Date:
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Ticket Price:
$5.00
Doors Open:
7:00PM
Age Policy:
18+
Seating Sections:
GA
Also with Fearless.
The Maension Media:
The Maension Description:
All too often hard rock stands rooted in the past. THE MAENSION, however, make music that’s meant to last beyond tomorrow. The Hollywood quartet cultivate a sound of their own aptly dubbed, “FutuRock”, on their 2015 full-length debut, ÆVOLUTION. They successfully live up to that moniker as well.
“We’re a hybrid of Art Rock, Alt Metal and Prog Rock with some electronic elements,” explains singer/songwriter MARK MAENSION. “The idea is to be unique. Every song has a different identity, and that’s purposefully done to express a wide range of moods and emotions. We like to crossover and always deliver the unexpected.”
After playing packed houses all over Europe and the United States since 2013, the group finished assembling what would eventually become their formal introduction. Mark split his time between producing other acts from his intimate and high-tech Hollywood studio and writing music for the album. Those sessions yielded the nine tracks comprising ÆVOLUTION.
“Everything progressed since I first moved to Los Angeles from Italy many years ago,” he admits. “This is the evolution of what I want this group to represent. Hence, the title.”
The single “Chrysalis” evinces the entrancing intersection of styles at the heart of THE MAENSION. In between pummeling riffs, a distinct groove, and shimmering electronics, Mark trades visceral, vital, and vibrant vocals with iconic Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst.
“It was the craziest thing,” he recalls. “I was playing the song loudly one day, and Fred heard it from my studio. He loved it and asked if he could add vocals. Within less than thirty minutes, he ripped it on the spot. I still can’t believe it. Growing up in Italy, people thought I was crazy when I said I was going to move to California and make music. I lost a lot of ‘friends’. So, the whole song is a fuck you to everyone who doesn’t believe in you. When you achieve what you said they would, they all come back and try to be your friends. It’s so perfect that Fred is on it.”
Elsewhere on the record, the enchanting keytar hum of “Silence” bleeds into the anthemic and incendiary “Freak”. The latter remains a bruising clarion call. “Just because you look a certain way, you’ll get judged,” sighs Mark. “I don’t care if you call me a freak, since I know you wish you had the freedom to do what I fucking do.”
Then there’s “Retrospection” which builds from an ominous clean guitar into an epic swell. The album closer “The Riddle With No Answer” tempers a throbbing off-time bounce with impressive guitars and a searing hook over the course of seven minutes. THE MAENSION foster hard rock’s evolution at every turn.
“I’d love for people to embrace the concept of an album once again,” Mark leaves off. “Every song is a story in and of itself. They’ve all taken me so much time, and I put so much effort into each detail. I hope everyone can feel that passion and be inspired to create whatever drives them.” — Rick Florino, October 2014
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