interview with Distortion Mirrors
What´s the name of your band? Distortion Mirrors
How was the band formed? When I got tired of too much lame music and decided it was time to bring the fuzz pedal back.
Can you tell about your band? We formed in L.A. but are now based in Leeds, England. Ditched sunny skies for rainy horizons, but it is all good.
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? I am the only permanent member and I use session musicians for studio and live recordings. I've been fortunate to have the best/kindest/gracious people to play with.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? To put out a noise rock record, change the world and then promptly break up. We did the first thing right.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? Our first E.P. is noise rock with layers of static fuzz and some hazy melodies. The new album is something sublimely new that I'm considering even changing the name of the band because its so alien to anything I've released before. Early Distortion Mirrors tunes are lo-fi noise rock and new record is polished 70's dad-rock. In the best possible sense.
Where was your first gig? At Hot Topic in the mall. We can all cringe together for a moment.
Where was the latest gig? The Whiskey a-Go Go in Los Angeles. I've left L.A. and am gearing up for a whole new series of shows here in England.
Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? I write all of the melodies first, usually by way of my trusty late 80's Casio keyboard. Then I put whatever words contextually fit the theme and spirit of the music. Sometimes its clinical work and sometimes its truly inspired.
Who has the best since of humor in the band? Why Brian, the Distortion Mirrors band teddy bear mascot of course!
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? I feel that the good features of the band are a careful attention to all things melody and an adverse reaction to being simply trendy. I don't like whatever pop bandwagon tupperware party that indie rock is in bed with. The bad thing with the band is that I have to do all my own ironing. More members mean we could share laundry duty. Early Distortion Mirrors genre is noise rock. The new album ''Lost Tapes'' is a head and heart trip back to the 60s, 70s, and 80s, so that genre would most likely be categorized as ''overreaching ambition''.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? I picked the band's early style because I am a sucker for a good fuzz pedal. The Smashing Pumpkins is my favorite band and they are the perfect blend of heart and angst and fuzz. My songs are inspired by my faith, a summer's morning, tears of a soul all cryed out, redemption, hope, emotional disarray and spiritual breakthrough. Not in that order,
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? Always original material. Except if I'm in a Karaoke mood.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? We have an E.P. out there called ''Zeros and Kings'' which is pretty good. It was recorded in a garage. As good as that will allow. I have a new full length record coming out called ''Lost Tapes'' which was produced by the great creative dream team of Elliott Randall, Joe McGlohon and John Morand. Between all of them, those guys have produced and worked with John Lennon, Steely Dan, Reba Mcintire, Sparklehorse and Cracker. I'm really excited about this decidedly organic record filled with 70's rock. Neil Young and David Bowie and The Beatles were all unifying influences. Our ''Zeros and Kings'' e.p. is a noble but flawed mini-testament to what can be achieved in 4 days in a garage. It got some good press and some radio play so I'm blessed by that. We even had our single ''Prom Queen'' covered in Israel at a festival. I suppose for a record recorded in 4 days in a sweaty garage it's the most you could ask for.The new record however breathes and has so far gotten wonderful feedback. It has almost nothing in common with whats come before and I am perfectly satisfied with that. In fact, I just got back from London at ELZ Studios where we put the final touches on it.
Do you have any clips on YouTube? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvwUBAlLb7s
How old are you?/What got you started in music? I am in my early 30's and have been playing music since I started at the toy piano at age 4. I was classically trained and my father saw that I had an ear for melody, as I could pick out music on the piano without any music to read from. He did a great thing by encouraging me to play and I was classically trained for a while. It's probably why I didn't have may dates in High School, but I digress.
At what age did you start playing? 4 years old.
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? When Josiah Brooks was in the band as principle guitarist, I was late 20s and he early 20s. He's a good dude. People probably wonder why he's not in the band but its because he's moved on to a fantastic side project of his own.
What year was the band started? 2011, in earnest.
Best/worst gig you've played? Best gig was at producer Sylvia Massy's Blackbird festival. Worst gig was at a downtown L.A. venue that I shall not publicly shame.
What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? We're just about at that point that we're working on a UK tour and hoping to play gigs in America as well.
Where have you played from then till now? To be honest, I've been recording this debut album all year. Since February I've been in America and all over England getting this fine record done right.
Witch band is the best you´ve seen? The best band I ever saw live was probably ''A Place to Bury Strangers'' from Brooklyn, NY. Oliver is a very nice fellow. He also rammed his guitar in the ceiling at the Echoplex and left it there. The venue filled with loud feedback and it was glorious.
Is it always the same songs live? For a live show, its usually the core songs that we feel add to the emotional connection wit the audience. Sometimes if I've written a new song that I feel is particularly inspired, I might test it out and see what feedback there is. We have sometimes covered The Smashing Pumpkins a few times. Best band ever.
What has been the best/most promising gig so far? I would say Sylvia's festival gig. Many gifted musicians were there and it was wonderful to sit in awe of some of them. I'm really excited though about the band's future more then I ever have been about the band's past. The past of the band has eaten itself to the point that with this new record, new sound and new location, it's almost as though Distortion Mirrors never existed until today. I quite like looking at it that way.
Have you had any bigger tours from start to now? We're getting ready to play in Leeds, Manchester and then London in due time.
How big crowds do you usually play for? We played for a big hall of people before, outdoor festivals, and then intimate crowd. No stadium rock yet!
What are the plans for the rest of the year? To finish up ''Lost Tapes'' and then get ready to bring it to a venue near you!
Where do you usually play? Music clubs, venues, festivals, Hot Topics. OK, I think I officially have outworn my goth-rock phase so no more Hot Topics and no more malls!
How do you get psyched up for a gig? Greek yogurt with honey. If I feel like tearing it up like Gene Simmons on stage, then I might bring out Dutch Dark Chocolate truffles.
What are your goals with your music? To show people that God created music and it's sad that so much of it is so lame, shallow, unrewarding, superficial and boring. I'd love to give the world something real. My goal is to not compartmentalize a mission statement but to simply make honest and beautiful music that has no superficial agenda but is a genuine offshoot of my faith, by divine design. If people like the music or want to talk to me about my faith in Christ then I'm cool with that. If not, OK then. I don't want to be another boring buzz band that caters only to what your Orwellian bearded blogger tells you to like. I loathe the adoption of ''rules'' in the game of rock and roll and I loathe the infiltration of commerce, control, status quo and using music in a disingenuous way. When you manipulate music to be simply a tool or product, whether your intentions are good or not, its ceases to become a genuine and inspired entity. I suppose my goal is to then avoid those things!
When did you decide to go all in for the music? When I got my grades back from my college finals!
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? The classics will never die. People like Neil Young are staying connected to that live wire of inspiration because they adhere to the same inertia they had from the beginning. I also think that the older generation of musicians were better players and better songwriters then today. The standards have slipped today to where indie rock circles will praise incompetent and uninspired songwriting simply because the band looks cool, is from Portland or Williamsburg, Brooklyn and has all the right connections, makes all the right moves. In the 60's and 70's, you still had your corporate rock, but you had people like Neil, The Eagles, Beatles, Stones, The Clash, ect. Innovators who rose above the din because of their great songwriting and great collective musicianship. There was a true defining spirit in their art and their sentiment wasn't affected. Alot of today's bands hide behind weak songwriting with crazy production gimmicks. I will say though that I think Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio and The National make commanding beautiful and emotional music in today's music cicles. They are all great songwriters and musicians and what they commit to tape is real, honest and unique. The world needs more influenced by their lot.
What are your sources of inspiration? The Holy Spirit, memories, blue skies and lazy daydreams, euphoria, England, Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, Billy Corgan, Keith Green. My wife Emma and my cat Autumn. My father Charlie. My mother Diana.
What's the first step when making a new song? Making sure it passes the shower test-does it sound good in the shower? Also, it has to be run by my father. If it gets a ''bingo!'' then its a keeper. He's sort of like a collaborative partner in a way. He's from the 60's old school, was at the original Woodstock and has seen the greatest bands of all time live, including Jimi Hendrix an The Who. He also is a fantastic drummer. He's my litmus test. If he likes it, then you probably will too.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? I'm not a fan of that. Realistically, the culture war of music is a hot button issue. People are interested in a piecemeal listen with just the singles and not so much finishing the rest of the albums. I feel that the album is a lost art, whereby the artist has a mission statement from back to front, start to finish and it should be looked on that way. By that logic, the artists should put incredible stock in not only the creative value of his/her album, but also the connotations of commodity. If I work a year to make this great album and you download it and cherry pick a few tracks its sort of like talking to somebody who only wants to have 5 minutes of your time instead of an hour. You can learn a few things in 5 minutes, but if you give me an hour, I'll bare my soul. That's how I feel about buying albums. Buy the whole record and you won't be tempted to cheat yourself out of a listening experience. Could you imagine cherry-picking through''Dark Side of the Moon''? I wouldn't want to!
What would be your dreams for the band? To make 3 or 4 really incredible albums and be able to buy my mother a new house. To have gold plated slippers whereby I walk on my private beach in Maui. Just kidding about the last part. I'd love to make great music with great melodies with a great message. At the end of the day I want God to be satisfied that I did exactly what He led me to do with what He gave me. If people like it too then that only heightens the blessing.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? I love 50's-60's doo-wop. I love 80's New Wave, like Tangerine Dream and Tears for Fears. I love Radiohead and early 90's Weezer. I love me music that has great melody and great feeling! I love John Frusciantes work. I love Christian 70's Jesus music, like Phil Keaggy, Keith Green and 2nd Chapter of Acts. I love Simon and Garfunkel and I love Aphex Twin! What a playlist!
What do you hold most dear? My wife Emma and my faith in Jesus.
What would be your greatest fears for the future? That the world would continue to be at war with each other and that people in political power would only use this as an opportunistic crutch for advancement. That people in 3rd world countries would continue to go to bed hungry and thirsty. That mankind would continue to try to fill their empty souls with materialism, greed, sin, bitterness and cynicism instead of Jesus.
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? A wayward apple. No honestly I fear tripping over wires. It's happened once!
What songs and what years were they released? ''Circle of Wolves'' was released in 2011 and was a glitchy industrial song and ''Prom Queen' was released in 2012 and is a fuzz-rock anthem. The official full length album will be released probably early next year and is called ''Lost Tapes''.
Have you been part of any other projects? Yes, I was in a well intentioned screamo band in 2005. All that I can say was that it was well intentioned.
Have you been in any other bands? No. But I thought about starting a jam band with my wife Emma once.
What do you work with outside of the band and the music? I like to work with animals. Some of them have been abused and some haven't, but it gives me great joy to be able to be loving and kind.
What would you do if there was no music? I would want to be a marathon walker. I'd walk all over the world.
How important are your fans? The true ones, very important. The fairweather ones, not as important. Community will always come and go. It's the few in the front row hanging on every word that are going to be there for your 40th album. Treat them right.
What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? My friends Cory and Corin lent me their late father's guitar and we used it on our single ''Prom Queen''. His memory was honored that way and to me it was a very precious thing.
How often do you rehearse? Every day, internally and externally. In my head, in the shower or in my studio space. Always thinking, always singing, always playing.
Where do you rehearse? In my studio space here in Yorkshire.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? ''Good Girls Go to Heaven'' and ''London Eyes''. 2 new songs from the upcoming album.
What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? A Place to Bury Strangers. Fantastic!
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? Some are in it for the wrong reasons. Those perks of fame, drugs, free women, suitcase and smelly van syndrome. Others are in it because they want to give the world something beautiful. I think its rare that anyone can have pure motives all of the time, but I think if you keep the music more important then the politics of the music scene, you'll come out unscathed.
Do you have any webpages? https://www.facebook.com/DistortionMirrors
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Find out what's ''cool'' and ''in'' at the moment and do the exact opposite.
Describe your show, visually and musically Lots of moving around, lots of energy, lots of beauty, some noise and a few bad jokes thrown in for ice breaking measure.
How do you view the musicindurty of today? Same as it ever was. Opportunistic, cheap, spiteful, cynical and a corporate/cultural AntiChrist. You do get a few good eggs though, but for the most important its about selling a product, not about whats best for the artist themselves. They will own your children and your children's children if you sell yourself away. Even in some Christian music circles, its become about hawking a product. Whenever art is mass commercialized there will always be problems. Whenever there are industry power players there will always be unrest and unfair capital gain and a disadvantage for the artist. If you do what you believe and stubbornly refuse to compromise those ideals, then you're better then 50% of those who have already sold their souls to the Man.
What advice would you like to give other bands? Find out what's ''cool'' and ''in'' at the moment and do the exact opposite. Also, discover The Beatles. If you can't write a song with a big melody, then practice until you can. Great melodies will last forever.
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? The glut of thousands of uninspired talent out there coasting on good looks and trendy popularity.
What is best/worst with playing the clubs? The condescending sound engineers. Especially ones with pony-tails named Steven.
Tell us about upcomming gigs and why we should be at them? We'll be playing Leeds as soon as we work out a touring schedule. So focused on finishing this record but will keep you posted! Stay tuned to our website for details.
How would you describe your sound in one sentence Big melodies from a big heart.
What is your favorite crappy instrument? My trusty crappy late 80's Casio keyboard with built in drum machine!
What was one of the most quarrelsome times for you in the band? The time I have to decide if we want ''cowbell'' or ''no cowbell'' in a song.
