Danielle Patoir of SwitchBitch Noise sits down to chat with Drew Bastian of Manic Pixi
Danielle Patoir // SwitchBitch Noise: I like how you started the album off with “Can I try it again?”.. was that planned? In general when recording ‘Iron Heart’ did anything unexpected happen but end up on the album?
Drew Bastian: It was not the original intention, but we love taking those little snippits from the studio and poking them in when we can. The demo version of “Iron Heart” had Kat yelling “you choose whiskey!” (a lyric from the opening song “Newly Ordered World”). As far as studio adds, there wasn’t a whole lot we didn’t have pre-planned. We had demoed the entire album before hitting the studio, so we pretty much had it all laid out. I do remember a happy slip-up during the demoing process while working on the second verse guitar part of “Dredging”. It had to be about 3am and Marshall and I were delirious. During one of the riffs he accidentally struck a note while pulling away from the guitar that transformed it into this incredible, heart-breaking moment and became my favorite part of the entire song.
SBN: What was your favorite venue to play at thus far?/ Favorite show? & Why?
DB: Favorite venue was probably Rough Trade. I actually assisted in setting the sales floor up when I used to work at Main Drag Music. I remember thinking “Man, this venue is awesome. It would be so cool to play here.” Favorite show, and I’m pretty sure everyone in the band would answer this way, is between two. We played a rooftop bar at SXSW in Austin, TX looking over Sixth St. right as the sun was going down. It was so packed they had to stop letting people on the roof. Definitely a special one. The other was a house show we played in Richmond, VA. We had played to a less than enthusiastic crowd at a larger venue that night and were feeling kind of down, so our friend took us to a crazy house show already in progress. Our friend knew the person running the place and asked if we could play. Next thing we knew it was 1am and we were in front of a sea of moshing human bodies. I specifically remember looking to my right during a big guitar solo and Marshall was making out with someone while still ripping. Super fun show.
SBN: Do you have any rituals you do before shows, during or after?
DB: We’ll often huddle up right before going on and shout something together. We like hugs. A lot. So it kind of makes sense we all embrace before running out.
SBN: Who is at the top of your list when it comes to other artist/s/bands to play a show with?
DB: In an ideal world we’d love to play with groups like Against Me! or Four Year Strong. Anyone that has that really high energy show we strive for. Honestly, though, we love playing with the groups we do now. LTrain, Bonsai Trees, Freya Wilcox and the Howl, Everything Ever, just to name a few. So much awesome music running around right now.
SBN: How do your songs usually form? Is it a joint effort in the moment? Or do one of you usually have an idea that you “bring to the table” sort of thing? Is it different each song?
DB: It’s a mix of those. A lot of Iron Heart was the “bring to the table” method, but what varied a lot was what was brought to the table. Sometimes it was fully fleshed out tunes, other times it was just a chorus or a riff. One of my favorite aspects of what we ended up with is that we all had a lot of say in the writing while also being very respectful of each other’s opinions and inputs. It’s what makes the album a piece of and from all of us.
SBN: What does your future look like.. What would be ideal? Plans?
DB: We’re busy booking up a bunch of tours for this Fall. Ideally? Warped Tour! That’s kind of a dream for all of us.
SBN: If you could play anywhere.. Where would you go next? Countries?
DB: We’ve actually had a number of conversations about crossing the pond and hitting the UK. London would be great. One of those aforementioned tours may be to Canada. We’re very excited about that prospect, too.
SBN: What advice do you have for those who would like to do what you are doing?
DB: Have fun! With music and, maybe more importantly, with the people you make music with. That’s something I tell my private students after every lesson, too. But really, it’s tough to remember that a part of this job is having fun. It’s so easy to get bogged down in the duldrums of being in a band (travelling, booking, etc.). The easiest and best cure for that is honestly as simple as sitting down with your team and doing something fun. We play a lot of board games, role playing games, and listen to a lot of comedy together. We are a hard-working group, but that’s kept alive by our ability to play together as well.
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About Manic Pixi:
Manic Pixi is an East Coast-based Alt-Pop Punk band. Combining the best parts of pop-punk, grunge, indie, and rock with an undeniable pop sensibility, Kat, Emmett, Marshall, and Drew craft tunes that leave you wanting to slam the wall in both defiance and heartbreak.
The band is gearing up for the release of their second full-length Iron Heart. The album will feature a more mature sound with fresher and eclectic takes on pop-punk. Take Paramore, inject them with sweeter pop-punk melodies a la Letters to Cleo, rub them down with No Doubt, drop them in a bowl full of Hole, pan fry on high in Blink-182, season with Four Year Strong and you wind up with alternative pop-punk four-piece, Manic Pixi.
Their new album, Iron Heart, is available for purchase via Bandcamp and iTunes.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sugar-bomb/id919281557
http://www.manicpixi.bandcamp.com/
Connect with Manic Pixi Online:
www.manicpixi.com
www.facebook.com/manicpixi
www.instagram.com/manic_pixi
www.twitter.com/manicpiximusic
