THE NEW CREATURES

Bands mail Address: P.O. Box 22-0249
Brooklyn, NY 111222

Interviewer: Gordon Taylor

Interviewee: MARK S. WALSH

Date: 6/2/99

When did you first begin as a band and where are you from?

Mark S. Walsh:Some version of the band has been going on for many years- at some point with different names- at some points, completely inactive. We are from New York City, NY USA

You all have interesting backgrounds could you tell the readers out there
what your backgrounds have been?

Mark S. Walsh: Well, I am the founding member as well as the only original member of the group. Some past members (some who still work with us) were: Samara - violin- past member of legendary NYC goth band Of A Mesh. Peter Mengede- guitar- went on to join Helmet, then start Handsome Julia Kent- Cello- Member of Rasputina Anca- vocals- former member of Maria X-Communicata my current mates are- Tiger Koehn-Drums, Johnathan Mooney-Keyboards, Bret Levitt-Guitars, and we play with a variety of guests all of the time- so one New Creatures concert may be wildly different from another- Sometimes we’ll
have the core 4 piece group, other times you’ll see us plus violin, cello, guest vocals, 2nd guitar, percussionists, flute, and a 50 piece choir!

What do you all do when you’re not working in the band?

Mark S. Walsh: masturbate

What is the meaning behind the bands name?

Mark S. Walsh: The New Creatures is the name of a book of poems written by Jim Morrison (Doors)- when I was a kid I thought that someday that would be a great name for a band... And so it is! The Siouxsie “confusion” only comes up for the uneducated whenever she and Budgie put out a record. They are acquaintances of mine and have no problem with the name however. Everyone else... SHUT THE FUCK UP!

What instruments do you all play and are there any particular instrumentyou enjoy the most?

Mark S. Walsh: I play a little of everything- and you may hear me in various roles on various recordings. My main instruments however are bass and vocals- If I had to choose between the two, I’d probably pick Bass- I love low end. When you stand in front of a loud bass amp on stage you get a wonderful sonic “massage” from the low end...mmmm....

What creative process do you go through when composing your music?

Mark S. Walsh: I put Tabasco sauce in my eyes and then scream in pain into a microphone- viola’! Music!
Actually- it comes when it comes- there is no one way. Sometimes I write on my own, sometimes with the whole band; we’ll jam until some ideas present themselves and then we’ll develop them. We’ve learned to always keep the tape recorder running! I find that I’m very rhythmically oriented- so once a groove gets stuck in my head, I need to “fill it in”. The best lyrics however are written on their own without being squeezed into a song structure.

What inspires you when you write your music?

Mark S. Walsh: My main thing is to tap into an emotion- I feel that this is the universal language- then I try to translate that emotion into sound with the instruments. The lyrics can only take you so far- the whole of the song paints an emotional picture.

Many of your songs tell a story or a set of themes, how do you go about writing lyric, and what subject matter do
you enjoy writing about.

Mark S. Walsh: I try to ask questions a lot- not pretending that I have many answers, but I feel a need to put some of the big questions out to the universe. You know; questions of love, morality, impermanence. outside of the fantasy based songs, I am dealing with my own personal experiences or feelings- sometimes current, sometimes from the past. Often there will be double meanings in the lyrics- or just enough of a nudge to get the listener to draw his own conclusions. I wish I could write the perfect pop song- but that may not happen- I always strive to expand my material from it’s obvious base to branch out in all
directions- If it sounds good, we’ll here it no matter what the “style”.

Are you influence by books or movies or plays.

Mark S. Walsh: Usually when I read a book that affects me it will inspire something in me- the result may not have any direct correlation to the book itself- but the inspiration will be there on my part. I can’t point to any one piece of art and call it my musical beacon- things change...

Are you influence by any other bands and do you have any favorite bands
that you like listening to?

Mark S. Walsh: The band that’s really exciting me right now is called Seigmen- I believe that they’re from Norway. They are doing a great job of marrying musical styles, looks and influences and coming out with something harshly beautiful. The funny thing is that no-one I know in the States has ever heard of them! I discovered them accidentally- I love those kind of
accidents. I love so many music’s that it would be easier to say what I don’t like:
Essentially anything on popular radio.

Are you doing any side projects?

Mark S. Walsh: Trying! I have in the past- I had a group called Dead See Scrolls- it kind of sounded like Chrome (I love them!) but the recordings never got released- my partner died and the master tapes have never been found. I am *trying* very hard to work more with Michael Bann of Advent Sleep- he’s the guy who remixed our song “Clownead” (Black Bible, European cunning,
Baffling, Powerful!) into the dance monster that it is. We are both so busy that it’s slow sailing- but our plan is to start out
with a few cover tunes and then do some original material pretty much geared towards dancing. I have a few other ideas that I’ll get to some year! I want to do a completely acoustic concert- NO electricity at all! and also on album of
cover songs. tic toc tic toc

To the readers who may have not heard much of your music how would you describe your sound?

Mark S. Walsh: Ahhh...... I hate that question! Whenever people ask me what kind of music I play, I usually give them a CD to listen to and say “you tell ME!” I’ve heard it described as “lush” “mature” (!) etc. But ask the reviewers of the major mags their opinion- and I play the musical equivalent of toilet paper!

What Albums have you produced and have you been on any compilations. I get asked to produce other project all the time- But no one seems to want to pay me! So until then....

Mark S. Walsh: I’ve been on a few V/A Comps- Goth Box, The Black Bible,(Cleopatra) Death For Life Vol. I (Mere Mortal), Goths’ Undead Vol. II, The Hex Files (Euromedia)- and the one that should be destroyed “The Pink & The Black” (Delinquent) ugh! What a piece of shit! We’ve also contributed to a few small cable TV things.

How has the response been with the latest album?

Mark S. Walsh: Overwhelming! Fan’s of dark rock write us with the most insightful comments- it shows me that we are reaching the people that I really *wanted* to reach- Those who actually LISTEN to music- consume it, digest it, and make it part of their being- their life. Like anything- in hindsight- there are things I wish were different- But I have no apologies.

What was the inspiration behind the latest album?

Mark S. Walsh: “Cunning, Baffling, Powerful!” is loosely collected in a way that examines the theme of the title- there are things in life that defy description- and most often these are the things that we most strive for- and equally as often we don’t even know why! Love can raise us to the heights of heaven- so of course, we piss all over it! why? Well- enough of that- as I said people can draw their own conclusions- I like to hear what others hear in my music- there is no wrong answer!

How long did it take to produce?

Mark S. Walsh: too long unfortunately- To me it sounds a bit disjointed for that reason. At one point I became Very sick and had a serious throat infection which didn’t allow me to sing (or even talk effectively) for over 3 months. As a result
of that and being at the very end of our deadline- There are some tracks where my vocals fall short for me- Other songs that I LOVED the music of never even made it to the disc because I was never able to sing them! I still have the instrumental tracks- I’m sure I’ll finish them eventually- either for the next CD, or more probably for B-sides/bonus tracks.

What have you got planned for the next album? Will it be similar to
other albums?

Mark S. Walsh: The next disc will be the similar in some ways, and wildly different in others- At this point I think it would take a double album to say all that we want to say- but we’ll see... We are tentatively calling the release “CRIMSON”- and we will explore as many shades of red as we can. It’s a great word- and it evokes feelings in people, and that’s all I will say about the
title. Some of the new music will be very straight forward rock with just a regular guitar, bass, drum lineup. Other songs will be almost totally electronic with harsh guitars on top. And I will definitely add some dance elements to this CD! So many DJ’s said they loved the last CD and had no tracks to play at their club’s... Whoops! I want to get into sparse minimalism as well- and very organic string based stuff. (You see my desire for a double album!)

Where have you toured, are you planning any up and coming tours.

Mark S. Walsh: We’ve toured most of The US and some of Canada. There are talks of a European tour with the Pandaimonium Records release of their version of “Cunning, Baffling, Powerful!” this month. People can check our website. Fans contacting the labels, promoters, stores never hurts as well!

What gigs did you enjoy the most and what was the audience response.

Mark S. Walsh: There will always be a few that set themselves apart from the others for whatever reason- Probably the most exciting was at the Dark Harvest festival in Philadelphia about 2 years ago- everything was just right...

What gigs did you not enjoy?

Mark S. Walsh: Ha! No Comment. (Being fired by Andrew Eldritch kind of sucked- but I guess
that *wasn’t* a gig!)

Is there anything special incorporated within your performances?

Mark S. Walsh: Well- as I mentioned, we always try to make each show a bit different. We have chosen not to play too many live shows right now, so when we do we like to brink special guests with us. There is no big multi media events happening at our concerts, Too many bands get lost in the lights and fog, costumes and filigree- and at first you might say “cool!” then after 3
boring songs of people who can’t play their instruments- all of the pyrotechnics in the world wouldn’t make the band sound better. So At this point I try to focus on playing and performing well. There have been occasions when we have produced huge spectacles- but they take months of planning.

When you have a performance what goes through your mind when you are on that stage. What is it that you feel. What sort of emotions do you go through when the eyes of the audience are on you?

Mark S. Walsh: The best concerts are usually when I’m *not* very conscious of the audience. Not to say that I isolate myself or ignore them- It’s just if I’m thinking too much about the individuals and if my hair looks good, and is this a cool pose I’m standing in- It starts to take the focus off of the music and I might even get a bit self conscious. Even if I’ve played a song 100’s of times, I still try to tune in to the original feeling and motivation of writing that song in the first place. I may have heard it 100’s of times- but many people in the audience never have- or have heard it on disc and are expecting a spirited representation off the song live.

What are your future plans.

Mark S. Walsh: Breathe in.... Breathe out... Take it as it comes....

Is there anything you would like to say to the readers out there?

Mark S. Walsh: Don’t pick your nose in public, it’s Disgusting!!!