An interview with Wax Mekanix
An interview with Wax Mekanix
What inspired you to play the music that you do?
I’m a songwriter, singer, guitarist, drummer, percussionist, and producer, so those are the tools I swing around to do what I do. I’ve been fortunate to have travelled the globe, so I have been influenced by cultures worldwide, for sure.
I’m also a 7th generation American man, born in the 20th century in an unassuming typical small town in central Pennsylvania. I’ve been influenced by all of the music that it implies. Specifically, America radio of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. I love that era’s pop, rock, folk and punk.
American radio was certainly the soundtrack of my childhood, and like so many of my generation, KISS and Led Zeppelin were flashpoints for me. They sparked me to become a musician and songwriter.
If I were to narrow this answer a bit more, I simultaneously added the KISS albums “Alive” and “Destroyer” to my collection in 1976 and was playing them both front-to-back constantly. KISS was so different from the radio formatted hits that were all around me. “Alive” was subversive, dark, edgy, sexy, raw, trashy, and spoke to my primal rock instincts. It was a perfect soundtrack for a guy like me, where I was. The other side of that was the polish and layered pop structure of “Destroyer”. It sounded deliberate and focused. It really opened my eyes to the possibilities of blending heavy rock with commercial sensibilities and prompted me to start thinking about songwriting. These two albums felt like one musical statement and are inseparable for me. Being a KISS fan required serious bravery in my town. On more than one occasion, defending my musical tastes required raised fists. This instilled in me that I should stand up for music that matters to me. I still do that to this day when I’m writing, recording, or performing.
In addition to my solo work, I’m a founding member of American cult rock quartet, Nitro. Not the LA glam Nitro that graced the MTV airwaves in the late 80s. Dana, John, Brad, and I formed Nitro in 1980 and were part of the US’s answer to the NWOBHM. That experience as part of Nitro is on-going and is a huge part of what shapes how I make music.
By deliberate design, the scope of all of the Nitro records (Lethal, Lethal + II, Volatile Activity, etc) is sonically and thematically concentrated to result in high intensity, aggressive, loud, shameless songs that take in our four different sets of skill and influences. Mostly influenced by American, British, and European rock of the 70’s, we filter our original tunes through those personal lenses and throw them back and forth at each other with the tools we each are expected to bring. When we do that, rinse, and repeat enough times, we hit an equilibrium that our four very different perspectives agree on.
How do you approach songwriting?
Like a lot of rock musicians, I’m self-taught, so I kind of stumbled slowly into it and continue to evolve in my approach.
There are two components to songwriting for me. The first is inspiration. My own personal perspective is that it’s all about being open and receptive to interesting words, music, and/or ideas. I think of it as having my antennae up and being ready to receive information for songwriting. As they come by me, I invite these creative pieces in, capture them, and collect them for later use. In some rare cases, songs come in one complete, fully-formed chunk, but that’s not typical for me.
The second songwriting part is craft. At some point in the writing process, I have to decide if it is going to take one shape or another. As example, some early Bob Dylan songs like “Chimes of Freedom” or “Mr. Tambourine Man” are very long-form, almost hypnotic pieces where alliterative verses just pile up on each other. Many times these are without a refrain or chorus and can go on for 10 minutes. At the other end of that spectrum are some well-known songs by The Beatles that have precise classic pop structure with intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, post-chorus, bridge, and coda. A sonic roller coaster ride that is tightly packed into 3 breath-taking minutes. At some point, the song that I’m writing will usually suggest what it wants to be, so I will guide it to that end if I can. That’s a description of how I usually work alone.
Sometimes I write with others and that’s a different experience since I usually have to forge a bit of a democracy to get to where it satisfies all of the writers. I did, and still do a lot of that in Nitro where there are four very distinctive and sometimes opposing creative views. That’s good song-building tension, and is always fun for me because the results are usually never like I imagine when we start.
On my new record, “Mobocracy”, I wrote some songs by myself and a few others were collaborations. I like both approaches since it keeps things fresh and new for me.
How do you approach songwriting?
Like a lot of rock musicians, I’m self-taught, so I kind of stumbled slowly into it and continue to evolve in my approach.
There are two components to songwriting for me. The first is inspiration. My own personal perspective is that it’s all about being open and receptive to interesting words, music, and/or ideas. I think of it as having my antennae up and being ready to receive information for songwriting. As they come by me, I invite these creative pieces in, capture them, and collect them for later use. In some rare cases, songs come in one complete, fully-formed chunk, but that’s not typical for me.
The second songwriting part is craft. At some point in the writing process, I have to decide if it is going to take one shape or another. As example, some early Bob Dylan songs like “Chimes of Freedom” or “Mr. Tambourine Man” are very long-form, almost hypnotic pieces where alliterative verses just pile up on each other. Many times these are without a refrain or chorus and can go on for 10 minutes. At the other end of that spectrum are some well-known songs by The Beatles that have precise classic pop structure with intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, post-chorus, bridge, and coda. A sonic roller coaster ride that is tightly packed into 3 breath-taking minutes. At some point, the song that I’m writing will usually suggest what it wants to be, so I will guide it to that end if I can. That’s a description of how I usually work alone.
Sometimes I write with others and that’s a different experience since I usually have to forge a bit of a democracy to get to where it satisfies all of the writers. I did, and still do a lot of that in Nitro where there are four very distinctive and sometimes opposing creative views. That’s good song-building tension, and is always fun for me because the results are usually never like I imagine when we start.
On my new record, “Mobocracy”, I wrote some songs by myself and a few others were collaborations. I like both approaches since it keeps things fresh and new for me.
What’s your favourite song on Mobocracy?
Mobocracy is mostly an exhilarating howling, slamming, strident, aggressive, searing record. My favourite track on it is “Victorious”, since it has a unique duality to it.
When I wrote it, I wanted to design in two things for the listener. One facet of it, was to be a stand-alone primal thing. Anthemic, celebratory, and to be enjoyed at face value. Up-tempo, fists in the air, universal chorus that could be cranked at any massive tribal gathering in any culture. I can hear it at being played in a stadium of thousands for a sporting event, political rally, etc. I wanted everything about it to elicit a visceral response. I love that kind of thing.
The other side of “Victorious” is supposed to be a bit more subtle. When viewed in the context of the whole album, it is a sardonic statement about the arrogant wielding of power without thought for anything but the moment. This tendency is universal and replays throughout history. Someone gets power, and all of a sudden, there is back-slapping and high-fiving with no sense of horizon. It’s all about the moment of, “we won, you’re the vanquished, I’m the big dog now, and it’s my time to swing my weight around”. All without a sense of history. The video we did for “Victorious” focuses on that aspect. Did I accomplish what I set out to do with it? Only time will tell.
How has the pandemic impacted you?
I’ve always been a sunny-side-of-the-mountain kind of guy, so I’m taking this rare down-time to reconnect with those people that I care about. Some friends and family are a bit spooked by the unknowns that are part of 2020 and 2021, so my goal is to use these sideways times to strengthen and build on relationships that are important. Frankly, the most important part of my life is the people who love me and those I love. Everything else is secondary to that. Nurturing relationships is my primary focus these days.
Creatively, it’s great to have large stretches of time to get into the musical work that I love so much. This includes writing and recording. I’m currently working on a new album for late 2021 with my crew, so I’m stoked about that. The immediate musical goal is that I’m in the studio now beavering away on two farm-fresh tracks for a split that I’m doing with a label-mate. They are the awesome doom merchants known as Troll Teeth. If all goes as planned Electric Talon Records will release this sonic gem this spring.
I paint a bit, too, so it’s nice to have ample time to get with my canvases. I have found that large swaths of time are now available to feed my head and reconnect with the muses that serve as my inspiration. Finally, I’ve always tried to treat my body well, so I’m reinvigorating the way that I care for health and fitness so I can be around for a long time. I’m definitely trying to make lemonade out of lemons.
How has the pandemic impacted you?
I’ve always been a sunny-side-of-the-mountain kind of guy, so I’m taking this rare down-time to reconnect with those people that I care about. Some friends and family are a bit spooked by the unknowns that are part of 2020 and 2021, so my goal is to use these sideways times to strengthen and build on relationships that are important. Frankly, the most important part of my life is the people who love me and those I love. Everything else is secondary to that. Nurturing relationships is my primary focus these days.
Creatively, it’s great to have large stretches of time to get into the musical work that I love so much. This includes writing and recording. I’m currently working on a new album for late 2021 with my crew, so I’m stoked about that. The immediate musical goal is that I’m in the studio now beavering away on two farm-fresh tracks for a split that I’m doing with a label-mate. They are the awesome doom merchants known as Troll Teeth. If all goes as planned Electric Talon Records will release this sonic gem this spring.
I paint a bit, too, so it’s nice to have ample time to get with my canvases. I have found that large swaths of time are now available to feed my head and reconnect with the muses that serve as my inspiration. Finally, I’ve always tried to treat my body well, so I’m reinvigorating the way that I care for health and fitness so I can be around for a long time. I’m definitely trying to make lemonade out of lemons.
What plans do you have for the future?
Like everyone else on the planet, I’m focusing on keeping those I care about safe and well.
In parallel with that, I’m staying engaged creatively with the upcoming split I mentioned, I’ll keep working on a full 2021 album that will be a cool follow-up to Mobocracy, and also prepare for gigs that will be coming sooner than we think. I’m really eager to scratch that itch again, but only when we can all do it safely. I am convinced that it’s going to be glorious to gather and celebrate together after all of this separation. When shadows ever start to creep into my world, I remind myself that these trying times are coming to an end, and that random acts of hugging and joy are ahead of us all. We need to be kind, patient, and understanding with one another as we fight our way through to the other side.