Psychic Family

From Portland, Oregon, the ‘Rose City’ of the U.S.A comes Magick Daggers. I caught up with lead vocalist and bass player Jessy Montaigne to talk about her haunted house, burlesque shows and the record label split that has delayed the release of their debut album.

Keen to get some publicity for their new album Lions Of Alchemy, Jessy from Magick Daggers was more than happy to share some of the more interesting facts about herself and the band with me. Formed in 2006, the band fell together relatively easily. Whether meeting through loved ones, friends or purely from a desire to try something new, Jessy says they’re “all connected in ways, like a psychic family.” Collectively the band has five core members, Jessy (vocals, bass), Maximillion (drums, percussion), Xtine (keys), Allegra (cello) and Peter (guitar, bass). Over time other friends come and go, often adding to recordings and sometimes contributing to the live performance.

Jessy remembers back to the band’s first gig and explains that things have changed a bit since then. When the band first came together they were a trio and played their first gig in Maximillion’s living room. “We had a house party (with Kaetlyn Kennedy on keys), the cops came, the lights were surging from the amp power, it felt really chaotic, but surreal with the lights flickering.” Since the garage days of living room shows and house parties the band has become a much more recognised force. They have played shows across America, including in New York with The Bellmer Dolls, California with The Holy Kiss and in Seattle. But Portland remains the band’s stomping ground, playing with friends and to a group of loyal fans still brings the most joy. The band’s close friends include “Lost Lockets, Get Hussle, the up and coming Vitchy Witchy, Silentist and Blood.” Jessy explains with a capital Y, “YES…Portland is spilling at the brim with bands”.

In March Magick Daggers went into the studio to record their first full-length album. Jessy says, “it was a very long process. We allowed ourselves a lot of space to play with different ideas and expand on what we do live.” The end result is an elegant but haunting mix of classical gothic rock and passionate love songs. The recordings have captured a dark tortured sound that unwinds and expands into epic shrouds of rhythmic noise. On the song ‘Lonesome Town’, Jessy says you can can even hear the rain. Perhaps appropriate given the stormy, thunderous imagery created by the music.

However not long after completing the recording of Lions Of Alchemy the band decided to part ways with their record label. As a result, the band was left to recoup the costs of recording and is currently looking for a new label to distribute the record. Jessy explains the situation, “Our label was relatively new and riding on the promise of a rather large check from it’s distributor to pay for our recording, which didn’t happen and I believe is now in suit. It wasn’t a negative break, but we had to move on and find a way to get the record out.” The band has now been approached by an Australian label who, with help from some friends, may partner up for a US distribution. But right now things are still uncertain, Jessy says, “nothing has been committed to”. The state of the US economy remains a huge obstacle, “The economy is really bad here, most smaller labels aren’t doing much.”

Away from the music industry but most likely still affected by the US economy, Jessy is a DJ and helps run a communal cabaret nightclub named Black Lodge. She says, “we collaborate in burlesque and other diabolical schemes. I have high interests in occultism intermingled with the power of high glamour.” She is also studying the art of talking to ghosts, many of which exist in her Portland home, “I study the hauntings in my house and am currently working on learning how to hold a seance with my beloved.”

A commom theme across a number interviews I’ve conducted lately, Jessy talks about the current Bush regime and how the price of oil is putting unwanted pressure on many bands’ tour schedules. “If gas prices go down with the ousting of the Bush big-oil regime, you’ll see a lot more (bands) touring and much happier. (I) hope we will see a major change coming”. Magick Daggers’ future plans involve “travel, travel, travel and expanding as much as possible. We want to come overseas badly and are waiting for the right opportunity to get there.” For that to happen they need money, and money will only come when the government is made accountable by the people.