Wallpaper Downloads: “Till I Bleed”
HD and mobile device wallpaper downloads featuring cover art from the new single, Till I Bleed.
Click on each wallpaper to see them at full size, or just right click and “Save As” to download to your device:
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And don’t forget to check out the video for the new single on YouTube:
Alternative Revolt! Interview (Issue #12)
Alternative Revolt!, a fast growing music magazine covering the rock, metal and alternative scene, just reviewed Memnoir’s debut cd, giving it a 10! Out of the thousands of albums they come across, from both signed and independent artists, too see Canto Vol. I stand out and be recognized like this is awesome. I recently had a chance to chat with the VP and Lead Journalist, Daniel Morrison, about the name Memnoir, visiting other realms, and horror icons. Check it out:
Daniel / AltRevolt: Your music is quite unique. It has tones of creepy, rocky, ambience, etc. Is this part of the reason you chose the name, Memnoir?
Definitely. The name came from the vision I had for the music. While I have always wanted the music to be creatively free, to become whatever it was meant to be, there is an abstract and ambiguous foundation to it all… in the haunting and seductive, the melancholic and beautiful.
I feel that the name Memnoir captures this essence perfectly; a collection of dark memories. And because it’s a name I made up, it doesn’t limit itself with any preconceived notions or stereotypes to a specific musical style.
Daniel / AltRevolt: You are the brainchild behind the music. So, I must know what areas of your mind do you visit when writing?
Memories, some real, some imagined. Emotions and primal urges within us that can drive us or drown us. Those moments in your life where time slows down, and you know that things are about to change. For better, for worse. Things you want to scream at the top of your lungs. Things that you would never admit to. And sometimes it just pours out and you just try to catch as much of it as you can. It’s never the same.
Daniel / AltRevolt: Did you perform all the music on your EP yourself?
No, I’ve been lucky to work with some great musicians from around the world who helped bring the songs to life. I primarily sing and play/program synths on the album. While I write the core of each song, I look to whoever I’m working with on a particular track to bring some of their individual style and influence. This has helped keep the music diverse and true to the original inspiration for each song.
Daniel / AltRevolt: Although the styles are different, your EP takes me through a journey in a story format that 30 Seconds To Mars did with “This Is War” and even Pink Floyd with “The Wall”. However, I’m not sure that one song flows into another to tell a story. What kind of realm were you attempting to create with the EP?
Beauty in the darkness. Art in all the chaos. A soundtrack for the stage we call our lives.
There was a lot to consider when choosing which songs made it on the first EP. These were the songs that would introduce Memnoir. I wanted to let the diversity of the songs show, but still needed them to stand together as a CD and not just a collection of singles.
Each song was able to develop on its own; follow the original emotion or passion of the song to whatever end, regardless of musical style. Yet even with this freedom, an overall haunting and melancholic sound emerges. So while they do not tell a single, chronological story, these underlying themes and realms take the listener on a personal journey and ties the CD together.
Thanks to Daniel and Alternative Revolt! Magazine for the trippy interview. Click on the pic to read the full interview:
A Wake Up Call from a Whiskey Ad
I’m not sure if it means I’m an alcoholic or if I just need to get out more, but when did I start becoming inspired by liquor ads? In my defense, it features the great Willem Defoe (Platoon, Boondock Saints, and many more) and the story it weaves in little over a minute is powerful and puts to shame most of what Hollywood dishes out.
Either way, it struck me and I just had to share it:
This video (calling it a commercial just doesn’t do it justice) caught me at the right time. When I heard Defoe say these words, it felt like he was speaking directly to me:
“Life boils down to a series of choices.
Before long, the choices you make
And the ones you don’t
Become you.”
Lately life has worn me down and I’ve found myself uninspired. During these days of frustration, of running into wall after wall, of the empty page… the questions begin to creep in. This little novella was just what I needed to gather myself, find my (fourty) second wind and fire up both ends of the candle again.
I admit, it’s an odd place to find inspiration. But I think it’s a great sign when you can find inspiration in the everyday. It means the Muses are not so far; you can still hear them, still feel them. I hope we can all find our fire again.
The Devout Interviews: Chapter Australia
What is one of your earliest recollections as a child hearing a piece of music?
Music surrounded me as a kid. Whether it was my dad playing Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers and traditional mariachi music, or my brother rocking out to some Ozzy, Kiss and ACDC. And they both played acoustic guitar, so I would love to sit and listen to that as well. I don’t remember exactly the first memory or specifically what song it was, but I remember being very very young, yet still enraptured and moved by music. I didn’t understand it, but I couldn’t deny that it was a very powerful force to me, evoking emotional responses from me that I had no real clue why. All I knew is that it spoke to me, and I wanted more!
What compels you to create your music?
It’s been growing in me all my life, a passion of mine for as long as i can remember. From making mix tapes I recorded from the radio as a child, to learning the saxophone, to becoming a DJ, then learning to sing and performing with different groups. This love and passion for music has grown and evolved over time.
After college and having to enter “the real world”, I couldn’t imagine music not being a major part of my life anymore. So to stay as involved as I could in this love affair, I taught myself guitar and tried to start writing lyrics. It was just a hobby at first, making the type of songs that i wanted, regardless of genre or style. I would write whatever the muses would inspire and whatever emotion was driving me at the moment. It was just amazing to me to take this love affair with music to the next level; a more intimate and personal place where I’m sharing more of myself than I am able to as a singer or playing an instrument. But as the songs started to come out, and the vision for Memnoir started to develop, I began to realize it was something very special.
For me it’s not about wanting to be a rock star. Would I love one day to be able to live off music and tour the world? No question! But I’m a realist and I know how such a tiny fraction of all artists ever “make it big.” That doesn’t matter to me, my dreams have already come true. I’ve written, recorded, co-produced and released a CD of songs that I’m proud to share with the world. When I hear from people all over the world telling me how the Memnoir songs speak to and connect with them, well, thats just another dream come true… and all I need to continue this passionate pursuit.
Have you learned anything about yourself whilst writing your music?
I’ve learned alot of things during this process.. like my determination, resolve, how I react when facing adversity, setback after setback, and much more. But if I had to choose one thing – its that music is in me and it will never die. Whether as a listener or an artist, I cannot imagine this life without it. While that may not seem groundbreaking, it plays a large role as you grow older and life continues to change everything around you. The choices you make in life only get more important and more complicated: deciding on a job, where to live, who you can love and live with. Knowing what your passions are, what moves you and makes you happy, what you can live with and what you cant live without… these play key roles for me in the “big” decisions.
How has music influenced you as a person?
I could talk about this for days! But for the sake of brevity, I will say that it plays a role everyday. From helping me deal with and get through dark times to providing a soundtrack for the good times, music serves as an outlet and expression of the emotional roller coaster we call life. It embodies eras of your autobiography and manifests feelings you didn’t even realize you had. A certain song can take you back years and years to a specific moment or event that this song captured in your life. It’s incredibly powerful! That’s what influences me most in my writing; not specifically a style of music, but a feeling, a vibe, an emotion.
It’s that time of year…
It’s the dawn of a new year, a time of introspection and looking ahead. Though it came and went so quickly, 2010 was a crazy, exciting, draining and momentous year from Memnoir. It has been a long road to this point, but hearing the songs finished has made it all worth it. Releasing the debut CD has been a dream come true and 2010 will always be special for me.
It’s a crazy time to be making music. Technology has caused such a major upheaval for music and headlines continue to try to discourage and derail: “Only 2% of albums sell” and “Live shows and touring won’t save artists.”
It is definitely a time of unprecedented challenges for artists, but also one of opportunity. Technology, just as everything else in this crazy world, is a double-edged sword. I understand the challenges for artists and everyone involved in the industry; but I also embrace the opportunities that it brings. The fact that a DIY band like Memnoir, without a label budget for recording and marketing, can create and share its music, attracting fans and friends from all over the world is amazing!
At the end of the day, you have to be in it for the music. If you are driven by dreams of riches and delusions of grandeur, you’re better off heading to Vegas and just betting everything you have there instead. So at times like this, times of self-examination and planning, when i stop and ask myself “is it worth it?” I remember this quote:
“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be.” (Abraham Maslow)
Very simple, but incredibly poignant. It cuts right to the heart of the matter and hits so close to home, it feels as if I had said it myself. This passion for music is so engrained in me, so central to who I am, it drives me beyond the sacrifice, the obstacles and the bleak forecast for nearly all those who pursue their love of art.
And for those times when life’s storms have nearly blown out the fire inside, it’s your words that rekindle that flame. Hearing how the songs have touched and moved you is truly invigorating. From “helping me get through the day” and “drowning out my problems at home” to “moved me to stillness,” it means the world to me to know that the music resonates and inspires. Thank you to all of you who took the time to write and share your experience. You help make it all worth it!
So with this in mind, I look back on 2010 and pause at all that was accomplished (the debut songs, new sites online, the first cd) and finally understand “where the year went.” Looking forward, I am excited and confident that as work begins on Canto Vol. II, this year will hold even greater things! So stay in touch, it’s always great to hear from friends, new and old and around the world. Thank you all for your continued support. It truly makes a difference! \m/
Confession: Memnoir's Official Blog 
