4/29/2005

Samuel Aaron: Welcome to ALLALOM Music! Thanks so much for the interview.

Ronnie Martin: Thank you.

SA: How is life treating you this year?

RM: Not too bad. I'm trying to take it a little easier this year and not be so purposely busy.

SA: How was the reception to both Hello Mannequin and the Friends Of The Mannequin EP?

RM: Good as far as I could tell. Some like it, some like other things better. I really thought it was my most consistent record and was kind of a combination of all the styles I have done through the years.

SA: How do you go about recording each album?

RM: I use very old sequencers that I have to sync to my tape recorder and then go through a long process of putting each part to tape one sound at a time. There are easier ways to work, but I like taking the classic approach. Computers have no part in my process, so things tend to take a bit of time, but this is all I know.

SA: How often do you record?

RM: Constantly. There's always something on the horizon that needs to be completed so it feels like I'm always in the middle of something. Last year I took about 6 months off to redo my studio and that was the longest break I've had in years.

SA: What was your inspiration for your early music videos?

RM: I don't really know. We had limited budgets, so I tried to come up with things that were a little different than the typical band-playing-in-a-deserted-warehouse which seemed to be all the rage back then.

SA: Do you regret your early music videos?

RM: Of course. But I ultimately don't care too much. I'm more concerned with my songs than the videos.

SA: You have often distanced yourself from your early bands (Dance House Children, Rainbow Rider) in interviews and comments, why?

RM: Well, it's like the videos, I think. There's so much that could've been better, but I wasn't really going with my heart like I should have.

SA: While we are on the subject of your former bands, where did the names come from, and where did your current name come from?

RM: Dancehouse came from Mike Knott (much to our dismay) but Rainbow Rider and Joy Electric were my own doing. I've never really had a great band name, unfortunately. Brandon Ebel loved the name Joy Electric so I didn't really get a chance to tell him some of the other names I had at the same time for consideration.

SA: You have been with Tooth & Nail from the start, have you ever thought about going to a bigger label, or have you had any offers?

RM: Sure, I've thought about it, but I've never gotten many other offers or pursued too many other options. The bottom line is that you want as many people as possible to be aware of what you're doing, and a label has the power to either make that happen or not. Music is a frustrating business, to say the least.

SA: Do you feel restricted with the Christian music label?

RM: At times, yes, because we don't fit into the demographic of what sells well in the gospel market. All joking and irony aside, the truly successful bands are the ones who most closely resemble the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox 20. On the other hand, I've gotten some unique opportunities from some of the braver souls in the industry that I might have not gotten had I blended in and produced stock-standard-accoustic-pop-rock.

SA: Do you ever find yourself restricted by the synth music you make? Have you ever thought about branching out into different genres?

RM: I am restricted, but it's my own doing. It's simply the only kind of music that holds even the smallest amount of interest for me. I did do a side project called Shepherd a couple of years ago that was more of a guitar/bass/drums combo, but it quickly went nowhere.

SA: When did you sell Plastiq Musiq?

RM: About 2 months ago.

SA: Is there anything you would have done differently with the label?

RM: A lot, if there would have been the right amount of money backing it.

SA: Do you ever plan on owning a record label again?

RM: Anything is possible, but nothing in my immediate future, obviously.

SA: What inspires your songwriting?

RM: Hearing a chorus as good as "Shout" from Tears for Fears and wanting to write something that timeless.

SA: Do you feel like you have written any songs that are timeless?

RM: I do.

SA: Do you have any Joy Electric songs that you really do not like now that have been released?

RM: Sure. Probably 70% of my second album, "We Are the Music Makers", was less than stellar songwriting. I do like most of the songs I've written, but what makes some of them unlistenable to me is the music and production.

SA: What independent labels currently catch your attention?

RM: Mute, Ersatz Audio, Ghostly International, Warp, Rephlex, Emperor Norton

SA: What are you currently listening to?

RM: New Order, Fischerspooner, Stereolab, Solvent, Autechre, Subotnick, Eno, etc.

SA: What is the worst song you have ever heard and why?

RM: Anything by the Foo Fighters. I don't remember ever hearing more poorly written and monotonous songwriting ever becoming that popular.

SA: Do you think people appreciate your brand of pop music more now then they did ten years ago?

RM: Probably not, but there is more of an awareness and knowledge of just what I've been doing all this time because of bands like Ladytron, The Faint, Miss Kitten and Fischerspooner.

SA: What do you want people to walk away with once they hear your music?

RM: A JE song stuck in their head that won't go away.

SA: What was the strangest concert experience you ever had?

RM: Somebody spit on me for not playing "Sugar Rush". It was still worth it to not have to play it, though.

SA: I take it you don’t like playing that song live?

RM: No, it's like having to crawl after you've learned to walk.

SA: Did any bands or musicians catch your attention this last year?

RM: I don't recall.

SA: Where do you want Joy Electric to be in ten years?

RM: A new record, 7 inch and EP coming out to an even bigger audience. That would be nice.

SA: If you could put together a dream tour, in any decade with any band, who would it be with and when?

RM: I don't know... it might be a dream to go on tour with New Order but it's hard to say.

SA: Thank you so much for your time.


To learn more about (and hear samples of) Joy Electric be sure to visit them at joyelectric.com or myspace.com/joyelectric