Tilting on the hinges of a new album that may or may not be (but should be) the door to access into the mainstream, The Most Serene Republic has been a band to “look out for” for quite some time. But, once again, it’s hard to see such a great thing when there’s a gigantic wall seemingly separating the sound from it’s intended audience. I’ve always been a bit strange about interviews. For one thing, they often don’t offer a lot of insight into the band. And also, when have you ever read an interview from a new band that made you go: “Shit! I’ve got to hear that.” This interview does a bit of both, but nothing can justify these guy’s hard work like buying the album yourself. I promise you, it’s worth it.
How does it feel to have so many members in your band?
That’s like asking how does feel to have so many buffet items to choose from. How many family members in your house. It really all makes it more interesting and chaotic, with little time to choose and all the human you could ask for.
I see your name comes from a historic instance (the former name of the Venetian city-state that is now Italy). Do elements of reference and allusion ever come into your lyrics?
No.
Do you layer your voices in production or are they recorded live?
We layer our voices in production but with some group vocals, they are recorded live.
How does it work live? Either way, how does that come together during recording?
We sing it live if decided upon. We record and layer it in production also if decided.
When you write your lyrics does the layering come into heavy consideration?
The layering is more of the fun part, more spontaneous and on the spot. Sure, there is parts traded back and forth, but layering and everything else in the end, doesn’t have heavy consideration on the actual words being sung.
Do you ever feel futile when writing your lyrics? As though your emotions are drained?
I battle nihilism everyday and refuse to look at it. Oh goodness yes. I mean, who really cares what I have to poetically say. Sure they might like it, but just like an instant message, boom, the next minute they’re talking to mother and buying groceries. As much as I suffuse my words with meaning, it probably won’t be until I die that they make any sense to anyone else on a much more considerable level. Then again, what have we actually learned from art? That life is beautiful and diverse? That it actually is loaded with meaning. As far as I see it, these artists were delusional and today, the human race is still up to it’s old tricks of murder, rape, corruption, with not a lesson learned from the sweat of fantastic human beings who were sensitive, romantic
and austere.
Do you ever draw from classical aspects of music? Which composer?
Oh goodness yes. Igor Stravinsky, Shostakovitch, Debussy, Prokofiev, Beethoven, Mahler, Bizet.
No. Actually, I did I have a dream where I was schizophrenic. It was while we were recording up at Dave’s. The next day I wrote Bubble Reputation.
What place does music have in your heart? Including your own.
Both Music and Literature are the essences of my being. They are from the artist’s mind in direct or indirect correlation with everything that is unknown – everything that wiggles in front of us but wont give out a name. The mystery, the secret, the anti-reality and the illumination of illusion.
I personally do not. But the majority of us in the group write from their own experience and also from the background of musical theory training they have each received.
I can’t go ten seconds with out one thought being dedicated to it’s illusive directness.
What keeps you dedicated to your art?
Art is my religion and without it I would die.
Quitting is ending my entire existence. I refuse to quit. I refuse.
