by Kenneth Morton

Blake Bliss and Aeson of Letterbox Black took the show on the road, playing two nights in the Los Angeles area. Their unique brand of acoustic music is dark and cathartic, attempting to shed light and hope into a world of pain. All this, and these guys are true metalheads at heart! We sat down with Blake and Aeson a day after their Hollywood debut at the Knitting Factory to learn more about Letterbox Black and their various other projects…

How did you two meet and what made you guys decide to form Letterbox Black?
Blake: I first met Aeson in Grade 3 and he was sitting beside me in class. This kid was sitting between us named Chris Ross and he used to chew pencils and slobber all over them and then give them to us. That’s our first bonding experience – I’ll never forget that. (Much laughter) Letterbox Black – we first started off with some other projects we were doing separately. We were best friends but we never did much playing together. We did, but it was never really formal. It was more like comedy stuff and joking around. And then finally we started doing some more serious stuff – I think it was because we got more confident in our ability. We started playing more seriously with each other.

Outside of acoustic music, what kind of other music influences Letterbox Black?
Aeson: Definitely a lot of metal. Our genres that we listen to are all over. I started listening to a lot of jazz when I was really young – even a lot of Motown and stuff like that was what my parents were really into. And then as I got older, I started to listen to a lot more metal, industrial, and electronic music as well – which you could hear in our other projects like Blake Bliss and VOSQQ. Our genres are all over the place.
Blake: My biggest influence was like Skinny Puppy. People ask me how did you get into acoustic music, and I never know what to tell them. I find it’s difficult to express myself with a more positive message on harsh metal because it just comes across as meaningless. When you sing the positive stuff and you’re screaming it – half the time people don’t understand what you’re talking about. When you’re singing it, you can portray that positive message. Since I am trying to help people, I don’t want to just be screaming at them. Most of my influences are metal – like Hate Eternal and Nile and Peccatum. I like Dallas Greene and Bob Dylan; but past that, I don’t listen to much folk music or the acoustic scene.

One of your best songs on the EP is Constellations. Tell me about the idea behind that song…
Blake: Constellations. Interesting story. We wrote that song completely together – I exclusively did all the lyrics and Aeson did exclusively all the music. We wrote it basically at the same time in the same room as well. We put it all together and it was really improv at first. But the lyrics – I have a lot of feelings of being isolated and alone – and Constellations is me trying to contact other people who feel the same way – or maybe think or perceive things in the same fashion that I do. I think about things and perceive things in such a weird way that I feel like I’m so isolated on this planet. So in Constellations, I’m really trying to find somebody else or something else out there aside from myself that thinks and feels things the same way I do – because I really feel like I’m really alone in the way I feel. And I know many people probably feel isolated and alone and we can all say, “Oh, yeah, that’s the same feeling.” When I say like, “Those star lights cry,” I really feel like I want to reach out and I want somebody else to be out there. I always want somebody to feel what I’m feeling – and I always feel that nobody really does. It’s just me trying to communicate that to just anybody out there. There’s a huge meaning behind it. And I dedicated that song to Nova because she lives so far away – in Sweden. Anyway, that’s Constellations.

The first time I heard your song My Sweet Nothing, I thought it was a love song. But that’s really not the case…
Blake: My Sweet Nothing is about my friend who committed suicide. People listen to it and they don’t think it – but the one line is “Lost in the mail without trace, dear stranger, I died.” That’s the line that goes to Michelle. It’s just “Goodbye my Sweet Nothing,” because we had such a strong connection, but by the end of it, there were some things she said to me that – I don’t know – it just blew my mind. It almost became like it was just nothing – I don’t even feel her anymore – she’s not around. You know when people die, you can still feel their presence – you can still feel them around you – you can still have a sense that they’re there. She just doesn’t feel like she’s even there anymore – she just feels like she’s completely gone – just vanished. In the beginning, the lyrics are all about me wandering through this experience just being like, “What the heck happened?” I use to talk to her on the phone every day for 4-5 hours a day. I had this really close connection, and then suddenly without saying anything to me or anybody, she took her own life. That’s why the end is just “Goodbye,” because I don’t know what else to say. She was such a close friend, but in the end it was just nothing because she didn’t say anything to me. By the end, she said I used her before she passed away. It was a really hard thing to hear from somebody before you take your own life. I just think that she was in a really bad place – she didn’t mean what she said. She was in a horrible position where she actually ended up doing it. She must have been in a pretty rough state when she said that kind of stuff.

How cathartic has music been when its come to you dealing with your depression?
Blake: I think music is one of the sole reasons I’m alive – if that’s any indication. I don’t really go out and party. I don’t really excessively drink. I don’t do drugs. I don’t do anything. I just do music. When I’m not feeling well, I listen to music. If I didn’t have music, I don’t see any reason to live. I always say my statement is always this or death. I do music or I don’t do anything at all. I just strive as hard as I can and I feel that music is everything.
Aeson: I’m exactly the same way. Ever since I was really young – my parents introduced me to a lot of music when I was younger. My mom played piano in a band that did wedding gigs when she was younger. I haven’t had tons of musical experience – but enough to get me into it and know that it was a good thing. I can’t see myself doing anything else. Music is just the best thing in the world to me – and it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Your music also affects a lot of your listeners. I saw on one website where this girl had written that your music basically saved her life…
Blake: I get that so much. And the feeling you get from that – that you know that not only is my music saving my life – but it’s also saving the lives of other people – and through this, we can actually make a difference. I don’t want to be a band that’s just doing music just so we can get signed just so we can make a bit of cash – and that’s it. I’m not doing it for that. Food on the table – roof over my head – and help the planet. That’s what I’m here for. That’s what I want to do. I’m doing music so I can help people. There’s a lot of damaged people out there- they just fell off the back of the truck and got bashed up a few times and there’s nobody to pick them up. I just want to be the person that’s just like, “Hey, you know what. People actually do care and we will try and help you.” And that’s what I want my music to convey. I sympathize with you people and I can help you. And that’s why we’re very real. I always try to answer my fans – I always try to talk to everybody. Come and talk to me. If you have a problem, talk to us. Aeson is the same way – people contact him all the time.
Aeson: When you hear stuff like that, it sure helps you as a person – that you feel that you’re doing something worthwhile with your life - which is something that pretty much everybody strives to do. When you hear stuff like that, it makes you really feel that you’re on the right path – the path that’s gonna help the planet and that’s gonna be good for you as well as for other people.

You guys are metal guys – you’re into a lot of metal and everything. So just where does the xylophone fit in?
Blake: (much laughter) Well, it’s made of metal. There’s an instantaneous off the cuff answer. We should leave it at that. I’m a metal drummer, and I’m really big into percussion. It’s like a percussive piano. Everybody does piano and keyboards in bands – how many people do you hear do xylophone in an acoustic act? We’re trying to do something a little bit different. It’s a really different sort of sound.

Tell me about Blake Bliss Dot Com and Blake’s Lounge…
Aeson: Blakebliss.com is our huge website that has a lot of different features on it. It’s got our three main projects on it – Blake Bliss, VOSQQ, and of course Letterbox Black all have their own section. And then as well we have Blake’s Lounge, which is our whole social networking side. And this is where we are really able to connect with fans and help people who have problems with anything really – relationships, depression, isolation – they can even help each other. We’ve got a system where anybody can sign up, and it’s free. We’ve got forums on there where people can talk openly and publicly about anything that’s going on. Then every person has a profile – similar to Myspace. We have messaging between people and a wall where they can post publicly on people’s pages. It’s sort of our best way to be able to connect with our fans – which is something we want to do as a band – and then be able to help people. That’s the overall goal with our music – to be able to help a lot of people.
Blake: It’s just crazy how we have our own social networking site with over 400 people on it. I’m glad it’s happening – I’m glad these people have a place – “alone together.” We’re all a team and that’s why it’s like the Bliss Family. If people come from broken homes and they feel like they don’t have any friends – it’s the Bliss Family. We’re all here for each other and there’s no back talk or BS. We’ve got to be straight with each other, and we’ve got to help each other out through anything. It’s a great site for that. I think it’s a great way for our fans to connect with us.

by Kenneth Morton

Blake Bliss is a talented artist from Ontario, Canada who is beginning to find fame through his Myspace connections. And even despite the Internet connection, Blake Bliss has the music and imagination to go very far in the music business. In addition to being the frontman for industrial act VOSQQ, Bliss has a new acoustic project Letterbox Black as well as his solo hip-hop endeavor. Here is a recent interview Highwire Daze conducted with this up and coming vocalist…

How does your solo project Blake Bliss differ from your band VOSQQ?
VOSQQ started as an industrial band, the main focus vocally and lyrically being aggressive and harsh. VOSQQ changed with the release of Bloodshot Pandemic and morphed into a more metal influenced sounding band with less electronic overtones. We featured violin and guitars. Blake Bliss is much more peaceful and expressive. Especially with our new album for 2008/09 when you will be seeing a very tranquil side of Bliss. ;) No Pun..

What does VOSQQ stand for and where did you get the idea for the band name?
The name means ‘Darker Veil’- it is writing from an ancient tribe.

Tell me about the new band Letterbox Black you are starting and what the sound will be like.
Letterbox Black is a project I formed with my best friend Eric whose Band name is ‘Aeson’ . Eric and I have been best friends all our lives. The formation of this band started with us just jamming on our acoustic guitars in my studio and within that space improvised words, thoughts and feelings flowed and these evolved into heartfelt lyrics and Letterbox Black was created. We both feel a very spiritual connection with the music that we are producing in this Band. I describe the sound as being indie / minimalist / acoustic / soul. We are wanting to keep the songs and sound very peaceful and our wish is to create a Dark Tranquility with Letterbox Black with a positive bright glimmer of hope at the end of every song. I want to change the perspective people have regarding acoustic music.

Do you feel like you’re a Myspace personality and how has it changed your life, if at all?
Yes, but it hasn’t really hit me fully yet what I’ve become. It’s very surreal. I want to stay humble throughout this experience. I wish to help those who cry out in need. My music is meant to change lives. It’s sure has changed mine. Hopefully the ripple effect will continue.

Any strange or inspiring Myspace stories that you could share?
Just this amount of Fake accounts of me! Over 150 and still counting..

Have you ever toured with any of your projects? Any plans to do so?
Letterbox Black plans touring this Summer . We’ve been looking to find a booking agency and some support for the Canadian tour.

Who are the people that you would like to reach the most with your music? Any overall message you would like to convey?
I'm just trying to shed some new light, and help those who cry out everyday over real problems. I urge people to reach out to those in need. I want to be the voice for all those who cry out in pain, and would like the message in my music to help stop social injustices/discrimination. My music is everything to me, without it I would lose myself in this world. I want to convey a message of peace, hope and be a guide to those who need a light in their lives.

Tell me about Betrayal Inc and what made you decide to name your CD that?
Through my life I have felt the reality of being Betrayed by others. I have always had a sense of being left behind in the struggle and the songs on this CD are my direct expression of those experiences, and consequently the name seemed appropriate.

Where do you get the ideas and inspirations for some of the song lyrics you write?
I’ve had many experiences in this lifetime. Aeson and I express our pain through our music. This is very apparent when I sing and write the lyrics. It’s as though I’m able to express everything at such a deep soul level through the music I produce. I feel my soul being channeled through my craft, it’s as if I enter another space where I connect and have a sense of belonging when I sing. I write my lyrics in a way to help justified our individual existence and experiences on this planet. To reach out to people and bring new perspective in their lives and ultimately change if they so desire.

How close are you to releasing a 2nd Blake Bliss CD?
This year we’re looking to bring out a new CD called The Answers Question.

If you weren’t doing music now, what do you think you would be doing with your time?
A life without music doesn’t exist.

Any comments on the American election?
I hope the best results will prevail for America and its people.

Any messages for people who are reading this who would be into checking out your music?
Music is a direct expression of the soul. I would love all our souls to meet someday :)

Blake Bliss links

Blake Bliss on Myspace: Blake Bliss Official Myspace Page!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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