01-16-2007, 12:31 PM
MFA: THE CONCEPT
Since the inception of MFA in 2001, the primary goal has always been to create an ever-growing alliance of like-minded and forward-thinking people......
united by the music of MFA and by the creative arts in general. Everyone involved in all aspects of MFA strongly believes in the power of positive creation; that is, if you put your love and energy into a creative medium, you are offering it as a gift to the whole of existence, and that vibration ripples across life and time like a stone on a pond. The love and energy you put into your art is felt and absorbed by all who are blessed to experience your work, and hopefully they become inspired to create something of their own, thus continuing the cycle.
History has shown the influence of art on life, and vice-versa, and although artists are not as publicly praised in these modern times as they have been in the past, there is no denying the impact that profound, thought-provoking, pure art has on our society; or, to the same extent, the impact of superficial, tainted art.
Specifically, the majority of modern American mainstream music is created largely for the purpose of financial profit. Whether the listener is aware or not, the greed behind this music is absorbed by the public, who in turn is inspired by such greed and drives it back into the world through their daily actions. The members of MFA are quite frankly disgusted by this usage of music to brainwash, isolate, and force-feed people. Life is not a fallacy.
Music is one of the oldest, most sacred forms of communication and expression. Even the casual music fan has been moved significantly by a song or musical passage at some point in their life, and probably were briefly gifted with the courage and inspiration to break out of their daily pattern and do something truly meaningful to them, such as call an old friend, create a work of art, or simply stop and breathe for a few seconds, connecting very deeply to the miracle of living, if only for a moment.
The Age of Enlightenment was a direct result of the Renaissance. One could argue that art propelled our world from the Middle Ages into the current modern era. The art of that time inspired scholars to open their minds to new methods of thinking, governing, and living. Everyone involved in MFA understands that history repeats itself, and that art can once again inspire our world into a new era. Life is always evolving, and art is no different. It is possible to live in a world of love while maintaining our human imperfections, and music is one way to bridge the gap between idealism and reality.
This philosophy is the foundation for the music of MFA. We truly believe that by sharing our music with the world, we are helping to take the next step in our evolution as a human race. Granted it is a small contribution on the grand scale of things, but it is also a domino effect, and hopefully one day will directly or indirectly inspire the collective people of this planet in a positive way.
There are several musical entities within the MFA collective. All are unique in their own way but share a common musical message: positive energy is created through truthful expression. It is absorbed universally and eternally, and is intended to inspire listeners to dance, think, create, and evolve in a positive way.
Art is Love is Beauty is Truth is Life is Everything.
Interview with Chris Newton (aka newtron), bassist/keyboardist of all MFA (Motion For Alliance) projects (MFA: The Drop, MFA: Loop-Lab, MFA: GMC)
Questions asked and answered via email
1. How did MFA come about?
The origins of MFA begin in 1998, when Ryan Goodman (aka GMC) lived next door to our original drummer Jonathan in Boulder. The two of the would play music and write songs together. Then I moved to Boulder a few months later ? I moved into a house with 2 people I knew and 2 people I didn?t know. Ryan Goodman was one of the people I didn?t know, so I literally moved into a house with him having never met him before, and after a while the three of us (me, Ryan, and Jonathan) started playing music together. We were all in college at the time so we played locally as a funk band and had a lot of laughs. Then in 2000 we met Chris Anton, and the four of us formed MFA in 2001. Now, after several years of rigorous touring, recording, and rehearsing, MFA has evolved into three musical entities. The first is the main band, MFA: The Drop, which is a quartet comprised of myself, Anton, GMC (Ryan Goodman), and Chris Beers, who replaced our original drummer Jonathan a few months back. MFA: The Drop is the main project. MFA: Loop-Lab is a live looping instrumental improvisational extravaganza comprised of myself and Anton. MFA: GMC is lyricism, turntablism, and a rotating arsenal of live instrumentalists featuring the lyrics and vocal deliveries of GMC. You can read more about all three projects (and listen to samples) on our web site, http://www.MFAcentral.com.?
2. Can you tell us who MFA is and what they play?
Well, as I kind of mentioned in the last answer, MFA itself is a collective of artists, musicians, and producers that expand into three electronic music projects, all under the MFA moniker. In your article, please be clear that MFA is the concept, and the actual performances are made by either MFA: The Drop, MFA: Loop-Lab, and MFA: GMC. All three sound very different and unique, and are made up of original MFA band members. All three share a common message of encouraging people to be creative in their daily lives to inspire and shape the world around them with creativity and open-mindedness rather than greed and misinformation.
MFA: The Drop is Chris Anton (guitar, laptop), Ryan Goodman aka GMC (vocals, samples, pad keys), Chris Newton aka newtron (bass, keys, low end), and Chris Beers (drums).
MFA: Loop-Lab is Chris Anton (keys, melody, glitch, electronic drums, guitar) and Chris Newton aka newtron (low end, keys, electronic percussion, melody)?
MFA: GMC is Ryan Goodman aka GMC (vocals, lyrics, samples, keys) and any other musician/DJ from his rotating lineup
3. Are you guys on a label or do you have any music online that our readers could listen too??
We are not signed to a label. We have discussed putting all our collective music out on our own label, and that is something we may do in the next year or so. Between the four of us and our crew, we have dozens of hours worth of hot tracks to share with the world when the time is right. For now, you can download our live performances on our web site, http://www.MFAcentral.com. You can also download tracks from MySpace, and purchase our studio recordings on the web site. We?ll be up on iTunes and sites like that in the near future.
4. What drives MFA to make the music they do? What artists do each member relate to most musically??
What drives us is our ongoing love for being alive, and our gift of sharing that feeling through music. We truly believe that all art, whether it?s music, dance, painting, writing?etc, is a universal language of expression. Creativity is a very significant gift that each of us has, and we all have the ability to express it in one form or another. For us, that form is music. I talk a lot about how the Renaissance artists inspired governments and philosophers of that time out of the Middle Ages and into the Era of Enlightenment, which birthed our modern society. It was a beautiful time in the culture of the world ? but it was 500 years ago. We believe it is time for a new era of human evolution, not so much in the physical sense but in our thinking and the way we live together on this planet. Despite all the differences between the people of this planet, every culture celebrates music and art, and I think there is something that is very strong about the way everyone is connected through creative achievements. We are doing our best to inspire everyone who encounters our music to in turn create something of their own, and spread the gift of creativity and imagination to everyone they can. If it gets around to enough people, then we will take that next step in our evolution as a human race, and it will be better for the world. That idea moves us very much, and excites us to keep doing what we do. Not for fame or financial gain, but for love and for the connectedness we experience with others through music.
Musically, we all love many different artists. But we find common ground among innovative electronic music producers such as LTJ Bukem, Telefon Telaviv, Theivery Corporation, that sort of thing, as well as spiritual prophets like Bob Marley.
5. What's the next year hold for MFA??
The next year holds lots of hard work, rehearsing, mini-touring (3-7 days at a time), and 5-6 BIG shows, meaning we play big venues and put a lot of time into the live production for that particular show. We will be recording an album beginning in January I believe (MFA: The Drop). And just continuing to spread our message to as many people that are interested in receiving it. More than anything, just to continue to improve our skills musically and expand our Alliance (our fan base).
6. How is the local scene out by you? do you see it growing??
The Boulder scene has always been a good music scene. On a national level, it?s the only major market between Chicago and the West coast, so almost everyone comes here. Locally, there?s always been a plethora of talent here, and we?re honored to have been a part of that for the last 5 years and experienced playing with hundreds of talented players. I don?t know how much the scene will grow around Boulder, bands come and go every year, and then there are groups like us and a handful of others who will always maintain a strong local presence.
7. What's been the best show for MFA so far, and why??
Every show is the best. We are blessed to have every single chance we have to get up on stage and create art with everyone in the room. But, a huge highlight was playing a Progressions Sessions drum and bass show with our musical heroes LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad!
8. You guys seem pretty in tune with each other, a lot of bands have conflicting ego problems, any sign of that??
Well, we are all people, but we?ve known each other for upwards of a decade now and have nothing but love and respect for each other. Sometimes not everyone sees eye to eye, but rather than let our emotions take over we schedule a meeting, give everyone time to collect their thoughts and get notes together, and come together in a professional and mature way to make our important decisions. As far as ego problems, we all have our roles in the music and in the business side of things, and we all know that what we do is MUCH bigger than any one of us. What we do rumbles the earth, and that responsibility is way too much for one person to handle without other people?s contributions.
9. What is MFA planning to do in the next year to get it's music out??
Just keep doing what we?re doing ? make smart touring decisions, put out quality live shows, and with that we have the goal to record everything in high quality. Word of mouth is big, our web site (http://www.MFAcentral.com). There will be a meeting next week actually about recording the new album for MFA: The Drop. Also, we all have literally dozens and dozens of quality tracks to put out, so starting a record label is something we may begin in the next year. Who knows ? just keep having fun with music and sharing it with our growing fan base.
10. Any events coming up that our readers might catch you at? again feel free to add any info you feel the public needs to know, including contact info, booking info, pics, music, etc?
MFA: Loop-Lab at Toad Tavern in Littleton, CO on 12-2-06.
Close out the year with MFA: The Drop at Trilogy in Boulder, CO on Fri 12-29-06.
2007 live plans have not been announced yet, but March may be a good month to catch us on the road. Booking inquiries can be made to booking@mfacentral.com. Again, just hit the web site http://www.MFAcentral.com for free music downloads, more band info, pics, etc. Much love to you all, thank you for reading.
-newtron "
Since the inception of MFA in 2001, the primary goal has always been to create an ever-growing alliance of like-minded and forward-thinking people......
united by the music of MFA and by the creative arts in general. Everyone involved in all aspects of MFA strongly believes in the power of positive creation; that is, if you put your love and energy into a creative medium, you are offering it as a gift to the whole of existence, and that vibration ripples across life and time like a stone on a pond. The love and energy you put into your art is felt and absorbed by all who are blessed to experience your work, and hopefully they become inspired to create something of their own, thus continuing the cycle.
History has shown the influence of art on life, and vice-versa, and although artists are not as publicly praised in these modern times as they have been in the past, there is no denying the impact that profound, thought-provoking, pure art has on our society; or, to the same extent, the impact of superficial, tainted art.
Specifically, the majority of modern American mainstream music is created largely for the purpose of financial profit. Whether the listener is aware or not, the greed behind this music is absorbed by the public, who in turn is inspired by such greed and drives it back into the world through their daily actions. The members of MFA are quite frankly disgusted by this usage of music to brainwash, isolate, and force-feed people. Life is not a fallacy.
Music is one of the oldest, most sacred forms of communication and expression. Even the casual music fan has been moved significantly by a song or musical passage at some point in their life, and probably were briefly gifted with the courage and inspiration to break out of their daily pattern and do something truly meaningful to them, such as call an old friend, create a work of art, or simply stop and breathe for a few seconds, connecting very deeply to the miracle of living, if only for a moment.
The Age of Enlightenment was a direct result of the Renaissance. One could argue that art propelled our world from the Middle Ages into the current modern era. The art of that time inspired scholars to open their minds to new methods of thinking, governing, and living. Everyone involved in MFA understands that history repeats itself, and that art can once again inspire our world into a new era. Life is always evolving, and art is no different. It is possible to live in a world of love while maintaining our human imperfections, and music is one way to bridge the gap between idealism and reality.
This philosophy is the foundation for the music of MFA. We truly believe that by sharing our music with the world, we are helping to take the next step in our evolution as a human race. Granted it is a small contribution on the grand scale of things, but it is also a domino effect, and hopefully one day will directly or indirectly inspire the collective people of this planet in a positive way.
There are several musical entities within the MFA collective. All are unique in their own way but share a common musical message: positive energy is created through truthful expression. It is absorbed universally and eternally, and is intended to inspire listeners to dance, think, create, and evolve in a positive way.
Art is Love is Beauty is Truth is Life is Everything.
Interview with Chris Newton (aka newtron), bassist/keyboardist of all MFA (Motion For Alliance) projects (MFA: The Drop, MFA: Loop-Lab, MFA: GMC)
Questions asked and answered via email
1. How did MFA come about?
The origins of MFA begin in 1998, when Ryan Goodman (aka GMC) lived next door to our original drummer Jonathan in Boulder. The two of the would play music and write songs together. Then I moved to Boulder a few months later ? I moved into a house with 2 people I knew and 2 people I didn?t know. Ryan Goodman was one of the people I didn?t know, so I literally moved into a house with him having never met him before, and after a while the three of us (me, Ryan, and Jonathan) started playing music together. We were all in college at the time so we played locally as a funk band and had a lot of laughs. Then in 2000 we met Chris Anton, and the four of us formed MFA in 2001. Now, after several years of rigorous touring, recording, and rehearsing, MFA has evolved into three musical entities. The first is the main band, MFA: The Drop, which is a quartet comprised of myself, Anton, GMC (Ryan Goodman), and Chris Beers, who replaced our original drummer Jonathan a few months back. MFA: The Drop is the main project. MFA: Loop-Lab is a live looping instrumental improvisational extravaganza comprised of myself and Anton. MFA: GMC is lyricism, turntablism, and a rotating arsenal of live instrumentalists featuring the lyrics and vocal deliveries of GMC. You can read more about all three projects (and listen to samples) on our web site, http://www.MFAcentral.com.?
2. Can you tell us who MFA is and what they play?
Well, as I kind of mentioned in the last answer, MFA itself is a collective of artists, musicians, and producers that expand into three electronic music projects, all under the MFA moniker. In your article, please be clear that MFA is the concept, and the actual performances are made by either MFA: The Drop, MFA: Loop-Lab, and MFA: GMC. All three sound very different and unique, and are made up of original MFA band members. All three share a common message of encouraging people to be creative in their daily lives to inspire and shape the world around them with creativity and open-mindedness rather than greed and misinformation.
MFA: The Drop is Chris Anton (guitar, laptop), Ryan Goodman aka GMC (vocals, samples, pad keys), Chris Newton aka newtron (bass, keys, low end), and Chris Beers (drums).
MFA: Loop-Lab is Chris Anton (keys, melody, glitch, electronic drums, guitar) and Chris Newton aka newtron (low end, keys, electronic percussion, melody)?
MFA: GMC is Ryan Goodman aka GMC (vocals, lyrics, samples, keys) and any other musician/DJ from his rotating lineup
3. Are you guys on a label or do you have any music online that our readers could listen too??
We are not signed to a label. We have discussed putting all our collective music out on our own label, and that is something we may do in the next year or so. Between the four of us and our crew, we have dozens of hours worth of hot tracks to share with the world when the time is right. For now, you can download our live performances on our web site, http://www.MFAcentral.com. You can also download tracks from MySpace, and purchase our studio recordings on the web site. We?ll be up on iTunes and sites like that in the near future.
4. What drives MFA to make the music they do? What artists do each member relate to most musically??
What drives us is our ongoing love for being alive, and our gift of sharing that feeling through music. We truly believe that all art, whether it?s music, dance, painting, writing?etc, is a universal language of expression. Creativity is a very significant gift that each of us has, and we all have the ability to express it in one form or another. For us, that form is music. I talk a lot about how the Renaissance artists inspired governments and philosophers of that time out of the Middle Ages and into the Era of Enlightenment, which birthed our modern society. It was a beautiful time in the culture of the world ? but it was 500 years ago. We believe it is time for a new era of human evolution, not so much in the physical sense but in our thinking and the way we live together on this planet. Despite all the differences between the people of this planet, every culture celebrates music and art, and I think there is something that is very strong about the way everyone is connected through creative achievements. We are doing our best to inspire everyone who encounters our music to in turn create something of their own, and spread the gift of creativity and imagination to everyone they can. If it gets around to enough people, then we will take that next step in our evolution as a human race, and it will be better for the world. That idea moves us very much, and excites us to keep doing what we do. Not for fame or financial gain, but for love and for the connectedness we experience with others through music.
Musically, we all love many different artists. But we find common ground among innovative electronic music producers such as LTJ Bukem, Telefon Telaviv, Theivery Corporation, that sort of thing, as well as spiritual prophets like Bob Marley.
5. What's the next year hold for MFA??
The next year holds lots of hard work, rehearsing, mini-touring (3-7 days at a time), and 5-6 BIG shows, meaning we play big venues and put a lot of time into the live production for that particular show. We will be recording an album beginning in January I believe (MFA: The Drop). And just continuing to spread our message to as many people that are interested in receiving it. More than anything, just to continue to improve our skills musically and expand our Alliance (our fan base).
6. How is the local scene out by you? do you see it growing??
The Boulder scene has always been a good music scene. On a national level, it?s the only major market between Chicago and the West coast, so almost everyone comes here. Locally, there?s always been a plethora of talent here, and we?re honored to have been a part of that for the last 5 years and experienced playing with hundreds of talented players. I don?t know how much the scene will grow around Boulder, bands come and go every year, and then there are groups like us and a handful of others who will always maintain a strong local presence.
7. What's been the best show for MFA so far, and why??
Every show is the best. We are blessed to have every single chance we have to get up on stage and create art with everyone in the room. But, a huge highlight was playing a Progressions Sessions drum and bass show with our musical heroes LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad!
8. You guys seem pretty in tune with each other, a lot of bands have conflicting ego problems, any sign of that??
Well, we are all people, but we?ve known each other for upwards of a decade now and have nothing but love and respect for each other. Sometimes not everyone sees eye to eye, but rather than let our emotions take over we schedule a meeting, give everyone time to collect their thoughts and get notes together, and come together in a professional and mature way to make our important decisions. As far as ego problems, we all have our roles in the music and in the business side of things, and we all know that what we do is MUCH bigger than any one of us. What we do rumbles the earth, and that responsibility is way too much for one person to handle without other people?s contributions.
9. What is MFA planning to do in the next year to get it's music out??
Just keep doing what we?re doing ? make smart touring decisions, put out quality live shows, and with that we have the goal to record everything in high quality. Word of mouth is big, our web site (http://www.MFAcentral.com). There will be a meeting next week actually about recording the new album for MFA: The Drop. Also, we all have literally dozens and dozens of quality tracks to put out, so starting a record label is something we may begin in the next year. Who knows ? just keep having fun with music and sharing it with our growing fan base.
10. Any events coming up that our readers might catch you at? again feel free to add any info you feel the public needs to know, including contact info, booking info, pics, music, etc?
MFA: Loop-Lab at Toad Tavern in Littleton, CO on 12-2-06.
Close out the year with MFA: The Drop at Trilogy in Boulder, CO on Fri 12-29-06.
2007 live plans have not been announced yet, but March may be a good month to catch us on the road. Booking inquiries can be made to booking@mfacentral.com. Again, just hit the web site http://www.MFAcentral.com for free music downloads, more band info, pics, etc. Much love to you all, thank you for reading.
-newtron "