In this exclusive interview, Prog Sphere dives into the creative world of guitarist and songwriter Juan Ignacio Quesada. As the mastermind behind the Petty Life EP, Juan takes us through the musical frameworks that shaped his latest project, exploring themes that resonate both musically and politically. Known for his versatile approach, Juan blends prog rock traditions with his unique flair, crafting tracks that seamlessly transition between complex time signatures, modal interchange, and diverse arrangements. Joining Juan is drummer Tekin Irengun, who shares his insights on bringing these compositions to life with his own rhythmic interpretations.
Throughout this conversation, we delve into the challenges Juan faced in constructing Petty Life and how his musical journey—one that balances self-taught skills with formal lessons—has shaped his evolving sound. Juan also reflects on the release’s thematic content, a powerful commentary on autocrats, populists, and the cyclical nature of power, while Tekin adds his perspective on collaborating remotely. With a focus on the blending of progressive rock’s structural complexity and meaningful storytelling, this interview offers a glimpse into the creative process behind Petty Life and the messages it seeks to convey.
Describe the musical frameworks “Petty Life” EP explores.
Juan: All three songs go around the key of D (major or minor) at some point. Also all three songs switch keys. However the approach taken in each is different. One being an abrupt change, while other being a smooth transition walking down the circle of fifths and the other alternating keys using a common tone to switch back and forth. I also make use of modal interchange to alter a song mood without switching keys. There are instrumental sections in every song that play a significant role within the story being told.
The album slowly introduces into Progressive Rock, by starting as a straight ahead rock, with some proggy arrangements to then move into a more complex song that makes use of odd time signature (a Prog Rock staple) to finish with a true classic Prog Rock with long duration, different parts and soaring guitar solos.
Like in any of my other work, I try not encapsulate myself into a specific framework/format. To me, the music I write asks for its needs. Sometimes it asks for longer pieces, sometimes it asks for orchestra arrangements.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and lessons learned during the creative process for “Petty Life”?
Juan: Petty Life was my first true Prog Rock work. Unlike other previous songs I had written, I wanted this one to become more of a classic Prog album, more conceptual with long songs with different parts.
Taking Petty Life from its initial stages to the final product was extremely challenging. Making each part different and related at the same time was one of the most difficult parts in this album.
Outside of drums, which were brilliantly crafted by Tekin Irengun, everything had to come out of my own mind. I don’t use loops so, out of guitar, which is my main instrument, everything is challenging. I don’t particularly enjoy singing and I refuse to use artificial tuning, so that is always a hard one for me. Also this was the first time I included piano parts and despite not being very complicated it was challenging to me because I am not really a piano player myself. “El Conquistador” is a total remake (lyrics included) of a song I used to play with my band in the early 90s. The initial version has beed written by bandmate back, but I never really liked the way it was (very slow and with not so good lyrics). We didn’t even have keyboards back then. Rethinking it entirely was super hard (I think I tried 4 or 5 different versions until the one I recorded) but super fun at the same time. The synth run, I think I played it 50 times until I played it right.
Another big challenge was the inclusion of an orchestra in “Welcome To The Zoo”. I wanted to write an unnerving part to represent people entering “the zoo” and I thought strings and brass section could work for that, but I had never done such a thing before.
I mixed the entire album myself. Each song has a significant number of tracks which is hard to put together.
The biggest lesson learned (still not entirely mastered) is this: even though one may feel there’s always room for improvement, there’s a point where you must say: “this is finished”.
Tekin: I can only talk from my experience creating and recording drum parts for Juan. I tried to get into the music without hearing the drum parts recorded previously either programmed by himself or played originally by another drummer. I wanted to come up with my own interpretation. The challenge for me was to satisfy his idea of the drum parts since being the composer he has had to agree that it fits to the song. But it is important the composer can see alternatives and how another person hears the same music and writes the parts. After playing along with the song for a day or two and deciding which parts or fills I am happy with , I would record it and send a version. In the meantime I would open the previous version and hear the original or previous drumming and compare with my parts. Sometimes I am also not satisfied and if I hear something that is more solid and feels better, then I would copy that. Since we did not write together I had to fit to his plan and there was not much room to change parts although Juan took opinions very seriously and sometimes he would be flexible to either change the tone, the mix or the pause lengths. My next challenge was the time. I would not have a strict deadline but Juan has his own planning and expectation so I would try to be as fast as I can while taking more time for songs I am not sure about and even taking more time while trying to find time alongside regular work and family life. I think it is important not to procrastinate. It is better to go for it as soon as possible and see how it feels. It may be perfectly fine the first time. Also the file types are important. I tend to give drums separated. but it can be confusing. Then if I mix them, there is less possibility of balancing towards other instruments. We can’t always be 100% satisfied. One person has to make a decision for the sound and it is generally the person putting them together and owns the music.
Is there a message you try to convey with the album?
Juan: The whole EP is a concept piece that makes the most sense when listened to in one sitting. It explores the rise and inevitable fall of autocrats, populists, dictators, and tyrants throughout history, along with the lasting consequences of their actions. As a bilingual speaker, I intentionally included a song in Spanish (El Conquistador) to emphasize that this pervasive issue knows no borders.
To someone who hasn’t heard the album, what can he or she expect from it?
Juan: The album consists of three different, yet related, songs. It opens with El Conquistador, a straight ahead rock track with simple harmony. The guitar solo is a key element in understanding the album as a whole. During the solo, you’ll hear brief excerpts of speeches from both historical and current leaders. The panning of these speeches is intentional—some are panned to the side they identify with, while others are panned to the opposite side.
Next is Welcome to the Zoo, which talks about how leaders (and others) will do anything to lure people into their movements. The song features an odd time signature—primarily 7/8, with a brief switch to 5/4 when the orchestra comes in. Despite the irregular timing, the song flows naturally.
Finally, Petty Life addresses the double standards these figures often preach, always blaming others for their own crimes while facing their inevitable, pathetic fate.
Tekin: I haven’t heard the songs before also. They were written earlier and I would be excited to get the new song each time we finish one. I think Juan’s music is personal, and also I believe in the end it is the process of composing and playing the instruments. People can expect a lot of instrumentalism. It is a showcase of a learning process too. Juan also did the mix . If I am not wrong at one point, he was studying composition and production techniques while writing or mixing songs. That makes some songs different from the others which is natural for a progressing musician. But in the end it is all about enjoying the music. It is not heavy, it is not super technical, it is easy to listen to but he does throw in some challenging chord arrangements so it can be exciting or unexpected for some people.
How has your perspective on the possibilities of song arrangement expanded over the years?
Juan: Being the one and only musician in my family and with no formal music training, I taught myself almost everything I know, from playing to writing music (including read and write music sheet). However, as a self taught it took me a really long time to evolve from the typical pop chord progressions (those like I, vi, IV, V) to the more elaborated harmonies found in “Petty Life”. It wasn’t until I took an intensive music composition course with Dr. Doug Helvering (from “The Daily Doug” Youtube channel) when I could finally opened the door to this fantastic music genre and start writing what I always wanted to. As a matter of fact, I was in the middle of writing Petty Life (the song) during that course and Doug helped me very much with the process. The mellotron part right before the final guitar solo is the result of a formal counterpoint class within that course.
My very first songs didn’t have much cohesiveness between the music and the lyrics. Now, I intentionally connect the music to the lyrics I am singing, whether aligning a dark feeling with darker music or by opposition but everything has an actual purpose.
Tekin: I come from a quite heavy rock music background. I was really into thrash and speed metal and we had a progressive speed metal band back in Turkiye. (Actually we just released the 1993 album in digital format recently because it was never published.) Those times, it was all about riffs. Guitar riffs put together trying to make everything follow each other but always be innovative and interesting. I struggled writing music like that myself. Because I was not a guitarist and that music is limited for other musicians to write in that way. Then I realised drums are very important and I can actually do the same thing with drums. All these though, didn’t give room to putting the emotions and the feeling of the song that goes with the lyrics. I was also a singer for quite a long time. I saw that composing and arranging is easier if I think of the vocal melody first. Maybe starting with a catchy chorus. Popular music has a set arrangement. It also has a set average time. Progressive music gives freedom to go beyond these regulations. It again takes the riff a bit more prior to all but for me it should have a story. Intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge but maybe instead of bridge a slower half time part, a longer solo part, multiple solos, chorus again, outro. And when done well, the duration of a song is not really important. For drumming it is important to keep the sensation similar in each part. I am a bit guilty of not doing this strictly. I may have two different grooves in a verse or chorus because the song is progressing. Sometimes I use ghost notes more than the next part. This is freedom but people are used to hearing similar rhythms at similar sections of the same song.
What types of change do you feel this music can initiate?
Juan: I really wish people would go back to when music was appreciated as such and not just as something trendy that will inevitable fade away when something “more trendy” shows up. I still have hope that writing compelling musical stories (with or without lyrics) can create a positive impact on the audience.
Right and left are very subjective and there is no line between extremes positions (pay attention to the panning of the speeches in “El Conquistador”). There are references to political uses of religion too. My point is, extremism is always bad, regardless of its nature.
I really wish the thematic content of the album could spark conversations among listeners about historical and current political climates, potentially leading to a more informed and engaged public.
Do you tend to follow any pre-defined patterns when composing a piece?
Juan: I write whatever it comes to my mind. Some times I start with jamming some chords, build a melody on top of that and finally writing lyrics. Some times I start with lyrics and write some chord progression that can go well with it. In any case, the melody always comes after the chord progression. I do that intentionally to avoid “writing” a melody that already exists (This happens more than I could think). After I had a draft of chords, melody and lyrics I start producing the piece until I am satisfied with it.
I use music theory as guidelines for my writing but as the innocent trouble maker I was as a kid, I still like to break rules to do something new. It’s very unlikely any of my songs won’t have a guitar solo so there’s that, but outside of that detail, some may have rhythm guitars and some may not. For instance, “Petty Life” doesn’t have a chorus, but it has two guitar solos and a long intro with a very “Floydian” vibe overall. On the other hand, “Welcome To The Zoo” features a small orchestra and while it also includes a guitar solo, it is not as prominent.
What non-musical entities and ideas have an impact on your music?
Juan: I love dystopian literature. I think writers like Kafka, Huxley, Orwell, Bradbury and others play a big role when it comes to my lyrics. Not that I am comparing myself to any of those geniuses, of course :), but the way they create surreal worlds to describe very timeless societal issues is fascinating to me. I try to use those types of metaphors on my lyrics. The Trial by F. Kafka is one of my favorite novels of all times.
As a naturally sarcastic person, I often use sarcasm to emphasize a point (a good example being Welcome to the Zoo). I’m frequently inspired to write about things I find plainly wrong or that have a strong impact on me.
Tekin: Emotions come first. Emotions from personal experiences. Politics and world affairs. Everytime I see injustice, I want to write about it. More like, shouting about it. Singing is a great tool. Another thing that may have impact or find a place in music for me, is art. An artwork; a painting. And most of the time; a book. Would be great to only make music in life and explore the possibilities of reflecting the movement, and rhythm of a poem into music. That is why I highly respect Juan constantly producing, creating and finishing his work
What advice or philosophy might you impart to other musicians, be it in forms of creativity, technical stuff, the business side of it, or anything else?
Juan: Uff… tough question!
Don’t be afraid to explore and push your own boundaries. Don’t limit yourself to what you know it works. Break the rules and see how that goes. You’d be surprised how many times what you think will be terrible ends up really good. There are no bad songs but only bad arrangements.
The more theory you know the better you will become at breaking the rules and composing unique pieces. I am not talking about reading music sheet (many great musicians didn’t) but knowing what to do.
Unlike 20 years ago, when recording music was way beyond financial possibilities to many of us, we now have literally unlimited options to do it. Even mixing became much more affordable than years ago and with patience it can be an option too.
For solo artists like me, social networks are a fantastic tool to connect with other people and even start a remote collaboration project. That’s how I met Tekin (the drummer). We live thousands of miles away and never met in person, yet we recorded several songs together.
There will always people that will put out negative comments about what we do. I remember one time some other musician telling me: “you know, guitar solos are a thing from the past, you should take those off your songs” or someone else telling me: “you must end your verses in the tonic”. Many will provide negative feedback just for the sake of demoralizing us. Learning to put those negative and non constructive feedback aside is, to me, as important as creating new music. We are not going to please everyone with the art we create. Be authentic and that’s what matters. Simple as that.
Tekin: Here I would suggest a really good book by Rick Rubin called Creative Act. I think it talks about great aspects of making art but being a producer, mainly takes music as an example. The book resonated with some of the ideas I had and maybe I didn’t manage to practice them myself, but I believed them. First of all, produce a lot of music. Simply, practice makes perfect and ideas are plenty; so don’t lose them. Secondly, don’t be a perfectionist. Do something as best as you can but don’t hang on to it. Finish it and move to the next. Also I think it is really important to be good at an instrument. An instrument you can use to write music. Piano and guitar are great instruments to write music. But there are also a lot of solo instruments where you can show your virtuosity. Write melodies that can be transferred to other instruments. Or just utilise that instrument in your music and enjoy making it. But it is important to be good at it to be able to put down what is going on in your head, craftily. Learn production tools or get a recording tool you can master to help you record your ideas. There are always better knowledgeable people to help you improve it, but it is good to be able to lay down the ideas as best as you can.Another thing I started to do is to start playing more instruments and start re-recording covers of the songs I can manage by myself. This way I was trying to repeat the production style, the mix and learn the instruments. It is really helping to understand parts of what makes a good song.
Petty Life is available on Bandcamp.
