Remnants of Reason interview 8/2000
Let's go back to the beginning of the band's existence. How did all of this come about, more specifically, what factors came together to give birth to the MEATJACK experience? Maybe you could work in how you got the strange and disturbing moniker MEATJACK... (yeah, this is the ever present initial "history" question).
Brian-I started writing songs with my brother Jason in 1988 and we decided to start a band and make the live show a complete audio & visual assault. MEATJACK came out of the remnants of that band in 1993. There were various lineup changes. Our original drummer Mike came up with the band's name. J.R. (our current filmmaker/projectionist) joined on in December of 1998.
Jason-We were, and still are, into bands like Voivod, Butthole Surfers, King Crimson & Black Sabbath and basically dissonant music in general. Voivod & Butthole Surfers had a visual element that we liked.
Musically, on Trust and the Damad/Meatjack split, you wander some pretty extreme soundscapes, what influences you to create (destroy)? How much of the band's sound is influenced by your environment? What's the process for writing material. I ask because this is not your average riff-based model for songwriting!
Everything that has ever happened to us influences what we do. The music we like and life's experiences influence us. Baltimore is less than beautiful. The city is falling apart. I'm sure some of that creeps into the songs. Everyone in the band contributes to the song writing. Usually a song starts with a riff and it just builds from there. We'll spend a lot of time playing all of the parts in different ways and trying to trim the fat wherever possible. Lyrics and visuals usually come later as the song develops.
Trust was your first full length album, with some split 7" work done before, how has the sound changed (if at all) since the band's inception. Where do you see this leading to in the future? More/less speed, more discordance?
Our sound has become more focused, aggressive and dynamic. More attention is paid to song writing and tones. The new material on the 10" is the direction that we are going. More experimentation, more emphasis on atmosphere or mood. There's no conscious effort for speed or dissonance, whatever happens when we write happens.
What I hear sounds like it this would be just crushing live. I was actually surprised at the brevity of the full length. It's pretty easy to expand songs in this style into epics which can sometimes lose focus. Are songs drawn out more live, or do you stay pretty true to the recordings live? Would you say that your recordings are an accurate representation of the band? I'm only asking because a lot of bands feel that their energy created live will never translate into a recording, that you have to experience their set with all senses to truly appreciate things.
The CD is a very accurate representation of the musical part of the live show thanks to Jon Smulyan (engineering genius) at TVR. The live show is more of an overall sensory overload. It's short but intense. With the visuals and the music a lot of information is thrown at the audience in the space of a half an hour. Also, nothing ruins a show more than a band that plays too long. We are loud but we know when to shut up.
And then on that note (if you haven't answered it), what can one expect at a MEATJACK show? It's been hinted that there are strong visuals associated with the band.
The shows are high energy and very loud. The visuals are a combination of 16mm films and slides, some are found images and some are created specifically for the band/song. J.R. does a lot of layering of images using multiple projectors. Sometimes the visuals are sparse and minimal. Other times, a complete barrage of imagery. It varies, shifting with the mood of the songs.
I noticed on your site that you're advertising for a new drummer. What's the story there? How can be interested people get in touch with you? Is it that hard to find a drummer in the Baltimore area? What kind of person would be the perfect addition to MEATJACK?
Our last drummer decided to move on. There doesn't seem to be too many people locally who are into what we're doing and can make the commitment. What we're looking for is someone who is reliable, hard working, somewhat mentally stable, no excessive drug or alcohol problem, able to tour, has professional gear, and able to contribute creatively.
What is the scene in Baltimore like? Is extreme music received well? Are there many places to play live? I have some friends been relocating their band from here to Annapolis, what can they expect to find (as there is only a few places to play live here) in the local scene around there?
The Baltimore scene could be better but it's not bad. There's a small but dedicated audience for extreme music here, some good bands, and a few venues that support it. We don't know much about what's going on in Annapolis these days since we haven't played there in a while.
I also saw that John Waters is using a track of yours in his new movie. I know that he's a Baltimorean, how did you get hooked up with him?
We found out that John Waters was looking for heavy music for his new film Cecil B. Demented. We sent a CD to his music director and they decided to use the song "Upstart" (song # 9 on "Trust". It is not listed on the first pressing) for a scene in the film.
Have you noticed that there seem to be plane crashes, shootings and general mayhem this year? Do you think all this is due to coincidence, overpopulation, or just the media finding a larger audience in shock journalism? Or maybe we're all just going to hell in a handbasket? And as the world ends, what will MEATJACK be doing? What does the future hold for you?
Probably a lot of this is overpopulation, combined with the media and audience's need for sensationalism. If the world doesn't end by the time we're old we'll have to end it personally. As for the future, we'll continue writing and touring because that what we like to do.