When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
It’s funny you mention Simon & Garfunkel, they’re literally my favorite group ever, no joke.
I’d say my biggest musical epiphany was going to my first hardcore show in Boston when I was 13. There were absolutely no rules. No line between the band and the crowd. Just loud music and incredible violence. It was the scariest thing I’d ever seen. It took whatever idea I had of music and beat it with a padlock. It introduced the DIY ethic that I still live by over 20 years later. It was diverse and it was dangerous. Everything I’ve done since has somehow been the result of that one night.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
It all starts with a riff. Usually Marco or myself will come up with something and then just go from there. However, Chris wrote “Mass At Dungeon Rock” while we were all stuck in quarantine with a very loose idea from Marco. I just added the lyrics. I didn’t write any of the music for that track and it’s honestly one of my favorite songs.
Who has influenced you the most?
Punk rock.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
Man, I just look around at all our brothers and sisters doin’ the damn thing. There are tons of killer bands out there absolutely crushing it. It’s hard not to be inspired with all this creativity around us. We’re very fortunate to know so many talented people.
We all grew up around Salem, Ma. Sure it’s got that spooky history to it, and I’m a huge history nerd. However that stuff never really made a huge difference to me. Most of my teenage years were spent going to shows at the Salem Elks, Sputnik’s, Gloucester Art Space etc.. We were fortunate to grow up in a place that catered to underground music and the counterculture.
Where'd the band name come from?
I often refer to Mother Iron Horse as just “The Mother”. It started as a simple group of words. Nothing too special at first. Then over time she formed her own backstory. She graduated from mere words to a full on character. She rides constantly through the underworld on a chopper fueled by the souls of the damned. You can here her full story in our song “The Curse”. It’s been a trip to see her character progress. I’m interested to see what form she’ll take next.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
Anything that Ben Wheatley or Robert Eggers would have us on. I’ve done some small movie score stuff and truly hope to do more in the future.
I love The Wicker Man (1973) soundtrack so much, maybe I could try my hand at covering that with our own sort of twist. It’d be sacrilege though haha!
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
Echoes - Pink Floyd. One of the best songs ever recorded, in my opinion.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
Having to untangle Marcos hair on set before filming on a TV show.
Or being dragged on stage at Strange Days from my tent after a very long night of sex, drugs and utter mayhem. It was like 100 degrees and I was delirious. I had to introduce ourselves and all I could say was “We’re Mother Iron Horse from Salem. You’re welcome.” That show was incredible.
Playing live is sacred to us. It has to be cathartic. For both us and the crowd. From the second we count in to the last note played, It’s all pure energy. We don’t stop moving at all. We feed off the crowd and they feed off us. The room becomes something totally different. It’s now one organism.
What makes a great song?
The deliverance. Forget about song structure or what technique is used. That’s all bullshit. It all boils down to how it’s delivered. If you can force me to feel something or force me to move with how you play the song, then it’s already great in its own right. It could be 30 seconds or 30 minutes. It doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is how the artist presents it.
What one single album do you wish that you'd written or performed on, and why?
Tough question! I have so many favorite albums. So many different genres. I feel like anything I were to do on any of those would only ruin what they are! However, for the sake of an answer. I could do back up vocals on “In the Court of the Crimson King”!
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
I’m proud of everything MIH has done. For better or worse, it reflects where we were as people when recording. Even though it’s the softest instrumental track we’ve done so far, I’d choose “L’Inferno” for our album “The Lesser Key”. It really captures the mood of the dreary winter day it was recorded on.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Oh man! So many killer bands out there right now writing absolute magic. Of course our brothers in Leather Lung, Holy Death Trio, High Reeper and R.I.P.. For groups outside of our genre, I absolutely HAVE to mention our friends in Harborlights, Knock Over City and Crone Visions.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Vinyl is the only answer. To quote Brooks from The Shawshank Redemption, “The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry”. There’s nothing like actually sitting down to put your full attention into listening to a record. Holding that piece of art in your hands as the speakers take you to a completely different place. Vinyl is ceremonial, whereas digital is just something on the go.
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice
Beer. If I’m with my friends and we get into a session, I can drink 5-10 beers and end the night happy. If I were to have 5-10 Whiskeys, I’d end the night in much uglier fashion. More than likely in a jail cell!
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
Residency Records in Salem, Ma! Great owner, great selection AND they’ve carried our albums since day one. If you ever find yourself in Salem, do yourself a favor and stop by!
Well, in normal times, a band would tour for a year or so on their new material. I feel like that’s a huge part of releasing an album. Getting out there and shoving it in peoples faces. Unfortunately, the current state of the world is making that extremely difficult to do. So I believe we will continue writing for now. Further pushing our sound and ourselves as musicians. However, once we’re able to, we’re getting in the van and covering as many miles as we possibly can. We have so many friends all over the country and the world! We owe a lot of people a beer and are hellbent on delivering on that!
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
We are humbled to be part of the Ripple family. So many amazing musicians in one family tree. Thank you to Todd and Blasko for having us! This is only the beginning. We intend to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to us. Though the world is a mess right now, it can’t stay this way forever. We will see all of you very soon!
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