DEAR MARTYR

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARREN RICH
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/dearmartyr1
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Rock / Metal / Experimental

IN JANUARY YOU GUYS POSTED A PRE ALBUM SINGLE TITLED “SHE STAINED” ONLINE. TELL US MORE ABOUT THE SONG AND WOULD YOU SAY THAT IT IS A GOOD INDICATION OF WHAT DIRECTION YOU ARE TAKING MUSICALLY?

The song was recorded as a pre-album pre-production studio single which was intended to just give the listeners a taste of things to come. The album version is going to be slightly different since during the recording we were somewhat rushed and were unable to quite realise what we wanted the song to be. The song will be remastered, more vocals added and structured slightly differently to improve the overall flow.

We felt that the song itself should be more important than individual instruments, and as a result of this much of the material for the album was restructured and rethought out. Time is also not a major factor influencing production, which is amazing for us since its always been a huge problem with studio work

HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE THE MATERIAL OF THE “EARLIER DEAR MARTYR” TO THE MATERIAL YOU ARE WRITING NOW?

With the writing of our earlier material we were more concerned with gaining acceptance, especially with the risks of trying to bring electronics and punk into our music. As a result our early music was relatively safe from a metal perspective.

But we gradually saw that people were more open minded than we believed, and really supported the experiments we tried now and then, so our confidence has increased enough to actually try things out, such as using delay effects and fully electronic songs.

HOW FAR IS THE RECORDING PROCESS OF THE ALBUM?

We are currently about half way with the album and are really excited about releasing the final product. We have put about two years of song writing into one album.

YOU HAVE RELEASED A SEVEN TRACK DEMO THAT WAS RECORDED INDEPENDENTLY BY THE BAND OUTSIDE OF A STUDIO A WHILE BACK. ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO RE RECORD SOME OF THOSE SONGS FOR THE ALBUM?

Yes we will be re recording some of those songs. Some of the songs have been reworked and refined, we are confident people will enjoy what we have done with them. We have placed a lot of importance on making sure the right emotion and message is conveyed to the listeners.

YOU GUYS USED ALLOT OF SAMPLES IN THE SONG “SHE STAINED”. HOW DID THE BAND BECOME INTERESTED IN USING ELECTRONIC SAMPLES AND HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE ELECTRONIC PARTS WITH THE GUITAR PARTS IN YOUR SONGS?

Honestly, the idea came from AFI, it was part of the original concept for the band. It was from this starting point that we started learning about the various genres of electro, the technology associated with them and song writing techniques some of these guys use.

Once we understood these genres, which are so easily dismissed, we were better able to distinguish between what we liked and what we didn't, and what could work with our songs.

DO YOU MAKE USE OF PRE RECORDED SAMPLES OR DO YOU PLAY THEM WHILE PERFORMING LIVE AND DO YOU USE THE SAME GEAR FOR YOUR LIVE PERFORMANCES AND RECORDING?

Everything you hear on the album we do perform live. We make use of a spds sample pad with samples that have been created and programmed on a pc. It is a dream to one day be able to perform the electronics with actual synthesizers and real time effects, but financial constraints keep us sampling from our PCs..

IN THE BAND’S BIOGRAPHY YOU SAY: “THE FUTURE OF THE BAND AND ITS MEMBERS IS FIXED ON FURTHER EXPANSION AND MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT…” IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU “TAKEN THE BULL BY THE HORNS” AND DONE THAT?

Haha, perhaps we could be doing much more, but work and university are always killers. Some of our free time is spent working on the live show, some of it on internet marketing and the majority right now is on recording.

We feel that doing a full album with the best production we can get in PE, with a great producer, is the best possible thing we could do now to get our music out there. It’s taking a while, but we really want the opportunity to have a CD that sounds exactly how we want it to.

WHAT SUBJECT IS THE “MAIN DRIVE” BEHIND YOUR LYRICS AND ARE MOST OF YOUR SONGS BORN OUT OF MUSICAL OR LYRICAL IDEAS?

I would say the songs are born first out of a musical idea. Lots of our lyrical influence comes from life experiences and how we feel about the times we live in. We like adding a sense of urgency and hope to our songs. We touch on relationships, politics and the belief systems we have shaped over the years.

YOU GUYS HAVE PLAYED LIVE CONSISTENTLY FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS. CAN A BAND PERFORM TOO MUCH OR IS IT A CASE OF THE MORE PEOPLE THAT SEE YOU THE BETTER?

A band can definitely perform too much in PE. The people at shows are extremely loyal, but we'd hate to try test that loyalty with playing the same venues week after week, offering nothing new. However, playing different towns and venues we feel is critical to success. Its all good having a song on radio or TV, but you need to know the people listening, and try to know who they are.

WHAT ARE THE STRONGEST ASPECTS OF YOUR LIVE SHOW IN YOUR OPINION?

I think the way the guys prepare and practice they're music, so that the only thing that could let us down is sound. It’s really a great thing, having confidence in your band members and knowing if a string or amp breaks, the show will go on.

ANY SHOWS THAT STAND OUT IN YOUR MEMORY FOR ANY PARTICULAR REASON?

Going to Cape Town last year was amazing, and basically any out of town show is always an experience for us. At home we have had some amazing shows, especially lately, and every time it’s thanks to the crowd.

ARE YOU GUYS HAPPY WITH THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT YOU AND OTHER BANDS ARE GETTING FROM PEOPLE IN THE PORT ELIZABETH AREA AND WHAT DO YOU THINK CAN BE DONE TO MAKE THE SCENE EVEN BIGGER?

Definitely, the scene here is growing, people are becoming more and more loyal, shows are more and more successful, and the bands just get better and better. I think only time will get it better, but everyone’s on the right track.

ANY LAST COMMENTS / ADVICE OR PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO THANK?

We would just like to thank anyone that’s taken the time to visit one of our sites and given the demo a listen. And special thanks to anyone that’s listened twice haha. But especially to everyone in PE that’s come out to a show, to Cassie and Brian, two guys that have really believed in us and who are in the process of helping us get as far as we can in the SA music industry.