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Modern Digital Militia

Nux: The first two recordings were very primitive and were only ever released on cassette. They were recorded on an old Tascam four-track, and the quality was rather shoddy, but they laid the groundwork for the CDs to come. Our first CD, Afloat on the River Styx, was still rather primitive in nature, but it was our first attempt at digital recording. We were still using the same synth sounds sequenced by an old Roland sequencer, but the songwriting went in a much more 'metal' direction. Dawn of a New Order was the album where we settled into our more current danceable industrial rock sound and touched a bit in the political area with the songs 'Lock and Load' as well as 'Dark Star.' During the writing of the album Unified State of Aggression the Twin Towers in New York were hit. The media bombardment with the 'War on Terror' served as heavy influence on our writing for that album. The political climate since 9/11 has only become worse in the USA and Canada, as well as the rest of the world, and therefore our current album, Modern Digital Militia, is a reflection of these current times.

MDM originated as a duo but now is a four-piece; can you tell us who joined and when?

Nux: MDM started out as a two-piece (myself and DT) on the first two albums. During gigging for our second album, our lighting/visual guy AD had a very energetic presence, so we brought him on stage from that point forward. The lineup remained the same throughout the the albums Afloat on the River Styx and Dawn of a New Order. AD had moved on by this time, and we added Viktor on rhythm guitar and SINic on drums during Unified State of Aggression. DT moved to Ottawa partly through the writing of Modern Digital Militia to pursue other career options, and Daniel X was invited to fill his shoes.

Modern Digital Militia is a vehement criticism of the U.S. neoconservative and evangelical movements. What attracts you to U.S. policy, and have you ever written about Canadian politics?

Nux: We're not really attracted to U.S. policy; we're bombarded with it. In many cases, both of our countries' governments work hand in hand to achieve common goals, such as Canada's involvement in Afghanistan fighting alongside U.S. and NATO troops. With our current government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it seems as though he is bowing unto the same corporate interests that drove the Bush administration to enact their current policies. I'm sure if things continue along the current path in Canada, there will be an abundance of issues with which we will engage in protest.

This past March, you won two Niagara Music Awards, one for Best Metal Band and one for Best Dance Song. How does it feel to be recognized in two such diverse categories? Are you the first band to win both of those categories?

Nux: It was certainly unexpected that we would win either award, much less both! There were some really great artists in both categories, so we really thought it could go any which way. It felt really great to win both awards, mostly to the effect that we've finally received some recognition from the general populace in our home town for over a decade of contribution to the Niagara scene. The media here have been exceptionally kind to us, and overall it's been a really great feeling. Being that it was the inaugural year for the Niagara Music Awards, we were indeed the first band to win both of those awards.

Canada has a rich legacy of goth, industrial and EBM music. What do you think the reason for that is, and how does MDM fit into that rich legacy?

Nux: Canada definitely has had a rich history within this scene, but I'm not really sure where that stems from. Canadians have generally been very liberal and open-minded, so perhaps that was enough for the early Canadian pioneers to absorb and expand upon some of the European concepts prevalent in electronic music at the time. Within MDM, we try to maintain a certain level of the 'classic' industrial sound but shape it with more modern beats and sounds as well as blending in much more guitars. We differ considerably from most of the other 'newer' Canadian bands these days, such as DYM, Left Spine Down, or our friends The Birthday Massacre, but I think we all uphold the tradition of Canadian electronic music in our own unique way.

Recording Skinny Puppy's 'Smothered Hope' is a bold idea. Why did you choose to cover such an iconic song, and did people warn against it?

Nux: We chose to cover the song for no reason other than we are huge Skinny Puppy fans and I've always thought the song would sound great with some heavy guitars added. No one warned against it, rather most people we'd played it in front of live encouraged it. Although I was a bit nervous about how some of the 'hardcore' Puppy fans would receive it, the reception has been really, really positive.

Wearing militaristic uniforms is something that extends back to Laibach, Psychic TV and Throbbing Gristle. How do you feel that militaristic uniforms identify with industrial, and why do you choose to wear them?

Nux: The music is just so aggressive and stompy, so the militaristic imagery lends itself perfectly to the genre. We didn't wear uniforms when we first started playing. They came along to compliment the themes in our music as it became more political in nature. It just made sense to us at that point to add them.

Between the uniforms and flags, MDM's live show is an event as well as concert. Describe your show to those who have not had a chance to see you live. And what are your touring plans for the 2008 and 2009 season?

Nux: Well, yes, there are the uniforms and flags, plus we have a background video with messages and propaganda that compliments each song as we progress through the set. We'll be adding some new banners in the near future, as soon as they're finished being printed. We'll hopefully be doing a mini-tour of eastern Canada with the possibility of a few U.S. dates this fall, and hopefully we'll be able to get over to Europe next summer as well as more dates in the USA.

Is 'Demander and Thief' directly about soldiers in Iraq? Have you had any response from soldiers or family members in reaction to the directness of the lyrics?

Nux: It's not so much about the soldiers in Iraq, although they are mentioned. It's actually about the war culture and how the government has used its power over the media to maintain our ignorance. It's about seeing beyond the information that we are force-fed to hopefully transcend our current culture of war. We have received messages via our MySpace page from a number of soldiers returning from Iraq which have been very encouraging about our material. They're just doing their jobs over there, and a majority of them really don't support what they're fighting for, and they have no voice over there. That's why it's so important for those of us over here to speak up.

Do the values you have listed on your Web site describe what you expect from a government as well as what you deliver as a band?

Nux: The values and virtues listed on our homepage are what I feel are missing from our society as a whole. Through our evolution economically, technologically and socially, we've left many if not all of these values and virtues in the past. Societally we are very detached from the things that make our world function or cease to function. We are so wrapped up in our gadgetry and distracting entertainments that we fail to see how we are destroying the very fabrics of our existence on this planet. I think that a return to and a focus on these virtues would be a great start to healing a very sick world.

The Bush Era ends on Jan. 20, 2009. Do you hope that 'Das Ist Krieg (American Reich)' will lose a little of its relevancy on that day? What does MDM plan to do on that date?

Nux: I sincerely hope so, although I don't think the next president will have a drastic impact on current conditions, at least not in their first term. It's going to take a huge amount of effort and a long time to clean up the current mess. On the 20th of January, we will be following the elections closely, as we do with all elections, both in the USA and here in Canada. I think these elections will get much more international coverage due to the sheer fact that this election will have a global consequential outcome.