February 18th, 2014 
Drew Caruso 
There are plenty of bands in the scene right now that deserve your attention, but none as earning as Maker. The Massachusetts-based alternative punk act are veterans to releasing personal and heartfelt music, and have released many consistent works ranging from EPs, a split with The Story So Far, and a debut LP.
Releasing their first LP Mirrors back in 2011, the band are set to release a split with Turnover, Such Gold, and Ivy League. Their portion of the EP, “Here She Comes,” is a culmination of swooning vocals, interchanging guitars, and a polished grit that the band has mastered so well. With a bright future ahead, I am happy to present UTG’s interview with my friends in Maker.
So before we get started, can each of you let our readers know your name and role in Maker?
Tyler Ochs: My name is Tyler Ochs and I play guitar and sing backups.
Mickey Lebiedz: My name is Mickey Lebiedz, I play guitar and stay far away from microphones in Maker. [Laughs]
So you guys are enjoying the recent release of your newest track, “Here She Comes,” from an upcoming split with Turnover, Ivy League, and Such Gold. How has it been having that song out there?
Mickey: We have been anticipating this release since the summer, so it has been very hard to stay quiet about it, but I think we pulled it off. It’s exciting to be releasing our first new music in over a year.
Tyler: We were really excited about it at that time, so it’s relieving to finally get it out there. It’s the start of a lot of good things to come. It comes from a whole different place within the band, you know? It’s a little more upbeat and I think it works well for us.
Yeah, you guys are definitely due for some new tunes. How did the split come about? It is most certainly a stacked line-up.
Mickey: I believe talk began for the split last spring, perhaps when Turnover and Ivy League were on tour together. All four of our bands have actually toured together before on separate occassions, so we all know each other on a personal level. The biggest advantage of all being DIY bands and calling our own shots, is that we literally can call each other on the phone and say, “Hey, do you want to do a split with us and these other two bands?” Just like that everyone agreed. Then we got another good friend Kyle from Broken Rim Records involved, and the rest is history.
Tyler: It all came together pretty smoothly, and on schedule too. The songs on it all sound awesome.
So the split releases in March, then what is up for the band? Are you guys going to make us wait another year for more new tunes?
Tyler: We’ve been pretty much non-stop writing since the end of the summer. We decided we wanted to write a new record. You know like, we started jamming here and there in the middle of the summer, just to see what would come out, then the ideas just kind of started to flood. We started to write these songs, and it just clicked for us to start writing a record. Since then we’ve been getting together whenever we can — we have been putting in ten-hour days at practice, writing all new songs. It’s a new process for us to all just sit in a room and write all day, but it’s definitely paid off.
Mickey: We actually ran into a small issue, but quickly resolved it. We wanted to have our next release out by summer, and the only way that was possible for everyone’s schedule was to start tracking in late February. However, we also had already committed to tour plans for that time. Luckily, a good friend of ours, Ryan Goff, who has filled in before, will take drum duties for the tour, meanwhile, our drummer Raffi will be at home doing drum tracks so we can get home from tour and wrap it up.
Who are you guys going out on the road with?
Mickey: We will be going out for a full US tour with Rust Belt Lights and Second to Last. Again, back to being able to make our own decisions, it was as simple as all being mutual friends, deciding it would be fun and beneficial to all bands, and saying yes. We’re very thankful to the booking agents who’ve been making the routing process go smoothly. Make sure to check the dates, as this will be our only tour between now and the summer.
Tyler, when we met back at college you were in Maker for a bit, but then left for a while. How did you reconnect with the band?
Tyler: I was still in touch with the guys in the time I wasn’t in. It was 4 years ago now. I had a lot of shit to figure out back then. What 19-year-old kid doesn’t, you know? I decided do my own thing, and Maker was doing theirs. But still regardless we would still jam together with whatever random project we had. The band I started with Ryan [Goff] called Receivers, would still play with Maker locally all the time. I guess it was just a matter of paths crossing again. I wasn’t doing much last summer, and Maker was trying to play the Mansfield Warped date. Since Eric was out on tour with Turnover, Mickey asked me if I could fill in if they got the slot. I was more than willing to do it. We got the slot and it was a blast. On the drive home we all got to talking and started to talk about getting the old crew back together. We all rolled with it and everything just started to click again.
Mickey: Yeah, we never really did get too distanced at all. Even to the point where I myself was playing a couple gigs on bass with Receivers. This might sound corny, but our band really is all in the family. We have never had a fill-in that has lived more than 20 miles of our hometown. If it’s not the original line-up, you’re seeing us and some of our best friends we’ve known for years. I’m very excited to have Tyler back. The chemistry has been unreal.
Lastly, let us know what you have been listening to lately, and what, if anything, are you looking forward to in the future?
Tyler: I don’t even know where to start, man.
Mickey: I know, my brain is going crazy.
Tyler: I have full faith that the new Somos will be wicked awesome. New Seahaven and Tigers Jaw are all on radar as well. Lately I have been listening to The 1975’s self-titled, Into It. Over It’s Intersections. The Make Do and Mend / Flatliners split was unreal. Last week I got really into The Young Leaves’ Alive and Well. 2013 was stacked. I’ve also been into a lot of Goo Goo Dolls, Whiskeytown, Crime In Stereo, and Pearl Jam.
Mickey: I’ve personally been getting into some stuff outside of my usual comfort zone. I discovered a record called Sleeping with Ghosts by Placebo. They’re an English alternative rock band. I believe that album came out in 2003, but I didn’t hear it until now, and I love it. I’ve also been digging more into The Killers’ catalog. There is a lot of newer bands putting out great stuff right now, but for me, I’m still grasping a lot of older music. I feel like exploring new music really helps you progress as a musician and expands your mind.
Right on. Well thank you, guys. We here at UTG are anxiously awaiting to see what else is in store for Maker. Please check out Maker’s portion to the upcoming split, “Here She Comes,” here.
Written and conducted by: Drew Caruso – Follow him on Twitter.
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