By Tracy Meagher
Special thank you: Krista (Mike's girlfriend)
And of course a big thank you to Mike for taking time out of his very busy schedule to answer my questions!
1. Who came up with the idea for the album cover?
| -- I came up with the concept of the toys, but my girlfriend, Krista, did the entire layout and all the photography / artwork / designing for the album's insert booklet. The cover / backcover was shot in our driveway and the photo of me holding the "forty marshas" sign on the back of the booklet was taken in one of the bathrooms in our house, which Krista actually painted as well. I love the way she arranged the photo collages, came up with ideas for the images, even the text... She'd never done any sort of artistic design like this before, so it was a challenge, but I think it came out perfect. |  |
2.Who did the song writing?
The general overall concepts for all the songs and music were mine. But if you look at the song writing credits, there are several people listed for certain songs. The reason for this is if someone suggested something, no matter how small, that I hadn't thought of which ultimately changed the way the song sounded, I gave them a song writing credit. It was a collaborative effort and the credits reflect that. To me, that's only fair and the way that music should be.
3.What instruments besides the drums did Mike play?
-- Besides the drums, I played a number of random instruments on this album. Bass guitar, lots of percussion, keyboards. Too many to list... check out the credits.
4.Is this the first sound recording of Mike singing or a best kept secret?
-- It's pretty much the first time there has been a recording of me singing. At least, it's the first time on anything that's been released.
5.Are there any plans for any video exposure for the album?
-- No plans yet. Maybe...
6.How did you come up with the name 'forty marshas?'
-- Well, there are a few different versions of the story floating around, but only a handful of people really know the truth. And I'd like to keep it that way.
7.With so many different sounds on the album, it is sure to please just about everyone. Will we be seeing more albums?
Don't know yet. If this one does okay, I'm sure I'll plan on making another one. Of course, I'm really happy with the way it came out. It was an amazing experience making it. I felt really lucky having so many amazing musicians lend their time. I'd love to do another one someday. Hopefully sooner than later.
8.Tell us about the longest song on the record, 'Would You?'
-- This was inspired by John Zorn. He had a record called Naked City a while ago with all sorts of crazy stuff on it. So I think that's how I got the idea and inspiration to do this song.
9.With this being a side project, was there any pressure to get the first album out?
-- I don't think there was any pressure. I was just anxious to get it out. It always seems to take so long between recording and releasing a CD. So I'm glad it's now out. It only took eleven days total to have the entire album written, recorded, mixed, and mastered.
10.Are you getting the reaction you expected with the debut album release?
-- It just came out, so I haven't really heard many reactions yet. This record may surprise some people out there, but I hope everyone likes it. Or at the very least, I hope people can appreciate it for what it is: a noncommercial, experimental risk that, at its roots, is an interesting sounding record.
11.Will the 'forty marshas' be getting together to play live in the future?
-- Hmmmm. Again, no plans yet, but it's always a possibility...
Forty Marshas @ My Space Music
Bands page @ Beatville Records
The Forty Marshas debut album can be ordered online:
Barnes & Noble
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk.com
CD Universe
Allegro Music
eMusic
CD Connection