays, the sales, the statistics. I was very conscious that I needed to impress people. Now I am free to do my own thing.
CGR: Right! That makes a lot of sense.
Thomas: Grid Resistor was kind of a comment on the music industry and music in general-- exploring whether music is essentially mechanical. Kind of cynical, but that was part of the notion.
CGR: Hmm! That's funny. 'Cynical'... I never imagine you to be cynical! But, we all get like this sometimes... Do you feel you'd accomplished everything you set out to do with Mystified? It was a very long-time project of yours...
Thomas: Yes. Listening to the archives, I felt-- this was the musical exploration I meant to undertake. I am happy with most of the work, and I think it expressed what I wanted it to.
CGR: That's very good.
Thomas: It was a project that lasted about 15 years-- roughly 2002-2017.
CGR: Wow! excellent. You're absolutely welcome.... I am honored to have released 2 of your albums, as well as the compilation tracks you generously donated to CGR.
Thomas: Thank you.
CGR: How do you feel about the future of Grid Resistor? I like the project very much! Very much a departure in sound from your previous projects.
Thomas: Well, Grid Resistor is essentially finished, too. The goal was to have one release for every letter in the Greek Alphabet.
CGR: Wow. I did not know that.
Thomas: If I was smart, I'd spend more energy spreading the word about those releases-- there's about 26 hours of drone composed using machines.
CGR: You mean, spread the word about Grid Resistor?
Thomas: Yes. Grid Resistor, for sure, and the other acts, too. I have shifted to archiving a lot of material lately, and I want to make sure that people know where to find the stuff if they want it. There's a lot of information about this at my website--
www.mystifiedmusic.com, under the "Archives" category.
CGR: Ahh, yes. I see! Wow, thanks for the link. By the way, the name "Grid Resistor"...may I ask.. what was the impetus behind selecting that name?
Thomas: Sure. I was looking for a band name that had a machines reference, but also seemed to suggest some kind of attitude. "Grid Resistors" are a real type of device-- and a lot of my covers for the act are treated images of them. They are comprised of a set of resistors laid out on a grid in a frame.
CGR: Oh! That is what we are looking at when we look at that project's album covers! I had no idea! Thanks for sharing that bit of data.
Thomas: Yes. Most are images of Grid Resistors. Sure!
CGR: So, you've finished Grid Resistor? What do you plan to do next? I know you are also quite a visual artist. I've seen your work in that medium. How long have you been active as a visual artist?
Thomas: Yes, Grid Resistor is basically finished, with a few exceptions. And I might do compilation appearances or collaborations.
CGR: CGR Vol. V would love to have you.
Thomas: So, I have been doing the painting and printmaking thing for about 2 years. I always wanted to be a painter. and my wife encouraged me to buy a paint set and follow my dream. And thank you, for the compilation invite. I'd be glad to oblige.
CGR: Wow. Good partner you have, Thomas. It's always good to be encouraged by our closest people...and you're quite welcome! What instruments do you / or have you played?
Thomas: Mainly the trombone. I studied piano for a bit. And-- I have a duffel bag full of carnival instruments, like a kazoo, slide whistle, nose flute and so forth.
CGR: I too have a slide trombone... but it's missing some stuff, and I can only make noise with it.
Thomas: Ah. I recommend getting a P-Bone-- a plastic trombone. Sounds just like a brass one.
CGR: So, you never went the route of 'guitar, bass, drums' that so many go through... Hmm!
Thomas: No. I was afraid if I did things the way others did, I would never make it.
CGR: Wow! That is very interesting. because most people think "Oh, i'd better be just like all the rest... or else I'll stand out too much and be made fun of by the crowd." I like how you took an absolutely original approach.
Thomas: I always thought-- you have to either do things the usual way, but REALLY WELL, or do things differently, in your own way, you know?
CGR: Yeah, that does make a lot of sense. Sure. Was this high school? Junior high? I mean, when you realized these things...
Thomas: That would be back around 1998 or so, when I started as AutoCad. I was writing fractal techno-- techno music based on math patterns. I felt that something unusual like that was the only way I'd get attention. I ended up getting in Spin Magazine for some of that work.
CGR: 1998 would've been the perfect time for that type of sound. Ahhh, I most those days. Wow. Spin Magazine. Good.
Thomas: It seemed a good fit. I was at
MP3.com, IUMA, sites like that.
CGR: I gotta read that article sometime.
Thomas:
archive.org/details/AutoCad_Logarithm
CGR: Excellent. Thank you for the link... I wanted to ask... Were your parents, or anyone in your family also creative? Such as an artist, or musician? I'm blessed to have been born into a creative family. The reason I ask, is because you really seem quite cultured-- educated on creative matters.
Thomas: I consider my parents both to be creative. My father is an excellent musician and vocalist, though he has no ego at all about it. I have a niece who is essentially a prodigy at visual art.
CGR: Excellent! I'm impressed. It makes a lot of sense. have they encouraged you also?
Thomas: At times my family has been-- well-- permissive is more the word. Honestly, I think the thing is that the music I have made is strange enough that they don't quite "get" it.
CGR: Lol. I relate to that.
Thomas: My wife made a funny mouth sound while describing my music today. I wish I had recorded it.
CGR: Hahaha.
Thomas: No hard feelings, though. I have my own audience.
CGR: Lol. Right. Yeah, some sounds are not for everyone all the time. With music in general.
Thomas: Some sounds, and some genres, too.
CGR: Right. You've crossed paths and touched upon so much... What is next for you?. . .Crossed stylistic paths, Touched upon so many genres.
Thomas: I have been focusing on archiving my material, for the future, and for posterity. I am only 46, but-- you never know.
CGR: No. You are right.
Thomas: I also am still doing compilations, soundtracks, collaborations, and so forth.
CGR: I'm going to write my will later.
Thomas: Wow. Nice. Smart of you.
CGR: Thank you.
Thomas: Of course.
CGR: Is there anything you'd like to say? Before we conclude our interview?
Thomas: Thanks to you for the time you have taken and for your support. If you ever need anything, feel free to look me up.
CGR: Thank you, Thomas. I appreciate that. The feeling is the same. I hope you and your family have a nice evening. I'll be around also!
COMPLETELY GONE RECORDINGS | CGR-299
Grid Resistor
www.mystifiedmusic.com
www.facebook.com/mystifiedthomas
