Beauty In Chaos- U.S.A. finding beauty in the storm before the calm
Guitarist Michael Ciravolo has worked with an amazing array of musicians (see some below) over his career. As his project, Beauty in Chaos (BIC) is about to unleash its new album, The Storm before the Calm (love the title), Noise Artists meets with the head honcho.
But first let us thank Michael. Fanboys/girls that we are at Noise Artists, we are awed by the kindness Michael always had for fans like ourselves, and the time spent this article and the previous one. This is an honor.
Also a shout out to Shauna, from the Shameless Promotion PR that introduced us and represent BIC, and many other exceptional artists.
In January 2019, Michael had the gentleness to record his experience in creating and recording the songs of the first album, finding beauty in chaos, with the various featuring artists. A gem. You can find our article, Stories of an all star recording told by Michael Ciravolo , THERE.
The various artists that have been working with Michael on the BIC albums are: Simon Gallup (The Cure), Wayne Hussey (The Mission), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Pete Parada (The Offspring), dUg Pinnick (Kings X), ICE-T (Body Count), Michael Aston (Gene Loves Jezebel), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Dirk Doucette (Gene Loves Jezebel), Ashton Nyte (The Awakening), Pando (A Flock of Seagulls), Evi Vine, Betsy Martin (Caterwaul / Purr Machine), Marc Danzeisen (The Riverdogs), Kevin Kipnis (Purr Machine / Kommunity FK), Rudy Matchinga (Red Scare), Johnny Indovina (Human Drama), Tish Ciravolo (StunGun/ Daisy Rock Guitars), Steven Seibold (Hate Dept.) Rafe Pearlman, Curse Mackey (My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Pigface EVIL MOTHERS), Kat Leon (Holy wars) and Adrienne LaVey
Needless to say that you should rush to buy not only the new album, but also the previous one. Some gems from great artists in a generous range of genres. You can find the music on the band’s website.
Now discover the project and the music with this interview given by Michael.
INTERVIEW
Who are the group members?
The consistent members in Beauty In Chaos is our producer Michael Rozon and myself. The ‘BIC Family’ as we like to refer to the amazing artists that have lent their talents is constantly revolving and evolving. The Mission’s Wayne Hussey and The Awakening’s Ashton Nyte amazing voices have each been featured on four songs to date. Other rock ‘luminaries’ include Simon Gallup (The Cure), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), and Robin Zander (Cheap Trick). Former Gene Love Jezebel’s drum Dirk Doucette has played on many of the tracks, and along with bassist Tish Ciravolo, have appeared in many of our videos.
In addition to Hussey and Nyte, our new album, ‘The Storm Before The Calm’ features new BIC Family members Curse Mackey, Steven Seibold, Rafe Pearlman and Holy Wars’ Kat Leon.
How did you come up with your name?
The name Beauty In Chaos was inspired by a photo I saw that some friends took of an abandoned building. While the structure was dilapidated and falling down, trees and vines had begun to almost reclaim it. Something about it struck me as ‘beauty’ in the middle of the destruction. I think each of us have both beauty and chaos in our lives … what those are my vary.
What is your music about?
I think we set the mood for light and dark, beauty and chaos. I always feel the best lyrics are the ones that are open to interpretation by not being so literal. I think all of the BIC singers do that extremely well.
What are your goals as an artist artistically/commercially?
Artistically I want to make a record that I am proud of. I feel that if I please myself, at least a few others will enjoy it. As far as commercially, that’s sort of a hot button with me. I think today there is a totally lack of ‘value’ placed on the art of making music. Maybe there is too much music out there. Maybe with some technology it seems too easy to make music. I hate the idea of streaming. To me, and I’m probably dating myself - music should be heard on vinyl. The entire experience of it. It is truly something special that many never experienced and sadly don’t care to experience. For BIC, I would just like to sell enough physical product for our label, 33.3 Music Collective to want to continue to release physical albums and CDs. I honestly don’t know if I would still do this if our only avenue was strictly digital.
What are you trying to avoid as a band?
While not being a typical ‘band’, I still try to make everything BIC does unique and different. This includes individual songs, albums and our videos … all while keeping a common thread throughout. I never want our albums, which feature different singers to sound like a ‘compilation’. It is a tall order but I think we have navigated this challenge remarkably well.
Why do you make the music you make? Is it in you? Is it your environment?
Beauty In Chaos started out for a fleeting moment as my ‘solo’ record. I wanted to prove to myself (and probably a few others) that I could do it. It quickly turned into something more … a lot more.
What inspire you for the music or for the Lyrics?
I’m inspired to create soundscapes to move our various singers to create something special. The simple phrase ‘beauty AND chaos’ is really all the input I give them. The music, which certainly contains both elements seems to set each on a path. It is almost like Christmas morning when I get their vocal parts back … which is always been a pleasant surprise!
Tell us what you are looking when trying to achieve your sounds. Do you experiment a lot or have a clear idea of what you want?
It varies. Some songs had a very clear path and some others twisted and eventually evolved. On our debut album ‘finding beauty in chaos’ I set some self-boundaries or limitations. I would play all of the guitars and there would be no synths. I wanted to create a heavily orchestrated sounding album, with lots of textures and all created with the electric guitars. Even though I think those ‘limitations’ were missed by many, I do feel we did just that. We employed so many different devices to manipulate the guitar on ‘FBIC’. 100+ guitar pedals, E-Bows, real violin bows, a crazy device call the ‘Gizmotron’ and more.
Describe your palette of sound.
Anything and everything! We certainly ‘play’ the studio, if that makes sense? I love guitar effect pedals, and in many instances the sound that happens when I step on a combination of pedals is the genius of a song.
Who would you want as a dream producer, and why?
I have my dream producer! BIC would not be possible without Michael Rozon. He pushes me, sometimes to the point of insanity … but this always leads me into doing something better than I thought possible. Besides being a world-class producer, he’s a great musician and as much as I hate ‘music theory’, his knowledge has proven invaluable. Number #2 on my ‘dream list’ is Tim Palmer (The Mission, Tears For Fears, Tin Machine, Robert Plant, HIM), and we have been blessed to have him do several remixes on our ‘beauty re-envisioned’ release. Tim is also onboard for the next ‘remix’ record (currently dubbed ‘Out Of Chaos Comes …’ which we hope for a Halloween release). Not often do you get to work with the top-2 on your list!!!
If you could guest on someone else’s album, who would it be and why? What would you play?
I’d love to play guitar on the new Cure album.
What musical skills would you like to acquire or get better at?
I think my lack of being a guitar virtuoso has led me to creating my own specific style. Not sure if that is good or bad, but it is a fact. I have started to attempt to broaden my ‘guitar chord’ repertoire. I did use some different chord voicings on some of the songs on our new album.
Which other musician/artist would you date?
Ha! I married her! My wife Tish Ciravolo, who has played bass on several tracks on our debut album and co-wrote and sung the amazing ‘Look Up’. But if you are looking for dirt I’ve always had a slight crush on Shirley Manson
Is there a band that if they didn’t exist you wouldn’t be making the music you make?
Wow, that’s hard to say. I guess I have to look at the bands that made me want to be in a band from my teen years. T. Rex, Slade, David Bowie and The New York Dolls. These artists changed my path from wanting to play football to wanting to play guitar. I quickly learned girls liked guys in bands more than jocks!
You are from the USA, what are the advantages and inconvenient?
I was born in a very musical town, New Orleans, but have lived in Los Angeles since the mid-80s. I think everything you could want is here … and that is a blessing and a curse. There is a lot of ‘phoniness’ in Los Angeles. You do need to weed through the fake people. I think technology has leveled the playing field quite a bit. Everyone now has a chance to be heard.
What are some places around the world that you hope to play with your band?
In the beginning, I never looked at BIC as a ‘live entity’, but I have begun to wonder both ‘how’ and ‘what if’. I think BIC has a lot of fans in Europe … so I would say London, Rome, Paris and Berlin would be a great way to start. Time will tell.
When is the next album/EP due?
Our new full length ‘The Storm Before The Calm’ will be released on May 22nd, which coincidentally is World Goth Day. It is available on 180g vinyl (including a LTD Edition Black and Blue vinyl), CD and Digital. You can order any and all from our BIC STORE (www.beautyinchaosmusic.com)
Some artists you recommend.
I think any one artist that is part of our family is very worthy of delving into their individual catalogs. Ashton Nyte has made some glorious records, as has Evi Vine. We have some great singers on our new album that might not be as much of household names as some on our debut… but they sure as fuck should be! I really implore everyone to check out what they have done, as it is stunning.
Anything else you want your fans to know?
As I got on my soapbox about the lack of ‘value’ placed on music. I ask that everyone realize that Spotify and the likes do NOT allow artists to continue to make music. It is their touring, merchandise and physical product sales that support them. If you like a band or artist and you would like to hear another album from them … go see them live. Buy their T-shirt but above all . BUY their music. This is really not just in reference to BIC, I sincerely mean it for all Indie Bands.
Find Beauty In Chaos here:
All photos by Anabel DFlux
