Who are you?

DK: First question that people seem to be asking is, who is this Mars Patrol band that I've been hearing about? Can you tell me a little more about who you are and where you come from?

Davina: We are a band based in Scotland, UK. We write our own music and perform as both an acoustic duo and as a four-piece band.

DK: What kind of childhood did each of you have?

Davina: I had a great childhood, I come from a large family, my mother and father having fifteen brothers and sisters between them! My parents are fantastic and have supported my interest in music since the start.

DK: 15?? Yikes!

Ross: My childhood was great, I had loads of toys, my favourite being my lego trainset…do you have lego over there…?

DK: Yes, in fact, I too was heavily into legos and used to design spaceships with them. I think they’re the best thing to develop stronger creativity and imagination.

DK: How old are you and Ross?

Davina: You don’t ask a lady that! lol

DK: Can you tell me a little more about each of you personally? (i.e. hopes, desires, etc)

Davina: I think I am the crazy one…Ross has a good head on his shoulders and is able to keep me focused and on the straight and narrow! Lol. I am creative, imaginative and have always loved singing.

Ross: I have always been keen on music and performing. I am passionate and focussed on what I do and have a lot of ambition. I have great fun.

DK: Where did you both grow up?

Davina: We are both from Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city.

DK: Do either of you have siblings with strong musical backgrounds that have inspired you?

Davina: My father has definitely been a strong influence in my background as he was a folk musician, frequently singing and playing his guitar in bars around town.

Ross: Actually, when I think about it, none of my family is musical; they all like music but don’t play. I’m the black sheep.

The Origin of The Mars Patrol…

DK: Now how did you and Ross hook up?

Davina: We kinda just starting jamming, we were both in different bands and we had a common interest in similar styles of music.

DK: How did you and Ross know that you should become a duo?

Davina: I think that this happened when we realised how quick we could put together a song…we had a bond, a common goal and fed off each other musically. One guitar riff and vocal melody led to another and before we knew it we had a full-length set of songs to go out and perform with.

DK: What are your individual influences and what influences do you and Ross share?

Davina: I like to think I have an eclectic taste in music, not really favouring one genre. Everything influences me, even bad things.

Ross: We both came from a different scene when we met and had different influences but I suppose that helped…combining two different heads. We share common interests now that we have been friends for a couple years.

DK: What are some personal views about the music scene that you and Ross would like to share?

Davina: The music scene is one scary place with so much going on that the mind boggles! It is a weird and wonderful place where there is lots of talented people all doing their thing.

DK: Did either of you go through any training (vocal, guitar, etc) to get to where you are now?

Davina: I have had a couple of lessons way back, a bit on the expensive side.

Ross: I played guitar for a short time when I was about 11 years old and learned ‘twinkle little star’. It wasn’t until a few years ago I started playing it for passion. I haven’t had any lessons.

DK: How long did it take you to produce your EP 'Turn It Around"?

Ross: Good question, I have no idea, it was probably done in a month or two. Things were busy in our musical lives at that time so I couldn’t put an exact number on it.

DK: Besides the obvious cost factor, what was the deciding factor in releasing an EP before a full-length album?

Davina: I guess that you gotta leave the public wanting more ?

Ross: I suppose we also had a heavy touring schedule around the time we were recording it and so we didn’t have enough time. We wanted people to have the songs so we thought it’s better to get an EP out there as opposed to rushing an album.

DK: You've definitely been getting rave reviews from across the globe, it is certainly exciting to see a duo such as yourself get such acclaim and recognition. Why do you think it is?

Ross: I think one of the reasons is that we give off such a positive image, lyrically and musically that people like to relate. Also, I don’t think we sound like anyone else and people enjoy hearing and finding new music.

Davina: I like to think that we have a good message to give the people. It was said in a recent live review that, “…you get a sense that they want to send you off on your way just a little bit happier than you were when you came in.”

DK: Yes, there is enough negativity in the world already and I think we all need more bands such as yourselves out there giving people more to hope for.

Touring…

DK: How is it touring around the UK, fun?

Ross: Yeah, of course, we love performing. The majority of cities have super crowds and playing to these people can be an unbelievable experience.

Davina: Touring is a curious experience; you meet lots of new people all the time. It’s great to be able to take our music all over.

DK: What kind of crowds have you played to in the UK compared to the States or anywhere else for that matter?

Ross: I think we are better known in the States than anywhere else at the moment so probably bigger crowds there.

Davina: There is never a dull moment when playing anywhere be it a tiny village or a huge city. There always seems to be a character or two that you don’t forget out there in the audience.

DK: Have you found any favourite places that you've really enjoyed playing at?

Ross: Well on our recent US tour we really liked most places, there are loads of venues in all the cities that we enjoyed and would play again at the drop of a hat. We don’t like to favour one more than the other.

The World as we know it…

DK: What are The Mars Patrol's views on the world these days?

Ross: Well I’m not political in any way because I’ve never had time to get into it. I guess there’s a lot going on. When I turn on the news channel it’s 99% bad news. I suppose that’s what inspires us to write positive music, to try and get away from it and help others do the same.

Davina: I think it is a mad, mad world. Writing music helps us unwind and provides escapism.

DK: If you had the power, how would you change the world?

Davina: Ha don’t get me started on this one…people need to stop and think more often. I also hate the way people seem to be in the wrong job, I think good customer service has gone out of the window!

Ross: Yeah, that’s true. Unless you pay a lot of money you rarely get a good service. If you are reading this and you are depressed in your job, do what you can to fix it.

DK: So many people feel locked in their jobs and helpless to do anything about it when they actually hold the power already and just need to take that first step. It is unfortunate that more people don’t realize it.

Future…

DK: What are your plans as far as your first full-length album?

Ross: Well, we are recording a lot at the moment and have recently put together a backing band, which is great, so sometimes on stage there is four of us. Our record will have bass and drums on it. What we have recorded so far sounds amazing and we could not be happier with it. We don’t have plans to release a full length just yet but it is on the way.

DK: Where would you like to see yourselves in 2 years time?

Ross: I like doing what we are doing right now. We love it and as long as we keep writing music and touring then I am happy. I guess in two years time I would like to have visited more countries and I would like to have even more people into our music.

Davina: Yeah agreed, if you are reading this and have not yet seen us or heard our music, then please put it on your ‘to do’ list.

DK: Yes, please check out this amazing duo either on their website (themarspatrol.com) or even on MySpace.com (www.myspace.com/themarspatrol), you won’t be sorry. Well, we'd like to thank you for your time again and look forward to hearing more great music from you in the near future!