Gee and J of Mamaleek Talk ‘Vida Blue’

Written for New Noise Magazine: October 2024

Unique, New York

Under a layer of shrouded mystery lie Mamaleek, beginning as an anonymous duo of two brothers, and being loosely, and as a general guestimate, defined as deconstructed metal. That doesn’t, however, even begin to come close to describing what’s really under the hood to the point that even members Gee and J aren’t fully sure how to explain it.

“I haven’t thought about that in all these years,” shares Gee. “We’ve been trying to avoid questions of identity, mainly, because it’s just a headache. I don’t really know what it is, and hopefully, I’ll never really know. It’s really hard to pin down its idiosyncratic character, but I think it’s just the shaping of our own artistic idiom.”

“I have some sympathy for anybody who has to put words to it,” adds J. “We don’t have corrections to anybody’s description of the music. In fact, we’re grateful for their interpretation.”

Successfully maintaining the illusion since 2008, Gee and J admit that the group have been provided a very unique opportunity considering most artists these days are reliant on being publicly visible and the energy and financial burden that latches to it. Mamaleek, masters of living on the outskirts of the outside of the box, have kept it as private and intimate as they possibly can and have seemingly exceeded expectations.

According to Encyclopedia Metallum – Metal-Archives.com, (in 2009): “Although most members’ identities are anonymous, it is known that the band includes two brothers. The closest thing to a band photo that exists of them is a photo of the two as children.” The enigma of Mamaleek grows stronger and stronger every day, with no apparent end in sight, which just adds to their exponential lore.

The Swingin As

Mamaleek are back with their eighth full-length, Vida Blue, out now via The Flenser. It takes the listener on a perilous-yet-poignant, whirlwind of a journey that fulfills the desires of reflection and overarching songscapes while also tossing in bits and pieces of introspective dynamics with just a smattering of desolation.

“It doesn’t really feel like a start and a stop, especially with this project,” shares J. “It’s kind of always happening on some level and also paradoxically, also at a place of paralysis. We weren’t so much inspired by any one event, but certainly the grief of dealing with (Eric’s departure) on a day-to-day level was very much a part of the record and a part of what we were trying to work through and understand a little bit better.”

Vida Blue was inspired initially by the early 1970s Oakland Athletics and their three straight World Series championships from 1972-1974 and their now, what some would call, demise today. The album is a story of highs and lows and dealing with the heartbreak of loss and the subsequent triumph of overcoming it.

“It was clearly the best of times then, and now, it’s clearly the worst of times for the franchise,” explains Gee. “But then, also thinking about that in terms of these characters and their legacy, and I don’t think it’s the worst of times now. It really doesn’t diminish any of their heritage or legacy from the faces, and I think in many ways it magnifies, and I think the same goes for a lot of losses.”

“I think it was an evolving process that we were discovering while making (the record),” clarifies J. “It’s also sort of misleading to speak exactly about what the record is about. In many ways, what Gee is explaining was a gateway into the larger themes that we were exploring. It was a way to put identity, identities, and figures to it. It’s used as a tool to connect with music and to explore the music on a deeper level. (It’s) a connective tissue for personal loss, communal loss, that the band might have experienced.”

According to Gee, the opening track, “Tegucigalpa,” refers to a time that they and several other members spent in Honduras, and the song is a way of reflecting, summary, and insight in terms of a journey. They feel that this first track is an “encapsulation of the whole album in terms of the different movements and the false starts and stops.” What’s even more impressive is being able to develop those themes and experiences as a musical journey.

One of the most impactful tracks is the 10-minute long saga of “Legion of Bottom Deck Feelers,” featuring a cacophony of different sounds ranging from eastern centric, gospel choir, modern rock, and ethereal theremin echoes to demonic Rammstein vocals, acoustic guitar, future 8-bit and a splash of funky woodwind and bass blends. With other standout tracks “Vileness Slim,” and “Ancient Souls, No Longer Sorrowful,” Vida Blue brings it in every fashion of the word.

Daft Punk, is that you?

What began as an anonymous duo of two brothers, expanded to a five-piece before keyboardist Eric Livingston left in 2023, and currently the band function as a solid four-piece. While the group keeps it as private as possible with a lack of direct engagement with fans and full anonymity (for the most part), they have still found a way to grow one hell of a following. Fresh off a three-day run with Have a Nice Life, hitting Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, Mamaleek are still in awe of what exactly just happened.

“I’m still processing last weekend,” admits Gee. “It’s a completely different horizon, different context. The fan response has been really humbling. It put (everything) into a different perspective that we didn’t have for most of the band’s existence, and it’s almost strange to see the level of familiarity and enthusiasm for the tunes. It’s hard to believe that they’re so passionate without the benefit of the typical stuff like merch, and there’s these basic ways for an audience to interact with the band that they’ve been so far denied. We’re living through that transition now and processing it at the moment.”

Now, they look to the future at a run supporting label mates Chat Pile in November, and luckily, they soaked up every little thing they could from the weekender they still can’t wrap their heads fully around.

“It was a hell of an education in a short amount of time,” laughs Gee. “I learned a lot about the requirements of touring because we have an upcoming one that I don’t feel prepared for even after having that experience. It really underscored values of patience and good communication but even learning stage or production vocabulary. It’s been really humbling during this, and I don’t know how others tour regularly, especially for extended periods.

“The sleep deprivation, the poor diet, the constant motion, the stress, it’s really not for me, but everyone in Have a Nice Life are real mensches, and their fans know that already, but it’s something we can confirm through direct experience. People can detect authenticity and integrity, and it’s nice that people can satiate that craving with folks like Have a Nice Life and Chat Pile.”