Interview: Voyces' Drummer Eric Puente

1.) Tell me about your coming to be a part of The Voyces. How did it happen?

Brian put up a a very funny and unusual post looking for a drummer. One thing was that made me appreciate the post was: someone who loves music as much as we do; who is about "the song" and not "the fills."

I had plenty of time to prepare for the audition, so I downloaded every album to saturate myself in their style. Brian sent me a list of about 5 songs for the audition and I ended up learning more like 10 songs. Preparation was everything - i charted out every song, and worked on all the tempos, changes, etc. after that, i went back and *really* focused on the groove and feel of each song. *really* listened to play the best part for each tune - much of which was a play less, but more feel.

Do you always come to auditions so prepared?

If I have time, yes. I always chart out and learn the individual song parts, changes, dynamics. For The Voyces, I had the luxury of doing that, and then going back, and almost start all over.....just focusing on different "feels" for each song, until one felt right.

2.) How would you compare The Voyces with other groups you've played or play with?

No comparison. Period.

3.) How much creative input do you have during recording?

Brian also plays drums, which is a HUGE plus. So when he has an idea in mind for a particular groove, he can just sit down and play it for me, and I get it instantly. He and I have a comprehension of what each other is thinking of musically. Again, it is all driven by each particular song - some songs need to be laid down more simply, and on others I have the freedom to improvise and be more free-form.

4.) What is your favorite Voyces song to play live, and why?

I love playing them all. It all depends on the particular night, the venue, how we are all feeling. Some of my fav's are 'Top of My Lungs', 'Rebby's Song', and 'Daydream'. Of course, new material is being written right now, so those will soon become my fav's as well.

5.) How long have you played the drums? What got you started?

My mom has a picture of me playing drums as a 1 year old, so I think it was in me from the start. Rhythm makes my heart beat and I love banging on things, I guess. When I hear music (especially live), I stop in my tracks to go watch and, if lucky, participate somehow. I officially started lessons when I was 10 years old, and have been playing, in one form or another, ever since. I have played in classical orchestras, marching bands, punk, hardcore, pop, jazz, and hand percussion. I think all of this prepared me for The Voyces.

6.) What drummers most inspire you?

Steve Gadd and Peter Erskine are probably the two biggest influences for me. Both of these guys know how to really work hard and get serious about the music they are playing - they both LISTEN to a song first, and then lay down the drums SECOND. They also happen to be extremely gifted drummers with amazing skills. I grew up listening to Bill Bruford, Phil Collins in the Gabriel days of Genesis, Stewart Copeland, Terry Bozzio, and Bonham.

Since you are so songs themselves, who are some of your favorite songwriters?

Some of my favorite songwriters (or favorite bands recently) are Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Band of Horses, Ryan Adams, and especially Ray Lamontagne,

7.) Is there any playing you have done on a Voyces record you are most proud of? Which moments or songs? Why?

There is an un-released song (you can hear it on http://www.myspace.com/thevoycesmusic) named 'You Can Never Know'. This is a song that Brian brought into the studio one late night - probably around 12:30AM. I had never heard it before this night, and I charted as Brian played a scratch track on acoustic and scratch vocals. It was one of those magical nights where we started with absolutely nothing, heard it for the first time, got completely immersed and inspired, and captured it on the recording moments later. By 2AM, we had most of the song done, and as I drove home, listening in my car, I could not stop smiling the entire ride.

Ode to The Voyces

Impeccably harmonic indie rock band The Voyces have been one of my ipod's only constants for the better part of the past six years. My haphazard discovery of this fulfilling entity came one lonely night way back when at Arlene Grocery in the Lower East Side in New York City. I was only there to please a wishes of a woman I no longer know. And it was on this night that my relationship with her came to a bittersweet conclusion. I sat in the crowded bar completely alone. She had just dumped my sorry ass. A band was getting set to play and I wanted nothing to do with the noise I was certain would ensue. A guy began playing his guitar, the room silenced, and the light dimmed. Soon the band behind him began performing and what I heard that night brought about all kinds of changes in my life. One original song flowed into another. Who are these people? I was lost in their songs in a way that was highly unusual for me and I needed to own everything they released. Why have I never heard of them before? I asked someone sitting at a table next to mine who they were and he shrugged.

"We laughed so hard in that courtyard, were you high that day?
How could someone know perfection, turn, and walk away?"

The song that grabbed me and turned me into a lifelong fan was Were You High That Day? and when the song was finished I could not move for a long time.

I learned all about the group that was on stage that night and have followed them rigorously ever since. At the time of this writing they are not playing live, which is a shame, because they are recording a new cd of music, which is great news. But their hiatus has prompted this lifelong fan to create a blog about them.

I will add much much more to this site as time allows. In the meantime anyone interested should look at their own website: http://www.thevoyces.net