Laguna Meth Interview
Band's Main Man Opens Up
It's hard to find many characters in music more interesting than Michael from Laguna Meth. Just by listening to any one song off the 'Laguna Meth' album, one can tell that Michael's music comes from the heart, and in this interview, he opens his heart and gives us a piece of his mind.
Suite101: First of all, for those who don't know of you, could you describe your sound?
Michael: Dance Rock or Magical Mainstream Music. I'm speaking of the yet to be recorded second album.
Suite101: How, when and where did Laguna Meth form?
Michael: Laguna Meth is still forming and evolving. I didn't have the pleasure of meeting some guys in my early youth and while bonding around a spliff and some beers we decided to be rock stars.
Suite101: Where did the name 'Laguna Meth' come from?
Michael: I walking down the street in San Francisco and saw the street sign for a street named 'Laguna'. It was a trippy fall day and I could hear the leaves scraping against the sidewalk as the fragrant winds from the bay blew across the city. I began to think to myself that the magic of California was just a myth.
I thought of some kids I knew down in Laguna the town and how their parents had worked towards having nice houses and putting their kids in good schools in Laguna, this beautiful beach town. Yet these kids felt frustrated and sat at home all day doing Crystal Meth.
I thought Laguna Myth over and over again and then I realized life in the Western World was Laguna Meth...with the Meth gaining faster than the Laguna in prominence. Of course its never too late to change the road your on...just like Robert Plant once sang.
Suite101: Who are your musical inspirations?
Michael: I was very inspired by the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Brian Wilson/Beach Boys, Brian Jones and The Rolling Stones up until Goats Head Soup. NWA, The Ghetto Boyz, Public Enemy.
I really like Depeche Mode 'Violator' and U2's early albums like Boy that were trying to say something and fight for humanity and evolution. I also like the way Minimal Techno (good minimal techno) ignores barriers and aspires to reach the higher frequencies of our consciousness.
If anyone can do it I recommend going to the Mutek festival in Montreal. Its usually every June.
Suite101: If you could pick one musician from any era to collaborate with, who would it be?
Michael: I would pick Brian Jones. He is cool. Creative. Open. And humble enough to let the music move through him. If I were Keith I would have given more love to Brian instead of Anita Pallenberg. He was a treasure.
Suite101: Which band or artist that is active now personifies what you don't like in music?
Michael: Almost every band/artist. Its deeper than that though. Its the society/music industry underneath the artists. The Beatles in the UK or the Simon and Garfunkel in NYC...they needed the commerce, entertainment and everyday people around them to be cool and inspire them. When too many great minds are assassinated by CIA type entities (from JFK, MLK, RFK to Che Guevara and Paul Wellstone) the ripple effect is unbearable.
When paper degrees saying you have knowledge and paper money backed by criminals are put on a higher level of priority than love, enlightenment and evolution/progress, society begins to rot and stagnate. When punishment usurps understanding and millions of good people are labeled criminals by the true criminals...this I feel leads to insanity. When the media ignores the important truths that exist,and when people that DO KNOW better are too scared to stand up, society rots.
How can you make good music standing on a corpse? Its very, very difficult.
Suite101: In your album 'Laguna The Puma', it could be said that you create your own genre. How did you go about writing music that seperates yourself from the many generic indie bands out there?
Michael: I can't answer that really. I'm just me and I tap into the invisible stream and try to connect to all the other energy around me and into the future. I write for the unborn as much as the people around today.
Suite101: What is the essential Laguna Meth song that people must buy?
Michael: I think people should smile more and be nice to each other. Keep an open mind and care about helping their fellow man to evolve.
What should they buy? I can't answer that.
Suite101: Do you have any plans to tour in the near future?
Michael: I would love to play live if if the situation was right. Touring or shows here and there I don't know.
Suite101: Is a new album in the pipeline? If so, when can this be expected?
Michael: The new album is all I'm working on. Its in the pipeline. Dance Rock. Cool tunes. Wait...don't put it on yet I have to go to the bathroom first.
Suite101: Thank you for your time Michael!
As can be seen, Michael's individual style in music is just a carry over from his regular life, and it is refreshing to see a character so different from the majority of musicians today.
Laguna The Puma
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