New York’s ethereal rock collective The Misters – fronted by brainchild Michael Nitting, along with Jim White, Chris Rivera, and Todd Martin – is prepping to release their new Complicated People EP tomorrow. But we can’t wait. So we’ve got your first listen, and we’re telling you this four track collection is a stunner. So turn up the volume, enjoy the music, give the band some love, and peruse our quick interview with Nitting himself below!
What’s your personal philosophy on life?
This is a really tough question because there are so many ways to answer it. I guess I’d have to say my philosophy on life is very similar to my philosophy on cooking. In order to make a good dish you need a balance of flavors and textures. The best way to do that is to taste what you’re making as you go. I think a lot of people forget to do that, both in cooking and in life. If we take the time to see what our bodies and our minds need, we can in turn feel more nourished and get closer to living a more whole life. Also, just in general, making and eating really, really good food are always on my mind.
Talk me through the story & motivation behind creating Complicated People.
‘Complicated People’ is a compilation of songs that I wrote and recorded with friends over the past three years. I wrote “Trip” senior year of high school, “Trust Me” freshman year of college, and “Run” and “GSP” last year. I wrote them individually, but when I put them together, they all fit really well. It’s a cool project in that it’s sort of a timeline of songs documenting my departure from home and coming to New York. I chose ‘Complicated People’ as the title because each song is a story of my own interaction with complicated people, as well as the self-realization that I can also be extremely complicated.
How do you stay continually inspired to make music?
I don’t necessarily seek out inspiration because I think that can become a search for something inauthentic. Rather, I let inspiration come when it does. That can occur very frequently, but can also lie dormant for periods of time with me. So I just try to constantly keep an open mind and challenge myself to look at the world in a different way. That usually keeps me going.
Is there something you hope listeners can take away from the EP?
More than anything, I want these songs to resonate in a universal way. I always find that if I really like a song, I like listening to it alone as much as I do with a group. Going off of that, I guess I want people to form a personal connection with at least 1 of the songs. If the music can somehow become integrated into the listener’s life or associated with a specific moment or memory, then I think the music’s doing what it should be doing.
Back on Feb. 8th, you played a show with Goodman, who we recently featured on Impose. How did you come to know one another?
The Misters are under the same management (Invertebrate). They put out both of our works. So I don’t necessarily have a relationship with the band members, but I really really dug ‘The Vicissitudes’. Their bass player also wore leather pants to that gig, which is badass.
What has been the greatest challenge for you as an artist?
There’s so much beautiful and well thought-out art that’s being created, both in New York and just in general, that sometimes I find it difficult to find where The Misters fit in the grand scheme of it all. But to make art requires a courageous level of vulnerability, which can lead to questioning your art. You know it’s intimidating sometimes to put yourself completely out there and let the world make something of it, but I always remind myself that as long as I’m making the music I want to, everything’s gonna be alright.
March is already here- what can we expect from you in the rest of 2017?
All I can say is buckle up. We are going for a ride. Todd and Jim, our new members, have been adding a really robust, spicy flavor to the group. We’re cookin’ up some new stuff and should have another body of work ready to go in the fall. We also plan on gigging a lot these next few months.
Tour Dates:
3/9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Gold Sounds (EP Release Show)*
3/12 – Phildelphia, PA @ MilkBoy (Philly EP Release Show)^
3/23 – New York, NY @ Sofar Sounds
4/5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bazaar%
*w/ rosí, sweetí
^w/ S. Taylor, Andorra
%w/ Emanuel & The Fear, Mons Vi
Complicated People is available for preorder now (w/ limited edition CDs by Pavonine Packaging) via Invertebrate. Keep up with The Misters here.
