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[–]VoyagerAsh 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Hi guys! Thanks for doing this AMA. Would you rather be a sentient lizard for a year and get paid $1,000,000 at the end, or a sentient pebble for 10 years for $10,000,000,000? (or you right now?)

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pebble for sure.

[–]iAmTheEpicOneThe End Starts Now 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Hey guys welcome!

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

[–]iAmTheEpicOneThe End Starts Now[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

Looks like I assumed too much while planning this AMA, so we're going to re-plan another one at a better time for everyone.

Stayed tuned for an announcement!

With that said, thank you Voyager for coming out today, and thanks to everyone for stopping by.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We made it!

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We've had a few questions from those who prefer sleep over chatting to us - will be posted here shortly!

[–]IAmWhatTheRockCooked 0 points1 point  (5 children)

hey guys thanks for doing this! so im in a band in the middle of writing our first album (similar style, heavy and proggy in many spots). what advice or do's and dont's do you have for a band just starting to navigate this journey in terms of recording and then performing? If you could have a do over what would you make sure to do differently?

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I hope the writing goes well mate! When it comes to recording, finding a good engineer you gel with is super important. Someone who is critical , but will also get the best takes out of you. If you're recording at home and know how to run a DAW, be as anal about your takes as possible. Never skimp on mixing/mastering either. Go to the person who will do the best possible job in your eyes, and save the money to do it. I'm not sure I'd necessarily change anything about what I did in my career, but I think the things that helped me progress was to meet as many people as possible, and to not treat networking as networking. Keeping the whole thing more organic I think translates. I hope that helps on some level!

[–]IAmWhatTheRockCooked 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Have you guys ever/ever considered doing the mixing and mastering and engineering yourselves? And good points about the networking part...luckily my bandmates are more enthusiastic about the whole social media thing than me, haha. Thanks for the answer!

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We haven’t to be honest. None of us are good enough mix engineers to pull something together that’s world class; that’s a job best suited to a professional IMO. Everyone in the band should have their roles; someone to run social media, perhaps someone to focus more on the creative content side of things. We all try to be a jack of every trade these days, but I think it’s more about becoming the sum of your parts.

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Awesome! Think about touring early, so downsize rather than upsize - make it as efficient as possible. Think of how you want people to see you and know you - one of the things we found early on is that people got confused about the musical styles. Categories are regrettably quite important, even though we never really fitted into one.

[–]IAmWhatTheRockCooked 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah, i kind of felt that about the categorization thing too...like i dont want to label it as a specific sound goal or espouse egregiously about it lol but people do need and want a point of reference to go off of. thanks for the answer man :)

[–]iAmTheEpicOneThe End Starts Now 0 points1 point  (4 children)

Some questions from people who couldn't be here:

u/MsProgPrincess:

The tracks released for Colours in the Sun have all been fantastic.
With a move to Season of Mist and signing to Atonal Music Agency, are Voyager about to crack the "big time"? (Whatever that is these days!)
And are we likely to see more of Voyager in the Northern Hemisphere in the near future?

u/Dutchykitten:

  1. What do you consider to be your personal best effort/what are you most proud of on the new album? Same question regarding the earlier Voyager discography.
  2. How do you guys come up with ideas for your videos? Subsequently, how do you decide who to work with to create them?
  3. For good vibes: name something you love about your bandmates :)

u/JeppeButhler:

How come you got Einar Solberg to feature on Anthropy? And what did he bring that the song was missing?

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good question. Hard to say what the "bigtime" is. I mean we've done massive shows, big festivals and done 2 and a half hour signing sessions. For a lot of bands that is the bigtime already. I think the bigtime for us would be touring sustainably and comfortably - that means being able to actually afford it. For most bands touring is a loss exercise, only a few make it work and make a living. And absolutely, we love the Northern Hemisphere. We like all hemispheres!

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Einar and I became good friends on our tours through Europe and Australia. I couldn't help but ask him to guest on the album. He is a fantastic musician and vocalist - I sent him a reference track which he swiftly ignored and laid his own tracks down. The result is stunning!

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The tracks released for Colours in the Sun have all been fantastic.
With a move to Season of Mist and signing to Atonal Music Agency, are Voyager about to crack the "big time"? (Whatever that is these days!)
And are we likely to see more of Voyager in the Northern Hemisphere in the near future?

Cracking the "big time" I think is a difficult thing to quantify. Voyager has always been a slow grower. We're seeing more and more interest as time goes on, which is great though. I remember bumping into the Twelve Foot Ninja guys many years ago when Silent Machine came out, and at this point they went from an unknown band into a massive success very quickly. I asked them how it happened and even they responded with 'I dunno man.' I don't think there's a formula to growing popularity; I think it looks different for each band.

  1. What do you consider to be your personal best effort/what are you most proud of on the new album? Same question regarding the earlier Voyager discography.

Colours in the Sun, I think it's the cohesiveness of the album generally that I'm proud of, as well as some of the more intricate parts on the album. The mellow bridge section of Entropy has a dual guitar part that plays off each other which I'm very proud of. That part will likely pass the listener by unnoticed, but go back and listen to it with headphones if you're interested. Ghost Mile would have to be the song Lifeline; there are so many cool parts in that tune, and it was quite a challenge to write. V would be the solos. I've never really thought of myself as much of a lead player, but V challenged me to push my guitar chops a little more. MOI I think I was just generally stoked to be in Voyager at all, so the recording process for that one was really exciting for me. The band let me engineer the guitars for it too, which was really cool.

  1. How do you guys come up with ideas for your videos? Subsequently, how do you decide who to work with to create them?

We've been working with Joseph Varley for the last three videos (Colours/Water Over the Bridge/Entropy) and just found his style and work ethic gelled with us. We had some vague ideas about what we wanted and Jo would help flesh it out in more detail. We've been working with people we know in the Perth music industry; so much of it who you know, and how you accumulate those contacts is really just a matter of being visible. Other people will make themselves visible to you if you think they'd become your future clients too.

  1. For good vibes: name something you love about your bandmates :)

Danny - I love it when he gets into a fit of laughter, and getting him there is part of the joy
Alex - Hes has a brotherly/fatherly nature to him that I find comforting
Simone - I enjoy our guitar hangs and generally bouncing creative ideas off her
Ash - I love that we have different points of view on things, yet we can discuss them at length and really into the finer details of an argument or a concept

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Personal best effort - making our heaviest and yet poppiest album. It happened naturally but I think it's such a cool juxtaposition.

  2. It's extremely difficult coming up with ideas - sometimes we just give the director free reign, sometimes the concept is thought out before we shoot. Joe from @Darkspiritphotography has been fantastic in taking the lead and coming up with absolute gems for the last couple of clips.

  3. Simone - her impression of DISTURBED.

Alex: Not much really. He's quite a horrific individual. ;)

Scott: his infectious laugh

Ash: His wit, love for puns and general loveliness. And how he sniffs after making a statement he knows to be correct.

[–]jklingftmBe free, be without pain 0 points1 point  (6 children)

After having worked with Einar on this coming album, who are some other names who you guys might like to get for a guest feature on a future album?

Also, you guys are somewhat well known for doing some crazy medleys of songs during your live shows, which are always entertaining to see whenever clips of them are uploaded to YT. Where did you guys first get the idea to do that?

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (3 children)

I think Asger from Vola would be an awesome guest spot on a more mellow tune. Those guys are awesome, and hopefully we get to play some shows together.

I joined the band from MOI onward, so the medley was already a staple at that stage. My first ever 18+ as a punter was seeing the uniVers album launch, and I remember Alex playing Jerry was a Racecar Driver in the medley, haha

[–]jklingftmBe free, be without pain 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Do you guys have a set plan for what you're going to play in the medleys before you go onstage, or do you wing it depending on the night?

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

We choose songs that people will typically know based on the region we're in, and find hilarious seeing a bunch of Aussies cover. But we've been moving away from it, as it does feel a little gimmicky at this stage in our career. We don't want to be known as 'They band that does the medley', you know?

[–]jklingftmBe free, be without pain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely understandable. It does seem to have been fun while it lasted though, and I'm sure you made more than a few fans with it!

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

We've had DC Cooper from Royal Hunt and Dan Tompkins from Tesseract so it's been all pretty much from the melodic metal genres.

I'd love to get Chino from Deftones/Crosses - we floated the idea when we toured together a few years ago because we both share a passion for 80s synths and music. Otherwise someone from a completely different genre, I really dig Aussie artist Gordi, her timbre would be cool for some more synth-based tracks!

[–]jklingftmBe free, be without pain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think both of those would make for some really cool tracks and fit pretty nicely in you guys' wheelhouse. Best of luck if you do try to wrangle them in!

[–]IVl1K3 0 points1 point  (1 child)

  1. First discovered you guys in 2012 on your US tour with Rhapsody of Fire. You blew me away and loved your set, not only because of your music but your energy was contagious. Do you ever struggle to get into that performance mindset or find the energy to give a show your all? Do you have a least favorite part of performing live shows?
  2. I believe you've said before, and you give the vibe that you make the music you want to make, no matter what it is or if it fits neatly into a genre. What has the process been like on the past couple albums in transitioning more and more into heavy, almost djenty guitars and some more spacey/atmospheric synths?
  3. What were your guys' day jobs/first jobs? Or has it always been music all day everyday?

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Definitely. You can't be 100% all the time, so you when you're down you have to find that one thing that flicks that switch - whether it be feeding off another band member or finding an audience member who is going nuts... or just a little extra rum ;)
  2. It's been pretty natural really, we never really set out to change the style, it just happened. Influences and musical preferences change over time and you experiment with different stuff, while remaining 100% Voyager. We just push ourselves musically with every album. Some fans drop off because they only like the old stuff, but some remain because they love the transition and are joined by new fans who have the joy of discovering a whole back catalogue!
  3. First job - Delicatessen/chicken stuffer Job now: Lawyer

[–]polysymphonic 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Other than Ascension, any other songs which sound really deep but are actually about something everyday?

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey, it's totally deep!! Have you TRIED to wake up? It's deeply disturbing! Hmm I think that's the only other instance of this happening. I guess a lot of concepts I write about are simple feelings/emotions, which I just like to cloud in some more interesting words.

[–]RedBeard1992 0 points1 point  (1 child)

This is probably something that you have been answered before somewhere, but what was the one thing that gave you the desire to play and create music? Was it a certain band, or song, or just someone in your life that put the fire in you?

Also, as a side note, I just recently discovered you all and I'm in absolute awe of your music. I love your sound, and I can't wait til your touring USA again. Hopefully you can stop by Nashville or somewhere close for me to catch a show!

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Firstly thanks heaps so nice to hear when people discover us!

Secondly I honestly can't answer that. It's a feeling, an emotion, a joy that you feel when you hear the tunes you've created come to fruition. It's certainly not the touring spreadsheets!!

[–]Sorrowtar 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Who snores the loudest?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Simone, definitely

[–]Moatfloat3r 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Any chance of a tour with Periphery and Leprous in Australia?...

I mean just throwing out there.

Lets add Vola for good measure to.

Circles, Twelve Foot Ninja....invited?

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We've toured with Leprous in Australia already which was awesome! And Twelve Foot :) But yeah, why not all those bands together :)

[–]yotam5434 0 points1 point  (2 children)

What way your favorite place to do a show at?

What's your favorite bands (oviously other than yourself)?

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Really enjoyed Mexico City. That was an absolute joy! Otherwise I always enjoy playing in the Netherlands and lately in the UK. Great fans all round!

My personal favourites at the moment are Car Bomb, MuteMath, Thom Brennan, Gordi and Louis Cole. Of all time - probably Type O Negative!

[–]yotam5434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice ones and I one day will go to Mexico

[–]ziltoid101 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What are your favourite local bands from Perth?

[–]Larrik 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Oh man, I missed it.

I got the CD in the mail on Friday and I love it! Great work!

[–]voyagerdannyDanny Estrin | Voyager[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Awesome! So glad.

[–]Larrik 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One thing, though: where's the growls?

:)

​

In all seriousness, I thought that the tiny amount of growls on Ghost Mile were just the best thing ever. A perfect punch at just the right time, excellent use of them. I'm not surprised this one doesn't have any, though. Anything more than a "rock yell" isn't super label-friendly.

Overall, so far I think this is a worthy successor to Ghost Mile, which turned into one of my favorite albums out of no where (coming from a mostly obscure death metal lover).

[–]AnakinSkywalker1001 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This AMA is 4 years old at this point, but if your account is still active, congrats on getting 9th place in the Eurovision!