Chain D.L.K.: How did Emox initally materialize? Did you and Anne have any specific ideas or concepts in mind?
Emox: Lance: We just both like writing and playing music.. I think it was just a natural fit for us. As far as a concept, no. We just write what comes to mind.Ann: I would have to say that Emox is really Lance’s child if we were going to assign it a parent. I am more like the favorite aunt that comes and adds something to the music, while Lance does most of the work disciplining the dear child/band Emox. I think that it came about as a need to get the music that is inside to the out side and see if any one could connect.
Lance: Ann doesn’t give herself enough credit.
Chain D.L.K.: You and Anne are long lost brother and sister. How did you two manage to find each other?
Emox: Lance: It was kind of a roundabout way, but through our family.
Ann: Tis true, he got a hold of my sisters, my sisters mentioned it to me, that next Christmas he and I discovered that we both like music and now you know the rest of the story.
Chain D.L.K.: What other interests do you two share in common?
Emox: Lance: We both enjoy reading and teasing each other.Ann: Teasing is an art! So you could say we had art in common too. Um really it is books and teasing so far.
Lance: Oh and food… We love all the same things…
Chain D.L.K.: The songs are written beautifully with perfection in a poem setting. Describe the songwriting structure process.endless debate…
Emox: Ann: Awww perfection, that is so sweet. It does start with basic lyrics and they get whittled away or tightened, then if there isn’t a melody to go with it then Lance lets loose his muse and soon a new song is born.
Lance: It depends on the song. There’s not a set formula. The lyrics start as something either Ann or I write and then it’s a collaborative process for the lyrics. The music is a little different.
Chain D.L.K.: Who are your favorite poets and recording artists who influence the Emox project?
Emox: Ann: My favorite poets are Robert Frost, Shakespeare, and the like. I love Vivaldi, though he has yet to influence our work, Sarah McLaughlan, Sting and a few others.
Lance: My favorite poets are Byron, Wilde, Plath.Rozz Williams.. The musical influences for me are too numerous to list. I grew up in LA in the eighties, so a lot of the alternative 80’s bands influenced my ear a lot. There are songs that before the vocals are recorded, I swear could have been off the Cure’s Faith album and Hopeless without vocals reminds of the Legendary Pink Dots a lot. The Cure was probably my biggest influence growing up. In a lot of our songs, I have ripped off things (very poorly) from the Church, Cocteau Twins, Love and Rockets, Wolfgang Press, Nick Cave, Sisters of Mercy, David Bowie and the list goes on.
Chain D.L.K.: A guitar and drum machine, only are used to compose the music. Do you plan to use synthesizers on the next recording?
Emox: Lance: I dunno. It’s not that we intended not to use synth. It’s just not something at our disposal right now. I don’t think we’re done exploring our music with guitar yet. I have a particular affinity for strings. There are things I would have liked to use a violin or cello for, and there is some synth stuff I really love. Is anyone volunteering to play synth for us? It’s been a long time since I played piano.
Chain D.L.K.: Does the band plan to perform live?
Emox: Ann: It would take a lot of shifting to get most of these songs live, it would be an interesting project but it is not in the works right now. I think we are mostly content to be writing songs for the time being.
Lance: At some point, I guess it becomes necessary. I’m really happy just writing music right now. I don’t really know what the proper venue for us would be. I mean I don’t know if the average club-goer could listen to an hour set of our music. You had mentioned an acoustic set in your review, but only Hopeless was recorded with an acoustic guitar. It would have to be a mixed set and we would need musicians to tour with us or more equipment than we have right now to play the additional tracks we recorded. So much of our music is about the layering of the melodies that for Ann and I only to play 2 instruments and sing would change the dynamics of the music considerably.
Chain D.L.K.: It’s interesting that some band members are siblings. Is it sometimes a good thing?
Emox: Lance: I think it is. You know collaborating on writing takes a lot of back and forth. I think having that understanding and love for each other helps facilitate that. You know, we can be honest with each other and trust that there’s not some kind of hidden agenda or some kind of rubbish like that.
Ann: So it is obvious that Lance has no idea about my hidden agenda, poor guy… though he is right there is more honesty. I could say I thought something didn’t sound right and he couldn’t take me off his Christmas list, so it is a deal that works.
Chain D.L.K.: Why is the demo album is still untitled?
Emox: Lance: The CD is going to be called Shadows and Roses.. Either that or what I saw on Mulberry street…ha.no, it’s actually arranged so the first half of the CD is about love and hopefulness and the second half is about regret and doubt. That’s not what the song Shadows and Roses is about though. So, we’ve kinda had to think about what we were saying with the album. I would love to press it on vinyl and have side A called Love and side B called Regret. If you can’t wait for the album, we did make it on to Cream of the Crop’s Compilation last year. They’re a ‘zine from the UK. Although, it was a very early version of Bridges that made it on and a 4 song demo was reviewed by Gothic Cd Review, last year as well.
Chain D.L.K.: What is the music scene like in New Mexico?
Emox: Lance: The music scene in New Mexico is very diverse and there are a lot of great bands. I know a lot of people don’t think it’s part of the country and maybe that’s a good thing, because the sunsets are beautiful from my mountain hideaway. But we don’t play shows. So I wouldn’t really consider us part of it.
Chain D.L.K.: Heard of an electronic synth-pop band act called the Echoing Green? They’re from New Mexico also.
Emox: Lance: I’ve listened to a bit of their stuff…it reminds me of Chris and Cosey a lot. I wore through that cassette as a kid. Here New Mexico, I’ve gone to see Creepshow. My brother played bass for them. I’ve seen Caustic Lye, my cousin’s friend’s band and I work with the bassist for No Party System. That’s really the extent of my connection to the New Mexico music scene. Myspace has actually been a big help to us. We’ve gotten encouragement and support from bands and artists like Graydon Smith, Riding on Gourney, Happy Death Men, Dorothy So Deep, Witch Country and people like Mae-Bea (Shelley) & Nyal Purcell.
Chain D.L.K.: What do you think about music being used with technology?Ann: I think it gives a wider opportunity for expression, it is harder to play live though which means more expression when transfering it to something live, it’s all fun though if you love it.
Emox: Lance: I think music and technology are a good mix. Music is science. Frequencies and their effects on different matter is fascinating. Personally, it isn’t the science of music that drives me though. For me it’s all emotion…expression. Most of our songs are love songs in some sense.
Chain D.L.K.: Did you use a computer to put the songs together?
Emox: Lance: We do our recording & mixing on the computer. It makes it a lot easier and cleaner sounding.
Chain D.L.K.: What’s the overall theme to the demo?
Emox: Ann: I think that this first album is alot about the past. It is the poetic expression of experiences that everyone has and were asking to be told. And a lot of the past is love and regret, though it is all good when seen through the lense of understanding.
Lance: It’s arranged into 2 parts.; love and regret.. Although, that’s a bit disingenuous because the songs are written about a variety of things and are from many different parts of our lives. For example, I wrote the lyrics to hopeless some 17 years ago or so, although it was never put to music. And Shadows and Roses started from a childhood story of Ann’s although we wrote that song together last spring.
Chain D.L.K.: Anything you’d like to add?
Emox: Ann: Thank you for the interview and a big thank you to those who have enjoyed our music and said so.
Lance: Thank you for the kind review and the interview. I enjoyed listening to your music as well. And thank you to everyone that’s been so supportive of us. Oh, and be sure to check out our new song “Lost”.
[interviewed by Donovan Tate] [proofreading by Donovan Tate]