I'm very excited to share a new Ascent song with you, For These Crimes...
Christina and I have reinvented and updated our sound a few times over since we first started playing music together, all the way back in 1998. This recording represents the start of our newest, more "rock" oriented direction. In part, that direction comes from our live sound, where we're intentionally putting out a high-energy, propulsive show, the two of us transformed into a full rock band through the power of live looping and electronics. The sound also comes from my new guitar, a PRS Tremonti (FYI, I'm not necessarily a huge fan of Mr. Tremonti's music, but I absolutely love the guitar), leading to crisper, harder sounds. On our newest recordings, I'm using my acoustic drum kit again, after spending the past year or more learning how to record it better. We plan to feature both acoustic and electronic drums on our upcoming CD.
Christina wrote the words to this song sometime during the past year. Christina is a tireless champion for human rights, and these lyrics were inspired by her work with the LGBT community, including protesting against Prop 8 in California. Christina is truly someone who puts her money, energy, and time where her mouth is when it comes to being an advocate for others.
My interpretation of the song is that it speaks for almost anyone who has been labelled, denied, ousted by the community at large. That idea speaks to both Christina and me, as we have both been labelled and felt like outsiders for different reasons at different times during our lives.
The music was very easy for me to write. My recollection is the melody "wrote itself" in my head when I read the words. The chord progression is very typically me, but a bit more major key. I originally was thinking of the song as dreamy/washy/echoey sounding, and in fact we played it that way for a while. When I started to work on the recording, it sounded that way, with layers of Ebow and bubbling synths. After Christina suggested the song should be more angry and edgy, it morphed into the much more anthemic and effective version you hear now.
