Free music. Free music ! Free music?
Can you you tell it may be a little strange the idea of a band to give away there music. I have been around long enough to understand that one doesn't usually give away there labors. Especially ones that have taken months and months to complete. So I was captivated by the idea of a Progressive Rock band well any band that would give away there music, I'm not talking about one song! A complete album! That is what I've found in Torman Maxt ! So many question so I wrote a few question and sent them to the creative force and lead singer/guitarist in the band Tony Massaro. Hoping to glimpse at the motivation and finding even more questions...

1.) How did you come up with the band's name?
The name dates back to my college days at the University of Florida.  I was sitting in class doing sketches of logos with the initials to my name 'Tony Massaro'.  I came up with a logo and was quite pleased with it and thought that it would make a great logo for a band.  (Of course, I could barely play guitar at the time and was only beginning to take music seriously).  So I just started thinking of names with a T and and M and ….Torman Maxt just came out.  Actually, my first thought was Torman Maxcell, but at the time Maxcell was a cassette manufacturer.  So I shortened it to Maxt.  I decided to keep it because I thought it looked interesting in print plus the name was somewhat obscure and doesn't really give an indication what the music might sound like.  This was appealing to me.
 
2.) You are originally from Florida what year did you move to Los Angeles? Was the move to pursue your musical career?
 
Me and my other two brothers, Vincent and Dominic moved out to Los Angeles in 1987 and yes, it was to pursue a musical career.   I have always joked that if you are going to build cars – go to Detroit; if you want to be a stock broker – go to Wall Street, and if you want to be in rock music – go to L.A.  !
 
3.)How did you come up with the name/what is the idea behind the title, "The Foolishness Of God" ?
 
The title was from a lecture that I heard from the late Dr. Walter Martin, who was the founder of the Christian Research Institute.    I like it very much because it is both provocative and highly biblical.  The term "foolishness of God" is from 1 Corinthians in the New Testament and basically states that God uses the weak and seemingly foolish things of the world to confound the wise.
 
4.) "The Problem of Pain: Part 1", is based on the book of Job in the Bible exactly what is the story behind a band writing a concept album based on the book of Job?
 
I am a huge Rush fan, and from the first time I heard 2112, my goal was to write a concept album.  (Of course, I couldn't even play nor did I have any interest in being in a band).  As the years passed by and I became serious, I was still desirous to write a concept album.  However, I never felt like I had a story to tell.  Then in 1997 the thought of putting the story of Job to progressive hard rock music came to me.  I have been working on it ever since!
 
5.         It seems to me the first time I ever heard anything about your band it was in a discussion about recording music using a computer. Someone used your recordings as an example of music done extremely well.
Wow, that's the first time I have ever heard about that!  That makes me very happy because I am a self taught musician, engineer and producer.  Our first album, Just Talking About the Universe…So Far was recorded in a traditional 24 track studio.  The Foolishness of God and The Problem of Pain albums were recorded on PC.  At the time I got into digital recording Pro Tools was out of reach for me financially.
 
6.  Your CD liner notes list Mars Hill Studio as being the place you recorded, "The Problem of Pain: Part 1" is this a commercial recording studio?
 
No.    I am an architect by profession and Mars Hill Studio is the name of my firm.  (We make music for the sheer joy of it).  I have a detached building behind my house where my office is located.  So when I do my recording, I clear my desk and drawings and plug in!  So in a word, Mars Hill Studio is my house!!
 
7. What software, hardware,  have you used in your past productions?
 
As I mentioned before, in 1998 when I got into digital recording Pro Tools was out of reach.  However, I went to a pro Audio retailer and they steered my towards Steinberg's Cubase.  I love it!  I use it for all of my recording and mixing and I have Steiberg's Wave Lab to do any wave editing.  Other than the Waves producer bundle which has some effects and good compressors, all of my effects are part of Cubase.  I have always said that any failures in my recordings have to do with me and not the software!
 
8. Any special microphones or any special technics? (THIEVES AND LIARS a new band went retro reviving old analog technics to get there sound)
 
OK, I have to come clean here…for The Foolishness of God and Problem of Pain, there is not a single amp used.  All of the guitar tones are from an original Line 6 Pod.  I think it is great and there are so many options and sounds.   I have done A –B comparisons with some good producers and they can't tell the difference between the Pod and a real Marshall.  Now, I am aware that there are some purists out there who can probably hear a difference, but for me, the Pod gives me a sound I really like.  For vocals I have a Rhode mic.  I'm no expert in mic's so I had a producer friend direct me towards that model.
 
As far as special techniques, my general recording style is lots of tracks!    I like to create guitar tones by layering guitars and not with outboard effects.  Additionally, I record a song the same way a movie is shot; one part at a time.  So I usually end up with lots of tracks.  The song 'The Foolishness of God' had about 114 guitar track alone.
 
The drums were recorded in a traditional studio with a real drummer!
 
9. Do you at this time do live performances of your material? If so do have any up coming shows you want to promote?
Yes, we do perform live shows.  Unfortunately, we don't have any shows coming up in the near future.
 
10. On the album art Mars Hill Studio is listed as being in Costa Mesa California and your website has La Harpe Illinois as the address of Mars Hill Records, so where do you consider your home base now?
We are based out of California.  The person who does my shipping lives in Illinois and we felt it was easier to use that address.
 
11. Can you tell me with any more clarity the time line for the release of  "The Problem of Pain: Part 2"?
Wow, tough question!  Actually, almost the entire album is tracked.  So mixing is scheduled to begin shortly.  It's hard to put an exact time on it, but my best guess is April.  I have a wife and three kids, plus have my own small architectural firm which limits the amount of time I have to create music.  But, I think this is a positive thing because it gives me quite a bit of time to live with rough mixes and really refine the songs.

Still wanting to know more but being very aware of the effort and time constraints Tony faces I searched out more information on the web and I found Tony's blog http://tonymassaro.blogspot.com
Thursday, February 28, 2008 entry details a clear glimpse into the reasons Torman Maxt choose to give there efforts freely! Likening creating music to Surfers in his follow-up post really explained to me why they would give away the music.
I want to thank Tony so much for taking the time to respond to my questions I wish you great success and hope to hear much more music from Torman Maxt very soon!
Please give them a listen then go to support Tony and his brothers passions purchase some great music and please tell someone else about these artists!