MORGION
Here is a great band out of California that plays a brutal style of Doom and Death.I was able to get in touch with drummer Rhett and guitarist Gary on the goings on with the band and such.....um...I hate doing intros and shit...so here is the interview.
VOT - Let’s start this off with that Bobby
and Ed left the band and Gary came in to the band. How did that come about,
why did Ed and Bobby leave?
Rhett - Ed was the first departure. Ed
left us quit a long time ago, not too long after we did the recording,
probably seven months. Ed is basically a hippy, he’s the reincarnation
of Ray Manzuric, it was funny jamming with him and he’s a cool dude. He
didn’t get along with us in certain aspects, he had his own thing that
he wanted to do, and another thing was that we liked to party. I’m not
going to lie, we drink, smoke pot, we like to hang out all the time. Ed
really didn’t accept our life style, it’s not what he wanted to do. Bob
would rather much play video games rather then be in MORGION. He’s a video
game junky. He just got out of it, I think it had to do with that we were
in such a stagnant period for the last year and a half. I have to admit
that I’m happy with the line up we have now, Gary is a great guitar player
and a good keyboard player too. we’re pretty content right now, we really
need a keyboard player though since Gary would much rather play guitar.
VOT - Were you going to get another keyboard
player or was Gary just going to fill in?
Rhett - Well, right now, playing live,
it’s worked out. We’re gonna try out this guy, we don’t even know if he’s
going to work out or what.
VOT - Let’s get to “Majestic Ruin”, now
that was recorded a while back and you are working on a new release. Tell
us a bit about this project.
Rhett - Well, the new release we have five
songs. Well, actually we have enough material to match Majestic Ruin. We
would like to do more songs, we don’t really know whayt to do. We’re an
impreove band, we walk into the studio and we make up our music while we
go. It really isn’t planned. It takes us a lot longet to write material,
but at the same time it kind of bleeds out all the bullshit music a band
can create and be completely unsatisfied witrh what they wrote. That aspect
makes us a stronger band, it even makes us love our music a lot more. We’re
hoping we will be in the studio by the time Summer comes around. We’ll
see.
VOT - On that album, Majestic Ruin”, how
do you feel about the over all recording an d all?
Rhett - First off, that is not our guitar
sound, it never was our guitar sound. Well, not to be negative, I think
its a good recording, it sounds good, the graphics on the CD are good,
the over all feel of the album is good. They’re pretty old songs, like
one of the songs we wrote in ‘92. Over all it’s a nice thing to own, nice
thing to see and appreciate. All I have yto say is if this is the only
MORGION material you’ve heard, our newer material will blow it away. Not
saying this shit sucks, it’s just that tht wasn’t our guitar sound, this
isn’t our sound. Anybody who knows us and has seen us they would say the
same thing.
VOT - Let’s get to the lyrics, I know you
and Jeremy write the majority of the lyrics on Among Majestic Ruin. What
ideas do you get in writing, is there a basic concept behind them or....
Rhett - Well, I really like conceptial
writing, I like poetry a lot, I like a lot of the old classic writers.
If we’re going to get into classic writings, I like the Bible a lot, not
by what it says, I like the play of words. We’re an emotional band, not
just musically but lyrically, every topic that we touch on is very emotional.
To sum it up, I write what I feel, I’m a very angry, very oissed off person,
I have a lot of shit I wanna say. Jeremy and me basically have the same
oppinion on our lyrics, we want our music and our lyrics to show exactly
how we feel. Our newer lyrics we’re exscaping in a lot more directions,
we’re going into a lot more topics. I really love the classic story being
told, like in KING DIAMOND and in IRON MAIDEN, our newer lyrics will reflect
that.
VOT - So do you like to read?
Rhett - Yeah, I would say me and Gary do
a lot out of everybody. Dwain doesn’t at all. Jeremy does on occasions.
I have to admit I hate TV but I like movies, I have a very large movie
collection as well as a large book collection. I’d say that that takes
up a good portion of my life right there. VOT - What type of books are
you into, that’s on thing that I love to do? Dante, H.P. Lovecraft, I like
Micheal Morcock. Ever sinse I was a little kid I had a big, big love with
role playing games. I mean with the writings, a lot of the authors that
have done really cool stuff. Actually that’s where our name came from,
I was very much into the Dragon Lance novels. Outside of that I’m into
Anne Rice a lot. I really love her stuff.
VOT - Yeah, I’m reading Queen of the Damn right now. I really like Poppy Z. Brite’s books also. ....told me to hold on while he took a piss and Gary happened to pick up the phone to see what was up.
VOT - so how’s it going?
Gary - Alright, nothing much, just here
listening while this guy is on the phone, man he’s been on the phone all
morning.
VOT - Yeah, that can take up the whole day,
or even two or three days. So what’s you been doing?
Gary - Just relaxing, taking it mellow.
VOT - Not doing any interviews yourself?
Gary - No, Rick is pretty much the prime
interview person.
VOT - Well, let me ask you about the In
Memory of Celtic Frost tribute album, are you big fans of them?
Gary - Oh yeah, I’ve been listening to
them ever since I was in sixth grade or so.
VOT - How did you feel about going into
the studio and recording the covers?
Gary - I wish I could have done that.....
VOT - Oh yeah, you weren’t in the band at
the time.
Gary - Yeah that was before my time.
VOT - Ok, so then how did you come into
being in MORGION?
Gary - I had a band out here and they were
in the studio recording and Jim Barnes played us a tape of this stuff.
I saw Jeremy at a show and they were talking that they needed a keyboard
player, so I told them I would come down.
VOT - was saying earlier that you
would rather be playing guitar rather than keys.
Gary - yeah, I’d like to be able to concentrate
more on one instrument. If we’re able to get a keyboard player, that just
adds so much more. To have every thing going the way it was written and
the way it was meant to be. I don’t think we sound band but I feel there
is something missing.
VOT - Yoou didn't have anything to do with
Among Majestic Ruin, how do you feel you will be a part of the newer material?
Gary - With the member changes and with
the progression, I think the over all sound of the band has changed quit
a bit. I really like the material we've been doing, I don't know. Um, here's
Rhett, good talking to you.
VOT - Yeah, you to, thanks. (Rhett get's
back on) So did you have a good piss?
Rhett - Yeah, it was nice!
VOT - What do you see next for the band?
Rhett - Wrting new material, getting a
keyboard player, we would like to tour and 'come to a town near you'.
The way things are happening now it's hard to see what's
going to happen.
VOT - Is there any tentative date for the
next LP?
Rhett - The next release.....well, let
me put it this way, if we find a keyboard player it will be real soon.
If we don't find a key board player then it's going to be a lot longer.
We hope at least be in the studio by the end of the Summer, we have more
then half the album done. Hopefully be out by Fall or something.
VOT - Well I better go, thanks for the interview.
Rhett. Yeah, If you kow anyone that wants
to trade music. Their band stuff for ours give them my address. I'm always
interessted in hearing other things. Here is my address. Thanks and take
care.
2278 Rutgeers Dr, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626.