Maegashira Interview
by Mark Hensch
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It is no coincidence that the debut full-length album from New Jersey's Maegashira (MAY-guh-SHEE-rah) came out in January – the cold rawness of such a month is perfect for what an album like The Stark Arctic describes. Over the course of its six songs Arctic lays down monolithic doom which is as stark and barren as the dead of winter. In much the same way Alaska's Arctic Circle is both distinctly unique and distinctly America, Maegashira's brand of doom 'n roll is a breed all its own while still part of the definitive cannon that is doom metal. With this in mind, Maegashira's rare blend of rocking stoner grooves, chilling doom, and raw rock is a mix well worth checking out. I talked with vocalist JJ Koczan for the inside scoop.
Mark Hensch of Thrashpit.com: First off all, I would just like to say thanks for taking the time out of your busy new year to talk. I really appreciate it.
JJ Koczan: No problem man, thanks for doing the interview.
Thrashpit: Let's start with an easy one. What does the word Maegashira mean?
JJ: The word "Maegashira" actually comes from Sumo wrestling. I used to think it was 2nd place, right behind "Yokozuna," but I sent out a Google alert to see if our name had shown up in any websites or anything with people talking about the record. It is actually a Sumo who ranks 5th place. Our drummer Steve came up with the name and now I get all sorts of Sumo news alerts! It has been worth it though – we weren't about to turn a name like that down! (Laughs) We definitely like it.
Thrashpit: How did Maegashira come about? How would you describe your band's story up to this point to a new fan?
JJ: Our guitarist George Pierro and our bassist John Eager knew each other going back a ways, at least a couple years before I met them. I actually met George in Texas at the South by Southwest Festival. He was just down there hanging out and I happened to meet him while I was working down there. We just kept running into each other at shows and by the end of the Festival we had really hit it off and become good friends. Maegashira was kind of nebulous at that point, and the band I was with at the time fizzled out. George said "hey, come join us" and we went through several different drummers before we got Steve Moraghan. We actually found him through a posting on Stonerrock.com or Craig's List or something like that.
Thrashpit: Your music definitely has a lot of stoner influences in it. How well do you feel you guys fit in with say Stonerrock.com?
JJ: I have a hard time with it but some of what we do is very, definitively stoner rock and some of what we do is not so much stoner rock. It falls in-between for me. If we end up on Stonerrock.com and people there like us, I am more than cool with us. Some bands do not like to be called "stoner rock" and as far as I am concerned I don't care (laughs).
Thrashpit: That actually leads me into my next question perfectly (laughs). There is a lot of sludge, a lot of doom, and a lot of stoner metal in your sound. I find it to be a really interesting mix. With this in mind, how would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it?
JJ: (Laughs) There you go! In my mind, we are a doom band. As far as I see it, declaring yourself part of a specific genre does not put any limitations on you unless you are, you know, an idiot (laughs). You can do anything and make it doom, or thrash, or whatever. With doom it is just what you play so long as it is slow, and thrash it is what you play so long as it's fast. I guess if people call us "stoner doom" I am cool with that. I am pretty happy with people just saying something about the album (laughs!)
Interestingly enough, one of the things people who have heard the record keep saying is that it is very psychedelic. I guess I hadn't really thought of the record on those terms before but having listened to it some more, I can hear it.
Thrashpit: I actually thought some of it sounded like the newer Earth stuff.
JJ: I guess I can see that. Earth has a more minimal thing going, especially with those last few records Hex and the Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull, even Hibernaculum. Sh*t though, I love Earth! Hex is a fantastic record, with those Western tones and the far-off, minimal guitars. Yeah man, I'll take an Earth comparison, that's cool. For my ears, we have a more "active" sound. Earth is a pretty calm band now (laughs).
Thrashpit: How does it feel then to have a full-length album out? It has been a long time coming for you guys as your first demo came out in 2006.
JJ: Last year was pretty much all recording. 2007 was pretty much all about writing the album to be recorded in 2008. We have thus been working on this for a long time. It hasn't been bad as we aren't signed, so at least we don't have anyone looking over our shoulders telling us what is good or what sucks or what we should do next. It definitely has been a long-time coming. I actually got home from work one day after the CDs had been pressed and I was out of my house before the UPS guy was out of his truck, that's how excited I was to get them. Once I had held it and looked at it and seen everything in its place, I was just thrilled beyond words man, I cannot even tell you. It has been a lot of hard work – not always pleasant either – and we're just ready to stand behind this record. Hopefully some people will hear it and dig it.
Thrashpit:Having heard the album, I get the sense that there is a recurring theme of man versus nature. Am I reading into things too much, or is there any truth to this interpretation?
JJ: Personal spins are always welcome. When I write lyrics I usually have something really specific in mind. The more specific you go with a song, the more things to which it can apply. Like you said, it becomes easier for people to put their own spin on it. As far as man versus nature, I guess that works, but the vibe I got off of it was man versus himself (laughs). There is a lot of escapist stuff like "Caribou Crossing," which is kind of like a person feeling weak and wanting to just get away from everything with his problems and not being able to. Lyrically speaking, there is a theme of regret to this album. It is very emotional in a non-emotional way. Something will happen and I will think to myself, "Oh, I should write a song off this."
The last song, "Back to Muro" for example, is actually about an eye injury I have where I tore my cornea. It is basically just about the ongoing problems with that and self-destruction.
Thrashpit: How did you tear your cornea?
JJ: It is a funny story actually. It was November 2006 and I was moving some cardboard. You know how you get a paper cut? Well, I got a cardboard cut on my eye! A corner of a box sliced my eyeball and tore my cornea. I now have what is called "Ongoing Corneal Erosion," which is actually the name of the first song on Arctic. Basically what happens with that is whenever I go to sleep, my body gets dehydrated and my eyelid gets stuck to my eyeball, re-tearing my cornea whenever I wake up and open my eyes. What "Back to Muro" is about, then, is a night of drinking after my condition started. The thing with drinking alcohol is that it dehydrates you and when you drink a bunch of whatever and go to bed you're going to be in extra trouble with a situation like mine. So one night I had a ten margarita kind of night in August 2007 where I just woke up and really did a number on myself. It ended up with me saying "I bet I can get 20 minutes of song lyrics from this!" I have since had Lasik surgery and it is better than what it was, though it is a problem I might be dealing with for the rest of my life. "Muro" is actually the name of the ointment I have to put on my eye so it does not dry out and stick to my eyelid when I go to sleep at night. It is an f*cked situation but made for a good song.
Thrashpit: Would you call these songs personal to you only, or more the band as a whole?
JJ: Most of it is personal to me. I was really kind of selfish with the lyrics and really needed my own thing for this record. I didn't really share much with any of the guys – we talk about the songs but I would wager that the rest of the band doesn't really know what the words of each song are about. That is something I actually want to work on for next time – I don't want to be such a dick about writing songs (laughs)!
In all honesty, I like having songs that are personal as then I can get into them and be passionate about them. A lot of bands are writing about f*cking giant monsters and the world ending and "Blood Mountain" and whatever else. That's cool if that's your thing, but for me it doesn't really work. I need things to be a little more grounded and specific.
Thrashpit: Do you have a favorite song off the album?
JJ: I really like "Hi from Jersey." That has become our regular set closer when we play out just because it is the angriest song on the album. It is actually very clear in what its saying. The whole point of the song is a big "f*ck you" to the bullsh*t indie/hipster bands from Brooklyn. It is definitely not a deep song!
Thrashpit: The Stark Arctic is not only your debut full-length album, it is out January 20 on Spare Change Records. How has Spare Change been for your guys' so far?
JJ: A lot of the delay on the album has to do with us negotiating a deal with Spare Change. We did not end up signing with the label but they are handling distribution for the new album. As such, we are technically unsigned but we are happy with what Spare Change has done for us.
Thrashpit: One of the things I like about your vocals is that they are all-over-the-place. There are shrieks, growls, howls, moans, and even queasy singing! How did you acquire such a range of styles?
JJ: I have always had an appreciation for singers metal-wise who can really change it up. A good example of this is Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory. Listening to an album like Demanufacture in high school was both different and awesome because of him. It was a big light bulb in my head, showing me how things could be done. My voice is always a work in progress since then. I have no set approach and I have never taken any lessons for either singing or screaming. It seems to work with the songs or so I think. The band hasn't kicked me out yet so it must be ok (laughs).
Thrashpit: What artists inspired you growing up?
JJ: Black Sabbath of course! Any of Ozzy's solo works as well. I grew up in the 1990s so there was also lots of White Zombie, Fear Factory, and Type O Negative. Another big one is Amorphis. I divide my music tastes into pre-Amorphis and post-Amorphis spheres. I also liked Life of Agony being from the East Coast.
It is definitely different for everyone in the band. George and Steve are hardcore kids. George also really likes punk. John is a straight-rock guy who likes just rock and metal. I really like stoner stuff and doom. Somehow we just come together in the middle and do what we do.
Thrashpit: You are the associate editor for Metal Maniacs magazine. How is that going for you?
JJ: It is a job but a fun one. My problem is I live way out in Jersey and as such it takes me two hours to get there and two hours to get back. It is not a bad gig for the most part.
Thrashpit: Last question. What does the future hold for Maegashira?
JJ: Hover boards! Sh*t man, I don't know. We got ripped off on the future. What have we gotten so far? A collapsed economy?
Seriously, as far as the future, we take it day by day. Getting this record out has been such a priority that we haven't thought of anything else. I doubt we'll be the touring band, out on the road six months at a time. With live shows we'll do what we can. Besides that, it is just about writing songs and just enjoying it. We're not a band with ambitions to take over the world. We just like this music and we like each other and we like being in the band. If we can keep doing that, there is no reason to stop.
Thrashpit: Thanks man! It was great talking with you.
JJ: Not a problem. Take care!
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