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Endings, beginnings, we wanted to know more...we caught up with Mike Bee from The Phoenix Experiment late last night. We know them well, we think you should take a closer look too...
"The Phoenix is a mythical bird symbolizing immortality, rebirth, and renewal that is alluded to in literature, song, and even displayed on currency. A Fire Spirit with colorful plumage and a long rainbow colored tail, the Phoenix’s cry was said to issue forth a beautiful song of hope and redemption. The Phoenix was said to be a bird of great strength and tenderness out of whose eyes flow powerful healing tears. Amongst its many unique characteristics, the Phoenix is renowned for it’s fierce loyalty, ingenuity, and of course, it’s resilience."
You put Phoenix in your name & you've got to be good. Or confident. Maybe both...we have inside info & have known about The Phoenix Experiment (TPE) for a good while but we've waited for the right time to introduce them to you. We think now is about right...
We caught up with Mike at about midnight, just as videos were landing & tracks were appearing on the internet...
TC: Before we start talking about TPE do you want to clear up what happened with The 66? The last we heard was the album was almost in the bag wasn't it?
Mike: The 66 is on ice, in deep freeze, following the departure of Danny. We haven't chucked her into the sea, but shes on extended gardening leave. There were some good tunes that we cherish, but it was the right decision for everyone involved. One day the66 may rise again with a new face, But at the moment it's not even a blip on the cosmic radar.
TC: TPE - who is it, what is it & what's the experiment?
Mike: We knew we were going to carry on making music together, but how do you get over a break up? The Phoenix Experiment was the answer. No restraints, no expectations, just making music exploring different darker [and lighter] Psychedelic Realms. It's therapeutic.
We were going to keep it to the four of us, but a fateful party and late night conversation saw a new soul and friend named Joe Kaveney, an excellent guitarist, join the experiment. It was a natural and perfect fit. One out, so one in. He also had the required haircut to enter the lodge of the Phoenix.
We have no-way of knowing how the experiment will progress, that's the fun part in all of this, we're just going to enjoy making tunes and getting them to out to people who want to listen.
TC: Cut You Down has found it's way out in the last couple of days & we must say it sounds pretty mental...the track's also available as free download - is this the plan? To give your music away?
Mike: Yes we put the audio out about a week ago, waited for it to be discovered! We're delighted, people really seem to buzzing off it. We wanted a video that would represent the music, so the footage was filmed in our newly painted lodge, and it was sent to the magical musical island of Iceland to be put through the kaleidoscope. These guys have made some pretty spectacular videos in their time for bands like The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Singapore Sling, Two Step Horror & we'll work with them again.
We're chasing this idea of self sufficiency within the band, but we're happy we've got their help whilst we concentrate on the music first.
But that's our ultimate aim - to create everything audio & visual ourselves. We see the visual side as an essential part of the Experiment. Thanks to our label (Outlier) we're now pretty much set up to be self-sufficient, so we plan on giving away as much music as possible in the short term & eventually putting stuff on sale, should people want to support us financially. It's a bit weird giving everything away whilst working with a label & it's taken a bit of plotting but we think we've got it right between us. We'll give it away as we create it, then we'll look at putting the best of it together as a release.
It's the opposite of what we tried to do with The 66, which was to sit on our best tracks.They never saw the light of day because of what happened. This time we're going to put them out as we finish them, then look at a release in the future.
This is presicely why there's only 1 label for us - they're happy to make it up with us as we go along & see where it takes us. They're up for the Experiment & the ride. We're not interested in any record label bollocks & it's quite nice to see bands find ways around these dinosaurs that suck the life & enjoyment out of making music. There's so many crazy stories about labels that we'd be quite happy to do this alone but like Henrik from Singapore Sling said, Outlier is almost an anti-label. We're comfortable with that, we're excited about what we're doing again & we've got a growing label behind us helping us give our music away!
TC: You've mentioned an exploration. The band's name has the word experiment in it....this really is an adventure isn't it? What inspired it & what are you taking with you on the journey, so to speak?
Mike: I think it was the Photon rays from the sun... so it manifested itself, and inspired us. It's evolution isn't it!? I honestly don't know where it came from. The idea came fully formed one-morning after a week in the sunshine. The experiment is about capturing the moment & going with that rather than revisiting it to try to make it perfect.
We're just going along for the journey, everyones welcome, jump on the phoenix express straight out of Babylon!
TC: So by the time this interview is posted, Cut You Down will have been played, downloaded & the video will have been posted half way around the world. Is Cut You Down a fair reflection of the tracks you have lined up for release or is there a real variation in the sound? How quick is The Phoenix Experiment working?
Mike: The Experiment is working at an accelerated rate! It's just flowing at the moment, about 4/5 tracks in a short time. Cut You Down was written and recorded in the space of two weeks. We just pressed record and let it flow into what it is. The other songs are different, but layered with our wall of sound. Compared to the 66, the music seems to be getting dirtier, more raw; increased sonics. With the addition of dual guitars now it's possible to add even more layers. We'll be releasing the B-side 'Walk of Shame' shortly, which is the polar opposite of Cut you Down! more of a smooth laid back groove, instead of a punch in the gut :) TC: I think we're pretty much done aren't we? Anything coming up that we haven't spoke about? Mike: Our debut gig is at Moho Live, Manchester on Friday May 27th. Supporting the Complete Stone Roses in a benefit show they've put on. It's going to be a great night for a great cause and we're delighted to be playing it. Following on from that, we're heading back into the lodge to record more tracks, with Joe involved this time. We're also be launching our own website for the downloads, but in the meantime people can follow the links to grab a copy of Cut You Down, join us on facebook & hopefully enjoy the music & spread it around if you do. I think we've covered everything there. Can I fuck off now, I'm up in 4 hours... So that's The Phoenix Experiment explained. We'll watch closely as it develops but it's off to a damn fine start. Cut You Down - track of the day.
To download Cut You Down.... http://thephoenixexperiment.bandcamp.com// To keep up to date on facebook... http://www.facebook.com/tpeonline
Tags: the phoenix experiment cut you down product of iceland outlier records 2011 mike bee craig harman paul glover ian wilson joe kavaney.
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