Nanaki interview with Hominis Canidae
On New Year’s Eve 2014 I released the first Nanaki album since 2003, ‘The Dying Light’. Hominis Canidae declared it to be one of the top 5 international releases of the year and asked to interview me. This proved to be one of the most in-depth interviews I’ve done and was originally posted, in Portuguese, here - http://www.altnewspaper.com/terca-gringa/tercagringa-nanaki-o-projeto-solitario-do-mikie-daugherty/. For those who, like me, are not fluent in that language, I have decided to post the original interview, as it was conducted via email. Hope you enjoy reading it. If you have yet to get hold of ‘The Dying Light’, you can find it here -
http://nanaki.bandcamp.com/album/the-dying-light?from=embed
First of all. Nanaki is a band or a project of Mikie Daugherty? The stuff is the same or mutant
Now it's all just me. When the idea for Nanaki originated it was me and a bass player, Emma Ryan. In fact really it was her idea to be an instrumental band, though some of the material on the first album (and later) was recorded entirely by me. After a while we were able to get a proper band together and on-and-off between 2003 and 2007 we'd play live with 4-6 members. We never recorded much as an actual band though, I think really the only thing that has been released from that period is 'Gizmo' which appeared on the local compilation 'Alt-Rock 2'. That was mainly written by guitarist Steve Halsall who also played on it along with Emma and myself.
After the band basically broke up, or fizzled out, I didn't have any thoughts about returning to it for several years. In 2012 and 2013 I recorded a couple of Christmas songs for Small Bear Records festive albums as Nanaki and I guess that inspired me to start doing music like that again, so I wrote and recorded the 'Afterlight' EP. Not long after that had been released I felt the need to do more and so I recorded what would become 'The Dying Light' last year.
In terms of writing it's not that much different from how I worked in the past, when it was intended to be for an actual band. I do like playing in bands with other musicians, but in the case of Nanaki doing it by myself allows me to realise my vision fully. Equally important to me is that I am able to be pretty self-reliant and I don't have to wait for other people or work around their schedule. A lot of the tracks off 'The Dying Light' were recorded the day I wrote them and more or less finished in a day or two. If I had to wait until other people were ready there's a fair chance they would have taken much longer or even never have been recorded at all. It would be nice to work with a real drummer, and indeed to play live with a band, but I don't think it's something that is very likely at this point.
How many works the band Nanaki has?
We released an album back in 2003 called 'Fashion Is The Enemy Of All Art' which is now unavailable. A few years ago it was intended to reissue that, alongside a lot of old unreleased material, on Small Bear Records, but it now seems very unlikely that it will happen. Some of the songs, in remastered form, feature on the CDR version of 'Afterlight'.
Also in 2003, three Nanaki tracks featured on 'Alt-Rock' a local compilation that was put out by Mark Sayle and I. It was ostensibly a various artists album, but in fact we were the only two people to play on it – together as Circus worlD, me as Nanaki and Harmony Dischord and Mark as The Fender Crash, Black River Falls and Evil Andy. That was re-issued in 2012 by Small Bear Records along with extra tracks that had appeared on 'Alt-Rock 2' the following year, including the aforementioned 'Gizmo' ('Alt-Rock 2' actually was a proper compilation, with a number of local acts appearing on it, but the extras on the reissue are just the ones from Mark and I).
After that there no more releases for almost a decade, until 'Afterlight' on New Year's Day 2014 and 'The Dying Light' on New Year's Eve.
Talk about your childhood in Isle of Man? I´m asked because the influence of 'The Dying Light', are all very sad.
My childhood was actually very nice. The Isle of Man is a very beautiful place and back then it was still a pretty busy tourist resort, so it was a great place to grow up. Sadly it's not what it used to be, cheap flights to Spain, etc killed off the tourist trade, but it's still special. People that have been here often describe it as 'magical'. Visitors are often surprised by the vibrancy of the music scene too. Anyway, a lot of my memories as a child involve things like walks and picnics in the countryside, visits to the beach (Douglas beach is pretty ugly now, but it was nice back then) and generally happy times with various family members. Maybe things weren't always as great as I got older, but there are no awful childhood stories or anything. If anything a reason to be sad about it would be that those days are gone and so are some of the people that I shared them with.
But generally I'm not actually a sad or melancholy person. I guess sadness is something that I'm pretty good at, but the fact is I'm mostly upbeat and optimistic. I do tend to connect more to darker, sadder music though, something about it seems to resonate with me more and it has a certain beauty that I don't find in happier songs. So yes, it's a sad album and a lot of it's inspiration comes from darkness or sorrow, but that doesn't mean that I was despondent whilst creating it. In fact, I find that it's almost impossible to make music when you are truly dispirited.
Who are your idols? If any still exist idols...
I don't know if I have idols exactly, but there are plenty of musicians and bands that I have a great deal of respect for, and whose music I love. There are plenty of artists that have influenced me over the years and who have changed the way I perceive and make music but at this point I strive to sound like myself rather than worshipping other people and trying to sound like them. Whether I succeed at that I couldn't say, but it's certainly my goal. I think common thread between a lot of the musicians that I admire is a sense of individuality, so although it's almost impossible not to be influenced by what you like and to take things from them, intentionally or subconsciously, what they really influence in me is that desire to be myself and to do things differently.
There is so much music that I love that it can be hard to narrow it down to a few key influences, but the likes of Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, Sonic Youth, Low, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and My Bloody Valentine have all made a big impression on me in terms of the possibilities of music and particularly the guitar, which is my first instrument. In terms of Nanaki, Mogwai were certainly an early influence and inspiration, not least because they were mainly instrumental and pretty much my introduction to that world. In a way though, now it's almost more important to me that I don't sound like them because they cast such a large shadow over the realm of 'Post-Rock' that it's easy to be seen as just another cheap imitation of them and that's not something that I wish to be. I really like Akira Yamaoka's work on the Silent Hill soundtracks and although what I do is quite removed from most of his music, I do think that has been at least a slight influence on me recently.
Talk about the origin of the band name. Why NANAKI? Something to do with the sound made by the project?
Nanaki is the name of a character from the video game Final Fantasy VII, though he's only referred to as that a couple of times in the game, normally being called Red XIII. It was a game I loved and played a lot with friends and bandmates when it first came out and I remember at one point thinking Nanaki would be a good name for a band. So when we decided to start this band I suggested it as a name and it was agreed upon. So really it has nothing to do with the music, though it was the first of several references to games that I've made over the years ( 'Zanarkand' from 'Fashion Is The Enemy Of All Art', 'Saint Alessa' from 'Afterlight' and 'Yorda' from 'The Dying Light' all reference games in their titles, though 'Saint Alessa' is the only one that was really inspired by a game, musically. Maybe 'Yorda' too to a lesser extent).
Do you like the term/tag "Post-Rock"? Why? Why not?
I'm indifferent to it really. I know a lot of bands dislike the term, but I have nothing against it, other than trying to explain what it means to people that have never heard of it. I tend to refer to what I do as Nanaki as Post-Rock because it seems like the closest obvious pigeonhole, I think it gives at least a vague idea the kind of music I make, to those that are familiar with the term at least. Some of the stuff I've written doesn't sound like traditional Post-Rock at all to me ('Fuck Spotify' from 'Afterlight' being a good example) and hopefully I don't fall into the generic Mogwai/Explosions In The Sky/Etc-clone category, but overall the general instrumental, melancholy, pretty/noisy thing is probably closer to Post-Rock than anything else. Art-Rock, or even just Alternative Rock could work too, really I don't mind what you want to call it as long as you listen.
Comment the sentence: "Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous you don't want it." (Duke Ellington)
It's a great quote, but I'm not sure how true it it really is. I'm generally attracted to music with at least a hint of darkness, maybe it might be considered dangerous by some, but is it truly? Is Nanaki dangerous? Maybe to your hearing, it's certainly done some damage to mine over the years!
Do You considered yourself a nerd (talk about all the game references)? This is a problem? Do you think music as a study process?
Do I think of myself as being a nerd? No. Am I a nerd, would other people say I am? Quite possibly. The term 'nerd' generally implies intelligence and passion though, so I have no problem with that. I guess a lot of the things that I enjoy, like fantasy novels, underground music and computer games aren't what would be considered cool by most 'normal' people, but then I don't really care for most mainstream entertainment. I think all musicians are essentially nerds really, you have to be to put that much effort into learning how to play. I know from experience that the kind of conversations that take place between musicians is boring and/or confusing to most other people!
To me music is all about creativity and expression, it's not some kind of technical exercise or anything at all. I'm completely self-taught, I've never had any lessons at all. I've studied it in that I've been reading guitar magazines since I first started playing and I listen to music almost constantly. I know a fair bit of theory, probably a lot more than many people would expect, but I never 'practice' or anything, I play for the love of music, not so I can learn scales, etc. I'm sure a lot of the knowledge I've acquired over the years has some impact on the way I write, but it's usually a very instinctive process. Certainly it helps when I play keyboard, compared to the guitar I'm a total beginner as a player, but the fact that I know what notes will work, etc makes it much easier to do what I want.
How is the show of Nanaki? What or where was the best and the worst show of the band?
Well, there hasn't been a Nanaki show since, I think, 2007. There is no band anymore, it's all just me. What were we like back when we did play live? Loud. Really fucking loud. Not really intentionally, it's just that our drummer hit so hard there was little choice but to crank the amps to be heard! Intense as well, we definitely put a lot into the performances. By the end of the set the bass player was usually hitting so hard that she'd be splashing blood onto anyone close to the stage.
Looking back, one of the best gigs I can recall was at a 24 hour benefit show for the Tsunami at the beginning of 2005. I just remember us being at our best and playing a really powerful set. The worst was definitely opening for Mother Vulpine, the band that the guy from Pulled Apart By Horses used to be in. It started off well, but I broke a string pretty early on, then when I switched guitars something or other went wrong and my sound kept cutting out. I got frustrated and ended up having some kind of panic attack or something and threw my guitar offstage and walked out. I guess it makes for a good rock and roll story now, but at the time it wasn't much fun.
About the study process, can be a limitation from the creative method?
I'd say there is an argument for both sides of this discussion. I think it's true that musical knowledge and theory can lead people to write and play in a way that they consider 'right', but at the same time, knowing how things work can certainly make things easier or inspire you in new directions. Personally, I rarely think theoretically when writing or playing, but I do know enough that I know what will work when I'm adding extra instrumentation, which can certainly make things easier. It also means I know how to use the 'wrong' note or chord if I want something to sound nasty or fucked-up. But again, it's mostly more instinctive to me, I'm interested more how something feels or sounds, the emotion it conveys, rather than whether it's the 'correct' choice, musically-speaking. I'm also into experimentation and doing things with the guitar and effects that you're not 'supposed' to do, so in that situation study and theory goes out the window! If it sounds good it is good, regardless of how you got to that point, in my opinion.
Do you have any objective or goals with Nanaki?
All I want to do is make the best music that I can, and to have people listen to it and enjoy it. I really believe in what I do, especially the new album, and I think there are a lot of people in the world that would love it. The challenge is getting them to hear it in the first place and if they do, to give it a chance and listen to it properly. Coming from a tiny island and having no money whatsoever for promotion doesn't make that easy, but I'm really grateful for the support I've had from blogs and zines, from radio and podcasts. I hope more people will find the music somehow too.
The instrumental sound limits you to passa your menssenger or amplifies?
Again, you could probably view that in two ways. I think in some ways music can sometimes convey emotion and feeling more effectively than any other artform. So in that way I don't feel limited by being instrumental at all. And the fact is, it means I don't have to write lyrics or sing, which I think is probably for the best! At the same time you can't share thoughts and ideas without using words, though I sometimes attempt that a little with the titles of songs. For example 'Fuck Spotify' (which was on the 'Afterlight' EP) I think succinctly and adequately states my feelings on that subject. Sometimes the titles are just things I thought sounded cool though.