From an outsiders perspective Miami is the magic city filled with hot mamis, aneurysm inducing electronica, and -if I hear another travel show host mention this I'll stick em- sizzling Latin flavor. Well, that's all fine and dandy because one has to admit that it is part of the city's vibe, but if you live here you know that across the causeway there is a hub of culture vutures that are anything but.
Such is the case with the music. Mainland Miami's bars, garages, and stages have joined in their fair share of artists ranging from new wave inspired indie rock, to punk, to there's-so-many-influences-that-I-don't-know-what-to-call-it.
In an effort to examine and cultivate this beating heart of independent musicians, we have now started The Fabrika Link.
By S. Torres
Stepping way out of the hot mami street is Montgomery Drive. A Miami born and raised solo act, Marshal Rones finds his MD identity in that of the acoustic.
How long have you been performing as Montgomery Drive?
I've been writing and performing since 2004.
And before then where you in other bands?
My first show ever was as Montgomery Drive, but I also had another band with friends from school. I wasn't really as established as I am now so, I put MD on the backburner. I was in a grindcore band called The Great God War, and that turned into Clocks are Devils which was a screamo band. Then after we broke up, I started playing as MD out more, as opposed to my other bands where we played at friend's houses.
Looking at your screamo background and comparing it to your latest work, Crybaby, which is an intrumental, and before that there was The Elephant Never Forgets, which was acoustic, what brought on the change?
Well, I always liked the extreme spectrums of music. So for me, when I was into my other bands I was really into the adrenaline and energy that I was feeling from that. Either that or I wasn't as inspired as I was now to write Crybaby.
So would you leave the option out for Montgomery Drive to do heavier stuff in the future?
No. I view MD as a collective project, but it's limited to me. If you went and saw MD, you would in the least see me. If I want to I'll play with a drummer, or with other musicians. It's very open for experimentation, but the backbone of it is acoustic.
Going back to Elephant Never Forgets, the recordings are from works done between 2004 - 2008. You can tell that there is a progression in the quality of the work, sound, and talent. However, the one steady element is the angst-driven feeling (not in the cheesy 90's teenage way). Where does that come from?
Yeah, I can see that. For me it was just venting. I really hate to be that guy that writes about girls, but I was. You write what you feel. Probably for about a month after we released it I kinda wished we hadn't, but then I listened to them again and I was glad that it was released. Now I'm recording separately and things can be brought out more, but back then I was just at my house in front of a little microphone playing my heart out.
We were talking before, and you had mentioned that you were pigeon-holed into....
There've been times were I felt like I was pigeon-holed into a one-trick pony because of "Greens and Blues".
So now what do you see yourself as?
Well before I finished writing my last song [last week] it was all about me feeling like "Oh my God, maybe everybody is right. Maybe that was my big one, I've peaked, and I'm done". So I started feeling like maybe people saying that's me, or me feeling that way regardless of the other people, just on my own, that it was justified. But then I don't know it [new song] just came out, and I don't feel that way anymore. I feel like a multi-tricked pony.
Crybaby, it's an instrumental it's more mellow and easy-going than Elephant, why call it Crybaby?
I started seeing myself as whiny, and was getting upset at myself. I felt like I wanted to release something without any words, or anything that couldn't be misconstrued. It's how I was perceiving myself at the time, and it was kind of like a joke because there are no words.
You just wrapped up a mini-tour, and now your going on tour to Japan. Tell me about it.
I couldn't be more excited. It's a once of a lifetime opportunity. I would have never thought of it, and its just surreal to think that in April I'm going to be playing in Japan. I can't wait to experience the culture, and play for a new audience.
The purpose of this section is to keep up a link between bands/artists in our local scene. What are your top 3 picks for our next Link interview?
- The Mad Skeleton
- Tinfoil Apparatus
- Lil Daggers
Montgomery Drive will play at Churchill's on Sunday June, 27 at 10pm.
Check him out at http://www.myspace.com/montgomerydrive
Fabrika has dedicated this series of interviews to create a link between each interview. Each artist picks 3 bands whose music they feel is improving the Miami music scene, and we pick our favorite.
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