Today we’d like to introduce you to Arthur Zdrinc.
Arthur, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Without giving all the nitty gritty of our humble game stop/video gaming beginnings, Sioum (pronounced sigh-ohm) began when Kevin (keyboardist) and my brother Dorian (guitarist) decided to continue writing music after our previous post-rock band (Figure of Fiends) dissolved. I had left for Mozambique, Africa in 2008 when all of this happened, and when I came back I remember hearing really beautiful music in the basement and met multiple drummers they were auditioning. Apparently, none of them stuck, or were, in Kevin and Dorian’s words, “the right fit” for the cinematic Instrumental Prog Rock that they were creating. Long story short, I was secretly brainstorming drum ideas while they were playing the new music. One day, I went down there and asked them if I could try something on the drums. I blew the dust off of my kit, picked up the sticks, and shared the grooves I came up with to the song they had been writing. The song was working title “star song” and eventually became “Rebirth” the 25 minute epic on our debut album, “I am Mortal, But Was Fiend.” I would say that our mutual tastes in music, film scores, & video game soundtracks is what contributes to the unique chemistry of our band. One thing led to another, we started playing shows again in 2009 and by January 1st, 2010 we were officially Sioum.
I would say our persistent hard work, passion for creating timeless art, dedicated fans to our eclectic genre(s), friendships we’ve made, and networks we are a part of are all why we’ve gotten this far. Last year with our sophomore release Yet Further we were put on the radar for some major music-themed news websites and underground blogs, which led to shows with bands like The Contortionist, Black Cobra, Outrun the Sunlight, TesseracT, Perturbator, and more. Last, but not least important… we knew it was absolutely necessary for the success of “Yet Further” to have an amazing engineer. It was recorded and engineered by Greg Norman from Electrical Audio. He worked on legendary albums by Russian Circles, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Pelican, the list of incredible bands is ever increasing.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not at all. And the older we get, the more this genre takes a toll on our bodies. The music is intense, to say the least. “Unknown” for instance is this 11 minute non-stop train ride for me on drums. The intensity persists all the way to the end of the song and the drums have no break. The song didn’t call for a break, where as other songs do.
Learning this song to be able to perform it in 2010, gave me radial tunnel syndrome. A very rare RSI that after thousands of dollars of therapy, wrong prognoses, and cortisone shots led to some really trying times for Sioum. Followed by the carpal tunnel and tendinitis issues Kevin developed from working at CVS as a pharmacist is my own carpal tunnel in my left wrist. I developed this from working at Trader Joe’s. My brother is the exception, with the occasional sore muscle from lifting cabs on tour, he is seemingly impenetrable. The indestructible Dorian. All I have to say is get back up, push past the pain, if you play progressive metal, ice after every performance, rest well, eat well, stretch, and don’t forget the ibuprofen.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Sioum – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I’m the drummer. I played classical guitar on a couple of the tracks in our debut album. I love the intensity, the fact that drums are powered by my calories. Drums are easily the most “active” of the instruments, involving your whole body and immersing yourself in the rhythm is extremely gratifying. I don’t want to praise my own drumming over anyone else’s, if someone has a kind thing to say about it, they can. In terms of my appearance and performance, I am different. I love breaking social norms, it’s atypical for a metal drummer to be wearing multicolored fancy socks. Also, I went to school for acting, so I do get theatrical and love connecting with the audience during my performances. Like making solid, sometimes uncomfortable, eye contact with the audience, making funny faces, displaying the personal emotion of part of a song, etc. I think that sets me apart in the genre of instrumental post-metal, were usually you dress all black and have a mean face on for the duration of the set.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Currently we are working on our third album, and finishing up the synth edition of Yet Further for those who backed us up on Kickstarter. We hope for a brighter 2018. We would love to tour Europe, play at UK Tech-Fest, ArcTanGent, and Dunk! fest. Jumping on longer tours with bands like our hometown heroes Russian Circles, or Intronaut, Cloudkicker (if he goes on tour again), Animals as Leaders, The Contortionist, TesseracT, or Dream Theater would be nice. Also, we may start singing. Expect vocals on the 3rd album…
More seriously, it is very important to us is that we build a relationship with the companies we support that give us the tools to create and perform our music. Like DW Drums, D’Addario (Evans, Promark), Zildjian, KORG, Eventide, to name a few. We are also looking to hire a manager, tour manager, PR, and booking agent. Please reach out to us if you’re interested. Thanks in advance for your time!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://sioum.com
- Phone: (847) 970-2993
- Email: sioumband@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sioummusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sioum
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SioumMusic
- Other: https://sioum.bandcamp.com
Sioum open for TesseracT at Bottom Lounge on October 18, 2016
Chicago skyline with Sioum on the Audio Tree rooftop
Sioum opens for Perturbator at Reggie’s on January 11, 2017
Sioum open for Perturbator at Reggie’s on January 11, 2017
Image Credit:
All Photos by Cindi Jean | Persistent Vision Media
*EXCEPT FOR*
(Blue rainy iPhone pic w/ Chicago skyline)
Photo by Austin Peters at AudioTree
*&* (Watercolour GoT themed “Game of Sioum” painting)
By Arthur Zdrinc
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