The history of Makes My Blood Dance with Evan Saffer (voice), John Polimeni (guitar), Allan Zapar (drums) and Filia Luna (bass). Thank you for taking this interview! How did you come up with Makes My Blood Dance as a band name? Evan (voice): I pulled it from a poem by Chris Poindexter (one of my favorites). He was talking about his love for his girlfriend and how looking at her made his blood dance. I just thought to myself, that's the most beautiful thing and how I want every moment to be. I also thought about my current consciousness and time in my life and it made sense to focus on joy. I left fate to decide though because I put the name in a list with a bunch of others and showed it to the band. Funny enough, they all picked that one.....history. Can you tell us how each band member helped mold Makes My Blood Dance into what it is today? John (guitar): I can't speak highly enough of my band mates. Evan was the first inspiration. I heard his voice and saw him perform with Rainmakers, and told myself, "whatever he tells me to do, I will do it". Allan is a technical drum wizard, who can pretty much play anything, and is always pleasantly surprising us with new musical and technical feats he's bringing to the table. He's good at what Evan and I are not. Filia is a new inspiration, the 'face of rock and roll', who inspires me to enjoy the journey, and gives MMBD our own distinctive look and vibe. Where are you each from originally? John (guitar): New York City Allan (Drums): Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Filia (Bass): Wonderland Evan (Voice): The Nether Where do you live now? John (guitar): in the studio Evan (voice): where my heart is Filia (bass): in the gutter Allan (drums): Brazil, might as well be the moon Do you think where you live impacts how your music is made? Evan: Of course, we're all storytellers who are mostly self consumed, we reflect what we experience. Be careful who you surround yourself with and what you feed your mind and heart. When I say these things I am really talking to myself......a lot of self talk and auto-suggestion in my world. What was the inspiration to make music your career? Evan: The inability to put my "self' inside something else that moves me the way music does. I go beyond sex, drugs and rock n roll and intertwine my soul with yours and hold you there so we can both breathe easy and only then will it (maybe) be enough. Allan: To be very honest, I don’t even remember when I chose music to be my career, I didn’t even choose, it just happened, as crazy as it sounds. I basically grew up in a musical environment, my brother started his band when I was still a child, so I followed them to many concerts, I also played some songs sometimes just for fun, till the day I really started playing full shows, and then I just kept going and realized that I actually liked to do that, maybe that’s the way it came to become an inspiration... But also, I can’t deny that when I watch some big concerts, I feel like “yeah, I wish I could be there someday”, that’s definitely an inspiration too.: John: I was listening to "rock hard, ride free" by Judas Priest one day in college when I picked up the CD in-store, right at the end of that whole era when that was still a thing. It's not my favorite song but the beautifully harmonized guitar intro hit me just right at that moment. For some reason, the tune seemed very familiar and gave me a sense of nostalgia. I told myself "wow, this is beautiful, there is so much potential in music". I made the conscious decision to pursue music as a career from there. Filia: Stop trying to define me, piss off.
How do you want to shape your career? Evan: I suppose anything other than a lump of dog sh!t. That shape sucks. Do you work on a tight timeline always or do you go with the flow when it comes to your music? Evan: Not really but if things take too long I show up at your house with a strap-on and a bucket of lube and it's not all pretty. At the end of the day you can't force creativity but when you do something you love you don't need to be reminded. Remember that posers. How did your latest music come to be? Evan: I woke up, relieved myself, ate some food after brushing my teeth, eventually made my way to the microphone, and started swooning. John: The Ragnarok album was partially written while on tour in 2018/2019. It really started when Evan said "hey, make a cover of this song from the Revivalists (Wish I Knew You). I downloaded the mp3, listened and watched the video a million times. Then I sat down at my tiny desk table barely large enough to fit a laptop, and sketched the whole thing out in a few nights using my travel sized guitar (I was about to go on a trip to China for work). We tweaked it at rehearsal and it was done pretty fast. Then I flew to China and I sketched out Heaven Collides based on an acoustic track Evan sent me, which he also recorded while on another vacation. Heaven Collides is a massive heavy metal rock opera opus, can't wait to unleash that one. Right around that time, Nothing Contains Us came to fruition while we were rehearsing for the various tours and shows. Then we suffered the PR crisis at the end of 2019 and Evan and I just crafted Sticks and Stoned from thin air. He sang about the events and the unfairness of the events. Then COVID hit, and I fleshed out the arrangement for Soldiers of Men based on another one of Evan's acoustic tracks. Together Apart came last - the name came to me by the gravity of the situation - we were together on the phone/zoom, but truly all apart. I pulled that music out of thin air and Evan laid down his vocals on that. Finally, Evan came up with "Rag Na Rock" as a nod to the End Times which we are in. Was it hard to let go of the music when it was done? John: Haha. There's no 'done' around here. Even before one music video/release is even done, we're already 5 or 6 songs into the next album. We're always excited about the latest and greatest thing we've got cooking. Allan: As John said, it’s never done, it’s an eternal thing I guess, stairway to forever... Do you feel an emotional attachment with your music? John: Yes, some songs really mean a lot to me, especially the newer and unreleased material. Evan writes all the lyrics, so I interpret those lyrics in my own way that may be totally different than his original intentions. I suppose the things I write unintentionally come from the deep longing in my soul for God, which is hopefully what every soul is longing for. So when I hear the music played back to me, it reminds me of that constant need and the hope I have in me. How would you describe your music in one word to someone who hasn't listened to it yet? John: After our first show ever, I got off stage, and one of my friends said "you guys sound like DiscoMetal". Then, another friend said the same thing at another show. That name has stuck ever since. Allan: It’s definitely DiscoMetal....is that one word? I can barely speak English. I know Allan is one word. Where do they go to listen NOW? John: Just go find us on Spotify & Youtube - Follow and subscribe to stay on top of every new release.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4XB8M1n6Bp8mAM0v0oOd67?si=x7UjkJJXTcWreHCANzqwOw (Spotify)
https://bit.ly/MMBD_Subscribe (Youtube) What has been the best fan reaction to your music? John: In May 2019, we opened for The 69 Eyes at Revolution Music Hall in Amityville NY. It was a somewhat packed club, but for some reason, my soul was downcast within me. Of course, Evan and I did our rounds talking to all the fans and having them sign up for the mailing list. Then, I met a pair of dudes- one said that the other guy pointed right at me while I was shredding a solo on stage and said "That's me in my best life". He really meant it and I would never forget it. That really reminded me of what a privilege it was to be on stage with such a great band. I began to really appreciate the whole journey a lot more from then on. Evan: This girl told me to take her to the bathroom and fuck her against the urinal and not talk to her afterwards. That's all she said. Regardless of how that story unfolded I think the most important thing to note is the honesty and breaking of social norms. It was dramatic and I do appreciate good drama. The other side of that coin is you have to live with yourself the next morning when you wake up, so choose your actions wisely. I probably have a second career as a preacher.....shut that guy up. Is there anything exciting coming up for you? John: Well we're just about to drop this massive new single Together Apart, followed by the best music video we've ever done. So go and subscribe to our Youtube and Spotify above so you don't miss out. Are you performing the song anywhere LIVE? John: It's not on the books yet, but catch our latest full live concert here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRTY_tCwWd8&t=0s Give us all your socials and links so fans can link up with you! Thank you for this interview Makes My Blood Dance! https://www.tiktok.com/@makesmyblooddance https://www.instagram.com/makesmyblooddance/ https://www.facebook.com/Makesmyblooddance/ https://www.youtube.com/makesmyblooddance