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Chicago based chiptune band I Fight Dragons have been using all kinds of crazy things to create amazing music, including Gameboys and old Nintendo powerpads, they also mix elements of pop punk, hard rock and power pop into their infectious tunes. The band has been hard at work and recently released their second album ‘The Near Future‘, it has a high concept yet keeps things fun.
GroundSounds recently caught up with frontman Brian Mazzaferri to talk about I Fight Dragons latest project, musical inspirations and more, check out the exclusive interview below.
Can you tell us about the creative and writing process for the track “With You?”
Sure! “With You” actually came out all in a rush one day back in 2008, and it was a song I wrote about my girlfriend at the time (now my wife of 4 years, so I wasn’t kidding about the I will stay with you part). I had always wanted to write a real love song, but up until I wrote “With You” every song I wrote was about heartbreak and the mixed emotions that love brings. Folks weren’t really sure if it belonged on “Cool Is Just A Number” since it’s such a ballad and so different from the rest of our first EP, but I was really proud of the song and I wanted it on the record, and I’m really happy that I pushed for it.
What do you guys enjoy most about Chicago? What is one local spot that every visitor should check out?
Wow, we’re all Chicagoans through and through, all of us were born and raised in the Chicagoland area, so it’s basically in our blood. I think we all just love this city, I know for me the combination of midwestern values and metropolitan culture is absolutely part of my DNA. Spot-wise, it’s really hard to pick any one spot. As corny as it is, there’s nothing that beats Lou Malnati’s for deep dish or the Weiner Circle for hot dogs, I’d also say that not too far away is People Play Games in lakeview, which is my favorite retro game store.
When you guys are rocking out on stage what typically goes through your mind?
Don’t forget the words don’t forget the words don’t forget the words.
In all seriousness, we’re generally pretty introverted guys (except for Chad), so I think there’s an element in which we absolutely try to connect with the crowd and feed off of them and give them an experience. On the best nights, when it all comes together, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.
What initially made you guys decide to incorporate chiptune music with elements of modern rock? What is it about this sound that attracts you guys to it?
It was something I sort of stumbled on back in 2008, when I was making demos with Bill Prokopow. He and I were both in various Chicago-area bands, and I had the random idea that I wanted to make a song where the intro sounded like it was the chorus but as if it were coming out of an NES. So we played a bunch of Mario 3 for reference, then mocked it up. Ultimately, that ended up being the actual intro to “Heads Up, Hearts Down,” and from the day we made that demo I knew that it was that new sound I’d been looking for. Of course, it turns out I had stumbled into a vibrant scene which already had tons of people making awesome work, and I was lucky enough to benefit from all of that experience in terms of learning how to make chiptune for real.
Can you tell us about the inspiration for your latest album ‘The Near Future?’
Sure thing! We started conceiving The Near Future after we left our label in 2012. We had spent a couple of years in the traditional label system and had taken the quest for “that one hit song” about as far as it could go. So, we turned in a complete opposite direction and made something that could have no conceivable commercial value, a 22-minute song-cycle with big instrumental sections and a companion graphic novel
How did you guys come up with the idea of making the first half of the record a concept-song cycle that is accompanied with a graphic novel?
I sort of already stumbled into this answer, but it was a bit of a running-in-the-other-direction reaction to the experience of being on a label in many ways. Also, I was really into Rush’s 2112 at the time, so one could say the album is loosely templated on that concept, an album with the first side being a conceptual song cycle and the other side just being some straight-up rock songs.
You guys will be playing Nerd Prom 2015 in a week, could you tell us a little bit about this event, how do you guys typically prepare for shows?
Due to my delay in replying (I’m sorry!) this actually happened last week, but we always take a good amount of time crafting our set lists to think about the venue, the audience, and what our set is ultimately supposed to be doing in any given context. Nerd Prom was sort of a special one, since we just knew it was going to be a blast and that was that. It certainly was! Plus, getting to guest on the Guardians of the Galaxy songs was an absolute blast.
What is your favorite gaming console and why?
I’ve got to say SNES. The RPGs on the SNES were my perfect blend of story, gameplay, and graphics. The graphics weren’t good enough to be the whole show, so the story and the gameplay had to step up and be compelling, and it caused games like Earthbound and Final Fantasy III(VI), which to this day are still some of my favorites.
What’s next for I Fight Dragon? What can fans look forward to?
Touring! Woo!! Seriously we’re actually still in the final stages of wrapping up the Kickstarter, with one more big reward to fulfill (writing 7 people’s individual theme songs), after which point we’ll definitely be hitting the road a bit to tour the new album, and then make something new!
