Tell us about yourself and your music
Element 115 is the culmination of years of caring about what is happening to the humans and the planet, and the need for us to take our sovereignty seriously, and to do what’s right for both, political correctness be damned.
Talk to us more about your latest release
The Element 115 album was written after I (Michael) had a visit from five 8-foot ET beings at my house in Scottsdale, Arizona. The concept of having an ET be the drummer for the band was tossed to the keyboard player at the time, and he said “if you could do that…”
That was kind of a challenge, and I subsequently wrote a MIDI-to-animation converter so that any drum part I played in the studio could be exactly duplicated by the ET on a video wall on stage.
AL the Alien Drummer twirls his sticks, drinks a beer, flirts with the girls, and is a very accurate drummer.
The humans on the stage are a family of multi-instrument musicians, where Michael and Jess actually play guitar with one hand and keyboard with the other, with one playing right handed, and the other left handed. Carla plays the 5-string bass in the middle, creating a very tight rhythm section with AL.
Seal of Approval, Warrior, and Flying High are all Americana-freedom oriented tunes. S.O.S./People of the Planet Blue is a song with information from the ET meeting. Wanting to start the album with a fun tune, Just A Party sings of breaking pretense, and just having fun.
What inspired you to write this release?
Constant encroachment on our freedoms, and the LIE that is the official story of 9/11 were the sources of inspiration to write this song.
Any plans to release a video?
Several videos are up on YouTube and the Element115theband.com website. As a video producer, it is pretty easy for me to see the music video in my head before shooting the scenes and compiling the final videos.
Any plans to hit the road?
Since Jess has become a highly sought A/V guy in the Phoenix area, recruited even for the 2017 SuperBowl presentation, it is difficult to get him available for shows.
Instead, Michael has created a new act using all humans on a video wall playing drums, bass and guitar/keyboards (all versions of him) while playing live in front of that wall with his magical guitar setup that plays every instrument as well. The show is called ONE and is experienced at OneManOneBand.com
As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?
We have an ET drummer. What else do we need to stand out?
Who have you been listening to lately?
We’ve been listening to a lot of new praise music lately, but new mainstream music pretty much sucks to us.
Tell us about your passions
I coined the phrase “edutainment” back in 1990 when I retired from the corporate world and decided to just do things that were fun. I live to create content (whether music or video oriented) that educates while entertaining the recipient.
I wrote and recorded an album called WAKE UP while in a “band” named TERRANOMALY. The “band” was only Jeff Byrd (who provided basic music beds) and myself (who put all the guitar polish, percussion, and lead and BU vocals on the album). I also did all the artwork and financed the release of the CD in 2014.
What else is happening next in your world?
The new ONE act is where I’m putting my focus, as it is about the only thing in a rock show that HASN’T been done. Be sure to see this one! www.OneManOneBand.com
Thanks for an awesome interview, Michael!
Connect with Element 115
Website: http://www.Element115theBand.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/terranomalead
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/element115theband
Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/element115theband
Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/element115
