Megafauna Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the solo project?

Sure, MEGAFAUNA is an ambient/experimental/electronic project that I started very casually in 2023, and that I've really been immersed in this year. I've found it to be immensely cathartic for dealing with/coping with my own struggles with mental illness and but also as a way to express the things that bring me joy. It's not something that I ever thought I'd find myself doing, so the fact that the response has been relatively positive also continues to surprise me.

2.So far this year you have put out 5 releases, musically how do they all differ from each other?

Kind of hard to believe honestly. I'll go through them all chronologically but I think they do feel like cohesive pieces of a larger project. I also think they represent me having been able to practice and get better at the production.

Before. is a collection of things that I had made before I really know what MEGAFAUNA was or before it was even a thing. A lot of it was made on Garage Band or just playing around with loops and samples. I guess it serves as a mixtape?

The Sea Meets the Sky EP is the first actual cohesive project from MEGAFAUNA. My first attempt at trying to structure something and be deliberate in my songwriting

Venator takes that further, being a full length. And is a bit more explicit in the parts of myself that I was trying to work through.

Smiling Through a Crimson Mask is a single from my upcoming record Worm Burden - coming out in 2025.

In Training. is a live album, recorded at my first show ever in Smithers BC. All of the songs are unique to that performance and that album.

3.What are some of the themes and images you bring out on your recordings?

A lot of what I make is me coping with how I'm feeling in the moment. The angst, the existential dread, the depression, sure, but also the mania and the joy and the love that I feel. I try to use MEGAFAUNA as a means of coping and processing so I like to think that's what comes across.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Megafauna'?

Truly I think its just one of those words that when I heard it, it stuck in the back of my brain and when it was finally time to give this project a name, that was the one. I'm not sure there is a grand meaning or story, but maybe that's something that will become apparent as I continue.

5.On the recordings you mostly work by yourself, are you open to working with a full band or do you prefer to work solo?

I would love to work with anyone, honestly. The solo thing came as a result of my geographic location, but also because of the deeply personal nature of everything that I'm doing. I've been lucky enough to have some collaborations with folks, and I would absolutely work with others if they felt like it would make sense.

6.In 2024 you have put out 5 releases so far, do you spend a great amount of time writing and creating music?

Not as much as I'd like, honestly.

7.What are some of the best shows that you have played with this project so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

As I write this, I've performed exactly 2 shows as MEGAFAUNA. One was great, and went more or less how I hoped it would, and the other almost had me convinced I needed to walk away haha. So the first one was absolutely the best. The show is intended to almost have a ritualistic nature to it - I perform sitting on the floor in the middle of a circle of antlers and everything is mostly improvised.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

I do! I have a show coming up in Port Alberni on August 15th - and then in October I'll be embarking on my first ever micro-tour, called the Nosfera-tour, where I'll be providing a live score to the 1922 silent film, Nosferatu. That one has shows in Smithers, Prince George, and Hazelton, BC.

9.You also run the label 'Syrup Moose Records', can you tell us a little bit more about the releases and genres you have worked with on this label?

Yeah, Syrup Moose started back in 2022 and since then I've been able to work with folks across genres and the planet. This year we've been able to work with folks like Underneath, 18 Slashes, Ashenheart, Ivory Primarch, and lots of others - it's been a real treat.

10.The physical copies also come with a Tarot card, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Tarot decks?

The tarot card thing was an idea from the early days of Syrup Moose Records. I wanted to have a unique item to accompany each release and tarot cards were the idea that won out. So each release has an assigned card with the hope of having an entire deck created in the end.

11.On a worldwide level  how has the reaction been to your music by fans of ambient and experimental?

The reaction has been really positive if not perhaps a bit small. I'm still learning how to promote my own music and be ok taking it seriously, but there have been some really kind words written about MEGAFAUNA.

12.Where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?

I really don't know honestly. I try not to pin myself down by genre and just go with what works in the moment so there's really no telling what's next for me.

13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Influence-wise I'd say I am absolutely influenced and inspired by folks like The Knife/Fever Ray, Ween, 18 Slashes/Your Ancestors Knew Death/Henges, Aphex Twin, the enumerable projects of Garry Brents... I don't really know - I pull from the dark parts of my brain and I those are folks who have kind of shown me what's possible.

And as for what I'm listening to these days, I've really enjoyed the latest from SPEED, Black Pantera, Jisei, Sissyxo, Mothman and the Thunderbirds, Violent Magic Orchestra... honestly I could go on and on.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Check out the stuff MEGAFAUNA has released over at themegafauna.bandcamp.com and support Syrup Moose Records if you can - syrupmooserecords.bandcamp.com.

Take care of yourselves. Take your meds.