Interview with EV0 (lead singer) and Lucy (Bass/Backing Vox) of Makes My Blood Dance
Do you have a story behind your artist name?
EV0: It lives the moment where your heart thrives: true love, a first kiss, a natural endorphin that just feels like pure joy. I was inspired by the poetry of Chris Poindexter when he said “When I look at her, she makes my blood dance…..”. I thought to myself, that’s what I want. That’s what we all want and what I would like our music to stand for. I put the name on a list with a bunch of other names when we were forming the band. Jon Kristian picked that one out of many options and I thought that was divinity at work.
Tell us a bit about your music journey. How has it shaped you?
LUCY: The short answer is, I’ve shaped it. Everything started in infancy. I grew up outside of the USA where the television only had four channels. The Spice Girls were officially welcomed to the 5th terrestrial TV channel to our screens and shortly after, satellite TV became a thing. An influx of channels broadcasting music videos followed on and that’s where it started. Obsession doesn’t feel like a strong enough word for how watching those American bands on a loop on Kerrang made me feel. Thankfully, I was too young to understand the logistical complexities and the barriers I’d face to make it a reality, but that’s where the idea of my current life crystalised in my mind and I’ve been on the same trajectory ever since.
EV0: That was the short answer? Don’t ask her for the long answer. The journey has gone from personal to understanding how to connect with others, and then not losing yourself in that process. The journey for me is about self discovery and balance. I’m sober, having gone too far into self obsession and self importance and running away from difficult feelings. When you step out of that you can see things more clearly and connect more deeply, but there is also more work. There is forgiveness and compassion and patience, all difficult, all essential.
How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
LUCY: It’s a sound I’ve crossed oceans to find. I’ve worked with bands in the UK, Australia and across North America and I’ve never been involved with this style before. It was pitched to me as “disco metal” when I was called to audition. The overall sound is a seamless blend of two diametrically opposed genres that are familiar and easy to listen to while still being overarched by a new energy signal that defines the band.
EV0: Since Jon Kristian (lead guitar/cofounder) and I started writing together, it felt like we both had that mutual respect to take the music anyplace we want. Our entire writing philosophy is “yes….and..” rather than “no” or “not good enough”. Which means you need to do the work and put your creativity on it before you dish out your opinion. It’s a major part of why I love working with Jon so much and why the music is such a melting pot of genres. We have also had a big technical boost in our sound working with producers Mikal Blue (One Republic, Macy Gray) and Bret Mazur (Crazy Town). Heavy Metal Armour is the first single off that effort, which is a full lenth album slated for 2025 release.
What drew you to the genre /instruments you’re playing right now?
LUCY: I began in the classical music world and I was playing double bass (or upright bass if you’re in the USA) while growing up at the top of a block of flats. There was no elevator and I was too small to carry the bass up and down all those flights of stairs, not to mention it was a nightmare to transport. My teacher suggested my mother buy me a bass guitar as the tuning is the same and it would help me with music theory and finger strength and that’s how it all started.
EV0: I love that story. Work smarter, not harder. I tried them all and everyone including myself agreed I should be the singer. I do play jazz piano and Jon has turned me into a halfway decent guitar player as I pick up the guitar for several songs on tour. I like the ability to jam with the band on longer passages when the song calls for it, but I also love the freedom to dance and work with the crowd as a frontman.
What inspires you to write music?
EV0: Inspiration comes from my higher power, higher consciousness and pure love. That’s the place of creativity. Most of what I write about are the distractions of my ego and monkey mind trying to get back to that place of God consciousness. I have amazing people around me to help and remind me. Jon and I are frequently writing and exchanging ideas and the band is coming together and in a position to gel more than ever with so many tour dates. In addition to me, Jon Kristian and Lucy, we just picked up our amazing new drummer G Rex who will be making his debut on the Z3r02LGHTSp33d FEST in September. The four of us together inspire me big time.
Who are your top three artists right now? If that’s not a fair question, what’s your
favorite song right now?
EV0: Recently I’m digging : No Hostages by Fever 333, Meant to Me by Tommy Vext and The Drain by Bad Omens/HEALTH/SWARM. There’s a lot more and all over the map. I’m always listening to a diverse stable of artists, love to hear what is happening. Post Malone’s new country album is fantastic. Almost everyone is doing mucho collabs as well so it’s not just one artist. MMBD has a collab with Macy Gray on our upcoming album, look out for that single next year.
What’s the easiest way for fans to connect with you?
EV0: Come to a show and meet us, hang out at the merch table and meet others who enjoy being there. Anyone reading this should go right now to makesmyblooddance.com and sign up for the text app which only sends you a message when we head out on tour. If you are referring to social media, check out our music videos on Youtube, music on Spotify and we do a good amount of content on Instagram & TikTok. We do have all the networks and content out there, you know where to look, just search Makes My Blood Dance on any of them.
What’s next for you?
EV0: MMBD has 42 tour dates lined up all over the USA from September 2024 until the end of the year. We’re heading out on our own in September with incredible and diverse lineups (listen to them all on Alpha Centauri Records Spotify playlist) hand picked on each tour stop. That’s the Z3r02LGHTSp33d FEST feat MMBD. Then in November and December MMBD will be supporting Tommy Vext (Formerly of B@d W0lv3s) on his Gods & Monsters Tour. Get tickets and all things MMBD at makesmyblooddance.com
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
EV0: We will be releasing a series of singles and music videos leading up to our debut full length album over the next 1.5 years. We also have some very fashionable new merchandise available now. Sign up for the text app on our website, check the merch, and subscribe to our channels so you don’t miss a beat. Love ya, keep going, you’re good enough.
Bio:
Both metal and disco call for grand, theatrical gestures, big beats, outsized personalities, and plenty of musical and lyrical color. Fusions between aggressive rock and club music are infrequent, but when they’re created by visionary artists, the results can be explosive. Makes My Blood Dance is a group like that, and for the past five years, they’ve been reminding us all that the best metal always swings, and the best disco always packs plenty of muscle. The foursome blast speakers, hearts, and expectations everywhere their tour bus rolls. And beneath the glitz and “turned up to 11” distortion, they continue to promote messages of compassion, growth, healing, and wholehearted, balls-to-the-wall living.
