:: An interview with Tyler Semrick-Palmateer of M A R E :: March 2004 ::

Every now and then, I'll have the opportunity to hear something that causes my jaw to drop - something holy, something sacred, if you will. I remember hearing the Melvins for the first time, and Opeth - so, naturally, when I heard that one of my favorite vocalists formed a project after departing from one of my favorite bands, I simply had to sample it. Sure enough, following in those large footprints left by the Melvins and Opeth, Mare comes trotting out of obscurity to floor my perennially damaged jaw. Sure, it's heavy, but there is a melodic side the likes of which I've never quite experienced before. I can say with confidence that there isn't a band on the planet at this time that remotely resembles Mare and the style they contribute to the extreme music realm.

Tyler was kind enough to both answer my questions and exact the patience to sit through them. But, I hope I've extracted enough from him to persuade you to sacrifice your jaw as well.

:: By preliminary interview standards, I'm obligated to ask name and instrumental responsibility.

Tyler: Tyler Semrick-Palmateer/vocals and guitar, Caleb Collins/drums & Rob Shortil/bass

:: With that accomplished, 'Mare' is quite the unassuming name. For someone who isn't familiar with the music, that must be much more apparent after having listened to a track or two - by that I mean, in much the same way as after first hearing the name 'Pelican', for example, the actual music undoubtedly caught listeners by surprise. With that in mind, what was the origin of the name 'Mare' and what is the general meaning as applied to what the band is hoping to accomplish as far as the music is concerned?

I read the word Mare in a book and picked it for the exact reason you mentioned. It's unassuming and once you've said it you've forgotten about it so it doesn't take away from the music. I also find it nice sounding. What we want to accomplish, as a band is to have everyone hear and enjoy our music.

:: After listening to the demo, I've noticed that there isn't really a set separation between tracks, more like the album is to be recognized and appreciated as a whole - despite the fact that the riffs rarely repeat themselves, there is a fluidity and a structure to the album that seems to be propelled by the atmosphere created by the instruments, including and most especially the vocals. Being that this is your brainchild, so to speak, and you appear to be incredibly comfortable with having the creative control, the style of Mare and the style of your previous band, The End, couldn't be more diverse - did your departure from The End have anything to do with a discomfort of sorts with their particular style? Did you feel as if you were compromising your artistic integrity by only projecting your ideas through your lyrics and not your music?

I left the band for a couple of reasons that you kind of touched on. First off I think The End are amazing musicians and awesome guys. Some of the best live shows I've played were with that band. But like you said The End has a particular style, which was constantly evolving and heading in a direction that clashed with what I wanted to express creatively. To answer your second question I found my roll as strictly a singer kind of limiting when I had all this music in my head I wanted to get out.

:: In regard to your lyrics, I have to say that I seriously fell in love with your style after reading the lyrics to Transfer Trachea - there's a beautiful malevolence in your words that brings to mind the writings of Baudelaire and the darkness sometimes conveyed by T. S. Eliot - Now, in Mare, can listeners expect more of the same style - or do you feel as if you've evolved in the time since then?

I think the lyrics for the Mare record are far beyond anything I've written previously. Which probably has a lot to do with me being a few years older. I also place more importance on lyrics these days. As I write more and more I find the lyrics to be based more on actual experience as opposed to fictitious situations.

:: Because your lyrics are so fundamentally sound, is the song writing process based on the actual words that you've written, or is the music first solidified through an idea or a theme, followed by lyrics written on the same idea or theme?

The lyrics are almost always the last thing to come. A song will usually start with an idea from one of us and we'll just play it until it's finished. When we write something there's never an idea as to what the song is going to be about. So there is no set theme involved until the words have been written.

:: The demo reminds me, in some ways, of a tragedy - where sounds are rarely repeated, the music is constantly progressing forward, some sections act as crescendos, and the choral sections add to the dramatic tone of the album and seem to be perfectly placed throughout. There is a beginning, middle, and end, as stressed by Aristotle, so I'm wondering, well, first if I'm correct in my assumption, and second, can you give a synopsis of the theme without compromising your lyrics? Are the five tracks to be interpreted as a sort of theatrical production utilizing music instead of dialogue, characters, and setting?

There isn't really a set theme to the album. The songs where all written over the course of couple of years so they are all pretty different in subject matter. We did try to make the record flow as well as possible and I find starting a song where the other one ends is a pretty good way to do that. Our music is very dramatic so we tried to arrange the tracks accordingly. Creating highs and lows and things like that.

:: Also, I have to know, how did you track the choral parts bridging the 4th and 5th tracks? Did you track your voice several times to provide the harmonies, or did you seriously go out and hire what's left of the Beach Boys to help you out? That section has to be, by far, my favourite moment on the album (and not because of my affinity for the Beach Boys) - it possesses this melodic desperation, this sense of melancholy, which, by that point, is almost expected - it's identifiable after listening for the first 20-21 minutes.

I recorded that track 2 or 3 years ago on my own when I was still in The End. It was something to do until I found people for Mare. Then later we fleshed it out with guitar and drums.

:: As far as the instrumental value of the band is concerned, what do Caleb (drums) and Robert (bass) offer in terms of aesthetics?

Well initially Rob was brought on as a temporary bassist until we found someone who could play more full time. But then his band broke up and he joined the band for real. So we never really expected him to offer anything creatively but he does more and more. Caleb is the best drummer I know so it's awesome that he's in the band. He has tons of ideas for percussion and arrangement alike. Both Rob and Caleb are amazing musicians and multitalented as far as playing various instruments. They bring tons to the band.

:: In that same vein, it's my contention that there is this disjointed harmony that every band experiences when playing with one another for the first time, but it appears as if the majority of that has been bypassed - meaning, you all seem rather comfortable with one another. Is the creative process more communal, or is it one member providing the idea at times and the others contributing in filling out that idea? Usually in cases of the latter, some problems ultimately arise due to the suppression of the other members' ideas. One of those "well, this is what I think and this is what I expect" types of moments that seem often in band lore. During the songwriting process, how open are you to suggestions? And how often are suggestions made? And how does the actual songwriting process progress, from inception to completion?

Usually I'll write something and Caleb and Rob will flesh it out. We're all on the same page so we don't argue about ideas. Plus they both have other projects on the go at all times which probably eliminates some of that. I'm always open to suggestions and so are the other guys because they're usually for the better.

:: Now, I immediately noticed after hearing the track you posted on www.HxCmp3.com that the guitar sound you utilized was strongly similar to that of Cattlepress' signature sound - but on the demo, the sound seems to have changed. Was this due to the re-recording of that particular track that you mentioned to me, or was this a permanent shift in sound that you'll employ from now on to help further distance yourself from any comparisons? I know that almost every band strives to be original, but it's very difficult to do so - however, you three have seemed to accomplish that in an extremely short time span. Are you still adjusting the band's sound, or do you feel confident that you've found that defining characteristic that makes it Mare?

I've actually never heard a Cattlepress song before so any similarities are accidental. As far as adjusting our sound, I hope that's something we're always doing. If the next record turns out the way we want it, it should sound nothing like this one. Obviously some things will be the same. We like the direction we've taken but this band thrives on evolution.

:: Tell me a little about your preferences - tuning? Make and model? Effects? Amplification?

I can't even describe the tuning. I just find fucked up chords and then I tune my whole guitar to them. I play a Gibson 335 through a Bogner head. The only effect I own is a reverb peddle which you can hear on the third song. I'm not really sure what Caleb uses. Rob uses a Gallien and Krueger head and a fender bass.

:: Now, I remember reading on your mp3 page that you've been emphatically searching for an interested label - what specific benefits do you expect? Moreover, what offers would entice you to sign with any given label? Also, I know you can't disclose any names, but are there any interesting offers as of yet?

We would only expect the label to promote us like any other band and pay for merch, cds, etc. An enticing offer would be one that allowed us complete creative control and international distribution. No such offers have been made as of yet. On a completely unrelated note I think my grammar is getting worse with each question.

:: Has Mare induced massive phases of catatonia through playing in public yet? If so, do you detect a loyal fan base developing? If not, is the band still in a state of development, adjusting and fine-tuning the skills and sounds needed to induce such phases?

We haven't really toured yet so only miniscule "phases of catatonia" have occurred, and it's kind of early to tell if we'll have a loyal fan base.

:: Can I anticipate seeing Mare live at a Massachusetts venue anytime during the summer or fall?

Well A Life Once Lost asked us to do some dates in the summer, so we'll see what happens. We'd like to though.

:: Is a website in development? What do you wish to convey to those that visit? I only ask because, as I've mentioned, due to the cryptic nature of your lyrics, I wouldn't presume that you would reveal too much information related to the music.

Our website is being created as we speak. I hope when the site is done that it gives the impression of change like our band hopefully does. The guy who is doing is great so I'm sure it will turn out well.

:: What should we expect next from Mare? Is the band in a constant state of artistic exploration - are new sounds being created daily? And do you foresee the band's maturation process progressing rapidly, or do you feel that it's in the band's best interest to develop slowly over time, or do you think that as of right now you're exactly where you expected you'd be?

You should expect our cd to be in stores (hopefully) as well as to see us live in the near future. New ideas are always being created but applying them is another story. Our band needs a lot of time to write so we're already working on getting our act together for the next release. For the amount we've played I'd say we are where we expected to be.

::::: Hopefully, through this somewhat cumbersome Q and A through e-mail, I've asked the right questions - as a precautionary measure, if you feel that I've missed an extremely valuable part of Mare and its contribution to the extreme music scene, please, by all means, mention it here - but, before you do, I wanted to wish you three good fortune in future endeavors and I can only hope that you'll be rewarded for sharing your talents with those of us who are willing to listen to them.

Thank you.

In.ter.viewed conducted by the confused syndicate of slight music :: the egg

Stable: http://www.hxcmp3.com/bands/1823/