MAGAS

Jim Magas (born James Marlon Magas, 1966) grew up in the wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Spending much of his time alone, in the wilderness, Magas developed an active imagination, filling many hours with reading and drawing. During his teen years, Magas found solace in the hard rock of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult, and later, Black Flag, the Birthday Party and the Butthole Surfers. At age 18, Magas moved to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, theoretically to go to college, but Magas spent more time getting a musical education, going to see bizarre Michigan punk bands like the Crucifucks, Army of God, Legion of Doom and others. Disillusioned with a traditional career path, Magas lived in Texas for a year, but moved back to Michigan, this time settling on Ann Arbor.After spending time with local heroes, the Laughing Hyenas, Magas decided that it was time to start his own band. Inspired by Michigan’s aggressive punk scene and early ‘90s Japanese noise, Magas sought out band-mates, but had little success in finding other musicians hell-bent on breaking rules and boundaries. Eventually Magas met Pete Larson, who was also on a similar trajectory with his own musical direction. In one day, they formed the band COUCH and played their first gig. COUCH were largely hated at first, which Magas and Larson reveled in. Soon, the pair formed BULB Records, put out a 7” and were forced to be taken seriously. COUCH played with an ever-changing line-up of drummers including Jon Wald, Charlie Roberts, Scott Smith, Matt?, Bob?. Jeff Warmouth, Andrew WK, eventually finding permanence in Galen’s Aaron Dilloway, who would later go on to play in Wolf Eyes and perform solo work under his own name.In 1994, Pete Larson moved to Germany, while Magas operated Bulb and busied himself with the Many Moods of Marlon Magas. Magas formed “the Moods” to see if he could create exotic hard rock with no electric instruments. The Moods consisted of several horn players, one standard drum kit, one conga player and one dumbek drummer. Magas was aided by Weasel Walter, who was able to translate Magas’ direction into precise musical terms for the other players. This band, also including Matt Krizowsky, Aaron Dilloway, Nondor Nevai, Don Allen, Justin Allen, Chad Organ, Matt Smith and others, swelled in proportion and membership, eventually collapsing under it’s own weight. Also during this time, Magas formed an instrumental biker rock band called The Browns, along with Aaron Dilloway and Gravitar/Easy Action axeman, Harold Richardson. The side-projects immediately halted when Larson returned to Europe and COUCH resumed activity. With volatile tempers raging, COUCH called it quits, with Magas moving to Chicago following COUCH’s first west coast tour. Larson assumed sole ownership of Bulb, releasing music by Quintron, Andrew WK and Wolf Eyes.Fresh in Chicago, Weasel Walter asked Magas, “Do you want to reform Couch, without Pete?” “Okay, but we’d have to call it something different.” After careful thought, the name LAKE OF DRACULA was given. When told of the idea and the band name, Scissor Girls drummer Heather Melowic signed on immediately. LAKE OF DRACULA’s chemistry immediately clicked, and the band soon found itself playing numerous shows. The band released an album on Skin Graft, as well as 7”s on Kill Rock Stars and Carcrash. The band occasionally featured a mysterious backing vocalist, “The Manhattanite”. After a west coast tour, augmented with the addition of bassist Jessica Ruffins, the band called it quits when Melowic announced plans to return to school. Replacements were sought, but nothing panned out.After the breakup of LAKE OF DRACULA, Magas quit making music for a while, marrying his girlfriend, Bridgette Wilson, and taking a security job for a large retail company. Before long, Magas formed a short-lived band with two bassists (Jessica Ruffins and Fred Lonberg-Holm) and a drummer (Bill Skibbe), playing only a bass drum and cowbell. The band, Plastic Scorpion played one show with Beast People and Caroliner Rainbow. Obsessed with minimal techno and the idea of trunk-rattling bass, Magas soon acquired an MC-505 groovebox and taught himself how to program beats.MAGAS, the solo artist, debuted in 1999, playing with To Live and Shave In LA and Leslie Q. MAGAS soon outgrew the MC-505, expanding his arsenal to include a Roland TR-808, an ARP 2800 Mk I and several other pieces of old analogue gear, after being tutored by Adult.s Adam Lee Miller. ADULT signed Magas to their Ersatz Audio imprint, and took Magas on two North American tours. MAGAS also enjoyed several high profile show during that period, playing with Sonic Youth, Peaches, Andrew WK,, Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Les Georges Leningrad, Wolf Eyes, Sightings, Luke Eargoggle and many others. MAGAS also began getting offers to remix, from Bobby Conn, Les Georges Leningrad and Arthur Baker. MAGAS was invited to play in Spain, at the highly regarded Festival In Benicassim, as part of an Ersatz Audio label night. Simultaneous to all this, Magas and his wife, Bridgette Wilson, opened their own store in 2000, WEEKEND RECORDS AND SOAP. Weekend served as a friendly haven for out music of all sorts and Wilson’s natural, handmade Sparx Soap, until closing in 2004.MAGAS then embarked on his first solo overseas tour, losing gear and blowing fuses across Europe, returning again in 2005, to blow more fuses. During these tours, MAGAS played with DJ Stel-R, Kap Bambino, GD Luxxe, X and the Living End, Alvo Noto, Rother & Moebius and many more, making great friends along the way. Inspired by his adventures, Magas set to work on MAY I MEET MY ACCUSER, which was released by his own Imaginary Conflict and Kap Bambino’s Wwilko label on vinyl. MAGAS played only in the Midwest during this period, in order to raise his new daughter, Stella Magas.In 2008, MAGAS continues to write, produce and perform music, drawing inspiration from heavy progressive music of the late 60s/early 70s, under the tutelage of the great HEAVY ROCK SPECTACULAR rock blog. Records are planned for release on Chicago’s NATION label and Italy’s PUNCH records. For the time-being, live performances will be rare.I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4