INTERVIEW MARK EDEN THE METAL GODS MELTDOWN 05/06/20
MM: Can you tell us about your Band and whos your biggest influences
ME:Hey Meltdown, thanks for having me here.
How much time do we have ;) I started plying when I was a little boy, around 7 years old. I grew up in Australia and my dad was a musician so we had old school parties where my dad would play either alone or with other people in the corner of our lounge room. Everyone would dance and I remember the atmosphere being pretty wild but also heaps of fun with the occasional shuffle ….as you get at parties.That is where it all started for me and I suppose that was a huge influence on me and my music. I play solo, duo or with a 3 piece now and the vibe is singalong grooves with some chanting thrown in also.The main thing for me is that people come along and enjoy themselves and leave the week behind.
My biggest musical influences would be The Beatles, Slade, The Jackson 5, Led Zeppelin, Elliot Smith and the list goes on. Growing up my parents were country and western fans so we had music like Johnny Cash, The Everley Brothers playing in the house.
MM: Where do you draw your inspirations and ideas from
ME:My ideas and inspirations come from a wide variety of places I would say.
Personal experiences, third person observations, love, fear, philosophy, emotions, dreams, books and also fantasy.
MM: What would you say is your Bands favourite song ?
ME:That is a hard one I don’t have one and it may vary from week to week. I always like the latest song that I am working on that tends to be my favourite for the week or month. At the moment it is from my other project Under The Tongue and the song is Waterfall which will be released early next month….that has been in my head lately so it will be good to release it and get it out of my head.
MM: Plans tour and festival wise for 2020
ME:The COVD-19 has postponed pretty much everything this year we have had to postpone festivals and gigs in many different countries. At the moment we are in the process of organising gigs for later this year. A European tour is in the works which will be cool.
MM: What can we expect from (Band Name) live
ME:Live the gigs are mainly super cool vibes to dance and groove along to, a few ballads, some chanting also. I want you to come away from the gig sore from all the dancing and with no voice left from all the singing….sorta like I feel after a gig :)
MM: What do you like best and worst about touring
ME:The best thing has to be the the feeling of playing songs that you have written and people connecting with them and singing along with you ….love it.
The worst would be the lack of sleep and also trying to find good places to eat. Also my routine with everything is thrown out the window but that can be a good thing also.
MM: Which three Bands would be your ultimate touring buddies
ME:Alive or dead? The Beatles, Slade and Elliot Smith….that would be an interesting mix.
MM: What's the most memorable concert you've been to (other than your own) and why
ME:Headlining the biggest Bodypainting Festival in the world was a good one but also playing before Yothu Yindi at the Garma festival before their home crowd was really special for me. The response was amazing at both of those gigs.
MM: What do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment so far
ME: I think that having released 6 albums including my band Under The Tongue albums and doing many film clips have been great accomplishments. Also playing around the world as an independent artist I would consider a great accomplishment, it is all hard work and when it pays off it is great.
MM: Which are your Two favourite Albums of all time
ME:Sgt Peppers by The Beatles and maybe Phisical Graffity by Led Zeppelin, the second one could have been many ;)
MM: Can you remember the first time you ever played live and how it felt to have people watching you?
ME:Yes and HA!!!! :) I remember the first gig was at a school fete in Australia, actually the school I went to. I couldn’t believe it, it was a mixture of oh!!! WTF do we do now and excitement and I hope I won’t mess this up. Do we sound ok? Having people watching was really strange I felt like I was under a microscope. Super cool and frightening at the same time :)
MM: Growing up which Bands posters did you have on your bedroom wall.
ME:I had The Beatles, Kiss, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Skyhooks and whatever was colourful to be honest.
MM - Who do you think influenced the world of Metal / Rock more than any other person
ME:Good question, I would say Black Sabbath as a band but Ozzy Osbourne as an individual.
MM - What's the most important thing to the band right now?
ME:The most important thing right now for us is to continue writing, playing and making cool videos. Being creative and getting the music in front of people as well is important. Also when the COVD-19 is over to go back on tour and play in front of people again….that will be cool.
MM:If you could do a cover of any song which one would it be and why?
ME:There are so many and for different reasons….ya got me with that one.
MM: Tell us why we should buy and listen to your Band
ME:I would say that the music for my solo project is meant to get you in a good mood, something that you can put on and feel good while listening to. Maybe even a little boogie for good measure. If this is your thing then I would love you to support me in any way you feel possible.
Final Words for your fans and our readers
ME:Final words for everyone…I hope they are not my final ones but here goes.
If you play music, trust yourself and your judgement, don’t worry about what is trendy at the moment and work, work and work on honing your craft. If you are not a musician then I would say please support the bands that you like, they work hard. Show them that you like them any way you can, trust me they love it.
Thanks so much for your time I do appreciate it.
Cheers
Mark
