Megaton Leviathan vs. Actuary
ML: There have been so many new ways to generate music cropping up over the last few decades, what is a key piece of the technological evolution that has affected your artistic process?
ACTUARY: The contact mic and handheld recorders….that and the invention of the smart phone has definitely prompted each member of Actuary to explore forbidden sites seeking inspiration in the darkest recesses of the human psyche……and Asia’s red light district .
As our society convulses in it’s death throws it is often left to free thinkers and weirdos to envision the future, what do you believe is the roll of underground music in cultural evolution?
ACTUARY: As the human race slowly devours itself with the trappings of our own design, I envision the sounds of the underground in its varied styles and genres documenting/questioning/encouraging/resisting/surrendering, etc… to this necessary process of death and rebirth… It keeps people moving and prevents them from getting sick off of toxic mainstream productions.
As a follow up, do you think that psychedelics have a continuing role (as in the movement of the 1960’s) to play in both the evolution of underground culture and it’s effect on our culture at large?
ACTUARY: We’ve found that crack-cocaine’s contribution to underground culture and society at large are far more interesting and largely under appreciated. While we don’t take psychedelics anymore, we have in the past, and this has certainly had and effect on our warped sense of sound. However, who knows what people do theses days, or what’s influencing them for that matter… I’m sure it’s having some influence, but folks are realizing more and more that mind altering chemicals aren’t needed to express and create, and explore sound.
On the conspiracy theory front, where do you stand on the belief that ancient earth cultures were directly influenced by extra-terrestrials and had possession of and knowledge of their technology?
ACTUARY: Jeepers! Really don’t have much of stance on that one. More caught up in finding out if or if not gremlins really are the cause of Actuarial equipment failures, or if in fact it is the ghost of Thomas Jefferson, pissed the fuck off for using his gift of electricity for such atrocious purposes.
In your opinion, what two classic science fiction writers have crafted close approximations of the nightmare that is modern day society?
ACTUARY: Philip K. Dick and Jesus Christ.
What do you consider to be the most important elements of good song writing?
ACTUARY: Whatever feels right.
What bands currently active in the underground should people be on the look out for?
ACTUARY: Boy, that’s a toughy… there are so many… Sissisters, Droughter, Fetus Eaters, Bruce Campbell, Megatron, Marion Barry, Concious Summary, Enometrium Cuntplow, XDUGEF, Wake The Machines… the list goes on and on! Head on over to the underground for a more comprehensive picture.
The Mayan calender and 2012 endgame, discuss…
ACTUARY: We don’t have a Mayan calender. We did, however, hear the world might come to an end in 2012. Haven’t thought much about it… stuck on this damn smartphone, trying to hone in on the weakness of the gremlin…
If 2012 lives up to all the hype how will you send your last days?
ACTUARY: Same thing we always do! Using our smartphones, searching for gremlins, making noise and rocking the fuck out!
This is always a fun one, what is the WORST show you’ve ever played?
ACTUARY: Don’t know if we could narrow it down to just one.. Of course, in our mind there are many times where things didn’t go according to plan (gremlins?). Yet, somehow we manage to make it work because there’s always that one person in the audience that “gets” it and loves it and lets us know it! That is when we know we’ve done our job.
Actuary vs. Megaton Levithan
ACTUARY: Give us the brief history of Megaton Leviathan.
ML: In October 2007, Andrew started working out ideas with our original drummer Matt Brim and a year or so later I moved to portland and after hearing a few tracks I immediately signed on. We played our first show at the now defunct Satyricon in may of ’09. We’ve been through three drummers, burned a lot of frankincense and sage, done a few regional tours, released our ’09 demo on CD and Vinyl, the Water Wealth Hell on Earth CD, the Repeating Patterns of Love tape demo, and collected a lot of feathers, bones, stones and significant plant samples.
Why the name Megaton Leviathan, and what personal significance does it have to the band?
ML: It’s taken from a line in the Judas Priest song “Delivering the Goods”, which has jokingly become our motto. This is a nod to one of the most influential bands in our musical pantheon, it may not be obvious for such down tempo music, but it’s there. It’s also self referential for Andrew, he is the Megaton Leviathan, a title he wares well. He’s an epicly big man, physically and spiritually.
Is bigger necessarily better? Explain…..
ML: In some cases yes, in some cases no. It’s really nice to play a joint that has a massive sound system with a pile of subs and great monitoring, in that case bigger is definitely better. As far as an onstage backline goes, there are a lot of folks that think, if it’s big and loud it sounds good, two full stacks for guitar and an 8×10 refrigerator cab for bass, six rack toms and a 60 inch kick drum. This has an obvious visual appeal, but it strikes me as extremely impractical. I’m more prone to focusing closely on a very specific tone on a smaller rig. Putting together just the right amp with just right cabinet and carefully selecting the exact chain of pedals to produce the tone your after. We’ve both dedicated a great deal of time to tone building, trying out many different combinations, and we’ve paired things down a lot. We’ve found that it’s quite possible to produce an extremely powerful live sound without a tower of amps and cabinets behind you.
In his book Upon A Pale Horse, William Copper talks about the goverments planned and strategic use of “silent weapons” to control, and eventually take over the world…….do you believe it?
ML: I absolutely believe that all sorts of terrifying things are being developed for exacting tighter and more total control over humanity. I don’t believe the “government” is actually in charge anymore, they are simply a part of one these “silent weapons” that the uber elite are using as a method of control and they’re doing an excellent job with the tools they currently have. It’s not hard to imagine an ever darker dystopian nightmare waiting for us in the not too distant future. It’s also easy to feel that we’re immersed in it already. Just look at the level of ignorance and outright stupidity that permeates our society and while the “government” can’t be held entirely responsible, people are what they are, highly developed social mammals (that guarantees a certain amount of small mindedness), they’re certainly not working towards a better educated and capable populace. That’s one of the reasons I believe so strongly in the importance of a thriving underground culture. We affect each other, in the way we think and feel, also because we’re highly developed social mammals, and in this lies an amazing amount of potential for positive growth in the mental, physical and spiritual realms. It really doesn’t take that many people working/thinking/praying together to effect great and sweeping changes in the collective unconscious. Psychedelic crystal warriors to the font lines please, there’s work to be done.
What are some of the things that influence your music, or major themes projected through it?
ML: Universal constants, transcendence, the beauty of the world we live in, along with the sadness and darkness that accompanies it. We try to tickle people’s third eye, to bring in the scared smoke, and awaken a feeling of connection to one another. For all intents and proposes we’re working a kind of magic that is much closer to prayer than to anything else. It’s all fairly new age and somewhat ridiculous, but we believe in what we’re doing. We don’t take ourselves too seriously though, at least we try not to. There are, of course, a myriad of bands from many different genres that have played a very important role in the development of our sound, but if you listen we think they speak through the music better than a list on a page.
Ever had to beat someone’s ass while on tour?
ML: While we’re not violent people by any stretch of the imagination, on occasion someone just insists on an ass beating, I mean really, really insists, insisting so forcefully that it falls just neigh of straight begging. When faced with these occurrences we have reluctantly, but vigorously, provided said beating. With any luck this isn’t something we’ll have to repeat.
Any side projects? What do you guys do when you aren’t busy being Megaton Leviathans?
ML: I, myself, live in the middle of nowhere and grow grapes to make my own wine and the majority of the food I eat. At present I’m designing a barn and corral for goats and chickens and a hutch for some rabbits. I’m looking forward to making some goat cheese, skin drums, and a nice rabbit fur vest. Andrew’s been attending college classes, and reading a lot of esoteric and spiritual texts, but we’re both almost obsessively focused on Megaton.
Why do toasters always have a setting on them which burns your toast to a
horrible crisp no one would eat?
ML: The machines we create are a reflection of our own imperfections. Why do people think it’s a good idea to eat fast food?
If corn oil is made from corn and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?
M: Paraffinum liquidum (a fancy name for mineral oil), isopropyl palmitate (derived from palm acid) and Parfum (a perfume mixture that could be made of all sorts of things), in short it’s refined from the compressed goo left behind by ancient life forms. There are likely some really, really old dead babies mixed up in that goo so it’s not altogether outside the realm of reason to say that baby oil is in fact made from babies.
It’s the begining of a new year…2012 to be exact. What’s on Megaton Leviathan’s to do list? Tours? A new album? Any (ahem) splits? What are you guys gonna focus on this year?
ML: The main focus at present is getting some new material recorded. We’ve got a full length in the works and (ahem) a split with Actuary. There’s a tour in the works as well, later in the year, but we’re really going to put our noses to the grindstone on the album. We’ve been talking to a few folks about some collaborations on a number of the songs, we’re really excited about that. This is going to be a culmination of the ideas and concepts we’ve been developing over the last five years and at this point it really feels far and away our best material to date. Keep an eye out, we’ll likely be releasing snippets here and there as things develop.
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