MP3:Mazes – Vampire Jive (live)
Many apologies for my absence from Donewaiting in the past few months. Now that I’m comfortably settling into English life in this massive city, the time has arrived to continue contributing my two cents…
London-based Mazes have been generating quite a buzz. Between being signed to Fat Cat Records in November (making them label mates with recent Fat Cat addition Psychedelic Horseshit of Columbus), getting some badass BBC Radio 1 airplay and prepping for their new record (releasing on April 11th), they’re well on their way to having a busy and exciting year.
Coming from a tight-knit network of musicians and ambitious youngsters, they are just the kind of band a city like Columbus can really get behind. (And much to our glee they cite Guided by Voices as a major influence; just listen to the song in the video.) I recently caught up with vocalist/guitarist Jack Cooper who told me a little more about the band and their role in the London DIY scene.
DW: So Mazes has been going for a couple of years. How has it evolved since the beginning?
Cooper: In the beginning it was just Jarin and I. I suppose the Adam and Eve of Mazes. The analogy stops there but we did give birth to a lot of good stuff and some bad stuff as well. We found Conan and Neil along the way and so much the better. It’s better having four of us, but y’know, more stuff can go wrong now.
DW: You come from a strong DIY scene. How has it nurtured bands like yours?
Cooper: The people, labels and bands that we’ve been involved with from the start are incredibly supportive and helpful. If we have some sort of problem, someone else has always been there to offer advice. It’s nice and comforting having friends with similar hopes and goals maybe…but saying that, people are usually friends with dudes who have similar interests. Continue reading
