| | New Interview with Ronnie for TicTiger zine.TT: Honestly, I'm quite nervous about what questions to ask you. I've interviewed mostly new bands still trying to reach wider audiences. In your case, you're a veteran in the independent music industry and relatively successful at that. According to the Wikipedia.org Joy Electric discography, you've had more than twenty releases, comprised of full lengths, EPs, and singles in a span of more than ten years! Have you ever had times when you were unmotivated, or had a creative block? When and how?
RM: There are plenty of times that I feel unmotivated, but I either work through those times or simply take some time away. This would probably fall under what you're describing as a creative block, but it's usually just my lack of interest or desire to be isolated in the studio. The songwriting is never difficult and is the part that I've continued to love throughout the years. If I sit down at the piano and start to play, a chorus, lead or an interesting key change will usually present itself. The albums come out of a constant stream of work. I have an extremely modest studio, but it gets used.
TT: Let's talk about your up and coming album, 'The Otherly Opus'. 'Opus', in the strictest sense, connotes a collection of musical compositions, at least in classical music. Would you say that the same would apply to the new record? What makes this 'opus' "otherly"?
RM: I've always thought that electronic sounds have an 'otherly" quality to them, even though they're really just mimicking the sounds of nature. The album is obviously not going to be composed of traditional or classical music in the strict sense of the word, but I wanted this record to be as "classical" a Joy Electric record as could be made. My arranging has always been done in an orchestral style because I usually introduce new sections with different sounds, rather than having the same five or six sounds play constantly throughout the entire piece. I call this "clock composing", but it really draws its influence from an orchestral tradition. The title is meant to encompass everything Joy Electric has always striven to be.
TT:How would you compare the new record with 'The Ministry of Archers', the fourth album on the Legacy series? What should listeners expect?
RM:Because I'm still using strictly Moog instruments, there will probably be similarities in the way some of the sounds are put together, but overall it's a much more melodic and complex album. "The Ministry of Archers" has a sinister feel to it which this album doesn't have at all. The songs range from being very long and in depth, to very short and sweet, to ones that fall somewhere in between. I wrote a very wide variety of songs, yet they all come from the same place. I think that TMOA was a very specific record, whereas this one will have a much wider appeal.
For the interview in its entirety Click HERE.
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