Minus Tide Interview

In the wake of an explosive mid-nineties screamo scene, it seems that all the DIY visionaries can muster these days is rehashed, long-since dead goth, psychadelia and rock and roll.  They've left hardcore and metal to the tough guys, content to swagger through a set surrounded by the stylish yet malnourished masses.  The grandious metal sound and DIY ethics of The Minus Tide sets them apart from the cliché post-rock that populates even the most exclusive labels these days. 

Rather than continue to pine for the "good ole days' TMT churns out demolitionist rhythms and speedy riffage that could easily be the soundtrack for War of the Worlds…if it had a hundred-times faster film speed.  In fact, their first recorded effort, "The Rock Autopsy Has Begun" could just have easily been titled, "Your Ass Is Grass, And We're the Lawnmower." 

One sixth of this musical natural disaster is a most unassuming rock superhero, Mikey Iafrate.  Though I can't remember when I first met him, perhaps because of his soft-spoken, modest nature, I've had the pleasure of watching his axe acrobatics get exponentially daring while with WV greats Egress and Killed At Camp…rest in peace.  From his current station with TMT, Mikey gives us a few of his thoughts about the band, his future plans, and being on the road with his compadres.

Interview conducted via e-mail, July 2001.

Name: Michael John Iafrate (Mikey Iafrate)

Band: The Minus Tide

Tim: Where are you from?  
Mikey: Parkersburg, WV originally. Wheeling, WV now.

T: Who else is in your band and what are their respective instruments?  
M: I play guitar. There's Dallas (vocals), Dave (drums), Sean (bass), Rosie (keyboard) and Chris (guitar).

T: What do you sound like?  
M: The searing sound of alien abduction. I don't know. I just say it's screamy "sci-fi" metal rock. There's elements of just about everything in it.... sort of a mix of Iron Maiden, The Locust, Zao and Song of Zarathustra.

T: What is the title of the new album? Where did you record it and with whom? Are you happy with it?
M: Our new (and debut) record is called the rock autopsy has begun. It's a CDEP. We recorded it ourselves with some portable studio equipment. I forget the names off all the technical stuff we used. I guess I'll have to learn the names of it all before we do an interview with Musician magazine or anything... or maybe we'll let Dave and Dallas do that interview... they are the nerds in the band in terms of the tech side of things. We recorded it in Dave and Chris' basement. We are pretty happy with it... I only hear a couple flaws that make me shiver, but all in all I think we are all very proud of that record. It was a long process, a lot of work, and a lot of money, but the final result is really good, I think.

T: I bet you could play the "Kevin Bacon game" tracing ex members of The Minus Tide back to most of the emo/screamo/punk bands of WV's past...can you give us a brief resume on each member?
M: Each member? Damn... ok... well Chris and Dave and Sean were in Horns to the Matador which was also called Five Minute Conspiracy. Me, Dallas and Sean used to be in Killed at Camp. I also used to be in Hawthorne and Egress.

T: Have you ever performed a "rock autopsy?" What qualifications should one have before performing such a feat?
M: I suppose each of our shows is a "rock autopsy." I suppose all you have to do is rock to perform such a procedure. But that is becoming increasingly hard to do. most bands are so boring.

T: What are your plans (both as a band and personally, with and without a guitar in your hands) for the next six months?
M: Personally, I will be starting graduate school this fall in Wheeling, WV but that's the hometown of the band, so it should work out fine. We are talking with a couple small labels about our next full-length record, which is pretty cool, but no decisions have been made about that, so our options are still open. We are also probably going to put out a split 10" record with our friends Turn Around Norman from Morgantown. They're awesome... we will also do a 1.5-week tour this August. Other than that we'll just be writing songs for our upcoming records, and just have fun playing for people.

T: What is the funniest thing that has ever happened while you were with the band?
M: Well with Chris in the band, every waking moment is such a fun time. He keeps us smiling all the time. I think sometimes when we are writing songs, it gets pretty funny. Sometimes we have to get all the metal chiches out of our systems before we write something that we'll end up keeping. Other than that,I don’t think we have much fun as a band. Except in the van. Our van is pretty fun.

T: What is your current playlist?
M: Hmm... I've been into some weird stuff lately. Anything by Will Oldham I dig. Saw him in concert a couple weeks ago. I'm pissed I missed the Red Monkey show in Cleveland this past week. Other than that I've been listening to a lot of Tortoise, Boards of Canada, the Cure, The Smiths, Song of Zarathustra, New Terror Class, I am Spoonbender, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Turn Around Norman, Pleasure Forever, Belle and Sebastian, Pankration, Sigur Ros, Radiohead and Journey. That was too long a list. I'm sorry.

T: Do you wanna give a shout out to any of your hommies?
M: I don't know if they'll find their way to this interview... but hello homies, if you are reading.

T: Website Address?
M: www.geocities.com/theminustide

T: Where should everyone order your CD?
M: you can get our CD by looking at the directions on the website.

T: What are your tour dates? Who are they with?
M: Tour dates... some are still pending. We are touring alone:  
Aug 04 - Chicago, IL
Aug 05 - OH
Aug 06 - Cincinnati, OH
Aug 07 - OH
Aug 08 - Columbus, OH
Aug 09 - Nashville, TN
Aug 10 - Marietta, GA
Aug 11 - Birmingham, AL
Aug 12 - Greenville, NC
Aug 13 - NC
I think that’s all of them. Ohio people feel free to help us w/ the other dates!

T: Is there a patron saint of metal?  
M: Oh God. Probably. I wouldn't know though, I don't listen to much of it.... probably that kid from the "We're Not Gonna to Take It" video by Twisted Sister. Yeah him.