The Big Picture closes the door on the Crumple Zone Sessions

Well, well, well...

This wraps up the Crumple Zone Sessions.

The vehicle has gained momentum and purposefully smashed into a solid concrete wall, revealing the strengths and weaknesses.

And the results are a lot more surprising than anyone could have expected.

But we will get to that in another post.

For now, lets take a look at the final song of the CZ trio...
Around late July or early August 2007 Modem songwriter, Iain Behr felt a deep inspiration and stirring for the direction Modem should take in order to complete it's identity. After all identity = purpose. Even if we cannot figure out who we are, we still need to put a label onto things, because there must be a reason for them. They exist for a purpose and purposes must be fulfilled.

But Whom authorises that purpose? Whom gives us our identity? Some of you may or may not believe in God or even His Son, Jesus Christ, or even what He did for humanity.
Too religious? Not really, this is merely historical - but the ramifications imply a Creator who chooses to be personal with all of us on an individual level - that's what that historical event means.

A lyric that was not included in the song goes

"Someone's paid for you that price.
He made the world that you despise.
The Son of God, the Son of Man
personally made you His plan."

Written in one sitting, this song literally wrote itself just on the sheer truth of it.

During this time, Behr's mother had already been going through intense stages of cancer treatments. She had been going in and out of hospitals for years already and had developed a type of brain damage called 'Korsakoff's Psychosis' which was basically like induced alzheimer's disease. Not the best household to live in as a growing young lad. But we still laughed a lot more than a lot of people did.

A few hours after this song was written, mother Behr passed away.

Not from the cancer, however, her body was just greatly weakened by all the rigorous treatments.

And that is another reason why this song has such a deep root into Behr's heart. "I could record this song a thousand times and it will still be a reminder to me that we have no idea what is going to happen next, so therefore we must discover our purpose and fulfil it before it is too late. I think that that is the big picture."

Modem Attains New Look

Well, over the last few weeks as Modem has begun to awaken from years of dormancy, there has been a kind of metamorphosis concerning the look and branding of Modem.

Ever since around 1998, the classic oscilloscope logo has been the trademark look for Modem.

And now that same logo has been going through a refining process, finally to settle at something that the band can nod their heads and say, 'Yep, that's our identity right there!'

First Iteration: Crude and plain, perhaps consistent with the middle school scrawlings.

Second Iteration: Friendly, yes. But the futuristic not mixing so well with the archaic.

Third Iteration: On the right track now - even to the point where adding grit to counter the space-agey vibe was somewhat necessary.

Fourth Iteration: Finally the logo as it now stands: Modern with movement.

Now the roundel was kind of the main drive for the logo re-iteration, based closely on the Aero Blackout logo, also designed by Iain Behr:

Aero Blackout was one of the earlier names for the band before it became Modem, which Iain used as a name for his production studio between 2010 and 2012. The reason being because both manifestations of Aero Blackout became extremely significant turning points for Iain: In 1995, Brendan Clark and Iain sat in a garage on a rainy day and recorded an entire album onto a cassette tape simply because they could. Iain declares that it was this moment that propelled him to pursue music for the rest of his life.

So 15 years later, when he began his production studio under that same name, it carried him creatively through his most difficult financial times.

And with that as a vague foundation, the new Modem roundel came to be:

A little darker and a little sharper.

And of course, it all had to be brainstormed:

Modem begins the Crumple Zone Sessions

The creative machine which is Modem, has launched The Crumple Zone Sessions.

The band is currently recording three tracks, which will soon be released as singles. The selected tracks will then determine the band's next step for a follow-up album. 

Modem has been very careful in selecting which songs to record and publish for the three singles. Lead singer, Iain Behr says, "We have chosen one song to represent the sound of Modem. Another song to represent the fun and wider-appealing dimension of the band. And finally a song that displays our heart and 'seriousness of music'. These three songs will then go out and depending on how they are received will light up the direction we will go to make an album."

The band has also mentioned music videos and new merchandise to coincide with the sessions.

The Time Is Nigh...

Ever since 1992 I can remember wanting to start a band. Back then I was merely 7-years old, so I had no real-world concept of fame, financial gain and all the rest of it.

It was solely for the purpose of entertainment.

To put a smile on people's faces. To wow them. To make them involuntarily tap their feet to the music. To swoon their senses so richly they forget to breathe.

And this is why I believe it's going to work. This is also why I believe that God planted this dream inside of me and raised me up the way He did because He has a specific mission that only Iain Robert Behr can carry out. So He equipped me with the skills, the dreams, the people. He also pruned me, sanded me and painfully removed things from me.

All to mould me into who I am today.


And I have no regrets.


Surely the same has to apply to the rest of the band?! And I'm not talking just about the musical members either. The crew, the management, the business people, the techs - if this is to be the biggest band ever, surely I'm not the only one being built up with bricks of excitement and passion?

1992 ~ 2009...Rome wasn't built in a day...