Interviews: Mycena

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Avant-Garde band Mycena from Croatia. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you plan it or come out just like that?

Hello, thank you for the interview :) It's always so hard to think of a band name these days. So many names are taken, and it clashes with other artists who have the same name on Spotify or other streaming platforms. The idea was to have a name that was immediately recognized as a psychedelic band. After weeks of searching, I found a mushroom named Mycena. That was it :) and nobody had ever used it as a band name :)

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

As an artist who plays rock and jams with many people, I find psychedelic rock and improvisation very easy and fun to explore with band members. The band first started as a psychedelic rock group, and we gradually evolved into prog rock, incorporating some stoner and black metal elements. It's also great to add some avant-garde sax solos on top of it all. Everything feels so organic and natural now when we write songs because we've tried many different styles in the past, and we've filtered all those ideas. Now, it's very easy to blend all the styles together. 

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Yes, Marin Mitić and I have been friends for 30 years, and our relationship is based on music. Pavle Bojanić and Karlo Cmrk were acquaintances whom I knew would make great contributions to the band and could play all the ideas I envisioned. Igor Vidaković on drums had previously played with Marin, so we all easily came together and created a unique sound. For the latest album, Marin and I took a new approach and wanted to create slightly more complex songs. Because we live in different cities, we decided to work with session musicians Vedran Momčilović on saxophone and Gio Maucieri on drums. We worked on the album for about a year.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

It's very hard to speak for others, but my top 3 are Frank Zappa, King Crimson, and Mars Volta.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

The inspiration for the songs on the latest album comes from tension, a guitar riff that is slightly dissonant, irregular time signatures, and has its own atmosphere that builds the whole song. The riff either emerges on its own or we try to fit it to a drum loop. Once everything falls into place, we work on the arrangement and add solo parts and vocals. The general inspiration in terms of other music was psychedelia in all its forms: psy, kraut, and even black psy metal.

6. Where was your last gig?

Our last gig was in our hometown, and we recorded it as the album "Live at Funk."

7. Where would you like to act?

We would like to perform at festivals that support the same genre of music. Two examples are Bearstone Festival, and of course, the ultimate goal of the Roadburn Festival.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

I think we have yet to decide who to collaborate with, but once we start working on a new album, all options are open. It depends on whether the artist we think of is willing to participate.

9. Whom not?

Everyone is a possibility. It depends on whether they want to participate or not. 

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Never. Beginners should just play what they feel they can offer best to the audience.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

There are so many: Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Fripp, Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Led Zeppelin, Oranssi Pazuzu, Nine Inch Nails...

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Nothing unusual, perhaps a hug after a concert, or getting to play on my guitar setup.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Fans mean everything to us. We never really think about what they might like to hear, but after we release an album, we love to see their feedback. We hope to surprise them with our songs and album, and we hope they have fun listening.

14. What do you think of our site?

Your site is amazing. Thank you very much for this interview and all the support. Keep on rocking with the same vibe and style!

15. Something to add?

Thanks for all the support, every click, and every listen of our music. All the best, Aleksandar.