Cori's Video " Mud Flap Mama "

DGT: THANKS FOR THE INTERVIEW GUYS. WE’D LIKE TO KNOW FIRST OF HOW LONG THIS BAND HAS BEEN TOGETHER AND HOW YOU CAME UP WITH THE NAME.
MJ: Mark Christian here. Thanks for asking. Well, we launched back in Jan 04 at Fender Custom Shop's Fret Fest show at winter Namm in Anaheim California. I wanted the three of us to have a band image straying away from the idea of me as the front guy, and the other two as hired guns. We wanted a band name and group sound. I always loved band names that sounded like a persons name that did not really exist. So, Merle Jagger was born. Also, The Merle Jagger name best depicts our mix of Country and Classic rock sound.
DGT:YOU’VE BEEN PLAYING A LOT OF FESTIVALS AND EVENTS THIS SUMMER. WHAT WERE A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS AND HIGH POINTS OF THE SUMMER TOUR SO FAR?
MJ: Well, we are still putting our tour together. I have had lots of session work this summer keeping me here in town longer than I thought. Last year, 07 we did al lot cool festivals. One to mention was the Mountain Country music festival with Carrie Underwood and Gretchen Wilson. We played a few shows with Junior Brown too. We do however get regular opening slots for local Country music shows. We opened for Capitol records new hit band "Lady Antebellum" at Key club last March 08. We also played for the second year in a row, Topanga Bluegrass festival and Topanga Days festival here in Southern Cal. Couple shows in Vegas too. We are on board for the Visalia all music festival and an opening slot for Asleep at the Wheel here in LA coming up beginning of OCT.
DGT:PLAYING IN TRIOS IS A LOT OF FUN, AND OBVIOUSLY THERE’S A LOT OF FREEDOM FOR YOUR CREATIVITY, BUT DO YOU SOMETIMES WANT TO EXPAND TO A LARGER GROUP?
MJ: Oh yes. For the instrumental thing, I was always a fan of the Mahavishnu line up. Keys, Fiddle, drums, bass and guitar. I love to trade solos. Merle Jagger also performs at Bluegrass events all acoustic. I play our tunes on acoustic and Banjo. We have two additional acoustic guitar players with us for that. One rhythm, and one to trade flat picking licks with.
DGT:WHAT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUNDS IN MUSIC. DID ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY FORMAL TRAINING, WERE YOUR FAMILIES MUSICAL?
MJ: No music people in my family however many highly inelegant and creative eccentrics. I had music training since the age of 8. I was some what of a music major in high school and college. College was short lived as for a session career showed up unexpectedly at the age of 20.
DGT:DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN IT HIT YOU, THAT MUSIC WAS WHAT YOU WERE ALL ABOUT AND THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO, AND MAKE YOUR LIFE’S STATEMENT?
MJ: Great question. Very mystically, that feeling and knowledge of being assigned a music career life path appeared around the age of 10. I just rode out middle and high school playing in bands and studying music till I could get on with the business of having a music career and being an adult. An artist is an artist because they have to be, not because they want to be.
DGT:OUR READERS ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN WHAT TYPES OF INSTRUMENTS , DRUMS AND AMPLIFICATION YOU USE. ARE THERE SOME REALLY COOL PROCESSORS YOU JUST CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?
MJ: As a music producer and session player, I am torn between organic sounds and playing with talent boosters and awesome generators. The drum sounds are organic recorded at NGR studios in North Hollywood Cal. Big room and 1970's style mics and recording equipment. Add pro tools. We tracked the music live in the big room there and chopped together the best performances. Once again, 1970's style production. The bass was a 79 Music Man Stingray thru a DI and Nieve mic pre and an SVT classic refrigerator head and cabinet miced up. Sometimes we used a 62 Fender P Bass courtesy of the studio. I overdubbed some parts but not many. I also overdubbed some Banjo and Mandolin. I use a 1972 Fender Silverface twin. Master Volume is open all the way. Channel volume is always on three. Great amp for facilitating my pedals. Lots of good low and high end sound reproduction. I turn the treble, mid and bass knobs until I hear the frequency kick in. The back it off a little. That's a mixing trick in the studio when your getting sounds. My pedals are simple. One Boss Blues driver for a little grit and snap, and a Boss OD 3 Overdrive to thicken up the sound a bit for solos and fat chords. I have a rare 1980's Boss Trem Pan Tremolo pedal, Boss Auto Wah and Boss Phase shifter. I would like to try other boutique pedals however they don't fit in to my 1980's Roland /Boss gray plastic pedal board case. I love that case. It is very simple, small and sturdy. I really like the effects loop / controller pedal too. with the overdrive pedals, I just barely turn the effect on. Once again, I turn the effect up until it kicks in then back off a little. Overdubbing at Pete Anderson's Dog Bone studio, Pete suggested trying his amp farm settings and letting go of the amp. I gave it a try and was really impressed with some of the Fender amp sounds. Couldn't tell the difference. I used Amp farm on the opening riff for Trash Tornado.
DGT:THERE’S A SONG ON THE CD THAT’S UNLIKE ANY OF THE OTHERS, “ SWING HOUSE”. WHAT’S THE STORY ON THAT ONE?
MJ:Not like the others huh? Part of that might be the super stereo bus compression added in the mix. We tried to remix it without the supper stereo bus compression however it never sound as good. We also wanted a good straight up Country Swing number with a twist, easy going melody and feel. Swinghouse was inspired by the Buck Owens sound from the 1960's. It was one of our first written songs. I think that whole guitar performance was all live from the basic track. I overdubbed acoustic rhythm.
DGT:IS THERE SOMEWHERE THE BAND PLANS TO TRAVEL TO OR WHERE YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO GO AND PLAY, LIKE SAY AUSTRALIA OR EUROPE?
MJ: Both. We get a large number of classic Country bands and music fans from Europe add requesting our myspace. They are really in to the authentic side of it too. We love that. Australia has a large classic Country demographic as well. They also have a few contemporary Country stars too. We would be honored to tour both demographics.
DGT:DO HAVE SOME FAVORITE MUSICAL INFLUENCES PAST OR PRESENT THAT YOU CONTINUE TO DRAW ENERGY OR IDEAS FROM?
MJ: Another great question as for I have been playing professionally for 25 years now and certain guitar players keep coming back to haunt me as if it were the first time I heard them. Our drummer Brandon, still emulates the great Keith Moon. That element of reckless abandonment mixed with drum school really helps to stamp Merle Jaggers instrumental sound. He really likes the Buck Owens drummer too. The Buck Owens hi hat swing beats are essential to our sound. Mitch Mitchell and Ginger Baker are present in the drum department as well. For me, John McLaughlin, Miles Davis, Jeff Beck, Joe Maphis, Steve Howe, Jimmy Bryant, Roy Clark, Dicky Betts and Clarence White are constantly in my face. Our bass player Pat, is really in to Etwistle and Mingus. He loves 90s Indie rock too and that element is really essential to our sound.
DGT:WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ,MAY BE CONSIDERING A CAREER IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS. MJ: Know your talent. If your close friends are telling you that you aint got it. Time to get out. If people are wowed by your talent, chances are pretty good for you. Timing, luck and fate are a factor too as well as persistence. Stay tuned always to contemporary music and know your competition. A good sign for me to keep going all of these years was that when I would break up with a girlfriend, they would always keep my CD and continue to come to my shows with all of their friends. I have a couple of girlfriends from 15 years ago still coming to shows. At least I was good for something.
DGT:WHAT IS THE SINGLE MOST FRUSTRATING PART ABOUT YOU JOB? MJ: 1. Fear and uncertainty that people won't like our music. 2. Never feeling accomplished enough. There always seems to be another level that you haven't reached. 3. Monstrous competition, jeez, should I just quit now. 4. Breaking strings during a show in a three piece band.
DGT: WHAT IS ON THE AGENDA FOR MERLE JAGGER IN LATE 2008 AND EARLY 2009? MJ:We need a follow up to our debut CD. Lots of touring. Need some cool production videos too. Also, have some new labels looking at us. Might introduce some vocals too as long as the music does not become diluted. The instrumental thing has gone eons farther than we could ever imagine. Maybe if it works, don't mess with it.