By Kreig Marks, August 2020

 

TRR:  Hi guys.  Tell me, what is the most difficult thing about being part of a band?

MMP:   I'd say the hardest part is marketing your brand new music, promoting to the public, attempting to get listeners to hear your new rock music. Right now, that is harder than ever without live shows. It’s even harder trying to do it on your own with no label pushing it. The important part is “never give up”. Keep networking, trying different strategies with ads, subscriptions, partners. Example: Bandivious! ☺

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TRR:  So, what are you all doing now during the pandemic, since live stage performance is either limited or non-existent, to get new and old fans to hear your music?  Anything out of the box?

MMP:  We are marketing through social media, Spotify subscription marketing, interviews, zoom calls, podcasts, radio plays, and participating in collaboration cover songs on YouTube.

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TRR:  Who is the lyricist in the band?

MMP: Bryant August writes all of the lyrics in the band.

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TRR:  Do you usually have the music first and then Bryant brings the lyrics, or the other way around?  

MMP:  The music (rhythm guitar) usually comes first as a scratch track. Music arrangement to a specific timing. Lyrics and vocal melodies come next as a scratch track. Drums are tracked, rhythm guitars re-tracked, bass, vocals, then lead guitar at the end along with final production noises (keys, synth, etc.)

 

TRR:  What do you think is the hardest part for you guys to write songs?

MMP: I think the hardest part is being in the right place, with the right mindset, at the right time. You might not feel the same way today as you do tomorrow. As microscopic as that sounds, it changes the feeling and quality of your song.

 

TRR:  So, you "catch it", the music and lyrics, when it's hot, right when it comes to you?

MMP:  Yeah. When you have a good idea, it’s important to capture it at the right time when you are feeling it.

 

TRR:  This quarantine, it seems like it's been going on forever now.  What are some odd things you’ve realized during quarantine?

MMP: People are extra hyper-sensitive on social media. If I wasn’t an entertainer, or needed it for our music, I would consider removing it. It’s hard not to have it, when you are trying to do business with ANY brand. You need followers for everything.

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TRR:  Do you ever find yourselves getting into those "social media debates" with people about the whole pandemic, or worse, politics?  Or, do you try to avoid that trap?  I see a lot of musicians getting caught up in the whole "debate" issue and losing fans.  Thoughts?

MMP:  We do not discuss anything that has been going on with politics, race, or pandemic
on our social media sites.

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TRR:  What are some new things you’ve learned about yourselves from this quarantine time?

MMP: The music community of friends were able to come together and do online performances, and collaborations. Without the pandemic, I don't think that would have happened as much as it did, and still does.  There are some really awesome music projects out there. The Alter Bridge Collaboration is one of my favorites right now. Musicians from all over the world getting involved.  

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TRR: Have you guys been doing any collaborations with other bands or artists?

MMP:  We have some surprise collaborations coming soon. Stay tuned! 

 

TRR:  After the pandemic ends, do you think the collaborations will continue?

MMP: I hope that they do. The problem is, everyone is busy hustling on tour, or in the studio, without much downtime before the pandemic. I think bands with featured artists is a great idea. It makes the song interesting. It also helps share fan base. It takes you down a rabbit hole that you might have never been down.

 

TRR:  You’re all in a store together respecting the “6 ft distancing” and wearing your masks.  Let’s say someone walks right by you, stands near you in that store, no mask on.  Who is the first of you guys to react to this?

MMP:  Any (All) of us would step to the side, respectfully.

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TRR:  Not one of you would say anything?

MMP: I really do not think any of us would say anything, or do anything besides move out of the way.

 

TRR:  Crazy times we're in.  Most difficult song you guys have written as a band?

MMP: “Forbidding” is a very personal and emotional song. The song is about a dear friend who passed away on a tour bus. She was the tour manager of a band that had a tragic highway accident 3 years ago. It was a very catastrophic incident. Many people who love her are still very pained by the incident. I wrote the song for everyone who still feels that pain.

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TRR:  My condolences.  Do you get emotional when you perform it now?

MMP:  I was emotional when I recorded the vocals in the vocal booth at the studio. It is an emotional song to perform. I played it acoustic a few times. It’s not easy.

 

TRR:  Is there a song that just came to you guys?

MMP: "Ghost Me" was a song that just came to us.

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TRR:  How?  What was going on when you wrote Ghost Me?

MMP:  I was talking with a good friend about how anyone always feels like they wait too long to get a reply from a text, email, or phone call. Sometimes you do not want to get a reply, so it goes both ways. You could be asking someone to ghost you, and hope you never
hear from them again. "Ghost Me" Chorus lyrics: “So save the breath of your words. Ignore this now. Ghost Me. Just Ghost Me. Ghost Me.”

 

TRR:  On stage, who’s the most animated out of all of you?

MMP: We are all very animated, but our drummer and lead singer are the most animated. I play guitar, but I did not want to play guitar in this band, because I wanted to be more interactive and animated.

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TRR:  You couldn't be that animated guitarist like C.C. Deville from Poison?  That guy never stops.  You gotta take a Benadryl to watch this guy.  

MMP:  Haha!  We get into the music, and whatever happens while we perform is what makes sense to us. It is such a rush!

 

TRR:  Which song of yours really gets you guys pumped to perform it live?

MMP: “Drones” is our most amplified song live. “The Con” is right next to that.

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TRR:  What makes "Drones" so amplified?  

MMP:  The tempo of "Drones" with the heavy low tuning and fast palm muted picking of the guitars really gives it that edge to set the tone for the rest of the new record.

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TRR:  Which song seems to really pump up your fans?

MMP:  “The Con” seems to be an Orlando favorite. It is dark, heavy, hits hard, and has lots of open space. It is a foot stomper. We opened our sets with that song this year at our live performances.

 

TRR:  Individually, who are your top 3 influences in music?

MMP:  Dark New Day, Sevendust, and Alter Bridge.

 

TRR:  All great bands.  We've had the opportunity to interview all except Dark New Day.  All great guys.  Now, as a band, who are your top 3 influences in music?

MMP: Dark New Day, Calefactor, and Vertebraker.

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TRR:  There's Dark New Day again.  What makes them such a great influence for you ?

MMP:  Dark New Day is a super group that had members from Virgos Merlot, Sevendust, Evanescence, and StereoMud. The singer of Dark New Day is our producer. They have been on hiatus since 2009.

 

TRR:  The quarantine ends today.  What is the first venue you are calling to get that first live gig scheduled?

MMP:  House of Blues Orlando. We will play there soon, supporting a national band on tour.  We have many very good connections in the professional music industry, so we know we will perform there.

 

TRR:  Which national band, if you can say?  Was that show already scheduled before the pandemic?

MMP:  We opened for Tantric in January, but we did not have anything planned after that. We had some other offers that we want to keep confidential. We wanted to get closer to releasing our record, and put a strategy together on releasing and performing live.
Pandemic took over and we released the record on our own as independent.

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TRR:  Daryl Hall calls you.  Wants you guys to be on his show, “Live at Daryl’s House.”    He wants to do one of your songs with you and you guys do a Hall & Oates Song with him.  Which of your songs do you do and what Hall & Oates song do you do?

MMP: We would play “One” by MMP, and “Out Of Touch” by Hall & Oates.

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TRR:  Out of Touch?  Would you do it just as it's written or maybe give it a bit more of an edge?

MMP:  Out of Touch, because human contact will never be the same. It really will not be. We would definitely give it more edge, and a hard rock vibe. Sounds like a GREAT IDEA! We released a cover song on our record “Faded” by Alan Walker. We changed the beat
and made it a rock song. It just happened in the studio that way, after our drummer laid down the drum tracks.

 

TRR:  Anyone you want to give a shout out too?  

MMP: We want to give a shout out to our producer Brett Hestla and the featured singers on our album, “Regis Lima” “David Lyle”. We want to give a shout out to everyone who listens to our music, connects with it, and supports us in a positive light.

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TRR:  Guys, thanks for being with us here today and we're looking forward to that show at the House of Blues in Orlando.  

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For further information about Mature Musical Pictures, check out there Website and Bandivious. 

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