An Interview With Brooklyn-Based Rock Group THE MAJORLEANS!

The Majorleans is a Brooklyn-based, indie rock ‘n roll group. They recently dropped their new video, “Sunrise Mary’ from their upcoming sophomore album,  Carouser’s End.  They produced it themselves and mixed it with Michael Tudor (The Stokes, Duncan Sheik) in Woodstock, NY.

“The Majorleans are a relatively new band, but their music is already something we can see standing the test of time…The riff heavy tracks, complemented by uptempo beats, and buttery vocals at times could be mistaken for rock legend, Lou Reed. So insanely GOOD.” (Baeble)

Learn more about The Majorleans in the following All Access interview:

Now that we are entering the fall of 2016, what are some words you would use to describe this year? What have been some of the highlights for the band?

It’s been a wild ride personally for every one in the project in our own lives. As for the music, it’s been a steady grind to finish the work on the songs and playing gigs to tune the show up to the next level and shooting the video.  It’s been challenging and rewarding.  I’d say getting the “Sunrise Mary” video made the way we wanted and a sold-out rowdy show at Union Pool at the end of the summer were highlights so far.

Growing up, did you all always want to be musicians? Can you recall your earliest musical memories?

I think the other guys in the project definitely grew up in the music mold. For me I was more of a writer and appreciator until my early twenties when I realized I was interested in playing and singing. My earliest music memory is my Father putting the headphones on me when I was real little to listen to The Beatles.

How did The Majorleans first come together? How did you come up with your band name?

The project first came together as a trio with my boy Aubrey and collaborator Matthew Crosby, who now is a solo artist with Sony and plays in the huge Dutch pop band The Common Linnets.  Many incarnations of the line-up happened before I met Chris Buckle and from there it’s been a match made in hell, er…heaven!  The band name was simple.  I had a dream where a man came to me on a flying pizza and said “You’re The Majorleans, with an “A”.” I thought it was pretty slick and it stuck.

You are about to release your sophomore album, “Carouser’s End.” What was it like working on it with Michael Tudor? How was it producing it yourselves?

He is the best.  Amazing and beautiful man with a great visceral knowledge of rock and roll and finely tuned aesthetics as an engineer. We had a great time dialing in all the sounds and wrapping the sonic character of the songs up with him.

We always kind of produce ourselves in a certain way so this time was more of just an official extension of that mindset. Chris Buckle is an excellent producer in addition to his musicianship and he and I go back and forth getting a vibe that’s perfect for the songs.

What was it like making the video for your single, “Sunrise Mary”? How creatively involved were you with the making of it?

It was an awesome experience. I wrote the treatment and got together the cast and then handed the reigns to director Craig Teper. He is a genius. It was cool to watch him work, shooting and directing, and his edit was spot on from the jump. Super lucky and grateful that he wanted to do this project with us.

Do you have a fall tour scheduled? What do you think makes for a perfect show for you guys?

We don’t have a tour booked as of yet.  But we are playing a string of NY shows. Thursday October 13th at the Rocker Stalker Fest at Gold Sounds in Brooklyn and Wednesday October 19th opening for Pete RG at Bowery Electric in Manhattan.

What if anything has surprised you about the music industry? What do you think has been your biggest challenge? And what do you think has come really naturally to you?

The only surprise was that there isn’t much of an industry left at all. You are kind of on your own, at least at our level, and the biggest challenge is knowing that you need to be your own Manager, Booking Agent, Promoter etc. if you want to get your music out there. That’s why we always start with making songs we are really into, that way you feel good about what basically amounts to campaigning to get people to give you a listen or come out to a show.

Who are some of your favorite artists and what bands continue to inspire you and your music? Who would you love to work with in the future?

We’re indebted to the classics of American and English music and always will be, from The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty and Marvin Gaye and JJ Cale to Peter Green and Big Star and The Strokes, the list is endless.

I’ve been really inspired by the amorphous nature of Hip-Hop and R&B lately.  Drake, Kendrick, ASAP Rocky and Frank Ocean among others have all involved so much textural and deep elements to their music. On the guitar side of things, My Morning Jacket and Jim James are a constant inspiration as they push into those same reaches.  I also really like the raw energy of indie bands like Show Me The Body and Palma Violets.

I would love to work with Jim Eno from Spoon someday. I think that guy is an amazing drummer/producer. I would also love to work with someone like Noah “40” Shebib (Drake’s Producer) or Mark Ronson.

When you aren’t performing, working in the studio, what do you like to do for fun? How do you unwind from it all?

I spend time with my family and I surf as much as possible.  California, Central America…It’s been a good storm season so far for us here in the mid-Atlantic and I’ve had a bunch of great days out on Long Island.

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?

Hmmm. That’s a tough one.  I’d say I hope people feel the story and feel the music, and it has the power to transport them to another place, if that’s where they wanna go.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

Come see us play! Love ya’ll.