| There's
few bands that actually make us sit up and take note from the very first
listen or show, however Moth Circus are one of those bands that really
grab you by the throat and shake the living daylights out of you.
Tipping them as an up-and-coming band to watch out for, we catch up with
founding member and guitarist Alien Ken to find out more ...
MM - Tell us about
the history of the band. More specifically, when was the band formed,
how did you meet, any crucial events that have taken you where you are
today?
Alien Ken: The band was formed in 2008....At least that’s when
it became serious. Me, Johnny and Glenn meet in a former band called
Snake Dridlinda, but that really wasn't our thing so we decided to start
a rock band on own terms. We tried out several bass players before
Glenn's old pal Tommy became our permanent bass player. And yes.....We
actually auditioned “Bob” from Twin Peaks.
MM - Was there ever a
time when you wondered if your band would remain just a local outfit and
never make it in the industry?
Alien Ken: When the band
started our main goal was to become a great local band. But when we
recorded our first demo we quickly realized that the band had a lot more
potential. I want to reach out and influence people. I don’t really
care about “making it” in terms of the industry.
MM - What brought you on
the path to becoming a musician? Did you ever consider or take any other
paths through life besides music?
Alien Ken: I think it
was the first time I heard the album “Pass ikkje inn” by Norwegian
rock band Ingenting... When I think about it I bought it on cassette,
and I remember my mother quickly took it from me because the lyrics were
way too offensive for her....haha....good times (: But that
instant, I knew I wanted to rock like them. They're a great band and
after over 20 years they're still going strong. Check em out!
And for the second part
of your question, no, I don’t think so. Music comes really natural to
me and it has always been an escape route when things get too tough.
I
love to write poetry and take photo's as well, so if I HAD to choose
another direction I know it would have had to be something artistic and creative.
MM - The
name Moth Circus, where does that come from and what does it represent
to you?
Alien Ken:
The band name is inspired by the legend of “Mothman” in Point
Pleasant. We added the
“circus” part because playing in this band is pretty much like being
in a mad circus.... And that is mostly my fault, I admit that!
I
remember when we discussed band names, and Glenn wanted to call the band
“Hooligans Parade” ... Ohhhh, maaaaannnn...... SO happy that one
didn't
get thru (:
MM
- The band are signed
to Rocksector Records, how did a Norwegian band come to hook up with a
UK record label?
Alien Ken: We were just
sending out our first demo to whatever record label we could find, and
Rocksector Records liked what they heard. Simple as that!
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MM - The bands debut
album ‘Sideshow Sweetheart’ is out right now, how has it been
received by both rock fans and the media in general?
Alien Ken: It has gotten
nothing but good reviews all over the world, and I'm really humble about
that. And it has been very well received from all kinds of music fans, no
matter what age or whatever genre they usually listen to, so I think it is a
very diverse album where hopefully anybody can find something they like.
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MM - Tell us about the
songs that feature on the album and why do you think people buy it?
Alien Ken: There are a
total of 14 songs on the record. 12 brand new, a re-recorded version of
'Carousel' and a re-mastered edition of 'Death Living'. Both
originally found on our first demo. I don’t want to get into
describing every track, but I can assure you that they have all been
approved by EBE.
Hopefully people buy the
album because it rocks, and not because they think it makes a fine beer
coaster J
MM - What was the
thinking behind the album, did you have a vision of how you wanted it to
be?
Alien Ken: I knew from
the start that I wanted the album to have no boundaries, and I think we
achieved that pretty well. And I did not want it to be a straight
forward rock album as I think someone might expect. I wanted it to have
enough depth for the listener to drown in .... 'Sideshow Sweetheart'
was recorded in our own “Red Room Studios”, which meant we had enough
time to focus on every detail, and hopefully the listener will notice
that.
MM -
How does the song
writing process work within the band, is it more a solo or a group
effort?
Alien Ken:
I write all
the songs, and Johnny and I work out the lyrics together. I usually
record demos at my home studio and hand it over to the other guys for
comments. I think that works really well, and luckily the other guys
usually like my songs. Then we record a quick demo and Johnny and I
bring whatever lyrical ideas we have and sew them together into a big
fascist eating monster.
MM - How important do
you rate the lyrical side of your albums?
Alien Ken: VERY
important. We spend lots of time with the lyrics to make them feel
right. We write them a bit cryptic and then people can decode them as
they like. That's just the way we like art .... And sometimes we actually
feel forced to write the lyrics a bit cryptic, or else we would have a
giant lynch mob following us the entire time!
(:
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MM - I’ve noticed
there appears to be a bit of a UFO/Alien theme going on with some of
bands material, is there more to Alien Ken than meets the eye?
Alien Ken: The truth is
out there....... Keep watching the skies!
MM - The band recently
toured the UK and also appeared at the S.O.S. Festival, how did that go?
Tell us about some of the highs and lows of touring.
Alien Ken: The SOS
festival was fun and the show got great reviews. The highs of this tour
were meeting lots of great UK people and hanging out with them. I would
also like to say that we toured with the coolest guys ever in “Sworn To
Oath”. Hopefully we will tour with them again in the near future.
One of the other absolute highs for me personally was to visit my first
ever crop circle.
The lows......... It is
always a bummer when you have drive for so many hours, set up you gear for a couple
of hours, wait for a couple of more hours and then 2 people shows up at
your gig. But that’s what it’s like sometimes ...
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MM - Do you have any
idols that have inspired you to go down this musical route? If yes, who?
Alien Ken: Yes, Mary
Kate Olsen, Tanya Hansen, Jesus, Buckethead, David Lynch and Kurt Cobain
are the people who have inspired me the most in very different ways.
I
try to collect ideas from everything and everyone and try not to get tied up
in a particular genre or style. I would also like to mention my
grandfather as a huge inspiration. If I ever grow up to be half the man
he is, I would be forever grateful.
MM -
Are the band working
on the second album yet and if so, what can we expect as regards to musical
style?
Alien Ken: Yes, I have
written 7-8 new songs that the rest of the band are currently learning as we speak.
I have given the follow up album the working title 'Grey Goo'. There
will not be any major changes in the musical style or lyric wise, but I
think it will be a natural development from 'Sideshow Sweetheart'.
Some working titles for the new songs are 'Glitter Rambo', 'Two
Bad' and 'Riley Carlson'.
MM - Do you have a life
philosophy and if so what is it?
Alien Ken: I usually use
these kind of questions to tell people to stay clear of drugs. I have
seen way too many great talents rot away with a needle in their arm.
Stay clean and stay focused and you will see that there are no
boundaries.
MM - Where do Moth
Circus go from here?
Alien Ken: We will do a
short Norwegian tour in November and we're also planning a tour of Sweden
next year. We will keep promoting the 'Sideshow Sweetheart' album as
best we can, and hopefully we'll record a great new album next year.
I
also hope we can gather some cash to make a new music video as I have
lots of great ideas for a new one.
MM - Finally any words
for not just our readers but all the fans of the band and the world in general?
Alien Ken: Thanks a lot
for your support, and I hope I can meet you all someday. Don’t forget
to visit www.mothcircus.com for
links to youtube, myspace, spotify, facebook etc. And a message for the
world???....hmmmm.......”It can’t rain all the time”. Take care of
one another...
MM
- We'd like to thank Alien Ken for taking the time out to chat with us
today. Be sure to check out their website and those
all important songs and videos. Live these guys absolutely rip up a
storm. Their album 'Sideshow Sweetheart' has hardly left the player
since it landed in our office so be sure to check that out as well.
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