A Force Of Nature: In Conversation with Marianas Trench

Interview by Meg Clemmensen

Graphic by Rebekah Witt

Fresh off the release of their sixth studio album, Haven, Canadian pop-rockers Marianas Trench hit the road to tour for the first time in far too long. The Force Of Nature Tour, named after a lyric from the band’s new track “Ancient History,” got off to a rough start when lead singer Josh Ramsay got sick, postponing the first few shows. Luckily, he healed in no time, and the show I’d planned to attend was still scheduled. Living in Ontario myself, I could’ve easily chosen to purchase tickets to a show fifteen minutes from my home. But, as a longtime fan, I decided I’d make the drive to Pittsburgh to see the group on October 3rd.

October 3 is officially considered Marianas Trench Day within their fanbase. In 2006, this is the date they released their debut record. Every year, they tend to celebrate the anniversary with new or exclusive merchandise, new releases or announcements, and other surprises to express appreciation towards those who have kept their music a phenomenon for so long. Marianas Trench made music that was extremely fundamental to me when I was growing up and learning how to understand myself, so the opportunity to see them on such a special day was something I just couldn’t turn down. It felt like such a full-circle moment, especially when the opportunity arose to interview bassist Mike Ayley. The two of us sat down prior to the show to discuss everything Haven, Fix Me’s anniversary, touring, and all else new for Marianas Trench. 

Welcome to Pittsburgh! Congrats on the new album, and congrats on it being Marianas Trench Day! This particular Marianas Trench Day marks 18 years since your debut album, which is pretty crazy. How do you feel about that?

That’s right! Now that you say 18 years, I feel way less young. We’ve been making a bunch of October 3rd content that we’re going to be posting later on. We’re all like, “It’s Marianas Trench Day! We’ve gotta do some fun stuff!”

That’s actually why I decided to come to this show! I live a few hours away but figured it’d be worth making the drive for an opportunity to see a Marianas Trench Day show. 

Oh, really? That’s so cool!

Moving on to Haven, what were your main influences for the new album? I understand that it’s based on the Hero’s Journey arc. How did that come to be?

You’re always looking for inspiration in the world, especially when you look at our past albums, and they all sort of have their own universe. Originally, Josh had been suggested the idea of working in a comic book realm, and it was like, “Eh, not sure if that’s great.” It could be cool, but it didn’t feel quite right. While digging into that, he came across the Hero’s Journey and thought that was neat. There’s different versions of it, but generally, there are 12-14 plot points that are key, which feels about right for a full-length album these days. He started thinking about it and thought it would be a really neat concept for an album. He was like, “I don’t think I’ve heard anyone do that,” so it was a bit of a challenge. He presented the idea to us, and I remember thinking, “That sounds like a lot of work.” But we did it! Lo and behold, it was a lot of work. 

So each individual track coincides with another plot point from that structure, correct? 

Yes! So the first song is the call to adventure, and so on.

That’s so neat! Did you write any songs before coming up with that idea?

They’re all conceived after that. There are maybe some rough ideas of the songs and then figuring out where they would go. Things like lyrics started to change. The interesting thing with that concept… so, when you’re making an album in general, you want it to flow. In the past, when we’ve made albums, you make the song the way you think it’s supposed to be, then you have a collection of songs and figure out the order. The only ones that are typically predetermined for sure are the opener and closer. In this case, when you’re making the song, it has a spot. Then it’s a matter of figuring out, “Well, this one should be a ballad or an up-tempo one.” The lyrics have to suggest a certain feeling or evoke the plot point. But also, for Josh, it’s all still autobiographical. It actually ended up being more of a jigsaw puzzle than originally anticipated, but we pulled it off!

That actually leads me to what I was going to ask next: how do you locate the balance between music fitting a concept and also fitting the facts of your life?

It’s all Josh’s doing. The thing he does, which I love in music, would be that the lyrics aren’t super specific. That allows it to be adaptable to the listener. They can make it mean what they want it to mean to them, and I think it’s really cool that you can have something that means very much to him, fulfills this Hero’s Journey theme, and can also be a conduit to somebody else’s experience. 

So, was writing this album far more challenging than some of your others?

It turned out to be more ambitious than we had thought. It took a little bit longer, but I think it was worth it. I think it’s a really killer album.

What’s your favorite song from Haven to be playing live?

To play live?

Or in general. How about both?

It’s funny because as the album was coming, we sort of got the songs in batches. We finished five, and mixed five, and of those first ones, my favorite at the time was “A Normal Life,” because I thought it was just awesome that it had these big guitar moments. I thought it was really cool how visual it was. [mimics cinematic noises from songs] When I hear that, I feel like I’m running! Even my daughter is like, “Dada, we have to save the day!” She’s two and a half, and she gets it right away! I thought that was really cool how effective it was at feeling like you’re almost in a movie, and then also setting the world up and being like, “By the way, we’re bringing back the guitars.” That was cool, but for a single, I really, really liked “Lightning And Thunder.” I was pushing it; that was a strong vote to be the first single. The first thing we put out was “A Normal Life” to kind of set the tone, then there’s the more digestible shorter format song. Now that we’ve finished the album, I’m also a really big fan of “Into The Storm.” I like it because it feels like a band, especially at the end. It’s got this really cool stuff going on, but at the end, it really feels like we’re just jamming in a way. That’s really neat because we don’t do a lot of stuff like that in our songs. Usually, there’s so many layers. “Haven” is awesome; at first it was a lot of information to learn, and sometimes with the songs, I don’t always enjoy them right away because I’m worried about having to play them. So you’re like, “I have to memorize this whole thing?” I play it in the studio but kind of just get it in bits and pieces. Now that we have it, I love playing it live. “Turn And Run” is epic—when you see the show, trust me, it’s pretty awesome! 

One of my favorite things about your music is the super cinematic tracks, so I think “A Normal Life” was a really good way to ease everyone into a new era. I also liked how you put out the singles in order of how they appear on the album, which feels like it kind of matches the story you’re aiming to tell.

That wasn’t pre-planned! We were figuring that out as we went, and after we put out the first two, we were like, “Why don’t we just do it so that the next one out is the next one?” We did it exactly as you said, but we weren’t thinking about that right away. There were a couple of options for that third one, but I love the one we chose, and I think that actually made it a cooler idea. 

One other thing I’ve always loved about your music is how you call back to some of your older songs frequently. Like in the new album, the title track “Haven” has a segment that includes melodies from “Ever After.”

It’s very intentional, it’s like, “I wonder how I can get that idea in there.” When we were recording Masterpiece Theatre and were on the last track, Josh was thinking about how, in musicals, there’s often a medley where there are highlights from each of the songs near the end of the show. We thought we’d do that in our album, so we did it, and at the last minute, his wife had suggested, “Why don’t you put something from your first album?” There was a reference to “Say Anything” right at the end of the album, and since then, it’s kind of been a cool idea to have a little bit of something from each album on each album. In the end, all of the bodies of work are still connected. It’s cool because you can write these things that you love and have them in the song, and the neat thing is that if you wanted to try something else with that part, it doesn’t mean that it’s done just because you used it. You can change it a bit and have it serve a different purpose. We did the same thing in the new song “Worlds Collide.” A lot of the album references itself, too.  

You mentioned that there was a longer break than anticipated leading up to this album, but I’ve noticed you usually take fairly lengthy gaps between each record. Why is that? Is it just to make sure everything is perfect?

Yes! The problem is you make an album, and then you just play shows for a year. Writing while you’re on the road is hard to do. Some bands do it. Sometimes they just end up writing songs about being on the road though, and then you don’t have common life experiences to write about, which are more relatable to most people. Some of those road songs are fuckin’ awesome, but it’s really hard to do when you’re on the road. It’s exhausting! You save all your energy and focus for playing shows, then you go home and rest a bit, and sometimes a couple of songs will come out if there’s a long enough gap. Generally, Josh will just say “Ok, I’m going to start.” It’s just like going to a different gym, if that makes sense. The road is like lifting weights, and the writing is like doing yoga or something. It’s a different kind of exercise. So there’s that, and then producing-wise, Josh is meticulous. It has to be perfect. We’ll spend sometimes 4, 5, or 6 hours entirely looking for a keyboard sound that is the background and is just a low-end thing, but it has to be just right. And even sometimes, the next day, you’re like, “It’s not right.”

When you come up with a vision in your head, you want it to fit that vision exactly. 

Yeah! It’s those few things. And also, Josh just isn’t a speed writer. He wants to get it just perfect. Not just production-wise, but the feeling, and it takes a bit longer to do it like that. We don’t have other writers. A lot of other artists have other writers presenting songs so they can just get on the road. They get a batch of songs that they either finish with other writers or maybe already exist, and that makes it easier for them. 

Was some of the album a COVID project, since your last album was released in 2019? Or did it all come after?

No, it wasn’t! Josh did a solo album during that time, and that ended up taking about a year to make, and then for 6 or 7 months, he recorded it and played some shows. I actually did an EP, and Matt wrote a book, which isn’t out, but it’s a good book. We were just keeping busy that way. Josh did his thing and I was like, “I better do something, or I’m going to get bored!” I learned how to use all the recording software, and then 604 Records was nice enough to help me put out that project. So, this was a little longer than we originally expected, but honestly, for the first couple of years, we couldn’t have done anything anyway. I think it worked out in a way where everyone was really inspired to do a really good job on this album. 

I get that. Everyone experienced such different things during COVID!

For some, it could’ve been restful; for some, it could’ve been depressing. For me, I thrived except for my career.

How does it feel then, after so long, being back at it?

Amazing! I was scared, actually. We played some shows, but you’d fly, play a show, and go home. So if your voice hurts, who cares, you go home and you get some rest. This is a different thing, and it kind of took me a few shows to get going again. Josh was sick at the beginning, so there was all that stress. We missed a few shows. But, now it’s feeling really good. We’re crushing it every night!

And if I’m not mistaken, this is your first tour where all four of you are parents. How do you find a good work-life balance?

It’s hard, but FaceTime is really good! It wasn’t around for bands in, say, the ‘80s, and that would’ve sucked. I had my wife and daughter visit me in New York when we played there for two days and stayed before and after, so I got to see them for a few days. My son is in school, so I didn’t get to see him, and that kind of sucks. I really miss them, but I try not to focus on that aspect. We all see them as much as we can and take advantage when there’s an opportunity during the day to be with your family. If you dwell on it too much, it takes away the energy. It’s the hardest part, honestly! 

What is one song from Haven that didn’t make the setlist cut, but you wish it did?

There are a couple that we are still keeping ready. “Now Or Never” is pretty much ready to go, “Worlds Collide” is pretty much ready to go, but there’s just a few vocal parts we need to assign. Backing vocals, just figuring out who’s singing which part. Those ones I want to put in, but then we’re like, “What do we take out?” Lately, we’ve been doing “Stand And Fight” or “Good To You” at the beginning of the encore section, because there’s not enough time—we’re already starting our set earlier than we’re supposed to so we can play all the songs we want to! With that one there, it’s only time for one or the other, and it’s a matter of choosing. 

Are you just going to change the setlist a little as you go on? Keep people on their toes? They know what they’re expecting, but they also don’t.

There’s some stuff that’s already established, and it can’t change a lot. There’s a thing called time code with our lighting, so the music and the lights can actually be programmed to line up, so you can’t just spontaneously throw a song in. Someone from the label was like, “Why don’t you play a song from Fix Me for Marianas Trench Day?” It’s not that easy. First of all, we haven’t played it for months, so it’ll be rusty. There are no lights programmed, so it won’t look as good. That’s the thing: we’re kind of ahead of the tour and are like “Let’s get every song programmed,” so we can slide things in and out. For “Good To You” and “Stand And Fight,” it’s just Josh up there, so those ones are easy to switch out. The lighting is just a spotlight on him. 

Makes sense! I’ve seen you guys in both Canada and the USA before, and I’ve noticed that the vibes in both settings are quite different. 

How so? I’m curious!

I think at the States shows, it’s a small, intimate, sweaty setting, but in Canada, it feels more like a big production since you’re often playing arenas. How does it feel to switch between those?

It’s not as weird as you’d think! It’s weirder when we’d go from arenas in Canada to smaller clubs here, but we worked our way up so gradually in Canada. We never lost the moves, so to speak. I like the crowded, sweaty club show, but I like the big production. Both ways are fun. Where we are right now is a pretty good spot because most of the venues are big enough for us to bring the same show we’re going to bring to Canada. The production can be modular; we can take some smaller parts on and off. All the stages are different, so we have different versions of it, but usually, all the same pieces. In Canada, it’s the same thing, it’s just all of the pieces in every show. We’ve actually been talking the past couple days about if we should add a couple more things for Canada. A couple of venues on this run are pretty much up to the Canada size, or close to it. The Boston venue is a 2,400-capacity venue. The Fillmore venues we’ve been playing are all 2,000+. Those are pretty big! In Canada, we’re playing mostly 2-3,000 person venues. A little downsized so we can do the same production. The cool thing is that almost all of the Canada shows sold out within the first week! That’s exciting! Hopefully, we can come around here again sooner rather than later too.

That’s awesome!

There might be a few things that certain cities haven’t seen yet. There are risers that we can stand on. A couple of the stages are rather low or not wide enough to have them all out. It sucks because the Boston venue is big enough, but there’s this… thing we do, that we’re not allowed to do there. It’s cool. You’ll see at the show! 

What’s next for you guys as a group after tour concludes?

Touring right now is really the thing because we want to get to Australia and Europe, and get back here next year ideally. I want to do some festivals in the States, but they’re not always available. You don’t just get to say, “Hey, I want to play”; they have to invite you. It would be cool if we did another tour with another band, so we can bring out bigger crowds with new people. We just want to tour more! Being on the road again and seeing people feels really good. After so long, the audience is so happy at the shows! Everyone’s grateful we’re here, and we’re grateful we’re here, and there’s just so much love in the room. 

After a few years away, it sounds like the boys in Marianas Trench are stoked to be back at it in full force. Their show later that evening was far from disappointing, with awe-inducing vocals and lights, and a couple of eruptions of bubbles into the crowd! Roxian Theatre even prepared special cocktails for the evening, each named after another one of the band’s songs or albums. The whole room buzzed with energy, and not one person didn’t seem thrilled to be in attendance. Haven explores depths that the band hasn’t yet touched on, and with that, they continue to boast a wide repertoire of musical skills. Mike Ayley made it absolutely clear to me that even 20 years into their career, the band has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. It’s too early to have begun thinking about their next album, but he assured me that another one will come in time. I’m certain it will be just as impressive as their first six records. In the meantime, the group has handfuls of wonderful songs to listen to, including 13 brand-new ones to get acquainted with. Catch them on the road while they bring Haven and more of their greatest hits straight to you!