Mad Painter “Rock And Roll Samurai”
Mad Painter is a sonically diverse band, and that authentic power comes from their unbending ability to speak the truth. Riding between metal, Bach, Beethoven, and cinematic thrillers, “Rock and Roll Samurai” is an impressive track with maddening riffs and thrilling buildup, drenched in mental power. “If you’ve made it this far in rock and roll, you are a trooper, a veteran, a survivor. A real Samurai,” says the band about the spirits. Filled with raw, unapologetic energy, the second release from their upcoming album Splashed is fire and daringly refreshing.
Mad Painter draws you into such a darkly alluring atmosphere. It’s hard not to think about Kill Bill (talking about Samurai), and the same blood, thrill, and almost vengeful power drums through the entire track. Yet Mad Painter throws something even more exciting in the middle. In the midst of this “arrows at aim” intensity, a sudden disturbance appears in the form of a syncopated Latin-inspired rhythm. You wouldn’t expect to hear the use of cowbell in this track, but they give you that. Respects are earned, not given, and Mad Painter is a band that earns yours fair and square.
In our little chat below, the Arlington-based band tease their party atmosphere at live shows. If you happen to be in the area, be sure to catch them live.
Punk Head: I like the soundscape in “Rock And Roll Samurai.” What is the creative process like?
Mad Painter: It varies from track to track. This one is a heavy, brooding number, but also fairly fast paced. My friend Dmitry Epstein wrote the lyrics for someone else initially, but they wound up on the shelf, so I took this opportunity to put them to music. The song came in stages, the arpeggiated intro, the main parts, the verses, the chorus, the vocal backups, the middle part, and finally the drum solo, which features cowbell. I think the whole thing got stitched up pretty quickly and quite harmoniously. It’s a song Painter had recorded with a different lineup as a preliminary demo, then live at WMFO, Tufts radio. Now, proud to say, it is our second single (from the upcoming album Splashed), and there’s also a promo video.
PH: What do you like the best about this track?
MP: The mood, it’s almost militant, dark, yet world weary. If you’ve made it this far in rock and roll, you are a trooper, a veteran, a survivor. A real Samurai.
PH: What is your creative vision as an artist?
MP: To be true to myself in everything I do, write or perform. What matters is not what year, decade or century it is but what’s in your head. The style, the ethos, the influences, everything. We like to make every one of our show a real throwback, a time warp experience for the audience. This is very consistent with the way we write and record in the studio.
PH: Who are your biggest inspirations?
MP: Me personally, it’s got to be Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Status Quo. But for the other band members it may be different.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
MP: We are Mad Painter and we play rock and roll. Loud, unapologetic and rambunctious. It’s unique in the 21st century. Our niche is melodic hard rock, but our sound is quite diverse, pop, moody and bluesy ballads and even prog, so something for everyone. And there’s always a party atmosphere at every show. You won’t come away disappointed.
