When I first heard Even Eden it was a mix of all the cool goth stuff I had grown up with from Bauhaus and Joy Division to The Cure and Siouxsie and The Banshees. The bands rhythm section has been around the scene for 20 years or so. I had met Zac when he was in the Little Falls band Highfall and Mike I had seen in like a hundred bands in the last 20 years. The cement in the mixture is lead guitarist and vocalist Madeleine St. Jacques. Vocals are reminiscent of lots of fun 90’s stuff like Letters to Cleo or The Sundays but if they were evil, with nice harmonies kind of like if That Dog was evil. There’s a very throwback minimalist vibe to the songs that give them a very late 70’s/ early 80’s vibe but enough of what I think, lets hear directly from the band.
What Does Your Band Name Mean? …
MR: Not a damn thing.
ZS: Mike, you’re supposed to tell people it came to you in a vision...
How Did You Meet? …
Madeleine & MR met when their respective bands were on the same bill one night. They discovered a shared affinity for dark music and began collaborating on new material. Madeleine knew Zac through mutual friends, and the trio was formed.
What's Your Songwriting Process? …
ZS: Usually we start separately with an idea for a song before bringing it into practice, or sharing a home demo. I think a lot of our serious work on songs happens outside of rehearsals, practice time is more for arrangement.
Who Do You Sound Like?
ZS: I genuinely don’t know. I don’t think we’re trailblazing new subgenres, but whenever folks make comparisons I’m always a little skeptical.
What first got you into music?
MR: Listening to my father’s records and being immediately drawn to the sounds of the drums.
ZS: I grew up listening to a ton of Motown, and that’s what really hooked me. I also wanted to play the drums, but my parents were not having that so I somehow started on the sax.
MS: I was gifted a multi-volume set of classical music and began playing the piano when I was 4 yrs old. I shifted to guitar when I was 13. I’ve always been obsessed with music. Grew up watching a lot of MTV and listening to a lot of new wave and punk.
Who inspired you to make music?
ZS: Goofy 8th grade metal friends. And then high school punk rock friends.
MS: I’ve always wanted to make music. When I was 11 my cousin gave me a mixtape that featured Jesus and Mary Chain, Xymox, Buzzcocks, and the Smiths -- and that was it, I was hooked. I spent the better part of my summers learning guitar and bass parts to early Cure and Siouxsie albums and joined my first band when I was 15.
What is your creative process like?
ZS: I percolate for long periods of time on really vague ideas and suddenly dump out a mostly fully formed final product. I go the “Athena being birthed fully formed from Zeus’ head” route, which is exactly as enjoyable as it sounds.
MS: I never know what I’m going to create and don’t begin writing with any conscious, particular ideas. I get these ‘downloads’ as I’m playing, of different melodies and lyrics. It’s almost like I’m channeling, so I just allow it to happen, get out of my head, and allow the music to come through.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
ZS: There’s a really cool creative friendship that’s popped up in the noise/metal world between folks like Lingua Ignota, the Body, Uniform, and Full of Hell and I would very much like to be friends with all of them.
MS: Drab Majesty, Boy Harsher, or Cold Cave
If you could open a show for any artist who would it be?
MR: Bauhaus
ZS: Nine Inch Nails
MS: Gary Numan
What is the most useless talent you have?
ZS: Some blockhead tricks. Circus sideshow stuff like putting a nail up my nose.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
ZS: Yes. Some of my mainstays are Fiona Apple- Criminal, They Might Be Giants- Lie Still, Little Bottle, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum- Hymn to the Morning Star
MS: Sometimes. I actually do a lot of emotional processing in the shower and will just make up songs about things that happened in my day. Fun fact: the lyrics and melody for Welcome to the White Room were written in the shower.
What would you be doing right now, if you weren't playing in a band?
ZS: Sewing. Or playing more video games.
MS: Making art or organizing shows for other bands.
Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues?
MR: I’ve performed in a number of venues, and each had its positives and negatives. The best venues were always the ones that treated the artists/performers with appreciation.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business, especially recently in the Covid Era?
MR: I’m seeing a lot of bands/artists take advantage of livestreaming to reach their audiences, creating another way to perform live. The internet has allowed artists a wider reach to more audiences, but at the same time the large number of users creates an oversaturated market. So there are positives and negatives.
What is your favorite song to perform?
ZS: Armoured, from our EP, is super fun for me. That was our closer for quite a while and it’s a fun one to get heavy on. There’s a song in our set that I sing called I Come To You For Comfort that’s really cathartic for me.
MS:I love playing “Armoured” as well. “I Come To You For Comfort” is one of my favorite songs, period. I really enjoy it because the guitar parts I play are very different from what I would personally create -- more noise-oriented, which I love. And Zac’s vocals are amazing. They’re both super tempestuous songs, so it feels incredible to play them. I also really enjoy playing/singing ‘A Forest’.
What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
ZS: The lack of consequences I’ve paid for indiscretions in my life is downright shocking, hahaha
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
ZS: I’m going to assume that I’m terrible at listening to advice, because I can’t remember any good advice I’ve ever been given...
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
ZS: I wish I could just say something simple like “pay artists what they’re worth” or something like that, but it’s a genuinely complicated question. I’m not even sure what the industry looks like at this moment, and I’ve never personally been a part of anything that wasn’t completely DIY, so I’m afraid that whatever I say would be terribly naive, or just sound like a platitude.
What’s next for you?
ZS: That really depends on the next 6 months or so...
What are your favorite movies or books?
MR: Books: Watership Down by Richard Adams, The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain.
ZS: My favorite book is VALIS by Phillip K. Dick. Favorite movie is Buffalo 66.
MS: Favorite book: Start Where You Are by Pema Chodron. Favorite Movie: Royal Tenenbaums
What are your top 3 desert island albums (3 records for the rest of your life)?
ZS: Ok so before I answer, I’d like some more info about this island. Depending on what kind of resources we’re talking about on the island, I might be listening to these albums for months, or maybe only a couple days before I died of dehydration/exposure. Probably Flood by TMBG, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel, and You Won’t Get What You Want by Daughters recently took over a large part of my brain.
MS: Tinderbox by Siouxsie & the Banshees; The Demonstration by Drab Majesty; 99% by Meat Beat Manifesto.
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