Emma: Vocals | Doug: Guitar | Dennis: Drums | Val: Bass | Nemi: Guitar How did Makaras Pen form? Doug: After my former band Tearwave broke up, I gave up the music that I do for a few months. After a little bit of time went by, I decided I wasn't even close to being done with what I wanted to achieve and was not finished with what I started with Tearwave. I called on my best friends in the world and got the Makaras Pen line up solidified. You state in your press release that you want to evoke emotions with your listeners. What type of emotions are you trying to evoke? Doug: My experience has always been that indie shoegaze seems to evoke many different emotions from different people depending on who you talk to. Some people seem to feel a lot of inspiration from the music we do and some listeners take it as a melancholy mood that they crave from our songs. We are trying to evoke any emotion good bad or indifferent. So much music out there in the corporate radio world only evokes me to turn it off. Dennis: All of them! We hope to evoke many different emotions in everyone. Emma: I feel that the lyrics I write are filled with emotions everyone has felt at some point or another. I want people to be able to relate and understand that I've been there too, and you can make positive changes in your life by opening up and understand yourself and situations you've been in. Emma, when you were writing lyrics for this album can you describe how you come up with subject matter and content? Emma: Well obviously, as it is with most songs, they came from real life situations. Over the couple of years, 2009 mostly, I experienced a huge transitional period in my life. Without going into too much detail, (I could write a novel with my stories), everything I knew was changing around me and I was trying to adapt along with making everyone happy. It was a learning process and I've become a smarter and stronger adult because of it and I've never been happier or felt so much freedom.
What is the chemistry between members in the band versus previous bands? Doug: I think Makaras Pen is a little different in the fact that Dennis, Val, and I have been extremely close for 10 years. I mean family vacations, dinners at parents, and doing everything together like in goodfellas. The dynamic there is a true tried and tested relationship. Emma and Nemi fit right into that in such a great way. Val: The chemistry between the band is that of rarity. Formed by the close relationship of Doug, Dennis, and I it has brought us even closer by sharing a creative vision. Adding Emma and Nemi has provided a great outside perspective and adds a family like environment. Dennis: It's like a family. I've been playing with Val for 15 years and Doug for 10 years. We get along like brothers. We've been doing everything together, band and non band, for a long time. We all have our role and do it to make sure the band succeeds. Emma: From the day I auditioned for this band I knew it was going to work. I actually started my college career as a music education major so it was refreshing to be in a band with guys who knew what they were talking about and who were so talented from years of playing. Despite the age difference we just have great chemistry. I wish we could practice everyday. They motivate me and make me so excited to perform and write this music. I actually used to play bass in my previous bands and they were either hardcore bands or pop/screamo style so this is a whole new world for me and I love it. How do you feel being such close friends has affected your music? Doug: There isn't a lot of holding back on opinions thoughts or ideas with each other that's for sure. We don't have to tiptoe around each other like maybe new band members would. I think that lends honesty to the music. Dennis: It made it easier and more fun to create. We had a very relaxed writing environment and I think it shows in the final product. Val: Being close friends has given the band the best type of creativity we have ever experienced playing music. The best part when writing is that we all have a voice and can give opinions and they are all heard and taken into consideration. We all understand that when writing if something is not liked and said, that we do not take it personally. Emma: It makes it real. I can say anything I feel and try new things vocally because I'm not nervous or intimidated. I actually can't wait to write more because we get closer everyday and I feel like we're sitting atop a mountain of creativity between the 5 of us. What is your song writing and recording process? Doug: We do write in the studio while we record for a CD. That maybe one thing that's a bit different than most bands. The tracks you hear on our CD were usually only played once or twice before the foundations were laid down. The same instinct like "your first answer on a test is usually the right one" is the same theory I apply in the music we do. The more I think and plan on a song the more I don't like the outcome. Dennis: What we have done in the past is come up with a basic rhythm and time structure and we lay down a drum track. Once drums are done we start layering on guitars and bass. Then Emma takes the song and writes lyrics and then records them. Val: Our song writing process is pretty unique. Doug and I get together for a few hours at a time and create the basic foundation of what we want to play. Dennis comes in after and lays the drums. Once this part is complete Emma and Nemi get copies of what was laid down on rough tracks. Then they come in and play their parts. It is a great comfortable recording process. Emma: Well I am constantly writing lyrics. I've got scrap pieces of paper covered in words in my pockets, purse, car, desk, etc. Its nice that Doug has the commercial studio because he and the other guys will jam out some ideas they've got and put a song together and record it right away, I'll usually have a CD to listen to and ill put my vocal lines over that, then go in maybe a week later and record my stuff and there's the basic stucture to the song. Can you explain what the name Makaras Pen comes from? Doug: A Makara is an idol from India that symbolizes both good and bad right and wrong. Since our music evokes different feelings in people I thought it was a good fit to the band. Emma: Makara is actually a mythical creature in hindu mythology, an insignia also representing love and lust. In Indian art and stories it finds expression in the form of motifs. Also it means "truths"... Basically its inspiration for so many feelings. We threw pen after it because were writing what it is all about, its muse. Do you feel Shoegaze as a genre might make a come back soon? Doug: I always hear shoegaze elements in so many things I get to hear these days. I don't think the sound ever went away just the title or genre's name may have. Val: Yes, we do believe that this genre can make a comeback. It all goes back to old becomes new once again. Emma: I think we could show people what its all about. With our passion for the music, we want to make people really open their ears and minds to it. Do you feel your live performance translates what is on CD? Doug: I sure hope so. We work very hard at trying to make that happen. Shoegaze is a difficult style to play live in small venues because so many in house engineers don't really have a grasp on what a shoegaze mix in the room should sound like. So its always a bit more difficult to do than the average loud rock band. Val: Our live performance translates the music in a fresh perspective on what was recorded. We have developed a great live presence that we believe will make fans enjoy both the album and shows. Emma: Absolutely. I think our live performance is amazingly powerful. Listen to the album and you'll like us, listen and watch us live and you'll love us. We all feel the music so much I think fans and new listeners will be really taken back by its intensity.
	Where would someone go if they want to learn more information about the band? Val: They can get information to all links on www.makaraspen.com Is there a common theme in your music? Doug: I would say our tones are our common theme. Song structure, arrangement and feel might change but the sound we have been going for remains consistent. Emma: The lyrics definitely are, considering its based off of my life and my experiences with people in it. Much of it is about betrayal I experienced from people in my life who I thought loved me most. Meeting new people and having the same thing happen. Trying to not let all of that ruin me. Keeping a positive approach to life even when people try to bring your entire world down.
What are the plans for Makaras Pen over the next few years? Doug: We really enjoy making this music and getting it out to fans and listeners. There are some very driven people in Makaras Pen that are really looking forward to making a long go at writing and recording for years to come. Dennis : We plan to expand our fanbase and get our name and music out to as many people as possible. We will probably do a little bit of touring and will also always be writing and recording our next cd. Val: We plan on pushing the debut album with everything we have. Upon the success of that we hope to do some touring including major festivals. Emma: I personally would love to travel and spread our music across the globe. I feel like a lot of people aren't aware of this genre in this day in age but I think its something that anyone could love to listen to and be apart of. I want to keep writing and growing as a band. Expand our horizons to do anything.