New Manic Spree

DAVE FLYNN, synth maestro for local lads NEW MANIC SPREE fires back five short and sharp responses to the typically gargantuan questions that MITCH ALEXANDER has prepared. Then it turns out Dave's mum knows Mitch's mum, and it all gets a bit weird…
One of the first bands your music reminded me of was Elbow, which you list as an influence, among about fifty others. What are some weird comparisons you've gotten from people?
"We've had people throw a lot of different ones at us, some I'd never heard of! A few people say we remind them a bit of Doves, but in between the off-beat stuff we've had people reel off a pretty diverse list of bands like QOTSA, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, even Digitalism and U2."
And continuing on from this, what are some bands that you take notes from, but if you told people they'd be kinda 'What? Really?'
"We love different stuff, but if I had to rattle off a few weird ones I'd say Dragons, Singapore Sling, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cornelius, Atari Teenage Riot/Alec Empire … We get into lots of Aussie artists as well, Transport and Starscream being a couple of big ones for the boys."
Your upcoming release was produced by Matt Whitehouse at Alchemix, whose previous credits include The Red Paintings and Black Market Rhythm Co. What was that like?
"Matt's an incredible guy…inside the studio, he's a complete nocturnal workaholic. We enjoy similar bands and artistically he could get on the level with us, so he seemed to understand where we were going with the whole thing. Also, he didn't let the 'new band thing' narrow the possibilities in his mind and had a lot of crazy ideas. Trying to convince us to contact the guy who mastered The Klaxons' debut? It didn't happen, but we had a lot of faith in the bastard regardless."
Recording the tracks, did you find it difficult to translate the energy of your live show onto tape?
"At the start, we anticipated that this could be a bit of a problem. Mike on bass and our drummer Dave Callaghan really lock in together as a rhythm section, so their groove works well live, but we weren't sure effects wizardy could keep that. We ended up doing the guitar tracking first, which is kinda the opposite of the norm. Another of Matt's ideas, I'm not sure what his reasoning was, but whatever it was it worked! Now I feel there's this climactic energy to the songs, which is another credit to Matt."
In August 2007, you temporarily lost founding member Julian to the bright lights of Berkley Music College. What changes have you made to the band to incorporate this?
"Losing a genius like Julian for a while wasn't such a bad thing, honestly. We had to re-structure our instrumentation a bit to cover his guitar, but it gave us the chance to incorporate stuff we'd always wanted to do.When he gets back, we're toying with the idea of him being a bit of a multi-instumentalist, playing extra percussion, synths and the like rather than sticking with rhythm guitar always."
Only time will tell. Oh, and, ummmmm, Mum says hi and she'll talk to Rosemary soon.
NEW MANIC SPREE launch their latest tunes at THE ZOO on Friday January 25, supported by Starsludge and The Fricken Hecks. Come along... who knows? You're probably related to the drummer." - Rave Magazine Pty Ltd, #824

Fortitude Valley's Zoo is set to be rumbled tonight when Brisbane band New Manic Spree launches its new EP.
The revamped four-piece will turn up the sound with three new offerings from the untitled disc, delivering a refined sound and style.
GUitaris and percussionist Julian Schweitzer recently scored a place at Boston's prestigious Berklee Music College, his departure leaving the band with what it describes as a "huge void" to fill.
Singer Dave Flynn said New Manic Spree has used Shweitzer's absence to pursue new creative leads.
The band, whose influences include Singapore Sling, Transport and Starscream, will have Starsludge and The Fricken Hecks as support acts.
New Manic Spree performs at 8:30pm at The Zoo. - MX Magazine, Brisbane - 25/01/08

Moog
Harmonic Glee

We email EDMUND HIEW, guitarist for
local experimental alternative rockers NEW
MANIC SPREE.

What gear do you use?

I use a modifi ed Stratocaster with higher-output pick-
ups, a Les Paul, a Takamine semi-acoustic, Korg synth,
Marshall and a Vox valve amp, various Boss distortions,
Moogerfooger synth fi lter pedals, Electro Harmonix
envelopes and Sovtek Big Muff , Fuzz, whammy-wah
pitch bender, digital delay, a multi-eff ects unit to con-
trol my loops and I had a Les Paul Junior but it was
stolen last year. Anyone seen it?

What piece of kit is your favourite and why?

Moog MF102, because it is a formidable giant on my
daisy chain and sounds whack.
What will be your next equipment purchase?
Probably a pedal built from scratch and some new
pick-ups for my Les Paul. I’m a big fan of innovation
when it comes to new sounds, maybe looking at an
Electro Harmonix POG.

They sound righteous, though I hear they can be
fragile if you bash them around too much. Any-
way, who is your instrumental hero?

Theolonius Monk.

How important is technical profi ciency to your
style?

Although it is very important, technical profi ciency is
not as important as connecting with other musicians
during practice. In saying that, my style is basically a
continuous learning curve of understanding when
and when not to play. I try to listen to what the others
in the band are playing to add to the musical conver-
sation rather than play over them. Simplicity and clar-
ity are elementary.
What’s the most expensive piece of equipment
you’ve ever broken?
I damaged my violin, which was valued at a few thou-
sand dollars during my school days. I also dropped
my Digitech Mbox, which cost me about a thousand
back then. Both still work thank God. I’m not exactly
earning enough with music to be able to throw things
a-la-Kurt Cobain yet, but I think about it all the time.
Suits our music too!

Is there any classic gear in a big studio or museum
somewhere you wish you could get your hands on?

Defi nitely one of Matt Bellamy’s handmade boutique
guitars.
Loading in and setting up: a boring waste of time
or part of the craft?
It’s apart of the craft. If one makes the eff ort getting to
a gig, it only follows that they should make sure they do
everything possible to make it as smooth as possible
for all concerned. It helps being friendly to the sound
guy, because they are the gatekeepers to your product
What do you bring to your band’s sound?
I bring mysterious melodies, whispy yet ethereal
soundscapes and frenetic guitar lines that I guess are
borne partly out of existential angst and partly as a
result of particularly dark songs.
What relationship do the recorded and live ver-
sions of your songs have?
The recording process is generally the consolidation
period in the writing process. After trying out things
live, you can tell what feeds the audience and what
doesn’t. At the same time, no piece of music should
be set in stone after a recording. It should be free to
evolve just like everything else.

How much input should a band have as far as mix-
ing and mastering goes?

I would generally leave it to the professionals, as it is their
skill and artistic perspective you paid for in the fi rst place.
In saying that, I would say that there are times when a
band or individual has a right to tease out the particular
sound they want, or to have it tried out anyway. It is eas-
ier for New Manic Spree since we understand our sound
and also collectively what mood we want to achieve pri-
or to entering the studio. These points help the process.
It also helps to come into the studio with a basic under-
standing of what’s going on around you and knowing
what is possible and what is just ridiculous.

NEW MANIC SPREE play The Valley Transmission
in Brunswick Street Mall Saturday Feb 16. The
COLOURED BLOCKS EP is available from shows.

- Rave Magazine