Decrypting themselves as "Deathcore. Epic. Evil."
Margin of Error emerges from the Mid-West and have impacted audiences each and every time. The band's focus is to re-invent itself by creating music so epically heavy that no other band would even dare touch it. By doing this Margin of Error has gone off to release not one but two releases both of which were self-released, "Destroy.Create.Repeat." and "What You Are About To Witness" is just the glimpse into the demonic realm that is Margin of Error. Frontman vocalist Travis Meyers spoke to me about the band's upbringings, where they are now, and where they want to end up.
1. How did the band pick the name Margin of Error, does it have a meaning?
Travis: When I came up with the name for this project, it came to me out of the blue. I really thought it fit me as an artist. Margin of Error is an obvious term in the mathematical world, but I saw it as the people or ideas being left behind by society. The free-thinkers are the Margin of Error in a world where all we see are rules based from religion and government. Where does that leave the people who see things differently? They become the Margin of Error.
2. Have there been any changes since you first started your band or changes you would like to make now or in the future?
Travis: Change is part of any creative outlet and this band is no different. There have been many things that have changed over the years from the bands lineup to the writing process and beyond. Most of the changes though have been put in place for a reason. Adding and subtracting variables changes the finished ideas and I am constantly finding new and challenging ways for me and my band to write. It may start with a riff, a lyric, a title, a concept, etc. We are about pushing ourselves and pushing the envelope at all times.
3."Destroy.Create.Repeat." and "What You Are About To Witness" were both self-released, why did you want to go in this direction?
Travis: Over the years we have gotten a few offers from labels, but I didn’t feel like they would have aided us in any way. I am a very hands on type of person when dealing with Margin of Error and I have my hands in every decision creatively and from a business standpoint. This is not to say I am opposed to labels, but the right one hasn’t approached us yet. We do things a certain way and for a certain reason at all times and if a label wants to back our heavy, evil music, I am all ears.
4.Do the albums differ? Which of the two would you say is your best work to date?
Travis: For me these two records show how diverse we are as a band yet we continue blur the lines of genre in an interesting manner. What is interesting about these records is that they are so different, but they both have that Margin of Error feel to them still. I don’t know if I can say what our best record is to date because without one you wouldn’t have the other, but I will say we are having an amazing time killing audiences with the new material on “What You Are About to Witness.”
5.Can you give us a brief description of your new CD "What You Are About To Witness".
Travis: I came up with the concept for WYAATW while watching some very disturbing films. Films that blurred the line between real deaths and works of fiction. I decided that the basis of this record was going to be from the point of view of a serial killer who taped his victims during their most vulnerable moments. The idea of this killer creating these snuff styled films and having a collection of VHS tapes in which he has recorded each of his killings. I always found a thin line between an artist and a serial killer and I wanted to explore that further. That’s what this record was all about. It’s a concept record, but it still was extremely personal to me because of how much of myself I put into that relentless killer.
6. What you are about to witness.....?
Travis: The title crept into my brain as almost a warning to the audience and listener. When you watch a film and you read “what you are about to witness is true” there is an automatic fear that this could happen to you. I wanted to make the audience as uneasy as possible during the entire run time of the record. You find an unmarked VHS tape. Your curiosity gets the best of you so you put it in. What you see on it is a disgusting display of murder and the complete destruction of humanity. You are viewing the killers work. This is his masterpiece. This record is the car accident you can’t turn away from.
7. Who would you like to work with in the future?
Travis: I am a very private person in terms of how I work and who I work with. My band would tell you that they don’t hear an idea from me until I have fully explored it from every angle and I feel it’s ready and complete. I would work with anyone who shares my passion for breaking down walls of what we can and cannot do as artists. It’s about making people think and sending a message. If that means we leave a path of destruction throughout this journey, so be it.
8. What bands do you currently like listening to?
Travis: Lately I have been listening to Dimmu Borgir, Bleeding Through, Deftones, The Acacia Strain and Behemoth have been frequenting my CD player lately. Yes, I still enjoy putting a CD in my CD player and do not own any type of mp3 device.
9. Which would you say has been your biggest error in your life?
Travis: I think sometimes the closest people around me have to suffer because of how much energy, time and money I put into this band. This band and outlet is my entire existence and sometimes it hurts the people close to me. I can’t separate myself from this band and it can pose problems, but it is also one of the only things I have ever found satisfying.
10. What are your future tour dates, so our listeners in the states can come out to see one of your shows?
Travis: Right now we are working hard on new material and only have one confirmed date and it is Friday, March 4th at the Phantasy Concert Club in Lakewood, Ohio. We will be touring the full US multiple times in 2011 though. Stay tuned for more confirmed tour dates soon.
11. When you perform do you have songs you would perform more frequently? Do you play any covers?
Travis: Yeah, we definitely perform certain songs more frequently. I think some songs translate better than others live, so we focus on the ones that the audience and us love the most. We do not play any covers.
12. What is in store with the group in 2011?
Travis: We are working hard on a bunch of different things at the moment. We should be touring a good chunk of the year and are looking for the right label to put out our new record that will surely be our defining moment. We have many tricks up our sleeve.
13. Thank you for taking the time to chat!
Travis: Thank you for having me on here. Thanks to everyone who is reading this and especially the people who have followed Margin of Error throughout the years! The next chapter is coming!
-Travis Meyers
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