The Brooklyn outfit ratcheted the intensity up to 10 with their gripping new release.
Emerging from the city that never sleeps, Makes My Blood Dance (MMBD) exploded onto the scene and immediately established itself as a force to be reckoned with. Nothing else is true to themselves and their artistic inspirations; their creativity knows no bounds.
Hailing from Brooklyn, Nyc, this disco-metal group is an infinitely expanding experiment in sonic expression, captivating audiences with a unique sound and performance that brings the usually distant worlds of theatre and metal together.
The most significant growth opportunities come during adversity. This would prove true for MMBD frontman Evan Russell Saffer, who would meet and bond with guitar and synth player Jon Kristian during their early recovery from addiction.
Joined later by the hugely talented bassist Filia Luna and the formidable drummer duo of Allan Zaparoli (studio) and Crow Starbird (tour), MMBD has been rocking out venues and captivating audiences ever since. With the band in peak shape, it’s looking like their upcoming “Heaven Collide” tour will be ca n’t-miss territory.
MMBD’s latest single and namesake for their tour, “Heaven Collides,” perfectly captures the essence of their explosive sound. From the first instance, a thunderous guitar and drums set the stage for Saffer’s haunting vocals to plunge you into the abyss.
As the instrumentals continue their intense march, lyrics like “I never know if I’m good enough /Lay your shadows next to mine / One more night with my dreams as my light and guide” spell out a tortured soul looking for genuine connection within the darkness. For any rock fans, this is certainly not a performance to be missed.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Makes My Blood Dance! We loved "Heaven Collides," we wanted to ask! What was the creative process like for this release?
This song was a long time in the making. I wrote it on acoustic guitar several years ago. It's not our catchiest song, but it has this epic quality that Jon and I love. I sent it to him for his magic touch, and it started to take shape into what you hear now. There were strings, amazing guitar solos, and additional vocals added. The final touch was working with 12 Inch Media on the lyric video, which augments this song as a creative piece. We will be playing this song live on the Heaven Collides Tour from Aug 3 to Aug 19 on the US East Coast—more tours to come, which will feature longer jammed-out sections of this song.
What does music mean to you as a group? Do you have a favorite musical memory together?
We just returned from recording four new singles with producer Mikal Blue (OneRepublic, Fear Factory, Drowning Pool, Macy Gray) and Brett Mazur (CrazyTown). That was an incredible experience where we all hit flow state daily in the studio—bringing together creative minds and achieving something beyond us. Engineers Alex and Dalton were also excellent. As far as the music meaning something, it's powerful magic, and working it in tandem with other creatives and bringing people together is what it means to MMBD on the deepest level.
Where did the name Makes My Blood Dance come from? Give us the origin story behind your name!
I am a big fan of poet Chris Poindexter; the name was a jumble of words that caught my eye in the body of one of his poems. It was the feeling he got from looking at his girlfriend. I connected with that crazy joyful experience of love recognized in the self. I put the name on a list of others, and Jon and the rest of the group all wanted it, so I thought, that's divine intervention.
What would you want it to be if your listeners could take one thing away from your music?
We want to bring people up, make them feel better, and connect spiritually and magically. Come to MMBD shows - it's undeniable. Get a group of friends together and come to the shows.
What's next for MMBD? You mentioned you're touring soon, right? Any performances you're especially looking forward to?
The Heaven Collides Tour runs on the East Coast USA from Aug 3-Aug 19. Get tickets and info here. We will announce two more tours in 2023 in different regions of the US; stay tuned for those in October and December. We're also gearing up to shoot a new video for the Mikal Blue singles we just recorded, then more touring in 2024. Check out some excellent bands supporting MMBD on tour on our Alpha Centauri Records playlist.