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10 Questions with ... Mako
April 14, 2015
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreMako Twitter: https://twitter.com/wearemako Instagram: instagram.com/wearemako Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/wearemako
1) Who is Mako and how did you come up with the name?
Mako is Logan & Alex and we wrote a demo that ended up being used in a Fruit Of The Loom ad campaign three-and-a-half years ago. They said you need a band name, so we started looking at things from our childhood that we liked, and we took it from a video game that one of us played as a kid. It was a cool name; no one was using it and we kind of stuck with it.
2) So it wasn't from a TV commercial with the tag line "uh oh, better get Maaco"?
We've never heard that commercial, so it didn't come from there, but we might need to sample that and turn it into a song.
3) Where are you guys from and how did you meet?
We're from San Diego and L.A. Our dads were college roommates in the mid-'70s and then, after college, they kind of went their separate ways, but they stayed in contact. Then a few years ago, Alex and his parents came out to L.A. Our parents had dinner and we met for the first time; we started talking and a few months later, we did the demo that became the song for Fruit of The Loom. So I guess you can say we met in 1976 but reconnected some 30+ years later.
4) Your current single, "I Won't Let You Walk Away," features Madison Beer. What can you tell us about it?
It's doing really well. It was a fun, easy record to put together and Madison is such an unbelievable singer, so it was such a blessing for us to pair up our old track, "Sunburst," with a singer with such great talent. It's exciting to see everyone reacting to it now.
5) How did you meet Madison Beer?
We are friends with her managers; we sent over a song to one of them and said we are looking for singers and if you have anyone in mind ... and they suggested Madison, which was a great idea. She came over for three sessions in North Hollywood and we finished it up super-fast and that was it.
6) One of your previous singles that was big was "Beam." Was that the song that broke you guys?
Definitely. We put out an earlier version for free when we first started, which is what lit up our fan base for the first time. Then we re-packaged it with Dannic over at Revealed and that just exploded for us on radio. That was our "coming into the scene" track.
7) Are you guys working on an album, an EP, or some new songs?
We have about 20 songs that we don't know which one to use or finish, and we can't decide if we want to do an album or an EP or a single. If you ask us this week, we'll say a single, but next week we might say an album in September, so for this week it's a single. We should have another one out by the end of April, hopefully.
8) Are you guys doing a lot of touring?
We're going to be doing a bunch of festivals that we're super-excited about. Lollapalooza in Chicago, Global Dance Festival in Denver, Electric Forest in Michigan, Something Wonderful in Dallas ... this is going to be great; we're really busy and we're looking forward to going out and playing for everyone.
9) If you weren't working tonight and could go see one DJ spin, who would be it be?
Odesza, SNBRN, Galantis and Steve Angello, because we have a song we just did with Steve.
10) What's the song you just did with Steve Angello ... and did you do the production or a remix on it?
It's called "Children Of The Wild." It's actually been floating around for a little while, but we have two songs that we worked on with him, and I know he has been playing that one out. We're super-excited for him to release that one, plus he's got a lot of really exciting stuff on his album. It's actually Alex singing on it. We wrote the song; Steve heard it and he said, "Let's get into the studio ASAP," so we met up with him in L.A. for two or three studio sessions, and we got together for dinner and jammed. I actually recorded a kids choir for the chorus on the song. One of my friends teaches middle school kids and I gave them lyrics and they shouted it out. It came out great.
Bonus Questions
If I was going to go to San Diego to have a good meal, where would I go?
I always go down to the Gas Lamp; my favorite spot in San Diego is called Felipe's Pizza. It is the best pizza you'll ever have in your life. I've been to a lot of different restaurants in America and you'll never have pizza like this.
What about in L.A.?
The go to spot is In N Out, but that's all over California. Sugar Fish is a good one for sushi people. My favorite place for a nice meal is Pace in Laurel Canyon.
We're driving from L.A. to S.D. What would your fans be surprised to hear playing in your car?
Your going to hear Gustav Mahler's 5th Symphony on repeat the whole way down from Alex and Radio Head from Logan, that's all Logan listens to outside of this.
One must-have travel item?
For Logan, toothpaste and hair gel. I borrow it from Alex. From Alex, I have a documentary on the Roosevelt's, so I watch it all the time on the plane.
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