MESSMAKER took the time to chat with us about their music and their song writing process. Let’s see what they have to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
Michael: Funny you should ask! MESSMAKER started off as an offshoot of my solo work. I released a lot of music under my own name, but when we’d play shows as a full band – Freja was on bass at that point – we were called Michael McFarland and the Mess Makers. The 2020 EP “Through This Fire” felt like a new direction for that music, so we decided to drop my name all together and smoosh together the last part of the band; think of it like Tom Petty decided he didn’t want his name on the album covers anymore, and they rebranded as HEARTBREAKER. That’s pretty much how it went down.
Freja: And now I play drums.
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
Michael: How far back would you like to go? At age 4 I was a true virtuoso on the recorder, just rippin’ sweet solos Jethro Tull style… it’s been all downhill from there. Jokes aside, I started studying classical piano when I was 6, kept that up for 12 years, but somewhere during those years my brother made me listen to an alternative rock radio station in Cleveland – 107.9 The End. The dulcet tones of “Sell Out” by Reel Big Fish forever changed my life, and I now find myself a slave to Rock & Roll. Even more jokes aside, though, bands like Our Lady Peace and Eve 6 made me want to write songs and play them for people. I started my first band when I was 15, and I’ve never been far from a stage or a studio since.
Freja: If we’re going back to the first instrument I took seriously, I played trumpet from 5th grade all the way through high school. Sadly I’ve never been involved in a ska band. I did however pick up guitar in my teenage years and start my first actual band that played a few gigs beyond the practice space (shout out to any members of Drowning Ferret who might be reading this). From around 17 onward I played guitar, bass, and eventually picked up drums.
Michael: Oh, dude, I still have my trombone. That’s it, MESSMAKER is now a 2-piece ska band. Hup!
How would you describe your sound?
Michael: We’ve come up with “Anthemic Indie Rock” as a shorthand for the style of music we make, and I think that sums it up pretty well.
Freja: Hooks for days.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
Freja: From a drumming perspective, Zac Farro of Paramore, Josh Eppard of Coheed & Cambria, and Tucker Rule of Thursday are my big 3.
Michael: I know I’ve borrowed lots of little things from a lot of artists. I took Raine Maida (from Our Lady Peace)’s pre-Gravity falsetto pops, a bit of Jon Foreman (from Switchfoot)’s melodic approach, on guitar I owe a lot to both Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World) and The Edge (U2)… and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album was a big influence on the way I write songs.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Michael: The menu music from Mario Kart was bumping on a loop right before this interview (that track SLAPS!), but before that… I’ve listened to Fall Out Boy’s new single a baker’s dozen times since yesterday.
Freja: Aside from the aforementioned Mario Kart music, I most recently listened to “Among the Wildflowers” by The Hotelier.
What’s your source for hearing new music?
Freja: Anywhere and everywhere! I get tons of great recommendations from friends, a few solid Spotify playlists, and just going to live shows. I especially love going in not knowing the opening acts. I’m also a festival lover, and attended both Coachella and WonderBus last year where I discovered a few new favorites. The TikTok algorithm also has my interests pinned down pretty well.
Michael: I listen to whatever Freja tells me to.
Who is your dream producer?
Freja: Jack Antonoff, but if he wasn’t available I’d want Danger Mouse.
Michael: Second Jack Antonoff, the man just does. not. miss. And I know he doesn’t do a lot of outside production work, but since I want to write with him really badly, I’ll also say Andrew McMahon.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Michael: I guess I sort of just answered this question by accident, so… You know, a CHVRCHES collab would be awesome. They worked with Robert Smith, so why not us?
Freja: All 3 members of MUNA.
Michael: Them too.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
Michael: As cliche as it sounds, I think it’s always been a compulsion of mine. I wanted to make music before I had any idea how. I’m pretty sure if there were an apocalyptic event and somehow I was the only human left alive, I’d still be writing and singing songs. I hear the shamblers in the wasteland can be a tough crowd, but I’ll give it the old college try.
Freja: Some of my earliest childhood memories are recording myself singing on cassette tapes. It’s always just been a natural part of me, and it’s certainly been a literal lifesaver in tough times.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
Michael: That’s something that’s morphed a bit over the past several years. Like I said earlier, MESSMAKER was an unexpected(ly awesome) fork of my solo career, so at first I was doing most of the songwriting and bringing them mostly fleshed out to the band. During the COVID lockdowns I started doing a lot of co-writing over Zoom with folks down in Nashville, and my frequent collaborator Steven Charles joined the songwriting party. And more recently, Freja’s been joining in that co-writing process as well. I usually have a mostly-fleshed-out chorus come to me first, and thank Steve Apple for that voice memo app, because without it so many songs would be lost in the recesses of my brain. But yeah, usually a chorus comes first, and the rest of the song gets built around that.
Freja: I hit drum.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to
connect with you?
Michael: Of course, we have all the obligatory social media outlets, but I’ve always found the strongest connection comes from live performances. Which is why we hope to see all of you at a concert before long! (But also, stream our music too, please and thank you.)
Freja: It’s 100% live performances for me as well. I’m always happy to break out of my usually introverted shell at shows and chat with anyone who made the effort to show up.
https://www.facebook.com/MESSMAKERrocks
https://instagram.com/MESSMAKERrocks
https://twitter.com/MESSMAKERrocks
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQapLeGevgLK_7PZ5onCdpQ
https://linktr.ee/messmaker
What’s next for you?
Michael: We dropped our latest single “Paying Attention” about a month back, and we’re getting ready to release a music video for that. We’ve got another half-dozen singles we’ll be releasing over the coming months, and an EP following after. We’re also plotting tour routes for the northeast part of the US, so watch our concert schedule for those!
Freja: MESSMAKER hits the road! Let’s gooooooo!
Michael: I’d watch that movie.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
Michael: Freja just got 3 stars on all the mirror tracks in Mario Kart 8. She’s getting ready to start knocking off the time trials. Send thoughts & prayers.
Freja: I will also accept tots and pears.
Bio:
Aggressively catchy melodies pair with soul-filled lyrics in MESSMAKER’s refreshing take on indie rock. Lighting up stages as a power duo, musical architect Michael McFarland and versatile percussionist Freja McNeal bring the energy of an arena show to every performance. Garnering comparisons to acts such as Panic At the Disco and Bastille, McFarland’s songwriting is frank, expressive, and clever, and joined by McNeal the Cleveland, Ohio-based act elevates the material on stage with a seemingly inexhaustible energy. Showing a maturity of style and sound that has developed through years of travel, relationships, heartbreaks, and reinventions, MESSMAKER’s music contains talent, passion, and lyrics that come from the heart. The result? A big, bright, and lovestruck slice of anthemic indie rock.
