TODD CHEWS THE FAT WITH LORDS OF ACID'S VOCALIST DJ MEA

 

 

 

When Praga Khan, the forming member of Lords of Acid, announced he was getting a band together and hitting the road for the first time in years as well as prepping material for the first release in about ten years, I knew I had to be in on this one.  Luckily, I was able to get the phone number that belongs to the new lead vocalist, known simply as DJ Mea.  Mea has had a career as a vocalist in a couple bands, but mainly as a club DJ and has quite the following in Asia.  After a few phone calls and messages, my phone rings…..

 

Toddstar:  So how are things going out there?

 

DJ Mea: I just got out of rehearsal just now.   I’ve been in rehearsals all day - every day this week.   Sorry for the confusion in the time for this interview.

 

Toddstar: No worries.  I’m always up late.

 

DJ Mea: Okay, do you wanna try tomorrow?

 

Toddstar: We can do it right now, if you want.

 

DJ Mea: Okay, sure let’s do it now.

 

 

 

 

Toddstar: Let me thank you a ton for taking the time out for the Rockpit.  We are actually a magazine & website that has a big contingency in the US, but were also based out of Perth, Australia.  So you’re going to get a little press over there out of this & I can’t wait to see you in Detroit.   I’ve got my ticket for the show compliments and I actually went online & bought the after show pass so…
DJ Mea: Awesome!  Make sure you introduce yourself to me.

 

Toddstar: There’s not a lot out there about you.  So let’s start and why don’t you tell me a little bit about you.  I know you’ve been with the band a little while now.  But give me some of your history.
DJ Mea: Well my history as a DJ or a singer?

 

Toddstar: How about a singer.  What’s your main roll with Lords of Acid, on this go around?

 

DJ Mea: With Lords of Acid, I’m the lead singer.   The manager actually recommended me when they were looking for a new singer after they had to replace Lacey.  The manager knew about me.  About 2-½ years ago I had a band called Meandmymachine - that’s all one word – and they, he wanted to do something with his friend but then he got caught up in business & was doing some stuff with Ministry so it never happened.   Then I went back to my solo career as a DJ, I just wasn’t making any money with my band, so over the holidays I got a text message from him asking if I would be interested in trying out for Lords of Acid and I of course jumped at the chance.  I had to fly home immediately and learn 3 songs for the audition.  I came in and sang the songs.  They told me it would take about a week before I got an answer.  I got a call the following morning asking if I would be, if I still wanted the job and I, of course, was ecstatic.  I took the job and we’ve been rehearsing almost every single day since then.  Like I said, we just got done with rehearsal and this band is great.  We’re doing - it’s going to be a great show and I’m really looking forward to it.  It’s just awesome.

 

 

 

 

Toddstar: Awesome.  That’s good to know as a fan.  Well, with that, let’s lead into the tour.  I mean, it’s been awhile since they’ve really done any kind of tour.  They did a little tour last year, but they took a long break before that and there’s been almost no recording for quite a few years.  Are you guys correcting that? Are you guys going to lay down something new?

 

DJ Mea: Yep, we sure are.  We’re gonna do a whole brand new album.  We want to try to get some songs on the radio.  The band is a really good fit, anybody in the band will tell you this is how it’s supposed to be.  Everyone’s comfortable with each other and it feels really right.  Praga is especially excited to finish this album and soon as this tour is done, that is exactly what we’re gonna do.  We want to come back again next year ten times stronger with all new songs.  It’s amazing.  It’s the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me - there’s no question about that.  It is such a good fit.  It makes me have faith out there - there’s something else out there magnetically pulling the right people together in the universe and I couldn’t be more pleased, happy and grateful that they picked me.

 

Toddstar: Well that’s awesome.

 

DJ Mea: It is (laughing) it is, it is, it is.

 

 

 

 

Toddstar: Are you guys writing right now or are you just rehearsing really to get out on the road?

 

DJ Mea: Yeah, we’re doing all of that, you know.  We will be writing on the road too, but we’ve already got 2 songs and we’re doing them on the tour.  Then we will be working on the rest as things progress.  We will record until after the tour is done.

 

Toddstar: But you’re gonna try out the new tunes on the fans, on this tour?

 

DJ Mea: You got it.  Yeah, were going to try out two, yeah.

 

Toddstar: Well, looking ahead, I think you’re going to be the first US born vocalist on an album.

 

DJ Mea: Yeah, I think that is the case - I believe so.

 

Toddstar: Not the first US born vocalist on tour, but the first US born vocalist.  That’s no small feat - like you said just kinda everything falling together.

 

DJ Mea: (laughing) I’m speechless.  I mean, honestly, this is… our rehearsal just now, with the whole band, is awesome.  I don’t think we’ve every sounded better than we do right now.  It’s just, I don’t know, I can’t wait to get on the road and see how people react to it.  I’m happy with it, let’s see if America thinks the same thing and then we’ll really know.

 

Toddstar: Well beyond the stretch of America - any overseas dates planned?  What are you guys doing?  Are you guys going to jump right…

 

DJ Mea: We got a couple festivals in overseas.  I’m not really sure of the dates.  When we are over there recording, I believe it’s gonna happen while I’m out there.  I’m not really sure - we’re just concentrating right now on the US, but yeah, we plan on doing a full European tour as well.  I’ve got a good following in Asia with my DJ career.  I’d like to go over there as well with the band and try to do some things over there with my following.  We’ll see what happens with the new album - maybe we can take it global.

 

 

 

 

Toddstar: That would be awesome.  The more you can take this out to the people and really get it heard.  I don’t want to take up a whole lot of your time; I know you’re probably tired with all of these day-long rehearsals.  I would like to ask you a couple questions that usually get the interviewee really thinking.  You’re a DJ so you’ve got an extensive history & knowledge of music.  If there’s one piece of music, one body of music in the history of time that you can say was yours, you wrote it, you sang on it, you played it, or you were in the room when they recorded it, just somehow you were involved…one piece of music.

 

DJ Mea: There are several albums.  When I was with Moonshine, I did this album called ‘Alive’ & that I put my heart and soul into.  Every single song was written about an experience I had had in my life and I thought that was a pretty powerful album.  There’s one song in particular called the “The Simplest of Things.”  That song kinda brought me into, it got me recognition in the DJ world as a singer.  You know, I think there are many remixes made of it as well.  I probably played that song for three years at every show I ever did.  Everyone would always request that song.  That’s off the album ‘Alive’ & that whole album was compiled with Nynex, this guy Nynex…N.Y.N.E.X.  He was the producer on that.  He’s actually coming out with a solo album himself and he’s a rock star!  Woo!  I can’t wait to hear his stuff.  He’s a - he reminds me of Trent Reznor and the album has a lot of Trent Reznor sound cuz he was influenced by Trent.  You can hear it in my album.  In fact, we even do a cover on that album called “The Only Time.”  It’s a Nine Inch Nails cover so you can tell Nine Inch Nails was an influence in mine and in his, as well.  We try to gear towards being main stream with the dance influence & harder, edgier, electro Nine Inch Nails Industrial sound as well.

 

Toddstar: Ok, well getting away from something you’ve written.  What of somebody else’s piece of music. Have you had…

 

DJ Mea: Bjork.

 

Toddstar: Bjork?

 

DJ Mea: I’m a Bjork fan, more than ever. (laughing)

 

Toddstar: Really?

 

DJ Mea: She is the most amazing female artist in the world, in my opinion.  Absolutely.

 

Toddstar: To be honest, when I think of Bjork, I don’t think of Lords of Acid.  (laughing)

 

DJ Mea: Well, you know, go see a show (laughing).  No, I don’t know, I just idolize her.  She hits those high notes and she’s very creative.  She’s just a genius - a musically gifted genius that just has no limits on what she can do with her voice, her skill, and her ability - so I worship her.   Yeah, she’s my favorite.  I can listen to her 24/7 & not get sick of it.  I also like The Cure too, believe it or not, which is completely off the both of those.  The Cure and Bjork - completely   different, but I love them both.  I love Nine Inch Nails as well.  I am a big Nine Inch Nails fan.

 

Toddstar: Very Diverse.  That means you’ll bring something to the stage that a lot of vocalist wouldn’t necessarily in that sense.  Do you find when you’re singing even with the older material in your rehearsals, do you find that you’re putting your only little touch, twist, or bringing your own influence to it?

 

DJ Mea: Yes, absolutely, yeah.  I don’t want to sound like a machine.  I have to have my own, you know, flavor in order to make it work for me and not just be some drone that tries to do what everybody else has done.  So yeah, I definitely try to add my own 2 cents into every song and so far it’s working (laughing).  I like it - I love it so much - I love everybody in my band.  They are fantastic people.  Oh you know, I also want to mention - I love Prodigy & there are a couple of Lords of Acid songs that sound very similar to Prodigy that we are actually doing in the set list.  That just makes me, you know, really rock out cuz I love that band, I love Prodigy others that sound like that, so just wanted to throw that in too before I forget.

 

 

 

 

Toddstar: Well, like you said sonically Prodigy & Lords of Acid I would put in the same CD changer, like you said they fit really well live.  Now, let’s really stretch…
DJ Mea: Yeah...and the thing…what’s that?

 

Toddstar: Go ahead.

 

DJ Mea: I was going to say the thing about our set is that every single song, I mean, we don’t have any ballads.  Every song is (someone is walking by Mea… “Hey Kirk”) every song is (to the same passerby “Bye”) is fast, energetic, sexy, hot paced… a rocking good time on stage.  I mean, we don’t slow down - we just keep it going and building and building and building – then WHAM.  It’s like one beat causes an explosion.  If that makes sense.

 

Toddstar: It certainly does.  Well, let me let you get to the rest of your evening with one final question.

 

DJ Mea: Sure

 

Toddstar: To DJ Mea, what is the meaning of life?

 

DJ Mea: I’m finding out right now, this is definitely; don’t give up on things that you believe in or yourself.  Don’t.  Don’t ever quit your dreams.  Don’t ever give up on your dreams - that’s the meaning of life.  To pursue what you want, who you want to be, what you want to be to the fullest extent of your control and ability and to never give up.  That’s the meaning of life to me.

 

Toddstar: That’s an awesome answer. Well, I don’t know if you like being called DJ or Mea but I want to thank you so much.

 

DJ Mea: Oh just Mea…you can call me Mea.

 

Toddstar: Well, thanks again for taking time out of your schedule for The Rock Pit – it is really appreciated.  I look forward to seeing you in Detroit on the 13th of March.

 

Toddstar: So fans of the band can check you out ahead of time, do you have a Facebook or Myspace?

 

DJ Mea: My Facebook is MeaFisher, I never use my DJ account.  I have links on there.  I don’t have a music page on Facebook.  Somebody tried to make me one, but they never finished it.  There is only a picture of me up there, so I don’t have a music page.  I have a MySpace page.  It’s www.myspace.com/djmea but I never really go there either (laughing).

 

Toddstar: Cool. Thank you so much for the time Mea

 

DJ Mea: No problem.

 

And there you have it… the words and wisdom of the beautiful and talented Mea.  Usually I let the music do the talking, but in this case, you can let the music and pictures do the talking.  For more photos from the Lords of Acid show in Detroit, MI go to: http://toddstar-photography.smugmug.com/Music/Lords-of-Acid-March-13-2011/16238763_zvZo7#1219955396_tYCzw
As a side note, it has just been announced that Lords of Acid will release an EP in August titled Mighty Little Rabbit and will release a full-length soon after that.  For more on this release, see the Rockpit news section here: http://www.therockpit.net/news.php

 

 

Todd Rockpit March 2011