Interviews with Magna Zero
Breathing The Core—April 6, 2023
Welcome, today we have the pleasure of speaking with Magna Zero, a Psychedelic Rock band hailing from the USA. Their unique blend of trippy grooves and heavy guitar riffs is sure to transport you to another dimension.
Where did you get the idea for the band name, did you plan it or did it come out just like that?
Dave (Drums): We have a song that I decided to name Magna Zero. The band liked the name so much that we decided to call our band the same!
Jason (Vocals/Bass/Keys): The words Magna Zero translate from Latin into ‘Great Nothing’. What that means to us is a state of oneness with everything through the loss of the ego. We feel this when we play music together and strive to create music that evokes a similar state of being within our audience.
Why did you want to play this genre?
Chris (Guitar): We didn’t consciously put ourselves in a genre. We just play what feels natural and flows out.
Dave: We really didn't choose anything on purpose when creating the music. It's just what comes out of us as a collective creative being when us three get together.
Did you know each other before the band was formed?
Dave: Yes! I've known Chris since High School. I met Jason through Chris a few years later. Jason and I immediately collaborated on some awesome music in the basement of his home.
Chris: We’ve been fortunate to have been close friends most of our lives. Music is second to that.
Each band member's favorite band?
Jason: The short list these days would be Floyd, Sabbath, Radiohead, The Cure, and Talking Heads
Dave: OMG....so HARD...so many incredible bands out there! So many bands inspire me from the past to now. My foundation was Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix, Beatles then Rush, The Police, Toto to Metallica, Megaseth, AC/DC, NIN to Jeff Buckley, PJ Harvey, Ani DiFranco, Radiohead All the Jazz greats..to my Hip Hop influences with Gang Starr, Nas, Tribe Called Quest, Wu Tang, Big L, Logic, The Pharcyde, Beastie Boys, Digable Planets, Jurassic 5 to now - My Morning Jacket, The National, SHOUT OUT to Jungle!!!, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Jean Dawson, Tame Impala, Thundercat!, St. Vincent!
Chris: Too hard to choose a favorite.
Who or what inspires you to write songs?
Chris: Songs tend to bubble up unexpectedly. I think my emotional state has a lot to do with it. And many factors contribute to that.
Dave: Jamming with this band of brothers, Jason and Chris.
Jason: Musically it’s about taking the initial piece of music we’ve come up with together through improvisation and exploring how far we can push it into something new and fresh. Lyrically, working with themes that resonate both on an individual and collective level, while leaving enough space for the listener to interpret each song and make their own meaning and connection to it.
Where was your last gig?
Jason: We did this private show just north of Hollywood at an epic mountain venue below a giant rock formation. The day before the show, our friends built a custom stage from pieces of a Star Wars set that had recently been dismantled after the series finished filming.
Where would you like to play?
Chris: We’ve been throwing ideas around about playing gorilla pop-up shows out in nature. Excited to bring that to fruition.
Dave: The Santa Barbara Bowl, The Greek Theatre, SOHO in NYC! All the cool iconic venues all over this planet!
Whom would you like to feature with?
Jason: Artists/bands committed to music as a way to spread positivity, peace, and love in the world.
Dave: Any of the bands that I mentioned...but...if I had to choose a band..I'd say Radiohead or Soundgarden!!
Chris: I’d be open to featuring any artist who feels inspired to contribute. Not only musicians!
Whom not?
Jason: We prefer to hang with people who value peace, love, and unity. Our music is Anti-hatred and Anti-bigotry.
Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?
Chris: I usually always get butterflies before performing. It’s part of the rush. I try to lean on my bandmates, though, and remind myself we’re just doing what we do.
Dave: I never had stage fright. More of that anticipated excitement before playing.
Jason: It's natural for a lot of musicians to get stage fright. The more you work on your performance and the more experience you get performing, the more natural it all gets and the more relaxed you feel when you're on stage. Remember to breathe! You can stay loose and relaxed through deep breathing and positive visualization. Have fun and don't take yourself too seriously! Now if I can just remember all of that at our next show...
What bands have inspired you the most?
Jason: Rage Against The Machine, Bob Marley, Fugazi
Chris: So many!
Dave: Specifically as a drummer - Toto, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Rush!!, Steely Dan, Ani DiFranco, Tool, Soundgarden, The Police, Dave Matthews Band, Indigo Girls (Rites of Passage album!), Daft Punk!!, Gang Starr!
What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?
Chris: Maybe not ask for, but I once had a fan give me a few vintage ties. They were cool and all, but unless I’m suiting up for a wedding or something like that, I’m not much of a tie guy.
Dave: Nothing really, I've had fans ask me to jam with them..I think that's pretty cool. I've actually taken on the offers and been amazing!
Jason: SSN, mother’s maiden name, a pint of blood, and my first-born son (all the same ask)
What do you think of your fans?
Dave: Our fans are the reason why we do this. Makes no sense to play among ourselves...they are one of the necessary ingredients for music to be made. Music is made for everyone to hear and be inspired. No music without the fans.
Chris: I’ve been stoked to hear people be receptive to the spiritual depth of our music. It wasn’t something we set out to do, but it’s cool to connect with our audience at that level.
Jason: Sending love and gratitude to our fans. They support and encourage our art. For me, that's one of the greatest gifts in life.
What do you think of our site?
Jason: It's an amazing place for fans to discover new music, and equally awesome for bands to share their music with potential fans! We appreciate the work you do to share independent music.
Something to add?
Jason: There’s more we have in common than the differences that potentially divide us. Music is a great reminder of our shared humanity.
Dave: Thank you for this interview. Thoughtful questions. I enjoyed answering them ALL!
Dejected Records—January 16, 2023
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲?
Chris (Guitar) : There were no decisions. It’s just what naturally came out of us when we got together to jam.
Dave (Drums) : I think it was more or less a mutual decision on the music choosing me & my soul being moved by the music both past/present and future.
Jason (Vocals/Bass/Keys) : We just started free-jamming. Since we’re a trio, there’s a certain sense of musical freedom that lends itself to improvisation and encourages exploration. We also share a love for psychedelic, loud, and heavy music, so we had that as a foundation to start with. And we’ve been friends for so long that there’s like an almost telepathic thing that happens when we rock out together.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤?
Jason: Music is a way to bring people together in a time when there are so many forces threatening to pull us apart. Music can be a way to find common ground and connect with each other, so that we remember there’s way more similarities we share than there are differences that divide us.
Chris: Be free and let go.
Dave: Honesty, reality in what we experience the music in all senses, both the five known senses and the other senses/dimensions we are unaware of.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞?
Dave: Well...this is a two-part answer. A) The significance...it's the sum of the 'beauty and importance' of life to death and death to life....it's what is before & beyond the notion of what we think as humans as the beginning and the end. B) Also, it came from a jam session that we happened to record on my phone - I just decided to name the jam 'Magna Zero' ......It was such a significant song that Jason threw out the idea to call ourselves Magna Zero....and it stuck!
Jason: It means ‘great nothing’. It describes the state of being that we return to when playing music together, a oneness with the universe through the letting go of the self and ego. And it’s a reminder that this can transcend music as a state of being throughout life.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬!
Chris: The Police, Doors, Genesis
Dave: Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Eagles,The Beatles
Jason: I remember hearing The Wall around 8 years old on road trips and being struck by the sound effects and storytelling. My sister gave me a Pixies tape when I was about 10 and I think they got into my musical DNA as well. But when my cousins showed me Led Zeppelin II at 12 years old, I was hooked on music forever and hell-bent on learning guitar.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫?
Jason: I hope our music resonates with others in a similar way that the bands I love mean something very special to me. It could be a groove, a vibe, the lyrics, or even the whole sound. Maybe something we create will inspire someone to see the world or themselves in a new way and in turn help as a catalyst for what they’re creating in their art and life.
Dave: As a person that was a service to others...in all levels.
𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤?
Chris: Collaborating with my close friends. There’s no egos. We all have the freedom to create and add our individual flare.
Dave: Knowing that it will be recorded indelibly as a part of a personal/professional/creative history while I'm here on this earth and beyond.
Jason: Sharing it with people who love music. And my second favorite part of making a Magna Zero song is how the initial idea shows up out of thin air, usually when we’re free jamming. It’s like the music comes from another dimension of reality we can’t see or touch, but we feel it, and it translates into something expressed through our instruments. Then after working it into a finished composition, I really enjoy going back to the recording of the first jam when the song was born to hear how much it evolved.
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬?
Dave: Choose all things that fill your heart/soul with love & pure joy.Jason: A huge thank you for spending time with our music and sharing it with people in your circles.Chris: Have an open ear and give it a chance to grow on you. Most of my favorite albums I’ve had to dissect before they resonated with me.
Backseat Mafia ‘Soundtrack Of Our Lives’, October 27, 2022
For many of us who grew up playing in garage bands, we daydream about what life could’ve been like if we continued jamming and made it to the big-time. That very well could’ve been the case for progressive rock outfit Magna Zero, but after a ten year hiatus from growing up playing music together, they (David Aubrey (drums), Chris DiCesare (lead guitar), and Jason Moore (vocals, bass guitar, and keys)) reconvened in Los Angeles and started full steam ahead on their new project, blending elements of psych-rock and punk together with an emphasis on spatial exploration to create a fascinating mess of distortion. In advance of their debut album The Great Nothing coming in early 2023, and given that the band has such a deep shared history with each other, I found them to be the perfect candidates for the Soundtrack Of Our Lives.
What are you playing for the Friday night pre-game?
(Jason) “Making Flippy Floppy” by Talking Heads. At home, we crank it and dance around the kitchen. Great for shaking off the week and cutting loose.
What about a quiet Sunday morning?
(Jason) For the positive vibes, you can’t beat Bob Marley. No bad days start with his music coming through the speakers. The lesser known album Confrontation is epic.
Who is an artist that are you listening to that should be bigger?
(Dave) I’m listening to Unknown Mortal Orchestra. They remind me of Steely Dan, but with their own original stamp on what they do. I absolutely love them.
Which song directly influences a song by Magna Zero?
(Dave) I think our song “The Singularity” is directly influenced by not a song, but the band Porno For Pyros. One of the more representative tracks of theirs is “Tahitian Moon”.
What was the song you listened to in the 8th grade that you still listen to today?
(Chris) I was heavily into The Police as a kid and still listen to their albums often. It’s tough to pick one song, but I think my 8th grade self would go with “Invisible Sun” off of Ghost in the Machine. I alway dug the guitar solo at the end of the choruses.
(Dave) I still listen to the song “Chemistry” by Rush ever since probably before the 8th grade. I mean, I still listen to a ton of songs from that time, but “Chemistry” from Rush is special to me.
Are there any songs you love but don’t listen to very often?
(Jason) “Sorrow” by The National, from High Violet. It’s a sucker punch in all the right ways.
What’s the best cover you’ve heard?
(Chris) “No Quarter” by Tool. A good cover requires owning the song and putting your style on it, and Tool nailed it with this classic.
What is your guilty pleasure song?
(Jason) Whoodini’s “The Freaks Come Out At Night”. You can’t hear this and not crack a smile before proceeding with several robot dance moves. It’s a perfect reminder not to take myself so seriously.
Is there a track your friends have made that you wish to share?
(Jason) “Nectar” by April King (featuring Ferricia Fatia). April and I were bandmates a long time ago in a galaxy far away. She’s a beautiful soul and an amazingly talented vocalist/drummer. April and Ferricia slay this tune together.
What is your favorite track of Magna Zero’s that you’ve made?
(Chris) I honestly can’t pick a favorite track but I’m proud of “Behind the Sun”. Jason and Dave came up with this one on the fly in the studio. Jason didn’t have the vocals down yet, but he had a lyrical idea that resonated with me. The guitar work flowed out of that idea and was tracked quite quickly and easily.
(Dave) Wow, favorite track…HARD to say, I love them all. I would say “We Are All”, but, that could change next week. Haha!
SHOUTS! Music From The Rooftops, October 16, 2022
Lifelong friendships, a longing to inspire a kind of oneness among all creatures and some good old basement jamming is some of what makes up Magna Zero. Three friends who, after some time apart, got back together to once again make music. This time their jamming together has resulted in a debut album as Magna Zero. It means The Great Nothing, and it is also the title of the album. The band explained to me, that what they experience when they play together is ” a melting away of the ego into a state of oneness with all things in the universe”, hence the Latin derived name and album title. Through groovy bass lines, some epic guitar solos and lyrics that convey the strange experience of living in today’s turbulent world, Magna Zero tries to unite the people of the world through themes of mortality, grief, purpose, selflessness, connection, and compassion. I had the pleasure of interviewing the band briefly about their music and specifically about the single, Endure, which Shouts is thrilled to premiere for you all.
First of all, for those not familiar with Magna Zero, who are you and what’s the story behind its creation?
Chris: Magna Zero is simply 3 long-time friends getting together to jam. For me it’s a reprieve. No egos. Just getting to play my guitar freely and exploring new sounds.
Jason: We decided to form this band shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown first started, and then the studio where we rehearse in Los Angeles basically became a ghost town. We were able to continue playing there, so we found ourselves in this incredibly unique situation where we had this amazing, creative space pretty much to ourselves for about a year. And that particular year happened to be one of the most monumental spaces of time in recent human history, a time of collective introspection through the quarantine we all found ourselves in, and also a time that served as a catalyst for social change. Both of these aspects fueled our band’s creative process, and we just exploded with new music every time we got together, which was quite often. Playing music together was really the only in-person interaction we had with other people besides our time with our families, so the studio was a gift not only for our artistic expression, but also for our psyches.
Dave: We’re a true collaborative based on the bonds of brotherhood and the bonds of the known and unknown universe. The music is inspired by that core. From this the music shapes itself into what it has become—songs that speak to the soul of our Moral Universe.
You are about to release your debut album. Can you tell us a bit about the creative process behind this album, and specifically the song Endure?
Chris: Most of the tracks came out of free jams. We were smart enough to record most of the jams on Dave’s cell phone. I think we got close to 100 of these live jams before we then took turns picking out a favorite track to turn into a song. I believe Endure started with a baseline from Jason. I just tried to play around with it and add some color. I wanted to be as spare as possible to let the bass and drums groove. There’s this tension with trying to hold on to the sparseness until it kind of explodes in the guitar solo.
Dave: The album spans from death giving birth to life. Giving up oneself to find the ‘self’. Death is the center of life. Black holes give life to all galaxies known. It’s an entire journey of ultimate, unashamed, bare- bones nothingness equivocating to everything living in the entire Universe. The ultimate album of self-preservation and self-love.
Jason: What Dave’s describing reminds me of the age-old saying, “Die before you die, so that you can truly live”. Our album is titled, The Great Nothing. The phrase is literally our band name translated from Latin into English. It’s the closest expression in words for what we experience when we play music together, a melting away of the ego into a state of oneness with all things in the universe. The path to this for the band is to become nothing, and paradoxically, experience a sense of unity with everything. The song Endure is a message of love prevailing over strife. Even when we experience the darkest moments imaginable, it is love that ultimately lifts us back to our natural state of harmony with each other and with the earth. Since the pandemic, we’ve been seeing a shift in consciousness that is heart-based and that is bringing people together on a scale that was unimaginable just a few years ago. Now more than ever before, strangers from the other side of the world are supporting each other and standing together for compassion, kindness, and justice. Throughout the massive challenges we’re seeing and experiencing in modern times, it’s love that brings us together for positive change forward into a future of hope.
Do you all have a background in writing political music? Do you consider your music political or rather more spiritual?
Chris: I’m not a fan of politics, as I feel it creates unnecessary division. I don’t want to be a ‘political’ band. As cheesy or cliché as it is, I feel like we need to focus more on peace and love. And I hope our music conveys that.
Jason: I’d describe playing music together as a spiritual experience shared between us and with our audience. For me, this transcends politics. It’s like a glimpse into something much bigger than any single one of us, while connecting us all. Music is a peak experience. Like painting, mountain climbing, meditating, or a thousand other things, it brings us closer to something deeper yet familiar, as the material world falls away and we feel at one with each other and the universe. When we are playing music together, the space between all things and the time that separates them collapses, and we are completely present to the ever flowing moment of the now. Echoing what Dave said earlier, it’s as if we are tapping into something void of form, a Great Nothing that connects us back to everything, much like a singularity links the nothingness of a black hole to the creation of something words simply cannot express.
Dave: Our music is the continuous evolution of earth and all that inhabits it, to lose themselves in order to find themselves, to become the NOTHING that shapes this planet into something positive.
What do you hope to achieve with your music?
Dave: I hope to inspire all things, for people to hear the sound we make to be inspired, to be moved, to be changed, to be humbled, as this is what the music does to me and my rough edges.
Jason: As word spreads about our songs and visuals, we feel a tremendous sense of fulfillment because we believe that the work we do adds to the momentum of positivity, peace, and love in the world today.
Do you feel resistance or lack of interest from people when they understand your lyrics or that you make critical music? Do you feel like a lot of artists specifically use their music for change or to send out positive, constructive messages?
Jason: Our music resonates with people who share in the values of kindness, compassion, and unity. There are so many great bands and artists out there doing similar work. While some of them are household names, many are independent, lesser-known folks who are incredibly talented. It’s inspiring to hear music that not only moves you, but also is a catalyst for positive change in the world. As a musical artist, why wouldn’t you want to do that?
Life in your country, the US, does seem turbulent, as in most places. What are some of the things that affect you or drive you to pen down some lyrics or come up with a tune?
Jason: When we look at what’s happening in the world today, all the cruelty and suffering we’re inflicting on each other and all of the damage we’re doing to our planet, it’s easy to get down and feel like the problems we face are insurmountable, like nothing we do in our individual lives really makes a difference. But it does. What we’re seeing in our local community is an overwhelming response to call out and end bigotry and hatred. There’s a rallying cry against the destruction of our planet, and a willingness on the part of the individual to take personal responsibility for the actions made in daily life. It’s a choice to live with optimism, hope, and positivity towards ourselves and others. Creating this music with Dave and Chris helps anchor me in staying true to that choice.
Chris: If anything, I hope The Great Nothing shows that life is good.
Can you recommend other likeminded bands or musicians from your scene or any artists that inspire you?
Jason: My short list these days includes Bob Marley, Rage Against The Machine, Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam, and Black Sabbath…these artists move me with their groove and especially with their lyrics.
Chris: Influences are tricky. There’s just too many. Bands that just make me feel good when I listen to them and especially see them live. Guitarists that play with soul and express themselves through their playing.
Dave: I’m inspired by so many, where to start? The pages continue to be written on my inspiration…from my childhood: The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Zeppelin, The Eagles. My teenage years: Metallica, Sabbath, Rush!!, Iron Maiden, The Police, Boston, Dr. Know, Subhumans, Bad Brains, Dead Kennedys, Excel, D.R.I. My 20’s: Alice In Chains, NIN, Soundgarden, Fugazi, Radiohead, Ani DiFranco, Elliot Smith, Gang Starr, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, WuTang, Beck. Now: Jungle, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Tame Impala, St. Vincent, My Morning Jacket, Father John Misty, Angel Obel.