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The Mae Shi Tickets

It’s taken a good five years of consistent touring via. L.A, a couple of unofficial album releases via. the internet and here in 2008, all eyes are starting to catch sight of The Mae Shi. It can be explained, but not in typical fashion – The Mae Shi aren’t your usual hyped band and they haven’t got attention the way others have. Before playing another one of their many shows in the UK (they’re played over 200 since forming), Gigwise caught up with recent recruit but realistically, long-time Mae Shi member, Bill Gray as he suggested to us how the band got this precious amount of recognition that could catapult them into semi-stardom….

The first piece of evidence comes forward; new single/EP ‘Run To Your Grave’ which has gained them many more fans, and certainly no haters. Blending every music genre there possibly is, from hip-hop to punk to un-conformist indie, the band themselves declare themselves “boogie” more than anything else. “Who doesn’t like the boogie?” they ask, revealing their secret to success. The single itself could be mistaken for a concept album, all tracks flow with an original beeping sound hiding the background as each track’s individual traits keep up the pace. ‘Run To Your Grave’ features on their future record, released this month and titled ‘HLLLYH’. Similar to band name ‘!!!’, it’s open to interpretation. “You can call it ‘Hell Yeah’ or ‘Hallelujah’, it’s more fun to be able to have people interpret it in different ways. It’s also a way of saying ‘Look at this band!’” explains Gray.

One thing’s for sure though, however people interpret the title, it’s a guarantee that they’ll be only one way to interpret the actual music: Crazy - in a good way, naturally. “A lot of it is crazier than ‘Heartbeeps’, our most crazy record”. Excitement arises, but they forgot to mention how ‘HLLLYH’ will feature confidence, maturity and boogie. It being their first record officially released on a label in the UK, under ‘Moshi Moshi’, this is most definitely a way of showing off but also keeping cool. On the subject of it being their first album release in the UK, the cult status that has come about on these shores is certainly the reason for its long-awaited release – otherwise they’d have buggered off elsewhere. “The US doesn’t have quite the same following as over here, you seem professionally organised in the UK, the whole system of making records is very professional.” The band will also be embarking on a “professionally organised” UK tour pretty soon, clashing with cities they haven’t even heard of before. It’s all taking shape.

An album release, a tour, mixed with some attention, finally, screams out many possibilities and shunts away any negativity. The live shows have certainly played a part in spreading the word – as it would for any band. But The Mae Shi put their live shows before anything else – it would seem. Playing over 200 since their forming, they’ve evolved as a live act which has led to them evolving as an artist. They prosper from it all, it gives them that energy boost that keeps them going – and keeps them fresh in the music fan’s mind. “I like that awkward tension you get off gigs, it makes me thrive off it. I’ve always wanted to play live, since a kid I’ve loved the idea”. It’s a match made in heaven – The Mae Shi and a live performance.

People have caught on – not seeing them once but a dozen times. Each show is unique, energetic in its own way. There is no better way to get into the band than through the stage. Asked on whether this new wave of hype would get to them in any way, they suggested that music was a tricky thing to play catch with; “It’s one of the hardest money-making processes”. And if they move onto bigger things? “Make sure the money doesn’t bum you out. Our goal as a band is to be able to quit our shitty jobs and go on from there”. A large chuck of success could make for less room for experimentation, despite more plaudits. “We definitely are very ambitious but we don’t want to feel sabotaged by making things that are inexplicable to people”.

It’s for certain that if this thick slice of hype that comes and goes from location to location eventually reaches them, they might be forced to change as a recording artist but they won’t change their perspective on music. However, maybe we’re all just speaking too soon, with too much enthusiasm and promise. Nevertheless, from the Mae Shi Perspective: “we’ll take it as it comes. Who said that? Was it Dylan? Oh well, you can quote me on that.”