Ravens Brain

Present yourself to the readers

Mercury’s Butterfly is a dreamy gothic / ethereal-wave project of Ean Martin, who lives in the Orland, CA countryside.
Making music for a little more than a decade, genres span from not just gothic, but also electronic, ambient and textural/experimental.

What’s the story for DREAMY DAYZE ?

So “Dreamy Dayze” was a more synth-based album - still just as moody and ethereal as the first namesake release - but I had just purchased a new synthesizer at the time (Roland JDXI) and got another from a friend, a Yamaha PSR510, So I decided to make an album that focused more on strange electronic dreaminess than a dark and heavy guitar-based mood, which was what I was used to.

Are you day or night ?

I’m actually a day person. I work as an opener at my job so I’m always awake early, at 4 AM. If I said I liked the night, I’d be lying because I’m always tired by 9 or 10 *laughs*. My day job allows me to pursue my musical endeavor. When I play shows however, they’re usually at night 😉

Why the name MERCURY’S BUTTERFLY ?

The name was sort of a spontaneous creation. I thought it sounded dreamy and I liked it, so it just kind of stuck.
I’m a huge student of occultism and philosophy. I chose ‘Mercury’ out of the hermetic qabalah. It’s a planet associated with refined intellectualism, knowledge and introspection. Coupled with the ‘butterfly’, I thought it made for a nice fit.
I know there’s a couple other ‘Mercury’ bands out there, like Mercury’s Antennae and Mercury Rev, but those don’t sound as nearly as dreamy as “Mercury’s Butterfly”! *laughs* I feel like the name is unusual so it sticks with people when they hear it.

What are your personal musical tastes and your influences ?

I have a lot of influences. Mainly they are the well-loved Cocteau Twins (whose earlier albums like “Garlands” and the darker material really inspired me), Dead Can Dance’s early stuff, a goth band from the UK called “Witching Hour”, and a French cold-wave group called “Martin Dupont”.
I’ve always liked drum machines’ unrelentless rhythms; and the dark, brooding, and chaotic sounds that these groups played around with was fundamental. Spacy plucked guitar riffs and deep catchy basslines have a special place in my heart.
I never liked noisy, aggressive and overtly political music, so for me, these bands’ focus on a more introspective, dreamy and dark take drew me in. I wanted to dream, and I wanted my music to be dreamy too.

In studio, what was the atmosphere for your album ?...etc.…

The atmosphere was filled with fog machines, lights, gauze and cobwebs strung up everywhere. My room is my studio, and I wanted the album to reflect that! The lyrical content in “Dreamy Dayze” mainly consists of issues relating to the body, impulse and control, sexuality, dreams and emotions. The deep, reverb-drenched vocals talk about immensely personal experiences: being cheated on, sexual hypocrisy, living in day dreams and mania.

How does it work for the great design of the CD ? and why this title ?

*laughs* I remember when I took the photos. I’m a witch and it runs in my family, so I have this heavy red velvet robe that I wear. I decided to pose with my keyboard in the surrounding countryside of my home. I had just moved into my own place, and the album was a pining for independence, and yet being mortally lonely. The name “Dreamy Dayze” is about being stuck in a daze for days on end.

What are your projects ?

“Mercury’s Butterfly” is my most well-known project. But I do release music under my real name, Ean Martin. I have some of my earlier ambient and experimental albums on YouTube. Before I was goth, I was a dreamy and moody hippie type. I made a lot of psychedelic/experimental ‘cosmic rock’ and ambient ‘space music’. I also muse a bit in electronic because of Steve Roach.

What do you expect from the future ?

Well, Mercury’s Butterfly has been pretty well received since it’s inception about a year ago. I’m planning to set up a small tour in some states in the USA by the next year. Ultimately, I am happy to make the music I like to make, and music that I would want to hear. And that will never stop 😊

What's your motto ?

‘A leaf gently falling’ – a reference to the impermanence of every moment. Music can capture how we feel. And even if our feelings are fleeting, we can evoke the same feelings when we listen to our favorite songs.

Website to remember

I have a website up at templeottree.com and an instragram which I use - @feywer

What would you like to say to the readers ?

Thanks for taking the time to read the interview! And supporting the dreams of mine <3 Without the people, there would be no one to enjoy the dreams with me~