ISM is a semi-new band from New York that mixes rock and electronica into their music. They have strong views on the world and show you through their music, each of the four members come from different backgrounds, but have come together to make a great album, URGENCY. A lot of “isms” threaten to tear modern society apart at the seams: sexism, racism, extremism, radicalism, terrorism and more. In such an era of decay (moral, societal and otherwise), perhaps an apocalypse wouldn’t be such a bad idea – at least that’s how Andre Mistier sees it. I had a chance to send some questions over to Andre and see what his views where with the world and his band.

YOU CLAIM THAT YOU MUSIC IS “MUSIC FOR THE PARTY FOR THE END OF THE WORLD.” WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THE WORLD TODAY? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU, AS A BAND, WOULD DO TO HELP THE WORLD BE BETTER FOR THE NEXT GENERATION?
To me, the greatest conflict going on in the world at the moment is not a military or political war. It is a cultural war. More and more, people feel as if they have increasingly less effect on their own lives, that huge decisions are being made that they have absolutely zero say in. And there are two main responses to feeling powerless- apathy and violence. To me, most of the problems in the world at the moment can be traced to apathy and violence- if not the world. Music can open your eyes to what is going on, not just around you, but also inside of you. It can help people realize that they are not powerless, and offer ways in which they can be more powerful in their own lives, as individuals and as groups of people. Music can inspire people to feel passionately about their own lives, and to me this is the beginning of what is required to address the world’s greatest issues- being willing to stand up and care about them. Music certainly works this way for me.

WHAT DID JOE BLANEY BRING TO YOUR SOPHOMORE ALBUM URGENCY, THAT WASN’T IN YOUR FIRST ALBUM?
Joe Blaney brought a refinement of song structure and an emotional release to this album. He really was interested in understanding what we were trying to make, and then helping us bring that to life betterthan we could have, and in ways we never would have thought of. As aresult, he also helped us understand where we could make things rawer, more purely emotional.

WHAT HAS MADE YOUR MUSIC A RESONANT ELECTRONIC SOUNDSCAPE WITH YOUR ORGANIS INSTRUMENTS?
I think people will always respond to the sound of the human voice, to organic sounds, the piano and the violin. But we also live in a world of cell phones, elevator beeps, construction noises- our lives are filled with bleeps, whirrs, crackles, and the other inorganic noises of modern technology. We have always felt that, to speak to modern people, we have to use the full range of sounds that human ears deal with, that to say something true about the modern world we must use both the organic and the inorganic.

YOU SEEM TO BE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THE BAND AND BAND MATES, WHAT BROUGHT YOU TOGETHER AND CREATE A UNIQUE SOUND THAT INVOLVES EVERYONES TALENT AS A WHOLE?
Every person in this band has come together through people we knew who were both friends and fellow musicians. One of the big issues in a band in finding people who are either to much on the side of friendship or too much on the side of musicianship. On the one hand, you have a great time but don’t make great music. On the other hand, you make great music but don’t enjoy yourselves. You have to balance both.

“GIVE IT BACK IS A PLEA TO RECLAIM THE PRESENT, FRAMED BY A PRISIONER OF THE PAST AND FUTURE WHO LONGS FOR ESCAPE” WHAT WAS THE INSPRIATION OF YOUR SONGS ON URGENCY?
This album is about the question, if this were your last day on earth, what things that you currently do would still matter to you? In other words, if there were no longer any need to answer to anyone or anything outside yourself, what would you care about? For me, I recently went through a period of starting my life over, deciding that everything I thought about the world might come from someone else- my parents, my school, my friends, TV and commercials. And whether or not I agree with any of the ideas, the reasons behind them weren’t my own. So, I decided to strip myself away, and find out what mattered to me from the ground up. I found, through this experience, that what is more important is not what you do, but why you do it. To me, a fundamentalist of any religion or idea has more in common with another fundamentalist of a different religion than with someone who shares the same ideas, but doesn’t feel as dogmatic about it. The only way to make changes in your life is to understand why you wanted to do these things in the first place.

YOU MIX ELECTRIC AND 80’S METAL IN A LOT OF YOUR SONGS, WAS THERE A REASON WHY YOU CHOSE TO COMBINE BOTH INTERESTING SOINDS TOGETHER?
I actually don’t hear any 80’s metal in our music, but who am I to decide what someone else will hear in it?

YOU HAVE PRODUCED TWO ALBUMS BEFORE ISM, DO YOU PLAN TO HELP PRODUCE ALL OF ISM’S ALBUMS OR JUST FOCUS ON THE MUSIC?
Absolutely. I will always want to have an outside producer involved, someone to be objective and help us understand how best to translate our ideas. But I have a pretty strong vision and I will always be involved in making sure the whole story comes out.