ManifestiV on their Apocalyptic Industrial sound
We chatted with ManifestiV about their latest album Legacy out on GIVE/TAKE Records, how it all started, and their sound described as apocalyptic, experimental, psychedelic, and heavy. This is an excerpt from an interview in our Summer 2023 Issue. GIVE/TAKE Records and ManifestiV supported the production of the Summer 2023 Issue through their advertisements and we give our thanks to them.
ManifestiV photographed by Andrew Sherman
Whom is in ManifestiV and what is the role of each band member?
Paragraph Taylor : I’m Paragraph Taylor, co-founder, guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, lyricist, programmer, booker, promoter, tour bus driver, and Secretary of Hydration for ManifestiV since 2014. (We’ve also enlisted Ryan A, drummer, engineer, mixer, sampler, producer, and cinnamon bun enthusiast since well before 2019.)
Lillith Taylor : My name is Lillith and I am a vocalist, painter, and vibraphone player (twenty plus years).
Kevin Porter : I am faelyur. I bring the ill-will to balance out all the good.
The band was started in 2014, so what inspired you to start it?
PT : Moving to Vallejo, California from Dallas, Texas to live with Lillith is what spawned ManifestiV. In 2013, I amassed an album’s worth of material of the most true-to-self music I’d ever written, all just prior to moving to Vallejo. Once there, I showed Lillith the material and asked if she knew anyone in the nearby San Francisco area that would be interested in making its band.
LT : When Paragraph was looking to start a band in the Bay Area, I told him I could play mallet instruments, but felt a bit useless because at the time I didn’t have any instruments and having known that he was mostly playing rock music at the time didn’t feel like I could quite fit in. We solved the issue eventually, by building our own vibraphone from scratch which enables us to bring it anywhere. We were able to amplify it with a Fender Rumble bass amp by giving each key its own KandK Sound pickup, and putting their signals through a Boss guitar effects processor.
Is it true Paragraph and Lillith are morticians?
“Pain is healed by sharing it, never by isolating it. Community heals in funerals and music.”
PT : Yes, we met in mortuary school in Dallas in 2011. Since then, Lillith briefly practiced as a funeral director in California, whereas I embalmed here in (and later even for) the state of Texas. The main things I took personally from that field are… A, life’s too short to take myself or anyone else too seriously, and B, pain is healed by sharing it, never by isolating it. Community heals in funerals and music.
KP : That’s what I hear. I’ve never seen them work on bodies, but I sure have heard some stories.
Tell me more about the name ManifestiV and how it relates to the sound of the band?
LT : The name started from an early inspiration Paragraph had many years ago. It ended up morphing into our general vibe: what we focus on is what we manifest. The name is more about the message than the sound. Energy follows intention, and in a way the band has guided me into a more mindful way of existence.
KP : It basically means “you get what you give”. If you put a bunch of shit out into the world, karma is going to shit in your mouth. If you want something bad enough, you have to make it happen or manifest it with your entire being. We badly want to make awesome music.
How would you describe your music to someone who has not yet listened?
PT : Djentle.
KP : I always have trouble describing our music to people. Sad, heavy, beautiful… with vibraphone. I always end it with, “you really just have to listen to it.”
Get a copy of Legacy on Bandcamp.
by Adele Sinnamon
Adele Sinnamon is a contributor to Auxiliary, writer of Onyx Music Reviews, former club owner and DJ, and a self-described goth living in Brisbane, Australia. FOLLOW
For further reading… get a copy of the Summer 2023 Issue and browse more of our online music articles.