UN: Genghis Tron basically takes conventional extreme music and throws in right on it's head. When you guys were starting the band did you have it in mind right from the start that you guys wanted to create something totally unique and original? You guys have definitely succeeded.

Mookie: Thanks a lot! Yeah, right from the beginning Michael and Hamilton knew exactly what they wanted us to sound like. The idea was an extremely brutal band with early 90s hip hop breakdowns. They wrote what eventually became "Ride the Steambolt" with that idea in mind. As the writing for the EP moved along, our spectrum of sound expanded and began to include just about anything that pleased the three of us.

UN: Were there any bands in particular that you wanted to draw upon for inspiration? I definitely don't hear any obvious influences, but there must have been bands or albums that triggered the ideas for Genghis Tron, if only a little.

Mookie: Each of us brought our own influences for our own parts to the table. One of the reasons our songs can sound so disparate and all over the place is because our musical tastes were formed very differently. Michael came from being a DJ and listening to a lot of glitchy IDM, Hamilton was way into metal and grind, and I was into harder indie stuff. Somehow we all converged on this brutal sound and felt comfortable with it. It's gotten to the point where we all enjoy each other's musical backgrounds...we're all equally into bands like Ratatat, Autechre, Sleep, Nine Inch Nails, and even Prince. You can decide for yourself if the influence of any of them can be heard on the EP..

UN: How did Crucial Blast come into the picture for the band? It seems like a lot of labels probably wouldn't understand what you guys are doing, but Crucial Blast releases unique bands and really isn't afraid to take a chance with something different.

Mookie: It's a pretty run-of-the-mill story: we sent Crucial Blast a three-song demo we recorded in our bedrooms. They immediately got back to us and was really excited about the release. Adam (mr. c-blast) certainly seems to be ahead of the curve and we were way flattered that he liked us so much. We had only been together for like two months when that happened, so we were pretty overwhelmed and shocked. Suddenly we had to figure out how to pull this stuff off live...

Hamilton: The moral of the story here is that bands shouldn't listen when people tell them that sending demos to labels is useless. You never know what might happen.

UN: I was wondering if there was a concept or story behind the name of the album, Cloak of Love. I wasn't sure if it was a lyrical connection or if it tied in with the artwork of the EP.

Mookie: It's a lyrical connection. If you do your homework, you'll come up with a relatively embarrassing answer.

UN: Do you think that there is a certain amount of the bands style that could almost be seen as humorous? Obviously, it's not a joke, but I mean the combination of styles is so out there that you can't help but laugh the first time you hear it. It's with each listen after that you then realize how well written the songs are and how effective the combination of styles is.

Mookie: Thanks. Yeah, I certainly laughed when I heard the first demo from Michael and Hamilton just because it sounded so foreign. We realize that we're toeing the line of absurdity, but our hope is that people won't pass it off as novelty. Despite some pretty ridiculous moments, there is some sophisticated stuff going on in our music--or at least we'd like to think so. It's never nice to be called a novelty act.

Hamilton:Yeah...and whether anyone thinks it's sophisticated or not, our music is something we've certainly put much care and a lot of time in to creating. People don't have to take us seriously if they don't want to (and I'm sure lots of people who hear us don't), but we we're definitely serious about working really hard and challenging ourselves to create new and exciting stuff. But it still makes us laugh.

UN: Does using a drum machine make things easier within a live setting? It must be a lot easier to mix for the sound guy. Is it awkward at all to look back there and not see a drummer?

Mookie: We've gotten very comfortable without a live drummer. There's a much smaller margin of error when you're dealing with one less live instrument. However, it can be kind of terrifying to know that a necessary part of your live show is contained in something that can easily be broken or lost. Recently at a show in Baltimore, I was tackled while my laptop (which contains our drum files) was on me. The computer screen completely cracked and we were pretty much fucked for the next night's show. At times like this, I wish we had a real drummer...it seems to be a lot easier to break a screen than to break a drummer's arm.

UN: While on the subject of the live show, how exactly do the audience members usually react? I could only assume that if they had never heard the band before that their jaws would be hanging right to the ground.

Mookie: We take pride in being pretty unique. But that can work both ways for us. Some nights, the audience is floored, and some nights its just completely over their heads. The good nights are very, very good though.

UN: What's next for you guys? When do you think we can expect a full-length album from you guys?

Mookie: We're beginning to write the full-length now. We're hoping to finish it by the early fall and record it soon after.

UN: I read on the website that you guys are planning a huge summer tour. Are you guys poised to take this band another step? A big tour across the US could really get the name out there a bit more, and I'm sure you'll have people not knowing what hit them in each consecutive town.

Mookie: Haha...we're hoping that's the case. We're willing to do whatever it takes. Even if that means playing a lot of shows for very excited crowds.

UN: Would you say that grindcore fans are usually a bit more open to experimentation? There have always been straight ahead grind bands, but over the years there have been many bands really trying new things and most of the innovative bands stemmed from grindcore bands. There doesn't seem to be the same elitism in the grindcore scene that some of the other subgenres of metal seem to have.

Hamilton: Well, I don't want to make any sweeping generalizations here, because it obviously differs from person to person or from band to band, but black and death metal generally seem more rooted in traditionalism than grindcore. That said, I know some people who can't stand anything that doesn't sound like Terrorizer or old Brutal Truth, so it goes both ways. But for the most part, I guess I would agree with you – there are a lot of great and insanely creative bands like Galvin Wilhelm Miller Quartet or Tusk or the Locust who, while maybe rooted in grindcore, had gone on to experiment with different instruments and influences to create something really innovative and crazy.