Q.E.D. is a band with a definite international feel even though it came together in Winnipeg.
Ra Kural, who prefers to go by Ra, said the band, which will play Rayzer's at the Yorkton Hotel Nov. 26 and 27, has actually gone through several changes over the years.
Ra started the band in 1995 in Edmonton with musicians from Edmonton. After enduring line up changes the band released their first album, a self-titled effort.
"After various more member changes the second album, 'Searching For Adjectives', was released around 2001 recorded and co-produced by Neil Meckelborg (Saskatoon)," said Ra. "In support of the album the band toured Canada and Alaska incessantly sometimes playing 350 shows a year. Q.E.D was invited to do a tour of India after Sony decided to distribute the album in India. The album garnered a lot of radio airplay across Canada, U.S. and even Italy."
The connection to India is something of a natural since Ra was born there, as is percussionist Sandy Fernandez.
The band's bassist Lance DeLeon is originally from the Philippines, with Shawn Nelson, lead guitarist from Terrace, B.C..
"It was during the recording of 'Searching for Adjectives' that Shawn Nelson joined the band as a bass player," said Ra, who added after some more member changes he and Shawn decided to move to Winnipeg to be more central geographically.
"The latest album was shelved for a few months while looking for members," said Ra. "Sandy joined the band two-and-a-half years ago from India and Lance joined the band half-way into the recording process about six-months ago."
With an international background Q.E.D. has some varied influences; the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Tool, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, U2 among them, but Ra said as a band they simply "play rock and roll."The songs in Q.E.D. are mainly written by Ra, the lyrics and melody and basic arrangement.
"Then I sat down with the Shawn and work over the arrangements and then the song is brought to the band during rehearsals," he explained. "Depending on the song most of times the original arrangement stays, with additional guitar /bass lines added, or changed, or even sometimes the feel and the drum groove altered as in the case of 'The Glitch' which had two different versions - a faster and a slower version.
"With the help of the producer we managed to marry the two and that is what you hear on the album."Ra said the production crew is a huge part of getting a final feel to a song.
"The producer/engineer is an intricate part of the process since he observes from the outside and can point out the redundant parts of the song which can then be either removed or altered with the consensus of the band," he said. "He is the fifth member in a lot of ways - gets paid more than the other members. Ha!Ha!"
The material for the newest album was accumulated over a year or so.
"We had more material ready but that will be on the next album," said Ra.
The album 'Sometimes a Cigar is just a Cigar?' was recorded and co-produced in Red Door Recording Studios in Saskatoon, by Ryan Andersen (Nickelback, The Long Road, Theory of a Deadman, Moist etc.,) and mastered in Los Angeles by Rob Beaton (Chinese Democracy, The Whole Nine Yards, Buckethead and trailers for Lord of the Rings and Batman Begins).
Ra said recording is definitely unique from playing on stage.
"The recording studio is like a blank canvas on an easel and the artist sits down with a colour palette and an idea in his head and the painting begins," he said. "The stage is the gallery show for the painter. The stage is the final live representation of the album. We strive to perform the CD as close as possible live while adding the edginess and interpretation and energy of a performance.
"Every artist does try to add that edginess and energy in the studio as well but a live stage offers a lot more than a home stereo system."
While different from the stage performance, Ra said the latest disk is one they are certainly pleased with, "extremely happy but as like any other artistic endeavours on subsequent listens one always wishes they done a part a little different.
"The studio and Ryan were extremely professional plus maturing as players and humans added a different element compared to the last projects.
"As far as sound quality goes it is far superior to the previous efforts and maturity as a songwriter helps with perspective."
The first single getting airplay is 'The Glitch', and the second will be 'Thinking about You'.
