Roman Marisak

Professional Murder Music

By Nikki Neil

Born from the creative minds of Roman Marisak (vocals/programming/keyboards/guitar) and former Human Waste Project member Jeff Scartoff (bass/programming/keyboards) Professional Murder Music was a dream that took several years to perfect. The musical soul mates spent a couple of years honing the band’s sound and approach before completing the line up with guitarist Brian Harrah (Tura Satana) and drummer Justin Bennett.

Truly independent in mindset Professional Murder Music created national and international awareness by releasing an EP over the Internet and playing shows with the likes of Orgy, Static-X, and Fear Factory before inking a deal with Geffen Records.

In 2001 P.M.M. released their long awaited self-titled major label debut. The album showcases the group’s wide range of organic and electronic styles and knack for fusing heavy, aggressive tones with an unerring sense of melody and structure and captures the aura of P.M.M.’s physical attributes.

BM: It seems like I’ve been waiting forever for this album, to come out. Why did it take so long?

R: There were a series of reasons. One being that it took us a while to get the mixing done. Then once that was done the label had a few delays. I don’t exactly know what they were, but we finally got the album out.

BM: I was beginning to think I’d never see it, and you may have felt the same way.

R: It did feel like we waited forever for the album to come out. But we’re happy now that it is finally in stores.

BM: After all the waiting are you happy with the final product?

R: Most definitely. We spent a lot of time over the years writing these songs. I think Josh Abraham and all the other people that helped us out with this project definitely made it what we expected.

BM: Is there any significance behind the album’s cover art?

R: Not really. We just wanted the cover to be simple. We also wanted it to be something that people would remember. In the end, it looked cool and the vibe fit in with the overall contents of the album.

BM: You have a number of guest musicians on the album. Did they approach you about working on this project or did you ask them?

R: All the people appeared on this album were people we knew or friends. It just so happened that Troy [Van Leeuwen] (A Perfect Circle) was hanging out in the studio with us and we had a song that needed another part and so we asked him to play on it. DJ Lethal is friends with Josh and he was hanging out at the studio so he ended up throwing some sound and stuff on . For the most part, we either called different friends in or people just happened to be hanging out around the studio.

BM: What did Josh Abraham add to the overall feel/sound of the album?

R: He basically got the best performance out of all of us, as a band, and he definitely added to some of the songs. He came up with ideas that brought more life to the songs. It was really good working with him. He’s definitely on the same page with us. There’s a lot of programming involved in what we do and he’s into that, which is really cool. Our main concern was making the songs on this album as solid as possible.

BM: Did you ever work with Josh before this album?

R: I’ve known him for a number of years but this was actually the first time I worked with him.

BM: The Cure have so many great songs. Why did the band choose to cover “A Night Like This?”

R: We actually play a number of Cure songs for fun when we are in the studio. That song in particular was one that people liked the most, so we tracked it. But The Cure is definitely a big influence on most of us, so when we were playing around with the idea of putting a cover on the album we figured we might as well cover The Cure.

BM: Did you happen to catch the Bloodflowers tour?

R: Yeah, I saw them at the Palace show.

BM: That is awesome. You were one of the lucky few that got to attend the intimate perforce.

R: Yeah, and it was great.

BM: Aside from The Cure what are some of your other musical influences?

R: Some of the bands that influenced me early one were Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, Depeche Mode, and Ministry. Now I’m listening to a lot of stuff like, PJ Harvey, Portishead, and Placebo.

BM: What do you do to get in the right mood for recording?

R: Nothing really because we do it so often. We actually have our own studio in our place so when we are writing we are recording constantly. So we are basically used to recording because we do it all the time.

BM: Do you have a portable studio that you bring with you on the road?

R: Yeah, I have a laptop and a stripped down version of what we have at our place so if we get ideas we can keep writing regardless of where we are.

BM: You left you home in Florida at the age of eighteen in order to pursue a career in music in Los Angeles. Was their ever a point when you felt like giving up?

R: Actually, it never crossed my mind. There were definitely some rough periods in the beginning, especially with trying to find the right members to form a band with. In fact, at first I just played guitar. I didn’t sing at all. I was looking for singers, which was almost impossible, and out of that frustration I decided to just myself. Then Jeff (Bass) and I hooked up and things kind of worked themselves up from there. It took many years, but we were dedicated because there was nothing else that we ever really wanted to do as bad as music—there was no other alternative. Music is what I know, and I was going to do it. It does cross your mind when stuff starts going on, but that was pretty rare. We knew that if we kept focused would definitely get there.

BM: But why did you come all the way to Los Angeles to start a band as opposed to forming one in your home town?

R: Because New York and Los Angeles are the places where everything happens. All the studios and record labels are located there so I figured I’d go to where everything happens. Plus, Los Angeles basically has one of the biggest music scenes.

BM: Where you in any other bands before Professional Murder Music got off the ground?

R: Not really, but I spent many years forming bands. Jeff was in Human Waste Project, which I was in on an on and off basis just playing guitar. Eventually that band broke up and he joined Professional Murder Music full time.

BM: I’m familiar with every one’s background in the band except for Justin. What did he do prior to joining P.M.M. and how did you find him?

R: He’s worked with people like Rozz Williams and some other bands in that vein of music. Brian was in Tura Satana and we all kind of met because Tura Satana were friends with Human Waste Project.

BM: Being that you built this band from the ground up what advice do you have for bands that are just starting out?

R: I would definitely say, “Stick to what you believe in when it comes to writing your music. Spend a lot of time with it and focus on that. Don’t let anybody steer you too far away from that because a lot of people are always going to give you their opinion. Definitely take advice from people but, at the same time, know what you want to do and really balance yourself.

BM: You can never please everyone because there will always be someone who is not going to like what you are doing. Every one has different tastes.

R: Too many people making suggestions from the outside can get a little crazy. Listen to what they have to say because sometimes they will have good suggestions, but you can only take those suggestions so far.

BM: Did networking play an important role in getting your career off the ground?

R: It is important, but I personally didn’t do too much of it. I’m sure that meeting people and getting different hook ups can help a band out.

BM: What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned so far in your career?

R: The most valuable lesson would probably be to not trust any one too much. There are definitely people that you can trust but, for the most part, especially when it comes to the music industry end of it, you never really know who likes you or who is just looking at you as a dollar sign.

BM: Who would you say is one of the most valuable assets to the band but is not a member of the band?

R: Our manager, Bobby C ). He is the one that hooked up our deal. A band needs a good manager -someone that can make the right business decisions. When you’re busy touring you need someone in your court that you can trust, and a manager is somebody you want to be able to trust.

BM: Does P.M.M. set goals or do you take everything day by day?

R: We set goals all the time. Our first goal was to write the songs and get a record deal, and we accomplished that. Then the next step was to finish the album. After that it was about getting our live show together and making it the best we could. We get in different modes where we focus on just writing or working on or performance. We feel it’s important to set goals in regards to things you want to be focused on.

BM: What is one of the band’s current goals?

R: Right now our current goal is to get back on tour and tour constantly. When you’re a new band it is hard to hook up on all the tours. We want to do what we can to get out on the road as soon as we possibly can.

BM: I know the band had the opportunity to spend some time on the road before this album came out.

R: Yeah. It was basically a tour then several months at home and then another tour. We did lots of tours but they were scattered over a year and a half.

BM: What is the best or worst thing about being on the road?

R: The best part is traveling to new places every day and having the opportunity to see new things. The last big tour we did we had a tour bus and there were no complaints. The only complaint we had were days off because we want to be playing every day. Other than that, we did a week with Cold and went out in a van so that was kind of rough. Driving across the country in a van is not the funniest thing, but if you’re in a tour bus there is nothing to complain about.

BM: The band recently toured with Buckcherry and Monster Magnet? Did Buckcherry live up to their bad boy reputation?

R: I didn’t see anything that would confirm that.

BM: Even though the band hasn’t toured extensively was there one tour that stood out over the others?

R: Yes, the first tour we ever did, which was with Powerman 5000 and Kid Rock. It was a huge tour, and we played in big arenas. As a new band that was a great experience.

BM: What was the response like from the crowd?

R: It was amazing. At the time the only thing we had out was a song (Slow) on the End of Days soundtrack, so if anyone had heard of us it would have been from that. We didn’t know what to expect because we were playing across the country and didn’t have an album out at the time. But we got a great response from the crowd, which was pretty amazing.

BM: What do you think people find appealing about Professional Murder Music?

R: I think it is a combination of the music, the lyrics, and the look, but mainly the music and the lyrics because that is what they hear first. I think our album gives off a good vibe and people can feel it in the music; at least that seems to be the case in regards to the response we’ve been getting. We obviously have the whole look going on but I think it is more about the live performance end of it, which is good too because it takes the album to a whole different level when you experience it live.

BM: P.M.M.'s music is definately different from what is currently dominating the charts and the airwaves tight now. How do you feel about competing in such a market? (or being the black sheep)

R: It has always been our intention to write what we basically want to write and not try to fit in because there are so many bands that do come out sounding like whatever is hot at the moment. When a band gets signed and does well soon there’s ten more like them. It is hard in a certain way because when you are doing something different people don’t know what category to put you in. Sometimes it takes people a few listens to really grasp what we are doing, and sometimes it is a slower process of gaining fans but those fans will end up being long term, dedicated fans. The bands that I always liked were the ones that took a few listens to grow on me—the ones where the first time I heard them I wasn’t really sure but then they grew on me.

BM: The comforting thing is knowing that your fans are in for the long haul and not just following the current trend.

R: Yeah, and most of our fans seem to be that way, so it is really cool. There are certain bands that come out and sell a million albums right away, which is not the case with us, but you got to look at the long term and what’s going to happen over the next couple of years.

BM: And you definitely want a long-term career.

R: Exactly. Our intention is to write the best music we can and sell albums on top of it, but there’s more to it then going out and selling a million albums and never being heard from again.

BM: I really don’t think any band wants to be here today and gone tomorrow, but sometimes it happens. Back to the subject of bands you like, what are you currently listening to right now?

R: The new PJ Harvey album (Stories From The City Stories), Tool’s Lateralus is really cool. Placebo’s Without You I’m Nothing is one of my all-time favorite albums, and U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind is also a great album.

BM: Growing up which band’s live show made a significant impact on you?

R: Probably Metallica. I saw them early on when I was young. They kind of inspired me to play music and perform live.

BM: Your music and your look gives you somewhat of a dark persona. Have you found that people have a preconceived idea of what your personality is like before they actually meet you in person?

R: I think they do, but it’s hard to tell because when I meet a fan I usually only get to talk to them briefly, so it’s hard to really tell what they think about me. A lot of times people will tell me that they don’t know what to think when they meet me – like what kind of person I am or the way I might act.

BM: Are you generally an easygoing person.

R: Yes.