Karma: Thanks a lot for doing the interview. Please tell our viewers how Marazene formed, etc.

DieTrich: Thank you. Everyone in the group has been involved in the industry for a substantial amount of time and known each other/known of each other for even longer. We've all been "around the block" so to speak. Kristov and Nikk have toured with BILE across the United States. I recently spent considerable time this past January auditioning and rehearsing in Minneapolis with AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE, a truly enlightening  experience despite their recent temporary issues. I also shot a video with CELTIC FROST guitarist, Ron Marks and PRONG drummer Dan Laudo in SUBSONIC last year and have done substantial touring as well.

Kris and Nikk had been working on MARAZENE material together in the Chicago area while I had simultaneously been doing the same in Minneapolis. I moved to Chicago in 2001 to join a different band Kris was involved with at the time and when it came time to bring Marazene to the stage it was a natural progression.

K: Well I am sure you will get this a lot, but how was Marazene chosen for the name of the band?

D: Marezine is a motion sickness drug that was pulled from the shelves many years ago due to its Misuse and Abuse. Drugs and Music are two different ways people tend to "Escape" from the Banality of Reality. We altered the spelling and added our own demented twist and "voila". The correlation between what the drug is and what the band is crosses over on so many levels. We Encourage everyone to indulge in a Healthy Dose of Marazene to Face their Demons and to Cope w/ their Day to Day Chaos.

K: After reading your bio, Nikk describes the band as “Controlled Chaos”. Can you please elaborate on this wonderful paradox?

D: It means a multitude of things to us and chances are a multitude of things to anyone who happens to listen to us. We push ourselves and we walk that fine line between self control and loss of that control. The result is everything we are reflected in a SoundScape.  Conceptual/Mechanized/Machine/Metal. I think that works in regards to sound.  The material itself continues to evolve on a daily basis. It's a bit more experimental. There's the traditional Marazene programming with these monster guitar riffs with a focus on arrangement experimentation and this big vocal thing over the top. It's an amalgamation of ideas and influences without restraints or limits.

K: Would you please describe a typical Marazene show for people who haven't witnessed it?

D: What it boils down to is, descriptions are ultimately meaningless and just a way to categorize you. And that's something we refuse to let anyone other than someone familiar with the Marazene experience do. To oversimplify the answer in regards to the live experience, "We are a Rock band", but we're something more and any "description" should come from a participating viewer/listener rather than one of us. We've always hated describing what it is we 'do' and would prefer to allow Friends/Fans familiar with the Marazene Experience do that for us.

D: We're a five piece band that experiments with a lot of different textures and moods. Probably more than most people would expect. There is simply no way to recreate the vast orchestration of say "AnTiThesis" or "Bête Noire"  live without the use of some backing tracks. Ideally we'd have a keyboardist but at this point it's simply a matter of mouths to feed. But backing tracks aside, the programming from the ground up is 100% created by Marazene and the songs were written, arranged, performed, and produced 100% by Marazene. And for the record, Anyone who doubts the musicianship of the individuals in this band or the vocal capabilities of our frontman proves their considerable ignorance on the topic.  

K: Congrats on having “Xecute” appear on the upcoming Matrix: Revolution DVD, how was it chosen?

D: Thank You.  Elements of 3 tracks; "Xecute", AnTiThesis", and AlterNative", made the Matrix: Revolution DVD instrumentally . A friend of a friend was in charge of the production of the Matrix Revolutions DVD. He passed the word along that they were looking for material. We submitted material and after the first track was accepted we got a call the next day telling us that they were considering using more material. We were floored of course but we also felt that the music deserved the chance to be heard on the much larger scale that the DVD provided. 

K: You shot a video for "Xecute" some time ago. When and where will we be able to see it?

D: Yes. The video, shot by Joe Elsey of U Press Play Productions and produced by De Los Santos Productions, will resurface in the next couple of weeks both in the Chicagoland area and nationally. It looks fantastic. We are extremely pleased with the final result.  This latest version is different from the one we screened last fall for "Xecution Day".

K: Can you tell us how the video came about?

D: We [Marazene] had talked about doing a video for "Xecute" for some time. I met director Joe Elsey of U Press Play Productions on a 4500 mile road trip out to Hollywood and back over the summer of 2004 and naturally the idea of collaborating on a Marazene Mini Movie was brought up.  We had tons of ideas that we went over and got a good feel for the possibilities. We ended up using a green screen and incorporated a storyline co-written by Elsey and myself; essentially about a person who takes a 'dose' of Marazene with the end result being a bit more than they bargained for.

D: Yes actually. "Night of the SkumF***er". Kinetic PlayGround located directly across from the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago at 1113 W. Lawrence will become SkumF***er Central on Saturday, May 27th, 2006 for our ChicagoLand area  "MachiNation" Drop Date. Milwaukee is confirmed for 06.02.06, Minneapolis is tentative 06.03.06 The U.S./Online Drop Date will be  06.06.06 We will play the entire album and play the newly refurbished and effected video for "Xecute" for persons who have yet to see it. Beetches Promotions will MC the Event. Many other surprises and special guests to announce. 

K: What were some motivating factors behind the creation of your upcoming album,  "MachiNation"?

D: Life and All it's Many Ironies. We all have our favorite Books and Movies and Friends and Encounters but in the end it simply boils down to LIFE. From a Stubbed Toe in the Morning to Newspaper Headlines to a Car Accident to an Argument With a Girlfriend and "Anything/Everything" in between. We are All of the Above and still Nothing That You'd Expect.

K: What are the name of the tracks?

D: We had 18 tracks to choose from and narrowed that down to 10.  The writing process has always been very fluid. We have an abundance of material to choose from given our natural prolificity as writers. It certainly made for some interesting debates over which song was going to make the first album and which songs we decided to hold back on. We picked these ten songs as a our strongest introduction to Marazene. Some of the live standards didn't make it, and that's not to say that they aren't strong enought for the album. Specifically, a song tentatively titled "Halos" didn't make the cut and it's one of my personal favorites. It'll still be in the live set. We're holding it back. Everything for a reason. The track listing is as follows: 

1.      Bête NoiRe

2.      InFidel SoCieTy

3.      XecuTe

4.      SkumF***erz

5.      Self-WorTh

6.      UnCerTain

7.      AnTiThesis

8.      SeeThe/sTay aWay

9.      MachiNation

10.      AlterNative

D: MachiNation by definition means, "a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends". The word is strong and appropriate for  Marazene on a multitude of levels. There are very few people that do something for nothing. Everyone wants something whether subtle or deliberate, whether seemingly innocent or retrospectively blatant. In the grand scheme of things 'We are all Guilty'. This hearkens to "Original Sin". We are all by nature 'Children of Wrath'. We are all truly SkumF***erz at heart.  

K: What’s your favorite song off the album?

D: It varies from day to day. It usually happens to be the song we're working on in the studio at the moment. Right now that happens to be "AnTiThesis".  I'm especially fond of the final change in the song. From a personal perspective the ending was inspired by great suffering and sadness and we managed to find this beautiful melody within that struggle. The songs, both musically and lyrically tend to fall into two categories; Personal VenTilation or Cinematic SoundScape and that varies depending on who wrote the individual part and what personal experiences they had recently had the pleasure or dis-pleasure (as the case may be) of being associated with.

K: Any touring plans?

D: Absolutely. We have a host of confirmed regional dates as of now which include the Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and St. Louis markets. With the release of  "MachiNation" we will expand into a more Regional and National rotation. Other immediate markets of interest for us include; Des Moines,  Indianapolis, Detroit, and Cleveland. Toronto, Boston, and Atlanta are also of very special interest. The most up to date touring information can be found on www.Marazene.com or www.MySpace.com/Marazene.

K: Who are some of your favorite bands in the scene right now?

M: I think you have to begin with Smashing Pumpkins and Disturbed and go backwards from there.  Bands like Ministry, Filter, Sister Machine Gun, and PigFace who set such a high standard. Revolting Cocks. Acumen Nation. Soil. Marz is a personal favorite of mine. Dope are in town now and they are certainly some of the hardest working guys out there.

K: Speaking of scenes, do you find Chicago to be supportive enough?

M: Absolutely. Our friends from the scene come from all over the Chicagoland Metro. I think we're constantly amazed and alternatively pleasantly surprised to see an increasing number of familiar faces who believe in the noise we're making.

K: Who would you like to see your name next to on a marquee, your all time bill from hell?

DieTrich: MARAZENE w/ Prince

Nikk:       MARAZENE w/ The Doors, Pink Floyd, Danzig, Misfits. . .

Kristov:    MARAZENE w/ Tool or Meshuggah

K: If you could collaborate with anyone going forward, whom would you like to work with?

D: Billy Corgan, Al Jourgensen, Liz Phair, David Lynch, Frank Miller, Ronald D. Moore. I could go on. . . 

N: Maynard and Strapping Young Lad

K: Rammstein, Rob Zombie  "I know they're not dead.....but, they're innovative and very mechanical."

K: Asides from “dreams of gold and platinum albums."  What legacy would you like to leave behind to let the world know Marazene was here?

D: I've always felt that you need to seek out inspiration rather than expect it to fall in our lap. You have to dig a little deeper. There are so many Stories, Movies, and Albums that have inspired me personally and I would like to think that what we're working on aspires to that level. Giving something back to the people who have moved us over the years is something I think we, as a band, strive for on all levels.

K: Evolution or creation?

D: I think we all have our various theories and have our own Personal Motivations to make individual Leaps of Faith but on a more intimate basis I make a practice of Refinement through Experience.

K:  Who would you like to see cover a MARAZENE song?

D: I'd die in Buddy Holly's place to hear his version of "SkumF***erz". Or maybe the Chicago PhilHarMonic Orchestra on "UnCerTain".

N: Iggy Pop.

K: Faith No More.

K: Guilty pleasure song/CD/artist.

D: Song: "Smile Like You Mean it" from The Killers

          Album: Prince "Sign O' the Times".

          Artist: Stray Cats or anything by Brian Setzer

N: Song: "Wildside" --- Mötley Crüe

          Artist: Mr. Bungle

K: Any last comments?

D: I would like to extend a huge thank you to our Chicagoland friends/fans for the support over the last several years. The Rise of the SkumF***er Nation began here and with all of you. 2006 will be a year to remember for us and there is no way we would be able to do the things we're doing without all of you. And for those of you further away we have a lot of events lining up for 2006. We're looking forward to meeting each and everyone out there on the road. Only together can we achieve a SkumF***er Planet.

Again, thanks for doing the interview!!