Meka Nism have a new video out and hopefully more this year? But who are they? Isn’t it good for you lot that we provide such a useful information service with our Band of the Day series? Guitarist Bobby Keller tells us about the band…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are from Orlando, Florida
How did you meet?
The earliest incarnation of Meka Nism started back in 2006 with our singer Meka. She came back to the states after being in Japan for three years playing and touring over 150 shows. I ed the band in 2010, and that is when Meka Nism became the version it is today.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Eight years.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Our singer’s name is Meka, so the original band name was “Meka Nism and Her Rusty Tears” for a while. When I ed the band back in 2010, we decided to change it to “Meka Nism” being that a real mechanism is defined as a machine made up of several parts, working in unison to do something, and with us is to create music. So all of us are the parts working in unison to create the band we are today.
What are your influences?
That is always a hard question for us to answer, as we pull from a lot of influences. I know for me in particular, I am influenced by bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Pantera, and early NWOBHM bands like Angel Witch, Saxon, and Venom.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Our music is powerful, aggressive, melodic, and in your face, however we try to portray positivity in our music and give people the ability to really experience something rather than just listening to music, thats what makes us different. We look at all aspects of music, not just playing it, we live it.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Healing, positivity, and just helping people become more aware of the face that they can change their current situation to a better one. All they have to do is do it.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Our live shows are very intense. We like to give a lot of energy to the crowd, take their energy they give us, and then return it even more. We are a live band for sure! We’ve played a lot of shows in a lot of different places, it’s so hard to keep an actual count, but we’ve been up and down the East Coast, Mid-west, all throughout Texas, and as far north as Minot, North Dakota.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
The wildest thing I think I’ve ever seen at a show was the mosh pit at the Big 4 concert in Indio, California, during Slayer’s set. I think I almost died!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
I am exclusively with ESP Guitars and have been with them for quite some time now. They make the best guitars on the planet and they are never afraid of my wacky ideas. They recently just made my custom Eclipse guitar with glow in the dark paint, and it’s the raddest thing on the planet. Plus, it sounds killer!
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Right now, we are promoting the release of our new single “The War Inside” as well as the music video for it. The song is off of our new EP coming out in May, and the response so far has been insane! We are so excited for all of the new music to be unleashed to the masses!
What are your plans for 2018?
Our plans for 2018 are simple – world domination! Haha, well sort of. We want to release the new EP with some killer music videos and tour a lot. We would love to also land a record deal and find a home with a label that is excited as much as we are.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be ing and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
We got the opportunity to tour with Avatar back in May of 2016, and it was an absolute blast. We would love to be on tour with them again and the growth they have had since then. If we were to pick a band to open for us, it’s a hard decision right now, but I would pick a young hungry band and help them as other bands have helped us. It’s all about giving back and ing who helped you along the way.
From previous Band of the Day Saccage: How did you start creating music and why?
I started creating music with Meka Nism, I never really created music on my own prior to the band or at least took it seriously. I would learn songs from my favorite bands and incorporate some of their stuff into my playing, but I never thought I’d be in a band, it kind of just happened. Like it was destiny or something.
From another BotD, Hey Charlie: What is your dream venue to play?
Dream venue for me would be Red Rocks in Colorado or the Wacken Festival in .
And from Huxtable: What is your favourite TV show theme?
I am a huge horror movie fan, especially with the older, more classic stuff. So I like to watch anything spooky and horror filled. One of my favorite shows is Unsolved Mysteries from back in the day, I still get freaked out by that guy’s voice and music!
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