Tell us a bit about yourself and how Wax on Water was created
Sure. I’m Maya Fire, lead singer and songwriter of Wax on Water. The project – which is now a band – was originally me writing, playing and producing in my bedroom at home – I knew that the album I wanted to write had to be an honest representation of where I was in life – I’d hit a wall and needed to cut through and find some faith and writing ‘Procession’ (the album) has helped define and revive me. I describe my writing style as ‘Electro-grunge’ and the album is the sound of a soul crawling out of a tar pit.
What are you getting up to at the moment?
Crazy busy rehearsing with my new band, finishing production on the rest of the album and hopefully due to shoot the next video in and around Camden (home) in the next month or so.
Can we expect to see you at a show soon?
Yup…tour dates and slots are being discussed at the moment – so stay tuned…
What would your perfect tour consist of? Bands, riders, venues
Umm.. where do I start? Ok, being on the bill with Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Metallica or Slayer would be fun – and I reckon you’ve got to have a rider that includes something preposterous just for the sake of it, right? So if Mariah had puppies, then I’m thinking a king size fish tank with a petting shark (definitely not to be confused with heavy petting). As for where I’d play – Brixton Academy. The Astoria would have been my first choice but the finest British music venue got knocked down so that they could build a faceless train station. Go figure. So I’m going to say Brixton – lots of good memories there.
Chelsea Fuck is available for free download on SoundCloud, what inspired you to give it away?
It’s more important for people to get to know what we’re about at this stage and that track has the intensity and ‘fuck you’ attitude that is at the heart of WoW. It’s also one of the first tracks I wrote when I was trying to get a twisted, dark sound, so it seems appropriate that it spreads like an infection through the internet.
What has the reaction been like to your music and debut single ‘An Army’?
Un-fucking-believable! I keep bracing myself for the snyde comments but we’ve had some great reviews from people calling us a ‘pissed off Portishead’ through to likening us to Trent Reznor’s HTDA project – I mean, those are pretty big names to be compared to. Most importantly, I’m getting to talk directly to fans through Facebook who genuinely like the music and their feedback has been brilliant. It’s a great feeling.
Assuming ‘An Army’ was your first time filming a video, what was the experience like?
Well I’ve always worked in music and film behind the scenes and I am wholly involved in the creative process, so it was just really exciting being the other side of the camera and having the space to focus on my performance only. We wanted to create something that hinted at the disconnect that is at the heart of the song and Richie Burridge (Director) filmed all these crystals in time lapse over a few days and superimposed my face on top of them so there is a fractured quality to the video. I’m really pleased with how it turned out – it has the intensity that song deserves.
What do you think the future holds for the music industry with piracy making it so hard to earn money?
Glad you ask – this is a really important subject. How did we get to this late in the day before the Internet Service Providers were called to account? But it doesn’t really matter anymore – things have changed too far to try and wind back the clock to the old model…and that’s fine by me, I’m looking to the future and despite all the negativity about music – and the future of rock music in particular – I have a 100% belief in the durability of good songwriting, great artistry and in worldwide audiences being interested in rock music. Best thing about what has happened is that it’s dismantling the old hype machine – if you get 50 likes on Facebook, that’s 50 genuine fans rather than 1000 ‘spam’ friends. The new industry is going to have to be based on a leaner model and on other revenue streams (merchandise, touring, sponsorship etc)
Where would you like to see it go and what would you like to see change?
The biggest concern I have is the diminishing media platforms for rock music, so that has to be addressed. In terms of honing new artists, I have set up my own record label and in time will sign and develop other rock and electronic artists – I’m totally committed to growing the platform for rock, particularly here in the UK – we’re ready for the fightback and we SOUND. LIKE. AN. ARMY.
You appear to be highly influenced by industrial and metal, which bands have really left a mark on you?
I’d say Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Ministry, Slayer, Metallica and the grunge rock bands like Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Soundgarden have shaped my world the most.
Do you think their influences can be heard in your music?
Yes, I’ve always been very intrigued by found sounds – ie: creating music out of what is in your environment – trying to transform the mundane into something exciting. Industrial is very much based on that ethos – so I think that’s had the most obvious influence.
Speaking of metal, will you be playing or attending any festivals this year?
Definitely! The summer is ALL about festivals and I’ll be there either on or offstage My hit list is Download, Sonisphere and Reading for sure.maybe Glastonbury if I can blag a ticket (you don’t have a spare one, do you?)
What are you listening to?
I like Japanese Voyeurs – ‘Milk Teeth’ is a great single. I also saw a band called Angry vs The Bear in The Dublin Castle (Camden) the other day – the female lead singer blew me away. Other than that, I’ve actually been immersing myself in some hairy Dubstep prior to finishing production on the second single – good Dubstep is very much in the area of Industrial – check out Balkansky ‘Kora,’ Trolley Snatcha ‘One Trick Pony’ EP and also Foreign Beggars ft. Chasing Shadows ‘Typhoon’. It will blow your head off!
What would be your ultimate ‘I’ve made it’ moment?
Playing a show when people are singing my lyrics back at me while I’m singing to them. That could be a gig with an audience of 100 or 70,000, it doesn’t really matter – I write to connect with myself and people – so whatever form that comes in, I’ll take it.
Any last words?
To anyone reading this – say ‘yes’ to integrity and ‘no’ to mediocrity. The future of rock music is in all our hands.
Thanks for your time, we look forward to hearing more from you this year.
Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.
