Altsounds.com’s own Chris “MUG5” Maguire and band mates Silk and Siege, together as up-and-coming band Bleed Electric, released their first double A-side single, ‘The Last Night of 1989 / XII Special Weapons and Tactics’ on 02/02/2010.
‘The Last Night of 1989 / XII Special Weapons and Tactics’ is only the first of several double A-side singles to be released in the next 18 months from Bleed Electric’s companion albums “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” and “The Butterfly Effect.” Each double A-side is actually one single off of the more radio friendly “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter,” and one off of the album that serves as the core transmitter of Bleed Electric’s message, “The Butterfly Effect.” The light and upbeat “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” contrasts the dark subject matter of “The Butterfly Effect” in order to draw in a wide array of listeners. This disparity is aimed at shattering any preconceived notions about Bleed Electric that listeners may have formed from listening to any of the individual singles for the first time.
The singles off of “The Butterfly Effect” are released out of order of the storyline (as denoted by the Roman numeral in front of the titles), in order for listeners to figure out the story for themselves after collecting all of the singles.
To explain more about the concepts and motivations behind Bleed Electric, Altsounds.com sat down for a chat with Chris Maguire, or “MUG5” as he is known in Bleed Electric.
Altsounds: So how does being based in Cardiff affect your touring abilities once the band is in full swing?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: At the moment, Bleed Electric is mainly a studio based project. We have played a few shows and have some more booked with plans for full tours of hopefully the world once our albums are finished - unlike most bands we have taken on the ridiculously huge task of trying to release four albums concurrently which is taking its time. Until that time we will focus more heavily on the studio ensuring that we craft the best music possible although we do a lot of live work during the recording process anyway, sometimes playing songs hundreds of times before recording them. This will all get even harder when I relocate to New York but in a good way, not a bad way. Bleed Electric will definitely be a long distance relationship that will work
.
Altsounds: How do Bleed Electric plan to push the boundaries of music?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: In a multitude of different ways, as many as possible really. Bleed Electric are a true genreless band that can one minute be putting out a full string symphony and then the next a metal beat down merged with electro. Whatever sounds good really! Our aim is just to push ourselves musically and put no limits on what it is we can and can't do. As a producer I work with so many artists that for whatever reasons restrict their natural creative flow (usually to do with band politics). We embrace new ideas and are always trying new stuff out and we are never afraid to roll with it. If it sounds good, we'll use it. We are also getting creative with the way we are trying to release our albums, the fact we are releasing four at once, the fact that each single has one song from "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" and one from our Concept album "The Butterfly Effect," the fact that the two remixes that feature on each single are also one from each album but are not remixes of either of the double AA singles etc. I hate getting a single to find that there are six tracks but they are all versions of the same song, no value for money.
Bleed Electric is kind of like Altsounds.com in its theory and attitude and that's probably because they both came out of the same mind. We do what we want musically and we do it however we want to. However, we offer work of a higher quality than most people that foolishly restrict themselves to boundaries. Whereas Altsounds.com is not afraid to slate a band the same as it's not afraid to back an amazing band, Bleed Electric are not afraid to try things we know certain people will hate and will make them feel uncomfortable at the same time as we aren't afraid to put in a hook that might bring some people to label us as sell-outs. That uncomfortably is still them feeling the music, whether they like it or not. We're making music for ourselves and for music lovers to crank up loud and enjoy. If you approach the listening experience with no preconceptions and an open mind like we have done whilst recording, you will be in for a really fun time. You have just got to relinquish control and let Bleed Electric take you on a journey.
Altsounds: Does owning Altsounds.com help in promoting the band?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: That's yet to be seen. I am thankful that Altsounds.com has a bunch of awesome staff that is committed to the cause and these guys have been really good at helping me out with Bleed Electric wherever possible. Bleed Electric is also a good test for Altsounds Records and how well it will work because with that we will be looking to make a label with good bands of all varying genres rather than your traditional, run of the mill labels that focus on niche sounds and end up having a gazillion bands that all sound the same. We want to challenge people and know that when Altsounds Records releases something that it will be amazing; that is as long as you are musically open minded.
Altsounds: Have you been involved in music all your life?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Pretty much. I started making music in a stupidly geeky way at about 6 or 7, using the BEEP command (in BASIC) on my ZX Spectrum 48K. Basically it took hours to program and you would get a one liner riff at the end of it all that sounded like a.... you guessed it BEEP, but it was well worth it! I actually used to make my own mixtapes in the 80s on my parents stereo, which luckily for me had a microphone socket on it (I bought my microphone from a weekends worth of neighbourhood car washing) with me rapping over instrumental tracks I had in my record collection at that time like 'Theme From S-Express' by S-Express and Paul Hardcastle's '19' amongst others. I taught myself to play guitar through the songs of The Beatles and was in a touring band that played at the same A&R showcase that saw The Stereophonics get signed aged 15 - we were in fact told by Gut Records that if we could write 10 more tracks like our one ballad that we would have a deal! During those times I also picked up bass, drums and piano to a decent enough standard to be able to play them all and I also ran a popular Nirvana fanzine called "In Bloom" that was put together using a ghetto laptop and a photocopier.
I have also been making and producing music forever, starting with a simple mic, live performance and tape, to 4 track, to 8 track, to 16 track and then to computer based recording and at this point I have now featured from both a performance and production perspective on hundreds of singles, albums and EPs of all genres (from Death Metal to Welsh Language Pop Music and anything and everything in between). At the same time as all of that I formed Altsounds.com too so that I could highlight the best music in the world to people, a filtration system if you will - which is needed now more than ever with everyone and their gran being in a band. Now we are a 80+ strong team of highly experienced musical tastemakers and have helped to make and break many a band.
So yes I have been involved in music all my life and music is most definitely my life too.
Altsounds: This is a double A-side which was a part of the vinyl era. how does that work as a kind of retro style digitally?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: It pretty much only works in spirit. None of the distributors are setup to deal with it and we have to mention it all the time just so people know. It's important for Bleed Electric though because the A side always represents a song from our radio friendly album (i.e. no swears) "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" and the AA always represents a song from our crazy concept album "The Butterfly Effect." I wish we had the backing of a bigger label, with a bigger budget though as I would LOVE to be able to release all these singles on vinyl and to make a fully Hollywood blockbuster style movie of "The Butterfly Effect," it's a modern day musical. Believe it or not after producing music now for 15+ years I have never heard one of my productions on vinyl.
Altsounds: I am talking of course of the double A-side released on 02/02/2010. What happened on the last day of 1989? Personal or political?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: It became 1990 and everything started going downhill! I was a true 80s child and grew up through the entire decade of the 80s; not like these kids doing 80s throwback songs that were born in like 1989 - the cheek! I experienced all the computers, fashion, films and music as they happened and we just wanted to do a homage to it all because it shaped us as a people. This song has actually inspired a covers album we are now putting together too. Well, not so much a covers album, more a Remix tape. You know how rappers do mixtapes? Well this is going to be a Remix tape in that we will be making Bleed Electric versions of each track (sometimes being both lyrically and musically different completely). The Remix Tape album will have two songs from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s all done in the Bleed Electric way. We have finished four of the tracks already which are an electro rock version of 'Sabotage' by the Beastie Boys, an electro synthed out version of "Ain't Nobody" by Chaka Khan, a more 80s version of "Cry Little Sister" than the original and a very hard to understand version of "Hello I Love You" by The Doors. This Remix Tape Album which is titled "Pop Culture" will be available for free download and we will be releasing more info about this soon - as if we didn't have enough to do already!
Altsounds: Will it be for sale or as a promo for things to come?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Well we are releasing two core albums. A radio friendly and swear free album called "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" and a crazy fucked up concept album titled "The Butterfly Effect." Both albums have EXACTLY the same amount of tracks and we will be releasing every song from both albums as singles in a random order so that you have to keep collecting to start to find out the concept album story. Each single will also contain one remix from each album too and will be released on a double remix album titled "It's A Brand Name." Once all the singles have dropped we will release all three albums concurrently and will hopefully have some cool packages with all our original artwork on display etc. Also tied into that is the fourth covers album titled "Pop Culture" which is likely to be released and given away for free. Worth noting that we do everything ourselves. Anything you see or hear was done by Bleed Electric - our video for The Last Night of 1989 only cost £150 to make as we did all the editing, chroma key, titles, special FXs etc ourselves.
All the recording, production, mixing, mastering, artwork, Myspace designs etc. We know what we want and how we want it so just do it ourselves. It's better that way, 100% grass roots.
Altsounds: With band mates Silk and Siege, Chris, do you have a nickname or alter ego?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Yes mine is MUG5 and it stems back to when I was known as "Mugs" in school. When I last lived in the US I couldn't get "Mugs" as a personalized license plate and so MUG5 was born and I purchased it as my license plate! I have been pushing this pseudonym more and more of late, even in my production work for others, but in those instances I refer to myself as Chris "MUG5" Maguire. In Bleed Electric I am simply MUG5.
Altsounds: Does the tactical weapon thing come from game play?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Special Weapons and Tactics is basically the long term word used for SWAT which as everyone knows are the bad boy Police that you don't want coming for you. At this point in the concept album "The Butterfly Effect," the perp is holed in a hotel room with a bunch of hostages that have been gathered during the course of the album in a spiralling case of bad luck. A lot of the lyrics bounce back and forth between what is happening from the SWAT team's point of view and what is happening from within the room. A lot of the audio was planned with the final film in mind taking scenes into consideration within the music itself. With this song we already knew visually what we wanted before the lyrics and the music I think. The music and lyrics are meant to depict the feeling both a SWAT team member and a criminal would be feeling as they start getting close for takedown. It is worth noting that Andy Turner is also Schizophrenic so there are many moments in the album you will hear him talking to his alter egos with a few moments where he actually talks to the devil himself.
Altsounds: This is an Altsounds project with pictures and PR. Do you have plans to turn it into a label and get other artists signed?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: This sees the official release of Altsounds Records yes. Altsounds Records has released a few records previously, the first being an EP by my little brothers band The Story So Far titled "This Weeks Plan" and released in like 2003 or 2004, when they were a Post Hardcore band and not the cheese pop they ended up as. That EP (if I remember right) is awful (recorded in their practice room with one shit mic) that they sent to me in DC (when I lived there) to mix as best as I could and the second which was "The High Cost Of Low Living" by Winch House (Welsh Pop Punk band) who sadly split up around the time of release (September 2009) which was why it never really got an official release or fully pushed. Regardless it did sell OK though but that album could have been much more successful had the circumstances been different. Bleed Electric is my band though and we are here to stay, so this is the first time Altsounds and Altsounds Records get to truly push a band and release some stuff to see what happens, we also have a Death Metal album planned for release (if all goes well) that I have produced which will come out hopefully first or second quarter of 2010.
Altsounds: You have done 2 albums so far that are quite different. What musical direction does the band take from here?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: We have actually done none (laughs). We are in the middle of four and have recorded about 30+ songs but not one of the albums are actually wrapped up and finished yet. As far as the musical direction, we'll just let the inspirations take us on a continuing ride.
Altsounds: How do you define a unique genre of music?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Well there really isn't a unique genre any more as almost everything has already been done. We just border them all at one point or another. We don't want to be a band that says we are this genre, or we sound like this band because that might be true for one song, but then the next song will flip you sideways. That was the point with The Last Night of 1989 and XII Special Weapons and Tactics being put together as the first AA single. They are complete polar opposites and we wanted the people that listened to LNO89 to make their judgement on that only for it to be taken back from them when they heard SWAT. There's a little bit of something for everyone in what we do you just have to give it a chance and don't give up after one song because I can guarantee you the next one is NOT going to be the same, although there is the Bleed Electric sound underlying throughout. We definitely have our own unique and identifiable sound.
Altsounds: How should music be released and how does the industry need shaking up?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: I don't have the answer to that but I suggest we all try and break boundaries down a little more. Try new things, release things in different ways - ultimately our concept album "The Butterfly Effect" is a movie in an album, a modern day musical if you will and should enough of a budget ever come our way it will become a full fledged movie, it's all up in my head playing out for me already. 70% of that album I wrote musically before Silk and Siege joined Bleed Electric with the idea being that it was good enough as an instrumental album to tell this really detailed story.
After I produced a mix tape for Silk and Siege I realized their amazing talent and asked them instantly to join Bleed Electric and it has been the perfect marriage ever since. I had never considered Hip Hop for Bleed Electric prior to that but it allowed the story to be told in such a clear way that would not be achievable through any other core genre. Seriously, matches like this musically don't happen very often. I have been doing music all my life and this is the first time I am truly confident and love the music I am making. Bleed Electric fly free.
Altsounds: What is the story, and who is Andy Turner?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Can't give away the story details as you will have to collect the singles. It will all slowly start to make sense. As far as Andy Turner goes, he is a PR person that we have dealings with at Altsounds.com. The story isn't about him, he just inspired the character.
Altsounds: Andy Turner seems to lead an eventful life even by fictional character standards. Why does he take his own life and how old is he when he does?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: The story only focuses on one to two days of his life. Again I can't say too much because I don't want to give the story away.
Altsounds: A bit like Quadrophenia for the modern age?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Its way more accidental than Quadrophenia, it is basically all based around the idea of decision and how staying and having one extra pint in the pub for example can change your life and others completely and forever and, in this instance in very horrific ways. It also focuses a bit on the binge drinking and drugs culture of Britain and how that in itself is a peer pressure for people to make the wrong choices.
Altsounds: Will “The Butterfly Effect” be released in order of singles or mixed and matched like a jigsaw?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Jigsaw puzzle all the way. It's too easy to do it in order. XII Special Weapons and Tactics is number 12 from "The Butterfly Effect" and is quite deep into the story so it is a pretty messed up place to start off. Imagine it as putting in a DVD and fast forwarding / rewinding and then turning on the TV so that you start the movie from the middle and then next time you are at the beginning end of the story. Actually the second single from "The Butterfly Effect" is likely to be track 10 (X. Training Day) so it is fairly close storyline wise to where the characters are at during SWAT.
Altsounds: In “The Good Life” sitcom, Barbara or the other one? Might seem trite but sorts the blokes from the chaps.
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Dunno man never really seen it. Sorry.
Altsounds: What’s next after this story, a novel to go with it?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: No a movie and a musical. It's gonna take even longer to make that happen but we will. You just watch us.
Altsounds: And how do you plan to make money from music once it is shaken to its core and reconstituted?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Make money from music in other ways (other than record sales), think outside the box. If I told you, I'd have to kill you!!
A reoccurring theme behind Bleed Electric’s music and choices should have been made clear through this interview: Bleed Electric is a band that is determined to do things their own way in order to create and distribute their music and art exactly the way they conceptualized it in their minds. There is no doubt that Bleed Electric has much more in the making with the release of the rest of the double A-sides and albums. It is obvious that both Bleed Electric and Altsounds Records are dedicated to only releasing music that defines truly unrestricted artistic expression, and as listeners in an industry that seems to continually churn out increasingly unoriginal music, that is something to be genuinely appreciated.
Links:
‘The Last Night of 1989 / XII Special Weapons and Tactics’ is only the first of several double A-side singles to be released in the next 18 months from Bleed Electric’s companion albums “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” and “The Butterfly Effect.” Each double A-side is actually one single off of the more radio friendly “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter,” and one off of the album that serves as the core transmitter of Bleed Electric’s message, “The Butterfly Effect.” The light and upbeat “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” contrasts the dark subject matter of “The Butterfly Effect” in order to draw in a wide array of listeners. This disparity is aimed at shattering any preconceived notions about Bleed Electric that listeners may have formed from listening to any of the individual singles for the first time.
The singles off of “The Butterfly Effect” are released out of order of the storyline (as denoted by the Roman numeral in front of the titles), in order for listeners to figure out the story for themselves after collecting all of the singles.
To explain more about the concepts and motivations behind Bleed Electric, Altsounds.com sat down for a chat with Chris Maguire, or “MUG5” as he is known in Bleed Electric.
Altsounds: So how does being based in Cardiff affect your touring abilities once the band is in full swing?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: At the moment, Bleed Electric is mainly a studio based project. We have played a few shows and have some more booked with plans for full tours of hopefully the world once our albums are finished - unlike most bands we have taken on the ridiculously huge task of trying to release four albums concurrently which is taking its time. Until that time we will focus more heavily on the studio ensuring that we craft the best music possible although we do a lot of live work during the recording process anyway, sometimes playing songs hundreds of times before recording them. This will all get even harder when I relocate to New York but in a good way, not a bad way. Bleed Electric will definitely be a long distance relationship that will work
.Altsounds: How do Bleed Electric plan to push the boundaries of music?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: In a multitude of different ways, as many as possible really. Bleed Electric are a true genreless band that can one minute be putting out a full string symphony and then the next a metal beat down merged with electro. Whatever sounds good really! Our aim is just to push ourselves musically and put no limits on what it is we can and can't do. As a producer I work with so many artists that for whatever reasons restrict their natural creative flow (usually to do with band politics). We embrace new ideas and are always trying new stuff out and we are never afraid to roll with it. If it sounds good, we'll use it. We are also getting creative with the way we are trying to release our albums, the fact we are releasing four at once, the fact that each single has one song from "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" and one from our Concept album "The Butterfly Effect," the fact that the two remixes that feature on each single are also one from each album but are not remixes of either of the double AA singles etc. I hate getting a single to find that there are six tracks but they are all versions of the same song, no value for money.
Bleed Electric is kind of like Altsounds.com in its theory and attitude and that's probably because they both came out of the same mind. We do what we want musically and we do it however we want to. However, we offer work of a higher quality than most people that foolishly restrict themselves to boundaries. Whereas Altsounds.com is not afraid to slate a band the same as it's not afraid to back an amazing band, Bleed Electric are not afraid to try things we know certain people will hate and will make them feel uncomfortable at the same time as we aren't afraid to put in a hook that might bring some people to label us as sell-outs. That uncomfortably is still them feeling the music, whether they like it or not. We're making music for ourselves and for music lovers to crank up loud and enjoy. If you approach the listening experience with no preconceptions and an open mind like we have done whilst recording, you will be in for a really fun time. You have just got to relinquish control and let Bleed Electric take you on a journey.
Altsounds: Does owning Altsounds.com help in promoting the band?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: That's yet to be seen. I am thankful that Altsounds.com has a bunch of awesome staff that is committed to the cause and these guys have been really good at helping me out with Bleed Electric wherever possible. Bleed Electric is also a good test for Altsounds Records and how well it will work because with that we will be looking to make a label with good bands of all varying genres rather than your traditional, run of the mill labels that focus on niche sounds and end up having a gazillion bands that all sound the same. We want to challenge people and know that when Altsounds Records releases something that it will be amazing; that is as long as you are musically open minded.
Altsounds: Have you been involved in music all your life?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Pretty much. I started making music in a stupidly geeky way at about 6 or 7, using the BEEP command (in BASIC) on my ZX Spectrum 48K. Basically it took hours to program and you would get a one liner riff at the end of it all that sounded like a.... you guessed it BEEP, but it was well worth it! I actually used to make my own mixtapes in the 80s on my parents stereo, which luckily for me had a microphone socket on it (I bought my microphone from a weekends worth of neighbourhood car washing) with me rapping over instrumental tracks I had in my record collection at that time like 'Theme From S-Express' by S-Express and Paul Hardcastle's '19' amongst others. I taught myself to play guitar through the songs of The Beatles and was in a touring band that played at the same A&R showcase that saw The Stereophonics get signed aged 15 - we were in fact told by Gut Records that if we could write 10 more tracks like our one ballad that we would have a deal! During those times I also picked up bass, drums and piano to a decent enough standard to be able to play them all and I also ran a popular Nirvana fanzine called "In Bloom" that was put together using a ghetto laptop and a photocopier.
I have also been making and producing music forever, starting with a simple mic, live performance and tape, to 4 track, to 8 track, to 16 track and then to computer based recording and at this point I have now featured from both a performance and production perspective on hundreds of singles, albums and EPs of all genres (from Death Metal to Welsh Language Pop Music and anything and everything in between). At the same time as all of that I formed Altsounds.com too so that I could highlight the best music in the world to people, a filtration system if you will - which is needed now more than ever with everyone and their gran being in a band. Now we are a 80+ strong team of highly experienced musical tastemakers and have helped to make and break many a band.
So yes I have been involved in music all my life and music is most definitely my life too.
Altsounds: This is a double A-side which was a part of the vinyl era. how does that work as a kind of retro style digitally?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: It pretty much only works in spirit. None of the distributors are setup to deal with it and we have to mention it all the time just so people know. It's important for Bleed Electric though because the A side always represents a song from our radio friendly album (i.e. no swears) "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" and the AA always represents a song from our crazy concept album "The Butterfly Effect." I wish we had the backing of a bigger label, with a bigger budget though as I would LOVE to be able to release all these singles on vinyl and to make a fully Hollywood blockbuster style movie of "The Butterfly Effect," it's a modern day musical. Believe it or not after producing music now for 15+ years I have never heard one of my productions on vinyl.
Altsounds: I am talking of course of the double A-side released on 02/02/2010. What happened on the last day of 1989? Personal or political?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: It became 1990 and everything started going downhill! I was a true 80s child and grew up through the entire decade of the 80s; not like these kids doing 80s throwback songs that were born in like 1989 - the cheek! I experienced all the computers, fashion, films and music as they happened and we just wanted to do a homage to it all because it shaped us as a people. This song has actually inspired a covers album we are now putting together too. Well, not so much a covers album, more a Remix tape. You know how rappers do mixtapes? Well this is going to be a Remix tape in that we will be making Bleed Electric versions of each track (sometimes being both lyrically and musically different completely). The Remix Tape album will have two songs from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s all done in the Bleed Electric way. We have finished four of the tracks already which are an electro rock version of 'Sabotage' by the Beastie Boys, an electro synthed out version of "Ain't Nobody" by Chaka Khan, a more 80s version of "Cry Little Sister" than the original and a very hard to understand version of "Hello I Love You" by The Doors. This Remix Tape Album which is titled "Pop Culture" will be available for free download and we will be releasing more info about this soon - as if we didn't have enough to do already!
Altsounds: Will it be for sale or as a promo for things to come?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Well we are releasing two core albums. A radio friendly and swear free album called "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" and a crazy fucked up concept album titled "The Butterfly Effect." Both albums have EXACTLY the same amount of tracks and we will be releasing every song from both albums as singles in a random order so that you have to keep collecting to start to find out the concept album story. Each single will also contain one remix from each album too and will be released on a double remix album titled "It's A Brand Name." Once all the singles have dropped we will release all three albums concurrently and will hopefully have some cool packages with all our original artwork on display etc. Also tied into that is the fourth covers album titled "Pop Culture" which is likely to be released and given away for free. Worth noting that we do everything ourselves. Anything you see or hear was done by Bleed Electric - our video for The Last Night of 1989 only cost £150 to make as we did all the editing, chroma key, titles, special FXs etc ourselves.
All the recording, production, mixing, mastering, artwork, Myspace designs etc. We know what we want and how we want it so just do it ourselves. It's better that way, 100% grass roots.
Altsounds: With band mates Silk and Siege, Chris, do you have a nickname or alter ego?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Yes mine is MUG5 and it stems back to when I was known as "Mugs" in school. When I last lived in the US I couldn't get "Mugs" as a personalized license plate and so MUG5 was born and I purchased it as my license plate! I have been pushing this pseudonym more and more of late, even in my production work for others, but in those instances I refer to myself as Chris "MUG5" Maguire. In Bleed Electric I am simply MUG5.
Altsounds: Does the tactical weapon thing come from game play?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Special Weapons and Tactics is basically the long term word used for SWAT which as everyone knows are the bad boy Police that you don't want coming for you. At this point in the concept album "The Butterfly Effect," the perp is holed in a hotel room with a bunch of hostages that have been gathered during the course of the album in a spiralling case of bad luck. A lot of the lyrics bounce back and forth between what is happening from the SWAT team's point of view and what is happening from within the room. A lot of the audio was planned with the final film in mind taking scenes into consideration within the music itself. With this song we already knew visually what we wanted before the lyrics and the music I think. The music and lyrics are meant to depict the feeling both a SWAT team member and a criminal would be feeling as they start getting close for takedown. It is worth noting that Andy Turner is also Schizophrenic so there are many moments in the album you will hear him talking to his alter egos with a few moments where he actually talks to the devil himself.
Altsounds: This is an Altsounds project with pictures and PR. Do you have plans to turn it into a label and get other artists signed?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: This sees the official release of Altsounds Records yes. Altsounds Records has released a few records previously, the first being an EP by my little brothers band The Story So Far titled "This Weeks Plan" and released in like 2003 or 2004, when they were a Post Hardcore band and not the cheese pop they ended up as. That EP (if I remember right) is awful (recorded in their practice room with one shit mic) that they sent to me in DC (when I lived there) to mix as best as I could and the second which was "The High Cost Of Low Living" by Winch House (Welsh Pop Punk band) who sadly split up around the time of release (September 2009) which was why it never really got an official release or fully pushed. Regardless it did sell OK though but that album could have been much more successful had the circumstances been different. Bleed Electric is my band though and we are here to stay, so this is the first time Altsounds and Altsounds Records get to truly push a band and release some stuff to see what happens, we also have a Death Metal album planned for release (if all goes well) that I have produced which will come out hopefully first or second quarter of 2010.
Altsounds: You have done 2 albums so far that are quite different. What musical direction does the band take from here?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: We have actually done none (laughs). We are in the middle of four and have recorded about 30+ songs but not one of the albums are actually wrapped up and finished yet. As far as the musical direction, we'll just let the inspirations take us on a continuing ride.
Altsounds: How do you define a unique genre of music?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Well there really isn't a unique genre any more as almost everything has already been done. We just border them all at one point or another. We don't want to be a band that says we are this genre, or we sound like this band because that might be true for one song, but then the next song will flip you sideways. That was the point with The Last Night of 1989 and XII Special Weapons and Tactics being put together as the first AA single. They are complete polar opposites and we wanted the people that listened to LNO89 to make their judgement on that only for it to be taken back from them when they heard SWAT. There's a little bit of something for everyone in what we do you just have to give it a chance and don't give up after one song because I can guarantee you the next one is NOT going to be the same, although there is the Bleed Electric sound underlying throughout. We definitely have our own unique and identifiable sound.
Altsounds: How should music be released and how does the industry need shaking up?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: I don't have the answer to that but I suggest we all try and break boundaries down a little more. Try new things, release things in different ways - ultimately our concept album "The Butterfly Effect" is a movie in an album, a modern day musical if you will and should enough of a budget ever come our way it will become a full fledged movie, it's all up in my head playing out for me already. 70% of that album I wrote musically before Silk and Siege joined Bleed Electric with the idea being that it was good enough as an instrumental album to tell this really detailed story.
After I produced a mix tape for Silk and Siege I realized their amazing talent and asked them instantly to join Bleed Electric and it has been the perfect marriage ever since. I had never considered Hip Hop for Bleed Electric prior to that but it allowed the story to be told in such a clear way that would not be achievable through any other core genre. Seriously, matches like this musically don't happen very often. I have been doing music all my life and this is the first time I am truly confident and love the music I am making. Bleed Electric fly free.
Altsounds: What is the story, and who is Andy Turner?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Can't give away the story details as you will have to collect the singles. It will all slowly start to make sense. As far as Andy Turner goes, he is a PR person that we have dealings with at Altsounds.com. The story isn't about him, he just inspired the character.
Altsounds: Andy Turner seems to lead an eventful life even by fictional character standards. Why does he take his own life and how old is he when he does?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: The story only focuses on one to two days of his life. Again I can't say too much because I don't want to give the story away.
Altsounds: A bit like Quadrophenia for the modern age?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Its way more accidental than Quadrophenia, it is basically all based around the idea of decision and how staying and having one extra pint in the pub for example can change your life and others completely and forever and, in this instance in very horrific ways. It also focuses a bit on the binge drinking and drugs culture of Britain and how that in itself is a peer pressure for people to make the wrong choices.
Altsounds: Will “The Butterfly Effect” be released in order of singles or mixed and matched like a jigsaw?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Jigsaw puzzle all the way. It's too easy to do it in order. XII Special Weapons and Tactics is number 12 from "The Butterfly Effect" and is quite deep into the story so it is a pretty messed up place to start off. Imagine it as putting in a DVD and fast forwarding / rewinding and then turning on the TV so that you start the movie from the middle and then next time you are at the beginning end of the story. Actually the second single from "The Butterfly Effect" is likely to be track 10 (X. Training Day) so it is fairly close storyline wise to where the characters are at during SWAT.
Altsounds: In “The Good Life” sitcom, Barbara or the other one? Might seem trite but sorts the blokes from the chaps.
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Dunno man never really seen it. Sorry.
Altsounds: What’s next after this story, a novel to go with it?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: No a movie and a musical. It's gonna take even longer to make that happen but we will. You just watch us
. Altsounds: And how do you plan to make money from music once it is shaken to its core and reconstituted?
Chris "MUG5" Maguire: Make money from music in other ways (other than record sales), think outside the box. If I told you, I'd have to kill you!!
A reoccurring theme behind Bleed Electric’s music and choices should have been made clear through this interview: Bleed Electric is a band that is determined to do things their own way in order to create and distribute their music and art exactly the way they conceptualized it in their minds. There is no doubt that Bleed Electric has much more in the making with the release of the rest of the double A-sides and albums. It is obvious that both Bleed Electric and Altsounds Records are dedicated to only releasing music that defines truly unrestricted artistic expression, and as listeners in an industry that seems to continually churn out increasingly unoriginal music, that is something to be genuinely appreciated.
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