Interview with Jason Meracis of Divine Ascension
Conducted by Dave Smiles
Divine Ascension is a band Australia can be proud of. A band of remarkably talented musicians who have the potential for international success. The band fuses the best of progressive, symphonic and melodic metal into a truly enjoyable style that is easily accessible to a multitude of listeners. In an industry where ‘musicians’ are developed through TV contests, this band’s success rests on the word of mouth and support of the music fans who go out and find good music. Spread the word.
First up, how did the band come into formation as Divine Ascension and is there a story behind the name?
Hey there Dave, great to talk with you. Divine Ascension really came about as the brain child of our guitarist Robb. He had been playing in a few Melbourne Metal cover bands and wanted to branch off and form a band to perform some original music he had been working on. Like most of us in bands in Melbourne, Robb put an ad out on melband looking for members with similar influences. Luke (DA drummer) saw the post and got in contact with Robb and the two of them started jamming for while as more musicians applied for the remaining positions. Jen (DA singer) also saw the ad and felt it was something she might be interested in. Robb and Luke really didn't even consider that a girl may apply for the vocalist position, but they invited her in and were blown away. That really set up the foundation for the band becoming what it is today.
The name Divine Ascension was ultimately a product of brainstorming. Once the line up was complete and a few tracks had been rehearsed to the point of sounding like a functioning band, the guys (and girl) all sat down and said "we really need to give this a name. Any ideas?" Everyone threw their ideas on the table and the name everyone could agree on was Divine Ascension.
How would you describe your band for those who haven’t heard you?
Hahaha well we would have to say female fronted metal obviously, but this is a pretty tricky question to answer. As soon as someone mentions "female fronted metal", it is hard not to be compared to the more well known female fronted bands. If I had to put our style into words, I would say we are a symphonic/progressive/melodic metal band with a strong female lead vocal. Each of us in the band have a huge variety of musical influences and I think we all bring that into the music to collectively give DA its own signature sound. We are
constantly trying to push ourselves musically and from that our music continues to grow and evolve.
The songs on Liberator could go toe to toe with anything written by well-known bands such as Nightwish, Kamelot, Epica, etc. Are there any songs on the album you’re particularly proud of?
Wow! Thank you very much!!! We had a great time writing Liberator. We really got to showcase a lot of the different sides of the band on this album. Because we are involved in the song writing process from start to finish, every single track on the album has its own unique personality to us, it really is hard to pick favourites when we've invested so much in them all. Personally though, "My Contender Lies" is a real stand out for me. It has this dark and eerie swinging vibe to it that just hits me in a special place hahaha.
Who are some of the bands who have influenced you? Are there any musicians from outside the metal genre that you like?
Hahahaha how much room do I get to answer this question? I could go on for hours, but I'll try and give you the radio edited version. I started playing the guitar in primary school so definitely the guitar rock and metal music of the 80's was a huge influence on me, especially the instrumental guitar stuff, Van Halen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, etc. I just really loved all things guitar, so that steered me to listen to all kinds of guitar music like The Shadows and The Ventures, all the way to George Benson, Martin Taylor, Mike Stern and Pat Metheny. I liked listening to and trying to learn pretty challenging stuff, so I got hooked on Jazz Fusion for a long time. Then I would hear these great bass players like Victor Wooten, Brian Bromberg and Jaco playing with these fusion guys and that really blew my mind. Enter the early days of the internet and with it a whole new world of musical discovery. I started finding great technical metal bands like Cynic, Symphony X and Spiral Architect. There was so much great music out there, I just tried to listen to and absorb as much of it as I could. These days, you never know what you'll get when you turn on my iPod. It could be anything from Brian Setzer big band rockabilly to J-Rock Abingdon Boys School to Unknown Hinson The King of Country Western Troubadors.
Performing this type of music requires a lot of stamina, is there anything the band does to keep in shape, or any pre show rituals you like to do?
You are exactly right on this one Dave, it really is something no one ever warns you about. Performing an hour long set is like playing a full game of some competitive sport with no interchange bench. I wouldn't say we have any pre-show rituals or training regimes to keep in shape, but in the few rehearsals leading up to a show, we do like to treat them as though we are playing an actual gig. With so much going on behind the scenes of the band, we rarely get to rehearse together as much as we would like to. The first couple times we get together it is usually getting everything tight and confident musically. Once we're all comfortable with that, we really like to go over the top and jump around as much as we can while trying to keep the music on point. Being on stage is like walking into another dimension where as much as you think you're moving around and putting on a great show you really aren't moving that much at all, you really have to exaggerate your movements, while still be comfortable. If we're having a great time up on stage, we want everyone in the crowd to join in and have a great time too!
How does the band approach song writing?
We are really lucky in Divine Ascension that every member really has a great imagination and passion to contribute to song writing. Usually, any one of us will come up with a few rough riffs, basic song structure or maybe even just an idea for a theme or story. Then it will get passed around and we'll all incorporate our own ideas into it until it's about 90% done. After that we all keep working on it, adding little details and hooks into the music. When we can all sit there and say "this is awesome!" we know the song is done. There also has been many times at rehearsal where Karl (DA guitarist) or Dave (DA keyboards) have just been noodling around, someone's ears have pricked up and said "hey, play that again" and before we know it we've roughed out a new track.
A duo lead guitar line up, with keyboards as well, opens up so many doors of musical exploration. Is it sometimes difficult to bring everyone’s ideas together into completed songs?
There is a lot of sonic space being occupied by so many instruments and we always keep that in mind during writing. Frequency interaction is both our best friend and worst enemy at times. We might be jamming a new song at rehearsal and getting really comfortable with our parts, only to realise, when we start recording a demo of it, this note doesn't work with that note or this part is clashing with that part. We are conscious of that all the time and everyone is really flexible when it comes to modifying a part to better suit the song. There's an old saying - "Play like you have something to say, not like you have something to prove" and I think that really holds true in Divine Ascension. We really want the song to shine as a whole, not just one virtuoso section for the sake of someone's ego.
Guitarist Robb Inglis has decided to leave the band. How does changing members alter the dynamic within the band and do you have anyone in mind at this point to join the band?
Sadly Robb has left the band and he will be dearly missed. Not only was he a great guitarist/multi-instrumentalist and song writer, but you would be hard pressed to find a bloke funnier and quick witted than Robb. Rehearsals, shows and in the studio definitely won't be the same without one liners coming at you from every direction. At the moment we are still undecided whether we are going to commit straight away to a new member or continue as a five piece for the time being. We are currently taking applications for guitarists through our website.
Australia has a strong underground metal scene, but nowhere near like it is in some of the European countries. A lot of our bands are choosing to move overseas to pursue their musical endeavours. Is this something Divine Ascension would consider sometime in the future?
For our style of music, Europe would be the obvious choice for us if we ever have plans of relocating. If in the future Divine Ascension has the fortune of sustaining itself financially, it would definitely be something we'd all have to sit down and have a chat about. We are lucky we live in a time where the world is brought so much closer because of internet connectivity. Whether you're making the music you love in Norway, Slovenia or Australia, we all have the same potential to get our music out into the world for people to hear. Clever promotion really is your best friend here. As for touring and getting out there where people can see you perform, that is a different ball game. Australia is a very large, isolated market, with a relatively small market share and low population per capita, so making the move to be closer to where majority of your potential fan base is would definitely have its advantages.
Do you think the Australian industry is doing enough to promote new bands? If not, what could be done better?
When we talk about any industry, we have to remember, for it to continue it has to be profitable. There has been so much data collated over the past 60 years of music, that the guys doing the books have got the formula down to a fine art. Australia really seems to be a country where its music industry invests more in nostalgia and US/UK fashion trends than it does in its rich music and arts culture right under its nose. TV personality turned pop star, comeback tour, reality TV competition, these are all tried and tested "safe bets" for the industry to make money and continue. Sadly, that means there will be so much great Australian talent the majority of the population will never hear about, because it is deemed too risky financially, or they do not hold as much importance in showcasing the diversity of Australian music culture. One day, someone will hit the nail on the head and get it right. There will be a venue open up somewhere, or a new television show like Countdown or Recovery, where lesser known bands and musicians will have the opportunity to showcase their talents and it will become so successful, popular and fashionable that the industry won't be able to ignore it any longer.
A lot of bands have now chosen to take the DIY route. Divine Ascension is managed by Intromental Worldwide. How did you go about getting representation from them and what motivated the more traditional method?
I touched on this a little earlier when I mentioned how the internet has brought the world so much closer together. With social media, affordable music recording and video editing software and online music distribution, it has never been easier for any artist to get their product out to a worldwide audience. The DIY route really does make a lot of sense. It eliminates a lot of middle men, who potentially can chip away at your profits and even creative control. After the first album As the Truth Appears was completed, the biggest question the band had was "now how do we get this CD on the shelves?" After a lot of internet research about independent physical distribution through daughter offshoots of major labels vs. going with a small independent record label with a global distribution network, we found that we just did not have the resources available to us to find a label we were happy with by ourselves. Since we assumed our main fan base would be in Europe, we started looking for management there. We sent the album to Intromental and they agreed to represent us. One of the drawbacks of the DIY approach to music is, it can never replace, with an overnight algorithm, the contacts, networks and relationships it takes a management company or a record label years to build through trust and hard work.
Your first album, As The Truth Appears, was released through Nightmare Records. The new album, Liberator, is through the Swedish based company Vicisolum. How did the change come about?
Yes, As the Truth Appears was released in North America and Europe through Nightmare Records and also in Japan through Hydrant Records. Here is another example of the networks and contacts a management company can provide, compared to trying to achieve the same results yourself. Intromental has a great network of record labels they deal with, so when the time came for As the Truth Appears to be released, they contacted the labels they are associated with and Nightmare and Hydrant were happy to take the product on board. That worked out really well for Divine Ascension and got the band noticed in places we never thought possible. Ultimately, with Liberator, our contractual obligations were fulfilled with Nightmare and Hydrant and we could renegotiate our contracts with them or look for another label to work with. Intromental sent Liberator to Nightmare, Hydrant and a number of other labels they thought would be suitable for the band and sent us back a list of potential candidates. We did our research on them all, made a list of the labels we were interested in working with and asked for preliminary draft contracts to be sent through so we could see what the labels were offering the band. We really liked Vicisolum and the artists they represent. Their terms of contract was something we were all super happy with and they were great to deal with during the whole process, so we chose to work with them.
The music industry has gone through some massive changes in recent years. The options are now there for bands to self-produce and self-promote, but musicians are now expected to also be engineers, promoters, accountants, etc. Can all this take away from the time better spent creating music?
Hahahaha! I share some pretty strong opinions on this topic, so can I just throw a disclaimer in here and say that my personal views in no way reflect the views of Divine Ascension.
I really think you've hit the nail on the head with this one. Not so long ago there was a clear line that distinguished who's job belonged to who. Promoters did the promoting, agents booked the shows, venues worked with the agents and promoters to get heads through the door, bands worked alongside engineers and producers to bring out the best potential in their music. Now it seems, this line has become so blurred that it is barely recognisable. That being said, being in a band has always been hard work, and if you're not prepared to work to make it successful, you will never get there. All the roles mentioned above have been born out of necessity in the music business. The last thing any kid learns in high school music class is how to book a show or set up a registered business and balance incoming and outgoing expenses. These jobs exist for a reason and the people doing these jobs have them because they are professionals at what they do. As the industry grows and evolves, so too do the roles of many of these people, however somewhere along the line, these roles have continually been delegated and handballed off until they cannot be passed along anymore, and in the end it all falls upon the shoulders of the artist. It really has become a recent trend whereby, not only is the artist responsible for producing content, but also become accountable for delivering a fully assembled "musical package". One that can walk through the front door of any venue with an adoring following fan base, highly produced sound and performance and ready to go media promotion machine. The key word here is accountability. Everybody involved in the music business, at all levels should be asking themselves, "What is my role and how can I do it to the best of my abilities?" not asking themselves, "What is my role and who can I handball it off to make my job easier?"
What is needed for a bunch of kids who are jamming in a garage to take the next step toward playing gigs? What advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue a career in music?
I would definitely say, without a doubt, the absolutely most essential and important skill any aspiring musician and band could have is... Listening! Listen to yourself, listen to your band mates, listen to the PA system, listen to your recordings, listen to criticisms, listen to praise, listen to details, listen to advice, listen to warnings, really listen. It is something we take so much for granted but we never really take the time to appreciate. Whenever you play something you always have two choices, "that's good enough" and "how can I make this just that little bit better?" Striving for the latter really is what sets any musician or band apart from the rest. With that being said, setting achievable goals is equally as important. We all grow up with dreams of musical world domination and they are great dreams to have. Rarely do those dreams happen overnight and sometimes they can become overwhelming and discouraging. Setting small, achievable goals that you can check off consistently may not be as rewarding as selling a million singles overnight, but slowly you get to see the results of your hard work and persistence and it is a very validating experience.
Recording, promoting, purchasing instruments and maintaining them, transport, etc all cost money. How does Divine Ascension finance their band and what sacrifices have had to be made to do this?
Simply put, we all have day jobs. Divine Ascension isn't at a stage yet where the income from touring, album sales and merchandise sales is enough to support all the members in the band financially. A lot of the expenses the band has comes directly out of our paychecks. It is tough at times when there is a large recording and mixing expense to pay, or production costs for a tour, but it is something we are all passionate about and it never feels like a burden. Everyone in the band invests majority of their spare time into keeping the machine working behind the scenes and I think that is one of the biggest sacrifices we all make. Keeping the band running is more than a full time job in itself after you get home from your full time job. If we are not rehearsing or working on new material, we are editing video, organising merchandise design and manufacture, arranging travel and accommodation interstate, promoting and finding production staff for shows, being interviewed for magazines and websites, updating our social media sites and most importantly, keeping in contact with each other so everyone is up to date with what's going on within Divine Ascension.
What does the band aim to achieve in 2015?
2015 is a pretty exciting year for us. Our second album Liberator was released worldwide in November 2014, so now we have the opportunity to get out and perform it live for the fans. Our Australian tour kicks off on April 11th in Melbourne and we will be visiting as many major cities and town centres around the country as we can. You can check out our website, divine-ascension.com, for more details and see if we are headed to a town near you. Other than that, we are really hoping to get overseas and play some shows in Europe and Japan if the opportunities present themselves and we really have to get stuck into the pre-production for our third album. All in all, 2015 is shaping up to be a very busy and exciting year for Divine Ascension.
I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported Divine Ascension and our latest release Liberator. We are super excited to be getting out around Australia and having the chance to perform for you all. Hope to see you all there!!!!!
More information about Divine Ascension can be found at the following websites.
https://www.facebook.com/divineascension
