Electronic hard rockers 9ELECTRIC have played countless showcases and touring relentlessly while in between these occurences they have taken time to write and record material that would lead to this..... Their upcoming album "Control" has special guests, killer riffs, drum tones, and vocal chords, and the band themselves got together to discuss this release and the future of the band.
1. Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in 9 Electric, and how long the band has been together.
Micah: I’m Micah Electric (yes, it’s my legal name.) I play drums, program the electronics and produce our recordings.
2. Can I get a backstory on the band/ band biography?
Mikey: The back stories been told so many times now that I'm just going to give you our bio... 9ELECTRIC color their hard rock with cutting edge electronic influences, blending arena power with digital mayhem for a sonic assault that pulses neon and exudes energy. The Hollywood quartet unveiled their sound at the Roxy Theatre in 2011, and have since become one of the Sunset Strip’s biggest draws with their manic, high-energy performances accompanied by rave-like lighting and synchronized video projections, that turn the band’s adrenalized concerts into mind-blowing experiences. It’s a dance party that rocks! 9ELECTRIC have criss-crossed the country with an array of acts, earning them legions of fans that spread their message like post-modern musical gospel. The band’s video for “Feel This” has been viewed more than 600,000 times, and that is just the start….This time, the revolution will be a party!
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Mikey: The band is based out of Hollywood, Ca. There are lots of great bands coming out the revived Hollywood rock scene. I'll rattle of a few of our friends...Butcher Babies, Gemini Syndrome, Davey Suicide, The Dreaming, Thrown Into Exile, Before The Mourning among others.
4. How did you guys come up with your band name?
Mikey: Based on our sound we wanted to use the word Electric form the get go. Originally we toyed with different words in front of it and one day it just occurred to me to put my favorite number in front, which is 9. 9 is the highest single digit as well as the only number shaped like another number (6) giving it a universal vibe. Kind of like 9 is the other part of everything and in our case the other part is Electric.
Micah: I had list of names and NINE was one of them and ELECTRIC was another. Mike suggested we put them together and change the NINE to the number 9. It took on the association of a cat having 9 lives and we related to ourselves starting yet another one of our lives by starting this new band.
5. What bands have influenced your band and its sound?
Micah: When putting this band together and starting to write new songs for it, Mike and I made an effort to create a sound that was ahead of it’s time in combining aggressive rock with electronics in a new way. We combined elements of Rammstein, NIN, Manson, Zombie with electronic influences of artists like The Prodigy, Pendulum, Infected Mushroom and Skrillex.
Mikey: As far as 9E music is concerned I am influenced by Rage Against The Machine and Prodigy
6. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?
Micah: This band has lyrics that are fun and/or sexy like Crank It Up, Filthy, Control, darker/deeper lyrics like Feel This, Goodbye, I Die, Take and social commentary lyrics like More More, Destroy As You Go…we cover the gamut, which I think is good. The album takes you on a ride through many moods and ideas in order to form a body of work that to me represents individualism, truth, pain, sexuality, justice and self preservation. All of which are used to control elements of our lives and of those around us…..hence, CONTROL.
7. Was your songwriting and recording process any different than usual for this CD?
Micah: We wrote a bit more “in the studio” than jamming as a band with some of the new songs. Meaning, some of them we never even played as full band until after they were recorded. We’d go into our studio two or three at a time and work on a riff or sections of a song and lay down a basic template for the song with drums, bass and guitar. Then as the programming and editing of the song gave it new shape and structure we each would re-record our parts individually so they’d fit the best way possible with the new structure and programming that had been done. Pro Tools really became as much an instrument as anything else in terms of editing, creating sounds and parts and overall shaping the songs.
8. Do you guys have any new music videos in the works?
Micah: Yes. My goal is to have at least two new songs to add to what we currently have recorded, by the time we release our album. We have one that already has a verse and chorus and another that’s a pretty raw idea, already in development.
9. This release features two guests Heidi Shepherd and Wayne Static why did you want them to be a part of this release and how did this all happen?
Mikey: We wanted them to be a part of it because they both kick ass and having one man and one woman guest pretty much covers all the gender qualifications! Both are friends of ours and both were excited to help out. I think they both kick ass on their respective tracks and each give the songs an extra cool personality to them. And that makes it all the more fun for the listeners to rock out to!
10. Is there any story or concept behind the Control title?Mikey: Mainly just that music, media and all things social are at ones disposal and can Control your mind if you allow them to do so. Sometimes that's good and sometimes it's very bad. Depends on who you are and what you want out of life. if our music happens to Control you we want it to be for the better.
11. Who produced Control and what was it like working with them?
Micah: I produced the majority of the songs. Mikey Doling (Snot, Channel Zero) produced the recording of Feel This, Destroy As You Go and Attack Robot and Logan Mader Produced the recording of Time Bomb. I have a Pro Tools set up at our rehearsal studio and I recorded us there and did all the programming and editing there. We had Damien Rainaud (Darth Mader Productions) mix and master the songs….he did and AMAZING job! I’m super picky about sound and we worked really well together to get this big, punchy, clear, powerful sound with lots of energy to it. I compare it to everything I think sounds killer and so far I haven’t been disappointed!
12. Who did the cover art for Control and how much input did you have on it?
Micah: We worked with a guy named Casey Quintal, at the recommendation of Heidi from Butcher Babies. We talked about the general vibe we were going for a few times and he came up with this killer image that we all fell in love with. We tweaked a few things about it but it’s mostly the way he originally created it. He’s pretty amazing at what he does!
13. Select two songs from Control and what inspired the lyrics.
Micah: I will talk about Goodbye. That song was inspired by my break up with my ex-girlfriend. It was a pretty bad time with a lot of blame and hurting of one another going on and the thought occurred to me that if I killed her, perhaps the pain would stop….at least the madness would stop. So I wrote a song about that instead of actually doing it. All of what I was feeling at the time was poured into the verses, they are very real. The choruses and bridge focused more on the fantasy of killing her and thereby ending the pain I was in at the time….or so went my logic, in that moment.
14. When did you start writing for this album?
Mikey: The day we became a band, which was Mid 2010. We played our first show Feb. 11, 2011. A few of the songs from the start are on the album and a few from the middle of the journey and 5 or 6 are brand spanking new!
15. Are you using any new instrumentation you've never used in the recording process before?
Micah: New electronic instruments, yes. As I hear about new virtual synths, I get them and experiment with them trying to see where they might fit into the 9E sound. Also, as artists put out new music that inspired me (esp electronic music) I often take some of what they are doing and create my own version of it for our music.
16. Did the band have any definitive goals they were shooting for before the recording process began for this album?
Micah: To create aggressive yet accessible music that makes people want to move and is memorable and resonates with as many people as possible.
17. How would you describe the overall sound of the new album?
Micah: Loud, aggressive, melodic, full, punchy, clear and hopefully….timeless.
Mikey: A girl that saw us live recently said, "9E is Fuckstacular" so I'm going to go with that....Fuckstacular! :)
18. What plans do you have for the near future as a band?
Micah: To write two new songs, to record a cover version of Shoot To Thrill (as per an Indiegogo donor), to tour! We miss the road and really want to get back out and tour the country again, especially with the new album to sell!19. What is it you'd like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Mikey: To feel excited, empowered and that anything is possible in this world! Also, to want to get up break through a wall all while being able to sing along to catchy memorable songs that kick ass!
20. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Mikey: You can hear Destroy As You Go feat. Wayne Static - Feel This - Filthy all from the forthcoming record CONTROL on the following sites:
www.9electric.com
Facebook.com/9ElectricFB
soundcloud.com/9electric-1
Destroy As You Go is available on iTunes as a single.
Under Attack the first single from the album will be available in Nov on iTunes.
21. Any final words of wisdom?
Mikey: Good is the enemy of GREAT.
Post a Comment