We are pleased to offer you in this article an interview with a project that offers Avant-Prog/R.I.O. sounds contaminated by different genres and styles, whose new album “With a little hell from my friends” released on October 10,2022. Welcome Greco Bastián.
Hi, how are you?
Hi, I feel fine, pleased and surprised too.
Your genre is Avant-Prog/R.I.O. with different contaminations, where does your passion for these sounds come from?
Well, I think it all started in the most common way, walking the “natural path” of this kind of music. In my particular case it was (in this order): Beatles, Queen, Bowie, Pink Floyd, YES, King Crimson, Zappa, Magma, Univers Zero, Present and lots of bands and artists in between… the descending spiral, fortunately, has continued for years and years. I guess the most of the people one day say “Enough, this is the kind of music I wanna listen for the rest of my life!”, but I’ve never felt this calling to stop the musical exploration.
Your new album “With a little hell from my friends” released on October 10,2022, how would you describe this work?
WALHFMF is mostly a sampler of what I’ve composed in the last 20 years. Inside the album live
peacefully songs from 1998, 2005, 2015 or 2022. As my first big musical effort, I decided to show
different aspects and moods about my very personal musical perspective, not only song by song
but riff by riff inside the songs, too. It’s a sinister puzzle in anyway.
Long songs with elaborate textures, how has the sound evolved compared to your previous work?
The organic material is the difference. The score’s writing modes and composition techniques are the same but, somehow, the “Frankenstein” element of having all these great musicians involved in, made the songs come alive in a very agressive way, taking “agressive” as a positive aspect.
Why did you decided to don’t use lyrics?
I do have lyrics, and I think its a very interesting part of my concept. But I don’t have singers. I’m thinking about the possibilities for the next albums… maybe in spanish, maybe in english, I’m not sure at all, actually.
Your music is full of contaminations of different genres and styles, how do you compose the songs?
It’s an automatic process. I only need a first riff, a primary idea which usually comes while I’m whistling or singing nonsense stuff… suddenly one of these ideas seems to be interesting and I proceed to write it. The rest comes by itself, it is as if the first riff were a question and then somehow I listen the answer in my head and after I write it, it asks for more answers and suddenly more questions appears and I have to order this mess in the best way I can. I can see I did it well when the first riff, these primary idea, comes back at the end (usually funny disguised or deformed) to close the song after a rollercoaster of sonic little pieces.
I usually dont remember my songs the next morning and clicking the “Play” key is a real new experience for me. Like a weird hangover.
Your music is very refined and engaging, it would be interesting to hear it live, do you have plans in this regard?
There is a band in CDMX. They are great local musicians and contacted me in order to play the songs and be able to take part of live shows, festivals and concerts if we were invited. They are still rehearsing the material but are already playing live 4 or 5 songs every weekend in some rock pubs in CDMX. The plan is to achieve a full 60/90 minutes set and seek for booking some interesting spaces, but Im certain that the songs are hard to nail and it will take some months more to be a reality as we want it. I’ve considered something a little weird: inviting any band to be Greco Bastián. Finally, Greco Bastián is not me, but my music. If an italian or peruvian or japanese band can play my songs in a proffesional way and respecting the most the original versions, they can be Greco Bastián and play everywhere they can and I would be the happiest man in the world to know it. I only want the most of the people reach my music.
Music and Avant-Prog/R.I.O. are evolving, how do you see the future of your genre?
Technology is making posible lots of crazy ideas and projects as mine. Virtual instruments, teleperformance, digital channels, cloud storage, etc… all these daily miracles will bring to light more and more musicians and fans of every single musical genre that exists and can be altered, modified, enrichened or deformed in order to reach new forms of sound. It is a wonderful change of the usual forms, and an ambitious challenge to all Avant-Prog composers who wants to be still in the game.
Yours is a very interesting album full of ideas, do you already have plans for future releases?
I have more than 200 songs composed and still making new songs. Im now working on the Vol. 2 of WALHFMF with new great prog monsters involved and I hope to release it on September/October 2023. If I can, from 2024 forward I hope to release 2 albums per year. I’m thinking in orchestral works, math rock albums, piano pieces albums, Zeuhl works and lots of ideas to keep the touch of unpredictable sound at the time to listen a Greco Bastián’s album.
The music market has changed a lot in the last few years, how difficult is it to establish yourself with a more sophisticated music genre like yours?
Im not in these game, at least not in my mind. I’m certain that my music wont make I quit my job or pay my son’s university. Im doing this just for the music, and this is the reason why im so grateful of the response people has given to WALHFMF. It was not suposed to be this funny and “catchy” so it has been a great surprise.
What advice would you give to a young band approaching the modern music scene with progressive rock sounds?
Hi, young girls and boys who love music and sometimes fear and dubitate about what you are doing with these instrument. I am a mexican 41 years old. Married, 3 sons, unemployed. I cannot play any instrument. I have not any instrument in home. I have no money for crazy ideas like “making an album”. I hardly pay the
bills every month. But one year ago I decided to ask for what I dreamed in the craziest of my dreams. Everything was against me. I was not suposed to be here today. But I asked for it.
And, please: NEVER STOP LISTENING TO YOUR HEAD, LET YOUR IMAGINATION FLOWS ANYTIME,
ANYWHERE, ANYHOW. IF YOU WANT ANYTHING, ASK FOR IT, TO THE UNIVERSE OR TO THE PERSON
SEATED BESIDE YOU IN THE BUS. TO PLAY WHAT YOU FEEL IS OK, BUT FIRST KNOW THE RULES AND
THEN BROKE IT ALL AND MAKE YOUR OWN WAY. I HOPE YOU’LL FIND YOUR OWN SOUND.
As usual, I’ll leave the last question free to allow you to talk about any topic of your choice not
touched upon in the previous questions.
The great Acapulco’s Earthquake is near. Please remember me always smiling on the beach.
I thank Greco Bastián for the pleasant interview, wishing them all the best for the continuation of
the musical career.
Read our review of the new album here: https://progrockjournal.com/review-greco-bastian-with-a-little-hell-for-my-friends/