MARIAH'S TRENCHMARIAH'S TRENCH
MARIAH'S TRENCH
is a new AOR/Melodic Rockband that has released two great albums
so far. The band has a lot of similarities to bands like HARLAN
CAGE and SURVIVOR, although they also have some influences of the
90s modern rockstyle. However I felt it was time to interview the
leader, Doctor Watson. Let's see what he has to say...
Please tell us
first about the beginning of MARIAH'S TRENCH and introduce your
band.
MARIAH'S TRENCH was formed in early 1998 with the debut CD out
around mid year. Within two months we already charted with GAVIN
national reporting stations at almost 500 spins/ week under
Frenzy Feed Records with a pretty good following. The tune I am
referring to is "Not Like Before". At that time, the
"band" consisted of myself and Bruce Michael Paine. I
had a vision and had a great desire to translate that vision into
a full blown CD and thus wrote all of the music and lyrics, and
then played all of the tracks myself. Bruce then did the vocals
on about half the tunes and I did the vocals on the others.
Tell us about
yourself and did any of you do anything before MARIAH'S TRENCH?
In regards to myself, I have been playing music since age 5 or 6 and initially concentrated on classical guitar. I used to play for hours on end and loved the guitar arrangements of Bach, Mozart, Sor, and multiple earlier renaissance composers such as Dowland and Cutting. Later I became interested in rock and liked playing Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satriani guitar solos. Over time, bass, drums, and keys, became a major interest as well. By age 15, I was into to local music scene and used to play the Sunset Strip in Hollywood with a bunch of different bands.
However, it was really hard to manage financially doing this. Ultimately I landed a job at Guitar Institute of Hawaii, and a weekend TV series called "Kika Tips" highlighting both classical guitar and rock lead technique. This led to teaching music full time and playing nights in the tourist hotels. Ironically, this new status and pay only served to frustrate me. I began disliking being told which classical pieces to play and which rock leads to teach as per those who didn't even play or like this style of music. At this point, I needed a break, a long one......I went back to school with the same intensity I put into music and recently finished medical school and specialty training in Emergency Medicine at UCLA. I now enjoy helping poor inner city people, and those with drug problems and acute injuries. The lyrics to my songs stem from the life struggles I see within my patients and within myself.
Please tell us all
about your debut CD?
The Debut CD, IT'S DEEP was completed in 1998. It has a strong
classic rock/AOR feel with a hard emphasis on hooks and lyrical
content. I wrote the lyrics while at work in the Emergency
Department as things would really hit me hard emotionally. I can
recall watching so many people die in my hands feeling helpless
as their last breath was too weak to even identify their killer.
I would be crying in my mind, and as expected of a doctor would
never let it show..... I would often go home mentally numb about
all terrible things the Los Angeles gangs would do to people.
When I got home, I would write songs about these things. All of
the tunes on the CD were complete within a few months and then
re-tracked in a major studio over a period of two weeks. The CD
quickly caught on and we began getting lots of radio airplay as
listed in the GAVIN report and even charted with one of the
tunes. We have posted this song "Not Like Before" on
our web site for download in MP3. http://www.FrenzyFeed.com
The second album
'Beyond Orgasm', please tell us more about it?
Our newest release is meant to relay themes woven into society
and into human emotion and desire. However, life is complex and
difficult for any of us to grasp. It is truly beyond orgasm. The
lyrics are often cynical but yet honest and reveal our personal
traits and characteristics. Bruce and I also brought in David
Johan who helped
in writing some of the tunes and he also plays some of the lead
and rhythm guitars with me. We really concentrated on a big
production with fat chorus and killer leads and are proud of the
overall choice of tunes
and mix. it again has a strong AOR/classic rock feel but we try
to offer a very modern approach.
Musically you are
trying to create a new melodic rock sound for the new millennium,
because although there are lots of 80s AOR/Melodic rock
influences, when you listen to your CDs, you can really hear
there is a very refreshing new style to be heard. Can you explain
this style to us and what you are trying to reach, and also tell
us about the bands who influenced you?
Thanks Gabor, we really appreciate your opinion on that one. We
have strong AOR/Melodic Rock influences as you note and also make
every effort to have a new millennium sound as well. Our
influences include Journey, Dokken, Boston, Van Halen, and
multiple other bands in this genera but also add a touch of
modern rock feel. As you note, our style strives to add a new
refreshing outlook common to all of us today.
Your kind of music,
AOR/Melodic rock, is not so popular anymore, what is your opinion
on this?
I totally agree with you that AOR/Melodic Rock has faded in its
popularity. However, there are still millions of true fans who
follow this style. We have no obligation to follow like cattle.
There are many great Modern Rock bands but they too only command
a relatively small percentage of the market. For example, Country
technically dominates the total CD sales in the U.S. There are
countless styles of music and each is a wonderful representation
of ones emotional state and outlook. There are many beautiful
smaller mountains to respect and climb besides only referring to
Mountains such as Everest. There is a wonderful place for all
styles.
What are the future
plans for MARIAH'S TRENCH? Any new songs/material/new CD coming
up, if so, tell us all about possible written songs and the
sound/style of them?
We now have a full 4 man band with myself on lead and rhythm
guitars and vocals. We are currently working on some new tunes
and perfecting our arrangements of the tunes on the first CD's.
The new guys really seem to feel the tunes as the emotional
outlet I intended when I recorded the tracks myself has been
retained and added to. We will likely tour in the near future as
the act is really coming together nicely. The new tunes we are
doing are a similar style but we add a fuller 4 man vocal harmony
as we all sing.
Finally, do you
have anything to add to our readers?
I often find it ironic that there are people concerned about
style and popularity. There are many fine bottles of wine in the
world and none of us want the same bottle with every meal. I feel
that all of our readers love and respect multiple styles of music
just as we all experience happiness, sorrow, envy, love, need,
pain, and elation. We are human and life is beyond orgasm.
"Music, love, and compassion for those in need, are the
seeds we need to feed".
(A special
thanks must go out to Jennifer McPherson)