MM - Introduce the band members to us and where do you call home?
Braindance consists of vora vor, responsible for production, programming,
arrangements, keyboards, and guitars, and myself, responsible for minced
onions, parsley, and braised shallots.
We have between three and five revolving members, human and otherwise,
responsible for percussion, basses, keyboards, voices, and a myriad of
other aural excitements that we'll be performing with live.
We're from New York, the city of hostility and bitterness.
MM - When was the band formed and how did
you all meet?
In the early 90's, I was finishing study in psychology at New York
University, and felt a tremendous hesitancy towards continuing my
education directly after college, with specific regards to engaging in
research at the Ph.D. level.
Having abandoned music altogether after a miserable year at the New
England Conservatory three years before, I decided to give music another
shot and began to search for musicians through classified ads in several
local music papers.
I received hundreds of tapes over the course of a year, but the only ad I
responded to was vora's search for a singer.
The bio is correct in stating that we were 'originally conceived as a
studio project" - our sessions mainly consisted of writing material,
developing lyrical concepts, and committing them to tape, some of which
would appear on 1994's Shadows EP.
Ultimately, It was the image of tiny gnomes embedded in sweet basil mashed
potatoes that inspired me to seek out progressive darkwave…
MM - Your music has been described as many
things including Progressive Goth. How would you describe your music and
who do you think it would most appeal to?
When we first started braindance, we never really knew what it was that we
were doing in the sense of categorization - we simply produced tasty
nuggets intended to please ourselves and the temperamental amphibians we
surround ourselves with.
When vora and I first met, I hadn't even listened to contemporary music
for four or five years, and didn't exactly know what genre I would have
liked to have been associated with.
It was only after receiving press and response from both the goth/industrial/darkwave
community and the progressive community, that we came to be familiar with
terms such as gothic, darkwave, ambient, industrial, progressive, death,
black, doom metal, etc.
In fact, i'm still not clear (and have yet to receive a satisfactory
explanation) on what those terms and their respective boundaries are.
Perhaps if I had been clear on those terms and how they are supposed to be
communicated musically, we'd be doing something completely different than
braindance, something completely identifiable (and non-threatening by
industry standards), and probably making more money doing it.
To answer your question, our music would most likely appeal to anyone
devoid of any musical taste or discretion.
MM - Where does the name Braindance come
from?
It is derived from cryptic ancient Mayan slang, translated loosely as 'one
who enjoys spicy jalapeno blintzes whilst urinating'.
MM - What instruments/equipment does the
band use?
I like the Q-Tip, whereas Vora chooses the loofa every time.
MM - What bands/artists
have inspired you the most over the years?
On the whole, and not surprisingly, I'm a fan of all of the sub-genres
that make up Braindance - goth, industrial, progressive metal, darkwave,
classical, progressive trance, and sauerkraut - generally, anything with
dense programming, multi-layered composition, distinct melody and/or of a
darker nature.
Currently I'm listening to a lot of house, progressive trance, and techno,
but my tastes have changed over the years, listening to classical,
industrial, progressive metal, ambient trance, black metal, and cheese
rock…
MM - What one possession could you not live without right now?
Boxer briefs.
MM - What was the last album you bought?
The soundtrack to Conan the Barbarian - fucking fantastic…
MM - What do you feel has been the bands
biggest accomplishment so far?
Staying together whilst being ignored by the industry at large…
MM - Who writes the songs that you
perform? Is it a solo effort or more of a band thing?
Vora usually comes to me with the framework of a song. At that
point, the two of us make efforts to clarify the integral structure and
develop the essential direction of the song.
Vora is generally responsible for arrangement, and my main concern as a
songwriter in this project is with vocal melody, lyrics, and song
structure.
Basically, I'm a simpleton - I write according to what sounds nifty.
Personally, I don't give a fuck how complex an arrangement is or how
technically gifted a band is if there is an absence of memorable melody -
a good song is a good song, whatever the format.
MM -The band have just released their
new album 'Redemption', tell us a bit about it and from where can it be
obtained?
I'd be holding back if I didn't say that this is the album I've always
wanted to make.
We've taken all of the successful elements from fear itself and heightened
it significantly - the song writing is superior, the production is
superior, the sound scape is broader, and the performances, arrangements,
and overall direction have grown considerably.
It's been quite awhile since the release of fear itself, and naturally,
the pain that we've accumulated since then is represented on redemption -
hostility and bitterness have not only granted us limitless suffering,
they have contributed to an album I'm sincerely proud of.
Aside from a very talented group of artists, designers, street teams, and
fans who help us survive as a self-produced entity, vora and I are
completely responsible for production, promotion, publicity, bookings,
management, financial considerations and distribution.
We've had limited dealings with limited companies with limited integrity
and limited dealings with limited companies with limited funds, but
nothing substantial.
From the start, we felt we owed to ourselves to become recording artists -
fortunately, quite a few misguided people out there in candyland felt like
spending their hard earned ducats on Braindance merchandise over the
years, and i think we've been extremely fortunate to have independently
received an overwhelmingly positive response worldwide.
Aside from various independent distributors and online distributors, Fear
itself and Shadows have been, for the most part, distributed through
progressive darkwave recordings directly, either through mail order or at
Braindance shows.
MM - Which Braindance track is your
particular favourite and why?
It changes from day to day, although at this point, I've listened to it so
often that most of it sounds like the Macarena.
MM - Have any of the any of the band
members featured in any other bands before Braindance?
Vora and I both were in the original lineup of KISS, she being the sand
beetle, and me, the raisinet.
MM - If one of your songs could feature
on any cult program/film, which song would you choose and where would you
like it to feature?
Dune, Dark City, or Saved by the Bell, the early years…
MM - Do you have any plans for a tour and is there a possibility of
including some European dates?
Until braindance is affiliated with a label that has enough money for tour
support, we're stuck performing to the disgruntled children of the greater
New York area.
MM - When you die would you like to be buried or cremated? What final
words/phrase would you like used for your epitaph?
I'd like to first be marinated in a tangy, yet viscous broth, then
simmered over a low flame in a skillet for 40 minutes.
For an epitaph, I can't decide between "through the eyes of misery,
everything looks grim", or "regular flossing and brushing are essential
ingredients for successful oral hygiene"….you choose…
MM - What song would you choose as the
soundtrack to your life?
Redemption.
MM - Tell us one thing about yourself
that not many people know.
I'm really, really cool.
MM - Have you ever dabbled with the
unknown?
Every fucking day.
MM - Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to all your fans out
there?
Yes.
