By: Chris Stead

Starting as the brainchild of Jon Siren and Natasha Cox at LA’s Musician’s Institute, Mankind is Obsolete is clearly a synergistic project that reaches beyond any formal training than any Yngwie Malmsteen seminar could provide. All of their formal training was simply a stepping stone for their true vision which is a beautifully executed, emotionally charged aural experience.

After a few years of growth and lineup changes, Mankind is Obsolete is a fully grown, mature group. This maturity and lucid vision is well realized on their latest album Rise. Jon, their drummer, gave us a much better idea of what MKIO is really about.

Gothic Angst Webzine (GAW): How did Mankind Is Obsolete first meet?

Jon Siren (JS): Natasha and I met at The Musicians Institute aka MI in Los Angeles, CA.
We were both wearing Sisters of Mercy shirts so I decided to strike up a
conversation with her. Not many people at MI listen to goth rock or
industrial so it was cool for me to meet someone with similar tastes in
music. We started working on music together in the off hours in the
school’s ProTools room. We also would work in my apartment in Hollywood
as well. We later met up with Mark Nurre. He became our first guitarist
and then the initial line-up was rounded out by Jamie Roy and Nathan
Trowbridge. This was the “Metamorph” album line-up. Later on we added
Scott Landes of Collide, Gordon Bash and Brian Didomenico after our second
album “Rise” came out.

GAW: With the mix of elements that you have chosen you have a refreshing sound.
How did you decide to go with the coldwave sound with a female singer?

JS: Initially Natasha and I were listening to a lot of Nine Inch Nails,
Portishead, Massive Attack, Godflesh and Neurosis. She was going to be
our keyboardist because that is her main instrument and it wasn’t until we
couldn’t find a vocalist that she gave it a shot. The band has since
grown outward and so have our influences. We try not to limit our sound
to fit within genre rules but instead focus on an emotion or subject that
we’re trying to project. We happen to be fond of blending industrial
elements with acoustic instrumentation though. I see this band continuing
to push its boundaries. I really admire bands like Neurosis, Nine Inch
Nails or Souixsie and the Banshees that alter their sound a bit on each
album and push their own envelopes. There are a lot of bands that do that
sort of things and that is something we’d like to partake in as well. I
wouldn’t want our upcoming album to sound just like Rise or Metamorph.

GAW: How did you choose the name “Mankind Is Obsolete” and what are you saying
with it?

JS: My answer to this question shifts everyday. That is good to me though
because it has staying power. The name is intended to evoke thought or a
feeling. I really like the listener to have his/her own interpretation of
the name.

GAW: How does your look and performance tie in with the name of the group?

JS: Our look and performance is based around reality. When we go on stage I
feel more like a punk rock band. We like to shed our skin, sort of speak,
and be in the moment. It is all about the music and the energy. We’re
not trying to compete with the latest scene fashions. In photo shoots, I
like to focus more on our facial features because I think it tells more of
a story about the music we play than our clothing.

GAW: What is the idea behind your current album, Rise?

JS: In a nutshell, Rise is about rising above negativity. Again, we don’t
like to get too deep into explaining the lyrics because it is important to
us to have the listener extract what they want to take from the music and
lyrics. I once had a person say that “Someone Like You” really spoke to
them because that person thought it was about an ex-lover. That is great
to me that this person thought that. It isn’t what the song is about but
if that is how they interpret it, than I am happy that the person took
something from the music.

GAW: Were there any events that led to the feel and message of Rise?

JS: We started to write the music for Rise in 2004 and it came out in 2005.
At the time we were really struggling with being musicians in Los Angeles
and we had just put out Metamorph which dealt more with the demons of our
past. Rise to me was about rising above a lot of the battles we were
having in our daily lives. It is about seeing the negativity as it is and
finding the power within to move past it.

GAW: What kind of sound are you going for with your next recording?

JS: As far as the sound of the new album, we’re going to continue with our
journey through life so there will be moments of great intensity and quiet
reflection within the album. We’re fortunate to work with one of the
greatest producers out there “Sylvia Massy” on our next album. She has
produced Tool, Johnny Cash, Machines of Loving Grace, System of a Down,
etc… I am hoping to get some amazing acoustic and electronic drum sounds
with her. Scott will be playing the guitars on the album and his style is
amazing. One of the things that I like about his playing is that he can
make controlled sounding noise. I don’t know how else to describe it, but
he has a way of making his guitar sound like a snarling beast as opposed
to the typical crunch of a hard rock band.

GAW: I know that you have a new album in the works. When will we be seeing it
hit the shelves?

JS: Right now we’re still a DIY band. We don’t have a label although we do
manage to get our cds in some stores across the country. We will however
have our cd available online in mid-September. We’ll also have it with us
when we hit the road at that time.

GAW: Can we expect a new direction and message with your next album?

JS: The way that the songs are forming together there is a level of continuity
between the previous two albums and this one, but I feel like the music
has taken on a darker edge to it.

GAW: What are your plans for a tour?

JS: We start our next tour with Dismantled on September 12 in California. The
tour dates are still coming together. We will be on the road for a long
time supporting this next album. Our goal is to put all of our stuff into
storage and be on the road for a year. Being on the road is what the band
lives to do. I love the instant connection that you make with people by
performing. It is great to hang out with the people that listen to the
music as well. I really cherish those moments.

GAW: Are you taking a break from playing out while you work on the next record?

JS: Yes we are. We’re unfortunately losing two members of the band as well,
Mark and Gordon. They have both been a huge part of the band and its
sound, and we wish them best. We’re all still friends, so they will
continue to be a part of MKIO on some level. That more than anything has
shifted our plans from playing shows to getting ready for the new album
and searching for a new bassist. We won’t be replacing Mark though.

GAW: Is there a support tour in the works?

JS: Yes, we’ll be touring starting in September. We look forward to returning
to many of the places we played last year. It will be great to be back
out there!

As Mankind is Obsolete is currently in the studio recording a new album we will all be waiting anxiously to see what they offer forward for their third studio release. In the meanwhile check them out at the following links:

Mankind is Obsolete Official Website
Mankind is Obsolete on MySpace