In perpetual motion, the story of Madina Lake stays in the minds by its authenticity and uniqueness.
Imagination and empiricism seem to be the main engines of this half esoteric legend gathered around
Nathan Leone (vocals),
Matthew Leone (bass),
Mateo Camargo (guitar) and
Dan Torelli (drums / piano). The group exudes a heady and punchy pop-punk, an incredible synchronization of samples, beats and riffs rocked by the powerful and delectable voice of Nathan.
Invited by
Linkin Park to be a part of the
Projekt Revolution Tour in 2007 alongside
My Chemical Romance,
Saosin and
Placebo, among others, they also surveyed the scenes of the legendary
Warped Tour. Travelling the world's roads in recent years, they are constantly evolving whatsoever musically or personally.
Aristote said that
"Doubt is the beginning of wisdom." and this precept seems to have been fully assimilated by the group. By dint of incessant questionning,
Madina Lake has managed to impose his style and to reach a fascinating maturity. Their main motivation is to give pleasure and to share what they are made for: playing and sharing music.
Resulting from the accidental inspiration of Matthew, the story established in the mid 50s in the town of Madina Lake, whose protagonist, Adalia, mysteriously disappears. Besides the pursuit of this fictionalized story, their second album is focused on delivering a message based on philosophy and spirituality. The themes are pretty much original and they mostly revolve around the experiences of life, the learning of what can be learned and how important it is to live the present moment.
After a brilliant debut album,
From Them, Through Us, To You, they came back in 2009 with their second album,
Attics To Eden, recorded in collaboration with the notorious producer
David Bendeth (Paramore, Underoath, Killswitch Engage ...). Reiterating the genre, this album is substantially more successful and universal. Trying to manage the constraints of timing, they pushed their limits in order to expand their creativity and deliver an album they can really be proud of.
Back to France after a memorable UK Tour, the members of
Madina Lake settle at The Glazart for a single date. We meet on this occasion
Nathan and
Dan, respectively singer and drummer. It is with sympathy, humor and wisdom that they’ve shared the events they have experienced these past few years, the recording of their last album and how they envisage the future...
I’ve recently heard that you were not on roadrunner records anymore?
Nathan & Dan: Yes did you hear that? (haha)
Nathan: Yeah we are moving to another label and it’s probably the best thing that ever happens to us because Roadrunner, as amazing as they are nationally, the US office has been just a nightmare. So our management announced it to us while we were touring in the United States six months ago, they’re starting trying to get out of the deal and finally around Christmas time we got out. So we’ve already gotten a couple of offices, like major labels, and we don’t know if that’s the road we want to go yet but it’s probably looking like that.
Who’s managing the band actually?
Nathan: the band… it’s a company called FiveB, they have slipknot, Black-eyed and a bunch of …
Dan: And there’s a bunch that we don’t know (haha)
Your second studio album, Attics To Eden proves that maturity comes with experience. It’s definitely different from your debut album « From Them, Through Us, To You ». do you agree with this?
Dan & Nathan: yes
Nathan: It was very deliberate. "
From Them" was our first record. This is the first pile of songs that we’ve written and we were very proud of it but I think that takes band a couple of records, at least, to find their identity I think with "
Attics" there was no primary or just whatever. We decided we could go dance, industrial, metal, pop or anything, you know. I think letting, taking those walls down really helped us to find ourselves musically.
There are a lot of components on this album and much more than on the other one …Nathan: Yeah exactly!
Dan: The other one sounds like a lot of things ... We felt like there’s a lot of bands, in that general music, that records a sound that’s simple. We wanna make a unique one like it doesn’t sound like anybody else but us.
So this album is pretty much « you »?
Dan: I think so. It’s the elements of Madina Lake.
Nathan: It’s us growing up, It’s like we‘re going on puberty… (haha)
What was the greatest moment you had when composing and recording this album with the famous Producer David Bendeth?Dan: What was the best part? Probably partying was when it was over. (ha-ha) It was a really hard record to make. He’s really talented but really really difficult to work with like he’s really strict and any little…He doesn’t let anything go at all, which is cool and it’s good really but it was a completely different thing to make our first one. Our first one was real laid back and all cool but he’s also a really good guy so it was cool when things were finished.
Nathan: It would be like war all day, fighting!! And then around 9 pm, we just get a bottle of vodka and discuss and he let us all party so it was good! (haha)
Dan: He’s the kind of guy that would like yell out through the mic and the things storm out of the room and be pissed and then yes, three hours later he’s buying you a drink and he‘s a totally different person (haha)
He was nicer when he was drunk?Nathan: Yeah and we were too... (haha)
After all you are happy of the way it came out?Nathan : yeah and that’s what it is I think after a month and a half being in studio and just going to the hell that it was and the resolve was really great . So yeah we’re happy!
Do you think that David Bendeth helped you to musically grow up?Dan: yeah I think so. I mean he brought certain things to our attention that I don’t think we’ve ever thought about before. You know I mean a couple just like little things that he would do about our songs. I don’t know what specifically but he was bringing points that we’re going to the bridge of ourselves like really making sure that every single part of every song meant something that counted. You know I mean it was like questions seemed silly like “why are you doing that on this part” and I was like “I don’t know” and he was like “wow! If you don’t know don’t do it!” Everybody was conscious of what we were playing at every part. I think he made the songs better.
Nathan: I think a lot of bands focus on the chorus and then they work on the verses, intros and outros, bridges and all those like kind of fall by the way besides but with him not one of those is good. Everything’s a throw away like the intros have to be sped on and the bridges have to make anything better and you know. That’s one of the things we got a little, maybe lazy with because we didn’t have that much time to write so he was threatening with many songs (haha)
Dan : Yeah and that was weird ‘cause it’s the better record, I think, but we go the first one in like a year because it was before we started touring and everything like that and then went home and the second one we wrote took two or three months so it was a big challenge.
The lyrics are pretty much metaphorical, on this album and the approach is much spiritual and universal. Do you agree with this?
Nathan: Yes I do! I like that! (haha) I like you!
We have all been and we all have our readers just you know everything from philosophy to mafia books and anything will be that crazy (haha). But I think we all have this kind of thinking after being on the roads for several years and learning some of things we learned, going through the things we went through. It has developed a different philosophical take on life that was treating, I think, on this record because there’s a lot of a thing that you experienced that change you know. You know I went through a lot of those kinds of things, a lot of difficult moments. So I think I came out lyrically.
Do you have difficult moments with the band?Nathan: For the most part we’re like a family, you know. We’re the best of friends but in any situation when you’re working together and living together constantly on a bus tour or in the studios or whatever it’s trying! It’s like having three wives constantly! It’s like you’ve been married to three people (haha) So yes it can be stressful but at the end of the day, well, we’re good enough of friends to deal what matters and let the other stuff go. (haha)
It means the friendship you’ve built is really strong!Dan: Yeah!
Nathan: Yeah exactly and that’s we have realised, it’s just nice. (haha)
What was the main message you’ve wanted to express through this album?
Nathan: I think, I mean it’s hard to pin down one. But if I had to I would say that life is how you perceive things. You can be miserable and grouchy or annoyed by everything but it’s just a frame of mind, it’s just a matter of perspective of how you feel and look at things. And if you look at them in the moment that you’re in, you can appreciate them ten times more so I think that the main message will be to live in the moment and take even all your worst experiences in life and appreciate them for what they’ve brought to you, for what you’ve learned and whatever. There’s also music being subjective and life being subjective. It’s like it’s ok to be yourself and have your own opinions and like what you like and don’t like what you don’t like. And if your friend disagrees that’s okay (haha). I suppose to.
My favourite track on this album is Friends & Lovers…
Dan: Well it’s cool! It’s one of mine too!
Nathan: wow cool!
You too?Nathan: Yeah I like it, Thank you! It’s great!
What could you tell us about the creation process of the guitar-less track Friends & Lovers?
Nathan: You know we really like to kind of push the envelope with that like Jeezie’s our drummer, obviously, but he’s second instrument is piano. So he can come in and write keyboard or piano parts and we can build a song, like we did a song just He & I, just with keyboard and vocals and Mateo can come in with a song which is all programming, no guitars.
Dan: And everybody in our band too, is really like focused on the importance of the final thing. Like it’s not like we’re not willing to sacrifice. On the first record there was a song with no drums too, like « It’s okay if I don’t play drums on a song ». Mateo doesn’t care if he doesn’t play guitar on a song. If that makes the song better, well we’re willing do that cause’ it’s not like everybody’s getting upset because of the ego or something.
Nathan: I think, that song came about in a couple of Attics’ too, as we had a really short amount of time to write this record compared to the first one. So we really had to be creative in a short amount of time and David Bendeth’s actually on the phone saying that we didn’t have enough songs, memory of like five songs, and he was like « getting to be in a month and a half and it can’t take a lot !». So he said you know « try writing differently than you always do ». Like we always have those things were like : Mateo come in with the guitar riff and some programs and then a new jam for a little while and it always kinda started guitar based. He was like « start with base, start with drums, start with piano, start with something else ». So it sounds like that for a lot of the songs, yeah I think the idea was great. We set up the drum kit and Mateo’s recorded a playing for like an hour, just straight. And then we listened back and we were like « oh that part’s cool » and just cut that out, and saved these little bits and then tried write it in songs with our nose. So a couple started that way. With friends & lovers we knew we had the melody before we had anything else. This is just a project from different members. It’s just a kind of spark creativity that way.
The melody sounds like a music box one…Nathan: what’s that?
When I was younger I used to put my jewels inside a special box that delivers music when you opened it. I’ve found that Friends & Lovers’ melody really sounds like that…Nathan & Dan: You’re kidding us! Awesome! (haha)
Nathan: How cute it is! I like that! Those music boxes are like awesome. They’re like creepy! They scare me a little bit!
I’ve seen on your last set list that you were not playing Friends & Lovers live. Will you do this exception tonight?Nathan & Dan: Ohhh Friends & Lovers. Ohhh (haha)
Nathan: Well maybe I have... Maybe we have to. I mean she asked so nicely, it’s charming. Okay I’ll try to convince the gentlemen. We have to practice (haha)
Dan: We have to! (haha) We’ve to try. We haven’t technically played it since we’ve recorded it. (haha)
Nathan: I’ll see what I can do. (haha)
Ok « Merci beaucoup » (haha)About Statistics, is it a song written specifically about a girl, or is the theme more general?
Nathan: I think that it could go both ways. In my case, it was written about a girl and i couldn’t get out of her, all ways, beasts on psychological blocks she is. As perfects as everything could be in a relationship sometimes you can be the disease you know what I mean. And we all have them and we can be comparable on 99.9% ways but the 0.01% is the one that gets you.
Everything’s telling you that you have to go in another direction but you can’t get of this person even if it’s suffering…Nathan: yeah exactly! I mean it’s difficult but you have to learn to accept it and move on. I think it’s kind of the important part to remember. I’m trying. I’m trying Jeezie, I’m trying… (haha)
Dan: Good guy (haha)
Accept the fail? Interesting!Nathan: I failed.
Me too …Nathan: I’m sorry to hear that.
« Not for this world » deals with the fact that we should take advantage of the time we have, the abilities we’ve got in our own hands, or to do something we believe in. This title also as « Stand for something » which is repeated like a motto. What do you think about it ?Nathan : I think it’s easy to be blind and follow. You know, there’s just this philosophical statistics or something the 86/14. There is 86 % of people that wants to be lead and 14 % of people that wants to lead and i don’t know where i hear that…
Where is it from ?Dan : I mean supposedly it kinda applies to every aspect of life. Like it could be people wanting to lead and people wanting to follow. It's in a book that crops the World in 14 % and 86 %. It’s always that ratio. It seems to be like applied in all different plays of life.
It’s really strict !Nathan : I think that the 14% should be a 100%. Yeah ! (haha) So i take behind that song that’s definitely a kind of issue, ‘cause that’s applied to me.
What do you guys stand for in your everyday life ?Nathan : Let’s take religion for example. I won’t open up it this kinda warms. But if you have certain religious background which we don’t really but say th rough a dark Christianity. Fine ! If that’s what you’re into, but to push that on other people it’s just to me makes so little sense i can’t believe in. I thinks that’s most define all the problems in the world stand from that thinking, that mentality that « you have to believe what i believe », « you have to do this » and it’s like « no i wanted to do shit ! you do whatever you want I’m not gonna judge you. I don’t care but don’t judge me ‘cause I’m not gonna care about then » .
Madina lake’s story was supposed to be delivered into three albums and a book. It’s your second album, are you already working on the third one ?Nathan : This story writing is already done. Musically we’re starting on working on that now. We have the ending and we have like that pretty much a couple of time and it’s just a matter of winding, getting married so.
When will you record it ? Dan : Maybe this summer, I think right ?…
Nathan : It’ll take a lot of this summer to write and record it and probably we’ll be back for it.
And What bout the book ? I mean I’ve never read single sentence of it !Nathan : Really ? It’s on-line !!!
Dan : I guess in our websites there’s two parts like it’s on the boards and things…
I’ve heard that there are clues in your songs …Nathan : We‘ve set up from the beginning that when the third album will be done we’ll release a book, a little tangible book. But so far the first two,
From Them, Through Us, To You and
Attics To Eden are released on-line.
What about you 4th album ? Will you trade your band name ? Nathan : I don’t think so. We’ll never change the band name I don’t think but we will just move on to a different thing.
So the story will not be extend ?Nathan : It‘ll be done at that point. We’ll pursue a different creative angle or just you know, maybe just release songs as a plus to the albums ’cause I think records are becoming a thing of the past. Now everything’s a shame, but if you put out a record, to all the fourteen songs you absolutely adore, and kids put on listen to the first two or three tracks anyway and then shuffle it on their iPod. And it’s like « What’s the point ?! ».
Dan : It’s a bum like that . It’s true !
The last video clip I’ve seen is Welcome To Oblivion. Is it your latest single ? Dan : Statistics ? No i think it’s the latest one in the UK
Is there any video for Statistics ? Dan : They just released it to the radio in England.
Nathan : But now we’re switching labels so I guess we’re not gonna release a video.
Dan : ‘Cause no business is gonna push it (haha)
Nathan : ‘cause why ! (haha)
Why have you chosen to represent the Oblivion by a city on a sunny day ? Nathan : Oblivion ? i think that kind of the point if you’ve watched closely the storyline behind the guy…
Dan : As nobody can see him !
Nathan : As sunny as it is he dosent take his cloud to. You know I mean it’s kinda representation. He couldn’t connect to anything or what’s whoever and at the end he crash into the girl and connects and find someone else like him and they both see each other.
That’s so romantic !Nathan : yeahhhhh you‘re right !(haha)
Your Clips always have this great energy, do you have a special clip director you like to work with, or do you often change ? Nathan : We’ve never repeated. We’ve changed each time and even today i don’t think we’ve found exactly a favorite guy yet but we’re still looking.
Are you personally working on the videos ?Nathan : Not at this point but once we get ready for the next album we will be so we’re gonna start from there.
In general, what are your influences ? I mean musically.Dan : I think musically we’ve had the same influences as we all grew up together in the same kind of music like everything early 90’s, Smashing Pumpkins, NIN…
Yeah NIN !!!Dan : When you’re growing up it makes a really big impression on you. So we all had that in common. Like a philosophical, emotional things…I mean we’re inspired musically by anything from like art or nature or anything like that. So I think we’ve just felt passionately about so many things going on in the world that was like a big driving force and the message behind our little record too. There wasn’t as we heard a new band and try to make a record that sounded like it. You know what I mean ? It was just like all of the frustration we’ve accumulated after a couple years of touring… We find that was motivation enough to put something out that we felt that meant something.
Do you find inspiration into recent bands ? Nathan : There are always new bands and new records that we’re all obsessed over. Like I’m touring four weeks at a time. But about Influences ? Musically as concerned we don’t really reference as any other bands. We’re more influenced by life experience and philosophy and we’re reading books that are from different philosophers.
Do you like any band at the moment ? Dan : There’s a band called
Mutemath. Do you guys have heard of them ?
Yeah, their first single was Spotlight I guess …Dan : Thank god nobody knows who them ! Yes ! (haha). Both records are amazing and when the new one came out I was like hoping that I would like it as mush as I love the first one and i like it even more ! Those guys i listen to all the time !!!
What was the greatest show you’ve ever been to ? Nathan : Primus in Chicago was one of mine. They played at The Aragon Ballroom about six years ago and it was one of the best things I’ve ever seen.
Dan : I saw
NIN and
David Bowie.They were supporting David Bowie and that was crazy.
Trent Reznor came out and David Bowie said « we’ll do a song together » like both of them singing and seeing them both live was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
By the way Are you happy to play here tonite?Dan : Oh Yeah !
Nathan : Oh my God. I mean, It’s a « dream come true ». I was talking to my dad yesterday and he was like « Dude realise ! You’re about to play in Paris ! ». That’s amazing. We’re the luckiest people I know and we’re very grateful for that.
Pic : All Rights Reserved. Cindy Rocher. 
