Meet our new Center Stage band, SEQUESTER!Sequester is the musical project of Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Boc. Founded in 2005, all of the material thus far has been written, performed, recorded and produced by Boc, having drawn inspiration from various genres of music including: heavy and thrash metal, progressive and psychedelic rock, traditional English and Scottish folk, grunge, alternative rock, blues, jazz, and classical.
Sequester’s sound has been described as being both expressive and melodic, with frequent use of counterpoint and harmonized layering in both the guitar and vocal sections. The songs are usually long in duration due to progressive structuring and arrangement, utilizing numerous sectional changes throughout each piece. Common lyrical themes include fantasy literature, history, folklore and mythology, as well as human nature, spirituality, and personal topics; generally they are sung with a clean voice— oftentimes with thrashy, more aggressive overtones.
Graduating with a combined degree in Music and Computer Science from the University Of Victoria, Ryan Boc had been writing and recording music both in his classes and his spare time. He obtained initial exposure after posting a number of Blind Guardian covers on the band's official forum. Met with positive feedback in regards to his guitar playing and unique vocals, Boc moved on to releasing originals under the name Sequester, and has since created his own sound by combining elements from a vast array of different musical styles.
Describe your sound in one ramble-on sentence.
Somewhere between Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath, with lots of layers and harmonies.
What inspires you to make music?
Listening to music.
What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?
The continuing advancement of recording technology and getting to try out new software and sounds, particularly regarding amp and speaker simulation. In terms of composition, playing around with different song structures has always been my favourite part.
What are the biggest challenges you face as a musician?
Clambering for audience attention during a time when there is an overabundance of entertainment readily available at any given moment. In other words, promotion.
What's one of your all-time favorite recordings?
Blind Guardian's "Nightfall in Middle Earth" is pretty high up there for me.
Name three people who have influenced your music, and tell us why- Living or dead.
There are so many greats. The first who come to mind are Devin Townsend, Mikael Akerfeldt, and Steven Wilson. Artists who can continue to progress, experiment, and develop their ideas while still maintaining aspects of their existing identity is both admirable and inspiring.
Do you have any recent or upcoming projects you'd like to share with us? Tell us about it.
I released my fifth album "Missing Image" a few months ago. Reviewers and listeners have said it is my most mellow album to date, which is a fair description when compared to earlier work. Right now I am just enjoying some down time and messing about with new gear.
What is your ideal or target audience?
Any open and like-minded fans of music. I don't really have a specific demographic or target audience since I'm all over the place myself. When you start genre blending and things are changing from track to track though, it can be tricky hooking someone with that first impression, which is often all you get. So, fingers crossed that the person you reach is hearing the right song during the right frame of mind.
Do you write/compose your own songs? Briefly describe your songwriting process.
I do. There isn't a formula per se, but it mostly involves combining a number of riffs or ideas that I think would go well together, and structuring them in interesting ways. What determines that will depend on my mood at the time of arrangement, as well as other pieces within the same body of work. Lyrics have always been written after the music though; that's pretty much been the only constant throughout the process.
What do you like the most about Radio Airplay?
Visual promotion as an indie (be it banners or "hey come check me out!" type messages) has always made me uncomfortable and rarely been efficient at generating new fans. So for someone who writes music for music's sake, and doesn't really have an image to sell, getting the material directly to listeners without any flashy or intrusive marketing nonsense has been cool.
Do you have a Youtube video you’d like us to include in the feature?
Here is "Bard" from the most recent album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufJTAzAPDBo
Please provide any additional links you’d like us to include.
Official: www.sequester.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SequesterMusic
YouTube: www.youtube.com/SequesterMusic
CDBaby: www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Sequester