I sat down with Michi Turk from the band MegaWeapon - sat down metaphorically, that is - to talk about the new record and the band. Read more below...
Spunk Rock: So I hear there's a new MegaWeapon EP. Tells us a bit more. Name? Number of songs?
Michi: It's called Behind Glass Walls and it comes out at all markets digitally this Friday 2/10. There are 6 songs, 3 of which are demos on The Shakes and Other Ghost Stories demos and 3 of which are "new".
Remind us of your up-coming shows, and of how to get the new record?
We'll be performing this weekend 2/10 at Roxy and Dukes in New Jersey, 2/11 at the Prattsville Arts Residency Center, and 2/12 at Galentine's Fest Long Island in Coram, NY. The record is available at http://megaweaponmusic. bandcamp.com right this second and will be available at all digital markets- iTunes, Amazon, as well as at all of our shows.
Tell us about the ACLU deal for the new record.. what is it, how does it work?
Last Friday, Bandcamp was donating their shares of all sales to ACLU. We released our record a week early to keep up with them. We are also donating $5 from every bundle sale (including a tshirt, entry into one of the 3 upcoming shows, and special handmade Galentine's Cards) to ACLU.
I feel like by supporting the ACLU, you have taken a position in the politics of the day - which is great. Do you see MegaWeapon as a political band? Or the songs as politically motivated?
I wouldn't call it political as much as inclusive- which we've always been since the first day. We want people to be able to listen and angrily scream at WHATEVER it is they are mad about with us safely. We are pro- the poor, pro-women's rights, pro-LGBTQ, pro-people of color, pro-immigrant, pro-mental health awareness and we always have been since before this current political climate and it changes some of how people react to our songs.
Politics, especially in the USA, but world-wide, have changed a lot in the last year or two (obviously). I suspect many of the songs on the new record were written before we knew the results of the election. Has your song-writing been affected by this shift?
"Eyelids" was written by Andrew in reaction to what is going on- not really so much as taking a stance but how people have decided that they can drop whatever opinions they feel whenever they want without consequences or thinking about how it affects other people. In the past, it felt like people had more reservations about politics and religion and now people are like non-stop just expressing their opinions on social media about everything. And sometimes it feels like you are not heard over everything and nothing at the same time. I think everyone feels that way though, regardless of their stance.
The other songs might have changed performance-wise in what inspires us to be singing our hearts out but songwriting not that much.
The song "I Won't Die" has a lyrical desperation that I think a lot of people can relate to. Would you care to share any background on that song?
I had to drop out of college and that year was full of a loss of support from people I had really cared about. One of the poor decisions I made included cheating on my now-ex-boyfriend- I felt manipulated because the guy took advantage of me when I was drunk and already fighting with my ex. I felt really low but wrote a lot of songs about it. This one has, over time, taken all sorts of different meanings as my life changes and grows. It's the one song that is like an old friend that always gets me. Nearly 7 years later, it has come to mean something to all of us in Megaweapon. Especially in the face of rejection as a band.
The name "MegaWeapon" sounds provocative. I could read it as confrontational or empowering. Could you elaborate on how you came to that name?
The name is actually really silly and comes from an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000! It was in the movie Warriors of the Lost World. Whatever meaning anyone pulls from it is up to them but we don't mean anything by it really.
Name a few records that inspired you to love music?
For me personally, Regina Spektor's Soviet Kitsch and Begin to Hope and No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom were some of my favorite records throughout my childhood. My mom's variety in taste in music definitely inspired me to love music too- we listened to the Clash, Squeeze, Green Day, Blondie, Depeche Mode, Weezer, The Smiths, and The Cure. She used to do Richard Simmons Dancing with the Oldies and I knew all the words as a two year old to songs like "My Boyfriend's Back" and "Do Wah Diddy." My Nanny's taste in music too very much inspired me, she loved Broadway musicals (Fiddler on the Roof in particular) and the Bee Gees. For the rest of my band, they were all very inspired by My Chemical Romance, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beatles, and Green Day in particular to love music.
Name a few records that inspired you to play/sing? (if different from above)
Myself personally, I was very inspired to play and sing by Carole King- Tapestry is a classic, Regina Spektor's Begin to Hope, Weezer's Pinkerton, and Tell All Your Friends by Taking Back Sunday.
New York City is world-famous for punk rock and music in general. Long Island is close to NYC. Do you feel connected to that music scene?
Honestly, I wouldn't say in particular that I do. I wouldn't dismiss Long Island as its own very strong punk rock scene- particularly from the early 2000s on. We all listen to bands like Patent Pending, Iron Chic, I am the Avalanche, Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Glassjaw and we very rarely play in NYC. If any bands from the past we could say we'd be connected to in NYC over time, it would have been Blondie in the 70s or in the more recent past, the Strokes and Regina Spektor.
I do feel like we feel like New Yorkers- we're angry, we move and talk very fast, and we work very hard and put our work first. Andrew works in NYC and he's not entirely suburban like the rest of us. However, that music scene isn't our scene as much as Long Island is.
When it comes to exposure to new fans, does it benefit your band to be close to a hub like that, or do you feel obscured by all the other music out there?
It's really not easy to break into NYC's current scene honestly. It wasn't for Blondie either! They had a particularly difficult time being just a little too different from the Ramones and bands full of males sticking to punk rock at CBGB instead of their own breed of it. I feel like now, anyone in music will say they feel obscured by all other music out there, not just in NYC. As a woman in particular, it can feel obscured by the big boys club but it's definitely gotten better over the last 6 years I've been playing in bands, especially here on Long Island.
Thanks Michi!
