Makes My Blood Dance won’t be strangers to those who’ve been reading Essentially Pop for the past few years, but there’s still been some burning questions we’ve wanted to ask them if we had the chance. Thankfully that opportunity has been given to us.
We spoke with lead singer, Evan Russell Saffer.
Hi Evan, thanks for speaking to us! We’ve written about Makes My Blood Dance a few times over the past couple of years, but what I would like to know is, how did you come up with the name of your band?
It was a part of a poem by Chris Poindexter that was describing his feelings when looking at his girlfriend. Something like the sight of her makes my blood dance. I just thought, isn’t that the feeling we all want all the time? No drugs, no alcohol, nothing but pure ecstasy and gratitude, the feeling of feeling love and bliss. This band started at a time in my life when I became sober and started a new spiritual journey. It felt right. However, I left fate decide by putting it in a list of other names and presenting it to John and the rest of the band. Everyone agreed that it should be the name without any influence from me. Just meant to be I guess.
Your new single, ‘Together Apart’ comes with a brilliant music video – we loved it a lot! How long did it take to make, and was it fun getting your inner Dancing With The Stars on? Did you have to do some training?
The making of Together Apart took months of pre production. Everything from writing the treatment and concept creation to finding the right venue. I worked with Ali Stevens on the choreography for many hours in virtual rehearsals one on one and with the other dancers. The day of shooting was one of the best creative moments of my life. I was so inspired dancing with Ali that I wrote another song called Dancin’ with an Angel which will see a release down the line. Also a week later I started writing the next video which is also very dance oriented (as are all our videos). Ali has an inner light that shines so bright when she is dancing, as soon as I saw her videos I wanted her in the MMBD video and pretty soon after meeting her I asked her to choreograph the whole thing. That video is electrifying to watch and you can feel the energy. It’s got all the elements of Makes My Blood Dance – that blissful erotic love that you can channel and see and feel and touch.
How has the pandemic been treating you? What changes have you made during this time and what ones are you going to take with you into the new normal?
We upgraded our home studios and recording process. We learned to work virtually bigger and better than before. The only drawback was the lack of touring, however, MMBD is heading out on the Lightning and Thunder tour with Edge of Destiny from Aug 17 – Sept 3, 2022. Check our sites for dates and tickets.
What are the top three tracks on your playlist, and how did they get to be in that position? What artists are most inspirational to you, and why? And who or what inspires you most of all in your day to day lives?
Top 3 track right now in this very moment:
Fozzy “I Still Burn”
Three Days Grace “So Called Life”
Bad Omens “Like A Villain”
I love artists that take chances, that dig deep and do something fresh and that have an undeniable melodic sense that gets me hooked. Something inside just clicks and then I’m a fan whether they are popular or not. My day to day inspiration just comes in the work, in doing what we are doing, in communicating and creating with John and in performing live with the entire band. Right now I am busy setting up our Lightning and Thunder tour with our entire team, designing new merch, doing interviews and rehearsing the new set.
If we had the power to get you sponsorship from any musical instrument brand, who would it be and why?
John and I will be going to NAMM this year to answer that question. I am in the market for a new wireless monitor system and body pack. Perhaps also a new microphone. Right now I am using Shure for both and my preferred live mic is Shure 58 Beta.
What’s the songwriting process for you? What comes first, the words, the melody, or a bit of both? Is the band a democracy, or is there a definite person who has the last say in whatever decision that’s made?
The songwriting has always been John and myself. Mostly John comes at me with the musical arrangement and I lay down the melodies and lyrics. There have been songs that have been me writing it on guitar and singing a melody and then John fleshing it out but the majority come from the first approach.
What lays ahead for you as a band, and what can fans look forward to?
More content, we’ve got music recording, videos on the way and the Lightning and Thunder tour will be epic. Don’t miss seeing us live!!
Finally, what question or questions do you wish someone would ask you in an interview, but nobody ever does? And what’s the answer?
We carry our secrets inside because we are afraid of how people will judge us. The very nature of this question dives into that for me. We are all free in our hearts, that’s the place we all want to be, but take lifetimes to find the courage and right people to share that love and understanding. The right questions do not require an answer and most likely I need to look in your eyes…..there’s an understanding between us deeper than love and we embrace on a cosmic level that is infinite. Questions take energy, love shares and gives endlessly. I love you, keep going.
Watch the video for ‘Together Apart’ below, and find out more about Makes My Blood Dance, and their music, online on Spotify, and Instagram.
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