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:
Confession: Memnoir's Official Blog 
