Not many bands hit their peak twenty years after they've broken up, but then again, not many bands play live without monitors. Boston's Mission of Burma left their indelible mark on the eighties post-punk scene when they released Vs. in 1982, their only full-length release at the time. Because of the band's intense live volume and their affinity for chaotic feedback and psychedelic tape looping, guitar player and vocalist Roger Miller developed a severe case of tinnitus, prompting the band's breakup. Fast forward to 2004, when the reformed Mission of Burma released their second full-length studio album, Onoffon, placing them right back at the top of the genre they helped define with artists such as Sonic Youth and Pere Ubu. Still plagued by tinnitus, Miller wore a protective headset used on firing ranges while playing live, placing his single amplifier at the very front of the stage and playing sans monitors so as to not further damage his already pummeled hearing. After a successful reunion tour, they released The Obliterati to further acclaim, solidifying their status not only as pioneers of their genre, but innovators as well. They have since modified their live setup for their current tour in support of their latest release The Sound the Speed the Light, adding monitors by the bassist (Clint Conley) and drummer (Pete Prescott) and some slightly updated tape looping technology for man-behind-the-scenes Bob Weston. Roger is also fortunately able to use some slightly less obtrusive hearing protection these days, as was seen at their first ever performance in the state of Virginia at the University of Richmond's Tyler Haynes Student Commons. Despite the fact that these guys are old enough to be your father (my father saw their "final" show in 1983), they tear their contemporaries to shreds with the tenacity of a grizzly bear protecting its young, or in their case, their status as peerless renegades of modern music. Roger Miller took some time in between sound checks to answer a few questions for us.

33: What are currently your favorite songs to play live? Do you have a favorite song to cover? Do you have any early songs that you simply can't stand to hear or play anymore?

RM: I don't have any favorite songs to play, really.  Whatever is newest is usually the most interesting to me.  That means I prefer tracks from Sound Speed Light, or a new song we recently learned called "This is Hi-Fi".  I still enjoy "Certain Fate" and "This is not a Photograph", though. Honestly, I sometimes just plain don't want to play "Academy Fight Song" - clearly the song is really a great song, and I feel bad about not wanting to play it because it's so great.  But we ALWAYS play it.  That bugs me.  The other guys aren't as bugged by this.

We've been playing "Happenings 10 Years Time Ago" by the Yardbirds in this round of shows - it's almost custom-made for us.

33: How has the band's songwriting and collaboration process changed or evolved since your original inception in the 80's? Has it changed over the course of the three albums you have made since reuniting?

RM: Songwriting hasn't changed at all since we started.  One person basically writes the song and the other three contribute when it's brought into rehearsal.  Clint and I generally have things fully mapped out - Pete's songs get more beat into shape in rehearsals.  But every song has some contributions by the others.  We have been talking recently of sharing riffs, just to see what happens.  That hasn't occurred yet, though.

33: Who is Mr. Science and what is his role in the band?

RM: Mr. Science was a guy in Madison, Wisconsin, who used to tweak everyone's amps that lived there.  I was there on a Maximum Electric Piano tour in the late 80's, and wanted the following: a hollow-body electric with a whammy bar and a "strings go behind the bridge" setup so I could get as many sounds as possible from it.  I didn't care if it could stay in tune.  I knew Mr. Science, told him my request and he said, "I have just the guitar for you - I tried giving it away to a street person and they rejected it.  Come back in three hours."  I came back in three hours, and there was the guitar - the person gave it back to him because it was so bad they didn't want it.  That's the guitar I use in Burma on "Wounded World", "Absent Mind", "...And Here it Comes", "Good not Great", etc.  It's a 60's Kay guitar.  I did have the tuning pegs replaced when I realized it was an ADVANTAGE to be able to tune the guitar.  I christened this guitar "Mr. Science" after the man who got it for me.  He disappeared from Madison shortly thereafter.  I also have an unusual tuning on it because it really does not play well in the "normal tuning" mode.

33: Do you feel that Mission of Burma is more accepted in today's musical climate than it was during the 80's, given your influence on the art-punk and experimental music scene?

RM: Oh definitely.  In 1979-1983 we were used to being ignored and totally misunderstood.  Now when we play, people actually cheer when they recognize a song!  Vacuous looks from the audience were the norm for us in the early days.

33: The average age of your typical audience member has obviously increased since the 80's. Is there any part of you that misses the more aggressive nature of your early live shows?

RM: When we reunited in 2002, it was mostly people "our age" that came to shows.  That petered off after ON/off/ON, and so did our audiences.  When The Obliterati came out, our audiences grew, and it was mostly 20-30 year olds!  Eventually the older types said "we've seen 'em now, let's get back to our lives," but the younger rockers keep coming back.  It's quite satisfying, actually.  But we definitely are a multi-generational rock band.  Weird.

33: How did you guys come to the decision to reunite after nearly 20 years? What were your original intentions for the reunion and how have they changed since?

RM: We don't really know for sure why we reunited.  The intention was to play two shows - one in Boston, one in New York City - and stop.  Clearly that didn't happen.  It turned into three in Boston and two in New York City, all sold out.  It snowballed after that - in a very slow fashion.  Eventually we realized we were actually sort of a band again.

33: You guys have been praised as one of the most successful "reunion bands" that have reappeared over the last decade in terms of maintaining the quality and artistic integrity of your previous work. What is your general feeling towards the recent influx of reunion bands (Pixies, Stooges, My Bloody Valentine, etc.)? Are there any other bands that you feel had a particularly successful reunion (in non-monetary terms)?

RM: I don't know.  I really enjoyed seeing the Stooges in LA at ATP when we played.  I saw them in Detroit when their first album came out (1970), so it was quite a rush to see them rip those songs quite well.  Pixies?  They seem to be just playing the hits, obviously, something we never intended to do. But then, we were never successful really, so we never had any hits!  So we were able to keep going without anything to hold us back.  Dinosaur Jr. has put out new material I think - Clint says it's quite good.  So have the Buzzcocks.  I haven't followed them, though.

33: What is Mission of Burma Day and how did it come about?

RM: Mark Kates, our manager, knew someone in office in Boston.  Basically, those guys are around our age, and some of them used to hit the clubs.  It's only that ONE day; it's not a recurring day.  It was a lark as far as we were concerned.

We played outside at MIT on that day (in Cambridge, not Boston - that's part of the joke).  We weren't allowed to have beer outside, but of course I had one in a plastic cup.  After the show, I was standing near the stage and saw a cop coming my way.  I teetered the cup away from him so he wouldn't see that nice amber color of an IPA.  But he kept coming at me, and shortly I realized he wanted to talk to ME, specifically.  I turned to give him my best innocent smile, and he looked straight at me and said, "Why didn't you guys play Revolver?"  I was pretty relieved and amused at that point.

33: When not playing in Mission of Burma you manage to stay pretty busy. What are some of the other projects you have worked on recently?

RM: Currently I am in New Hampshire with Kino-Dance, a multi-media dance group.  I play an upright piano that I have complete control over, hence my hitting it with pieces of metal, preparing it in "unconventional" ways, etc.
kinodance.org

Four days ago I was in Washington State, then Montana, with The Alloy Orchestra.  We accompany silent film all over the USA and occasionally, the world.  I play keyboards and the other guys play a rack of junk metal, drums, and assorted other things.
alloyorchestra.com

"Snakes Dream Sky", my quartet for viola, piano, percussion and modified sounds, is being premiered in the fall at the New England Conservatory.  It's 100% written out music.  Rock vibe penetrates acoustic concert hall.

A CD on Table of the Elements will come out later this year as the group "M2" - that's me on prepared piano, and my brother Benjamin (hence "M2") on seriously modified guitar in full improv mode.  While it is definitely "free improvisation", it is quite impressionistic and people I have played it for really like it.  Sounds a bit Japanese, I've heard.

And so forth...

33: Are there any current bands that you find interesting or intriguing? What is the band's music of choice when traveling in the tour van?

RM: We listen mostly to indie rock supplied by band members.  Honestly, I don't find much current indie rock to be that interesting, but as always, there are bands that stand out.  Future of the Left from UK, Fucked Up from Canada, Explode Into Colors from Portland, Oregon, Bunnies from Massachusetts, Psychic Paramount from New York City.  I like those bands a lot.

33: What bands or artists are particularly influential to you in your creative process?

RM: Nothing currently. It's been a while since a band has tweaked me enough to make me change anything.

33: And finally, if Mission of Burma were an animal, what animal would it be?

RM: A pygmy tiger.

Check out their website at missionofburma.com

 

By Editing Department, Editor-In-Chief and Author: Andrew Lutwin

Andrew is originally from Boston, but has spent equal time in Richmond and considers both home.  He recently graduated VCU with a B.A. in English and looks forward to seeing if his degree will be worth a damn.  While attending Northeastern University, Andrew began covering music for the Zig-Zag Live website and tour campaign, which won him the undying affection of Bostonians because of his access to free rolling papers.  He is fortunate enough to have parents with great taste in music and owes much of his musical sensibilities to them.  Some of his favorites include the Beatles, the Clash, My Morning Jacket, Mastodon, Mission of Burma, all 70's R&B, and anything that can be considered "outlaw."  Other hobbies include food, guitar, whiskey, hiking, Boston sports, and maintaining his beginner-level fish tank.     

 

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