Bon Harris, co-frontman of cult electronic act Nitzer Ebb, has reemerged with his new band Maven. The group features Harris on vocals / keyboards, Ethyl Meatplow's Biff Sanders on drums and guitarist Andy Troy (Polarbear).
Maven formed in Los Angeles (where Harris relocated to from Chicago and his native London) in 2001, a result of Harris desire to stretch his songwriting skills and use his voice for the first time. He came up with the material over a period of several years, in between lengthy studio stints with Marilyn Manson and The Smashing Pumpkins. Some of the Maven tracks were recorded in Chicago, while Harris was working with Corgan and producer Bjorn Thorsrud (Smashing Pumpkins, Dandy Warhols). Others were written and recorded in Los Angeles and at Thorsruds studio in Salt Lake City.
Biff and I began playing in Maven shortly after the breakup of Polarbear, said Andy. Bon was finishing up with Manson when we joined him. Over the next two or three years, we helped Bon finish an album worth of material here in Los Angeles that Bon started when he first moved from England. It just seemed to work from day one. Biff and I had a certain chemistry from Polarbear that translated well with Bons new material. Though Maven and Polarbear are unique, there are certain similarities in combining electronics with traditional instruments that made it familiar when we started working with Bon. We tracked most of the drums at my studio and recorded the additional guitar parts in my living room. Maven self-produced most of the songs, though we received additional production help from Helic Hadar, Bernd Burgdorf, and Steven Stuart Short. Manson performed on our Nick Cave cover of Hard On For Love. I had just finished mixing a record for the late Al McKibbon so Al offered to play stand up bass on Jesus, Mary and Jennifer Louise. We mixed the final versions of the songs with Bjorn. I think the general excitement for us signing with WMG/Cordless Records is in developing new songs together for the first time and continuing to play live.
The resulting material features Harris distinctive electronics and rhythm programming, as well as his first time being the sole front man. The result is both explosive and propulsive. Nitzer Ebb fans will recognize Mavens sound; yet with the additional personnel, there's a greater level of sophistication, which will please both the hardcore fans and appeal to the new audience. The main difference is Im singing and I wrote the songs, explains Harris. My voice is very different and the sorts of things I sing about are different. Theres certainly a connection to Nitzer Ebb; especially in the electronics, which is what I am best-known for.
Also not surprising is Maven's furious must-see live show, driven by Harris' fierce, brooding presence from the stage. Fans new or previous will not be disappointed by this new evolution.
Maven has just completed its first music video for The Candidate directed by Paul Brown and Andy Troy as adapted by concepts created by Marilyn Manson.
