Sixtyten Sessions: Flat Earth Agenda

Listen Up Toledo  |  By Michael Pierce  |  11/27/2015

Dreamy soundscapes and stream-of-consciousness vibes are what Flat Earth Agenda are all about. Each musical piece is a looped and layered concoction of six-stringed basses that build into a finely crafted composition that pushes the boundaries for bass frequency and tonality. Steven Guerrero is the mastermind behind this project. He couples his bass sounds with only percussion. No vocals, and no other instruments necessary here.

How did the band/group come together?

“I was doing the solo bass thing for quite a while and had released my first album without drums. Initially I wanted to focus on soundscapes but couldn't get away from wanting to groove. I was asked to submit some music for review by a bass magazine and I didn't have anything that reflected my current sound, so I asked Dave Kontak to play on a few songs to submit. Kontak added so much to  the music it no longer made sense to me to perform under my own name. We were a duo from then on. But Kontak has since moved to Chicago to pursue other things, so John Hubble from Flamtronic has come on board and he's really taken the bull by the horns. I'm really humbled he's lending his talents.”

How many albums/eps have you released?

“One full length under my own name and one EP as Flat Earth Agenda. The new full length Flat Earth Agenda album Agent Architecture is available on Bandcamp. The theme of the new album is about AI and how this new technology has good and bad magic in it. It might take us to new and stunning places or it could be our end. Ultimately, however, things are hopeful. To speak to that end, the last song, "talkfield", feels hopeful to me. That's the point - that even with all the terrifying stuff, there's hope and possibility in the journey.”

Tell us all about your basses, and what got you into looping/composing the way you do.

“I play two Skjold basses made by Pete Skjold. I have two six string Skjolds - one fretless and one fretted. Both are very versatile and allow me the flexibility to shape my tone as to not let the loops get too muddy. That's a challenge these basses make easier to achieve. I got into looping because I saw Michael Manring use a boomerang looper on the Bass Day '98 VHS back in the day. VHS! I got a looper and basically sealed myself in a room with a Fostex hard disk recorder and got used to the thing. I didn't start booking gigs until I met Steve Lawson. He's another great bassist who uses loops in some amazingly creative ways.”

Is there a backstory to the name Flat Earth Agenda?

“Many moons ago that name was suggested as a one off performance. There was a discussion regarding the economy many years prior to the bubble bursting and the term flat earth agenda was used by someone in reference to the widening economic gap and all the problems that come with it. The performance never happened but those words stuck with me. I really like how fluid the name is as well. It fits just about any genre I'm likely to play. The name is just as topical today as ever.”

Check out the live video of “if...then...else” below.