I love a good Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything). A few days ago, Bill Murray did perhaps the greatest AMA of all time, second only to the two-dick dude, but this weekend another AMA may have gone unnoticed and it was that of Periphery guitarist, Misha Mansoor. Mansoor took to the Prog Metal subreddit to answer fan questions, and help promote his band's new release, Clear, which you can stream in full right here.
Here are some highlights of the AMA:
Do you plan to do anything with "Not Enough Mana"? The ending to that song is seriously one of the best things you've ever written.
If it doesn't make it onto the next Periphery album I will likely put it on the Solo album!
Have you ever tried to get Chino Moreno to do guest vocals on a Periphery song? My mind can't even comprehend the awesomeness.
We actually tried to get him for Periphery II and he was down, but our schedules made it difficult for that to happen. We will just have to try to get him for the next one!
Mr. Mansoor, firstly, how are you doing today? Secondly, out of all of Periphery's work, do you have any tracks that are your personal favorites or ones that make you go "wow I can't believe I wrote that!"
I am doing well thanks!! I wish I could feel surprised by my own music, but I think the nature of writing stuff that is in your head means that it is rarely surprising. The only exception would be when I stumble upon something, or do something by accident that sounds cool. I guess Racecar might qualify, but Jake wrote a lot of that which might explain the feeling.
Misha, what metal band is out there right now that people are sleeping on? Who should people be listening?
I wish I was better versed with metal, I don't really listen to a lot of it these days. That said, Soreption is sick and so is what I have heard of Fallujah. Also 12 foot ninja and Chimp Spanner always need love.
You mentioned recording a solo album not too long ago. Is that still on the cards? I may be mistaken, but in the video interview with you and Wes Hauch, it sounded like some re-recordings of your old demos were playing in the background. Did they have anything to do with the album?
I would like to work on that, but the combination of not having enough downtime to really dig in between tours as well as wanting to let Periphery have right of first refusal with my material means that I am going to hold off until I know what is going towards the next full-length.
What is the difference between a talented band that nobody knows about and one that has gained a lot of recognition? How has promotion of bands changed recently?
Three things in my opinion: Business Sense, a good team and luck. The bands that don't treat their bands like a business won't reap the financial benefits and potential the band has as a small business. A good team can look out for all aspects for the band with the band's best interest in mind and allow for the band to focus on what it does well which is to create and perform their music. If there is a weak link in your team it will likely be working against ALL aspects. And luck is important, but only if your opportunities are not squandered. You have no control over luck, but what you do with your luck makes all the difference, and that is where the team can shine.
Misha, I am a massive fan of Periphery and love your own solo work! Do you think your own playing style has been influenced by Mark, Jake, Nolly, Matt or Spencer? I wish you the best of luck in 2014 and I can't wait for Juggernaut to come out as well!
Absolutely. We all influence each other. For example, Mark and Jake were both very influenced by what I was writing when we first met as their styles were pretty different back then. They went with that and turned it into their own thing and now I am incredibly influenced by their styles, and it's kind of this friendly competition. We all want to be writing parts and songs that are worthy, but those guys keep raising the bar on me haha.
Read the entire AMA right here
