by Holli Stephens
Halloweekend is upon us. From the viewpoint of a young child it’s a celebration of candy and trick-or-treating around one’s designated neighborhood. As one grows older, the costume aspect sticks, but candy is replaced for many with parties and concerts. The Glitch Mob’s Joshua Mayer as well as Edward Ma and Justin Boreta will be spending it at the Electric Factory performing with The M Machine and Chrome Sparks for a night of music that will be “special and memorable for everyone.”
Mayer laughs as he says there’s gonna be no special Halloween music but for fans, they’ll be getting the “full Glitch Mob experience.”
The key behind The Glitch Mob’s success as a group rests in how in tune they are with each other. Mayer views any other activities they might be doing to be second in line. “We get it to where we vibe out together and are all really open to each other’s opinions and ideas. No one really brings any negative vibes to the studio and we make sure we have a lot of constructive criticism and that we stay positive and practice a lot.”
The results are nothing less than amazing as heard in their newest album, Love Death Immortality, where the three piece spent a good majority of recording around Joshua Tree, in California’s Mojave desert. “I was there for a few weeks and we just decided to go and get away from the big city and start sketching ideas for the album. That’s kinda how we came up with the early screenshots of it.” He pauses for a second before saying, “We just went there and turned off our cell phones and just enjoy nature and write tunes.” Playing back the album a second time you can pick out ambient desert noises that the group intentionally added from coyotes and thunderstorms to making coffee.
Following the Glitch Mob on their tour which has been going on since April is their fan base called “The Mob”. Mayer says it’s an idea they all came up with. “We wanted to have people involved and a part of something as well and not just coming to our show. We wanted to build a strong bond with everything that we’re doing. We love connecting with our fans and having everyone being super excited about what we’re doing.”
For those who are not as familiar with the Glitch Mob’s music, it is nearly impossible to summarize in a few phrases. What stands out is the fluid connection of rock and electronic styles which Mayer says is a result of his upbringing on punk rock and hardcore grind. As a group the guys enjoy everything from Nine Inch Nails to 90s drum and bass. The wide repertoire translates into the fusion of different sounds in the music The Glitch Mob produces.
Even more notoriety lies with how each instrument a member plays in completely electronic. On stage you will see an array of controllers and synths that can produce just about any sound that the group sees fit. “We always try pushing the boundaries and finding ways to use new instruments in our music. I feel like we’re already living in the future with what we have the ability to do on touch screen devices, networking, building equipment and instruments and all these things.” As for the future, they’re still in awe of the present as Mayer explained and just trying to “push the boundaries of what we have now.”
To any aspiring electronic musician out there trying to put out music and make a name for themselves, Mayer says, “Enjoy what you’re doing and be really creative and don’t be afraid to express new ideas. Be true to yourself and what you feel is really cool. Whatever drives you to make music just follow that.”
