It was the tone. The tone got me.

I was at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago waiting to catch Riverside in action. But first there was the warmup act, a local act called the Cyberiam Duo.

Keith Semple was handling the guitar work. The bassist was a gentleman named Brian Kovacs. He played about five notes and my mind was blown.

Brian’s sound was raw and aggressive. It thundered through the room, ripping out ear hairs as it did. The tone was also completely under control. It was melodic, elegant, and groovy. I had to know the secret to his sound.

Fast-forward to Progstock 2023 in Rutherford, New Jersey. I was part of the event’s media staff. All the staff members were sharing hotel rooms. As it happened, my roommate was a gentleman named Brian Kovacs!

The event kept both of us very busy and doing separate jobs, so we didn’t see a ton of each other. But when we did, there was always a good laugh and enjoyable chats about music and other things. A nice bond was formed. To this day, we call each other “Roomie.”

Though now that I think on it, he never has shared the secret of his bass tone with me.

Kovacs left The Cyberiam to focus on a solo career. The result was the 2024 release of The Soul Conversation, a deeply introspective collection of songs that sound like they’ve been brewing in Kovacs’s mind for quite some time. He’s taking these songs to the stage and giving these fresh songs even newer life.

Objectivity is impossible for me where Kovacs is concerned. He’s a great dude and I’m glad we’re friends. I’ve been begging him for bass lessons. I think I’m wearing him down. Sooner or later, I’m gonna learn about that tone.

In the meantime, please enjoy our CirdecSongs chat.

#cirdecsongs

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