Based in Groveland, Massachusetts since 2015, MM3 are an alternative rock band with a predominantly grunge/garage sound, as well as some punk and country being factored into the equation. The chief instigator is guitarist/songwriter/vocalist Mike Meagher, with the support of John Williams (lead vocals) Al Ruggeri (drums) and David Morse (bass). The band name comes for a molecular force in chemistry. Influences span a broad spectrum – from Nirvana and Rob Zombie across to Ozzy Osbourne.
In this interview spotlight, we chat with MM3 about influences, the new project and more.
Q&A, links, and a stream of No One’s Fault But Mine can be found below.
http://soundcloud.com/user-197015999/mm3-no-ones-fault-but-mine
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
We are from Massachusetts, north of Boston along the New Hampshire border. We create great straight ahead rock songs drawing on all our influences, which helps not getting put in any particular genre. I like the freedom of being able to write any type of song I want.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
Hearing the old vinyl records my older sister had of all the greatest classic rock bands. I thought and still do ha ha ha, the guitarist is the coolest guy in the world and being able to just make those magical songs. I said “I have to play guitar !!!”
I continue to be motivated to writing good songs. Pretty much being a nobody and having complete strangers digging a song I wrote, making that connection is one of the coolest things ever
Who or what are your biggest influences when it comes to your creativity?
Black Sabbath !!! To this day those albums sound as mind blowing as ever and Tony is just a god. I love Pearl Jam too, their versatility. U2’s The Edge cause of his unique original sound and learning a lot about effects by learning and studying his guitar parts. I have to mention David Gilmour for his tone also. I love Tool and Alice In Chains too
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
We are about halfway through writing and recording our second album. We have released 2 songs from it “In The Moment” and “Nobody’s Fault But Mine”, “Moment” being John’s studio debut and “Nobody’s” being one of my favorite songs, it’s dark, moody and has a few elements I’ve never done in a song before. Writing that particular song sent us on making this upcoming album a bit of a journey, almost concept like but kind of hate that term. There will be a particular flow to the songs and the theme will follow a person’s descent into darkness.
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
Yes, trying to stand out from all the entertainment that’s out there, and it’s not just music. There’s an overload of movies, television, video games, internet etc. etc. The flip side is technology has made it possible for unsigned artists to get our music out there at minimal cost. Anyone with a laptop can have a multitrack studio.
How do you feel about streaming services? Any romantic attachments to the physical formats: vinyl, 8-track, cassettes, CDs?
I’ve never really listened or used any streaming services. Not too cool they are not sharing any of the revenue generated by other people’s music other than a few crumbs. I guess it’s the old getting paid with exposure.
Yeah, miss the big old vinyl records, putting one on and checking out all the lyrics, liner notes and artwork. I think that’s kind of a lost art form the album cover. Plus they were great for cleaning your weed out on ha ha.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
Follow us on the usual suspects. Facebook www.facebook.com/mm3band Twitter @mm3band and our website www.mm3band.com where you can stream our first album, a few tracks from our upcoming album, some live stuff and some covers too.
Anything else before we sign off?
Thank you for this opportunity to be featured in your blog.
