Music: Misery Collective Orchestra

MISERY COLLECTIVE ORCHESTRA

Beauty and power: High-concept music project marries dark folk vibe with doomcore

Jason Breeze doesn't mind being referred to as a diva - something he's heard from time to time in his dealings with fellow tri-state musicians through the years. In fact, the selfproclaimed "Doom Lord Scene Wizard" embraces it. "To me, the definition of a diva is driven, goal-oriented and focused," he explains. And that certainly describes Breeze, who, despite getting a late start playing and performing music - he didn't pick up a guitar until age 30 - has gone allin over the last two decades, becoming a prominent force locally via his involvement in various heavy bands and knack for booking well-attended punk and metal shows at area venues. If he's rubbed a few people the wrong way with his intensity, that's just part of the job, so to speak. Because at the end of the day, nothing's going to keep Breeze from ticking all the boxes on his ambitious musical agenda. Currently, that agenda is centered around a high-concept music project dubbed Misery Collective Orchestra. But first, let's jump back to the beginning of Breeze's journey to this point - to 2008 when he joined his first punk band, Creepy Geezers, and took over Punk Rock Night at the now-defunct Lanhuck's Tavern in Evansville. Eventually, Breeze moved camp to Hammerheads downtown and started anew musically with the Steve Albiniinfluenced METHMOUTH, a noise-punk outfit that thrived on being abrasive. He then lightened up a bit, venturing into pop-punk with Gorilla Monsoon and also formed 138!!! The Misfits Tribute in 2010 which packed out neighborhood bars like Bullock's, breaking attendance records.

But it was 2011 when Breeze's crushingly heavy musical vision really started to coalesce. He joined his first doom band, Witchdagger, which was followed a year later by Vykanthrope featuring former Hum drummer, the late Bryan St. Pere. Two years later Breeze was raging in Running With Tarantulas before forming his longest running project to date, Crows of Odin, in 2015 with drummer Sterling Millay. Despite their minimal presentation - just two guys on a stage - the volume and brutality of the music always pinned everyone to the back wall. "Me and Sterling played 10 shows a year for seven years, I think," Breeze notes, "but he's got a lot going on, a job and a child. His interest would ebb and flow so I started writing "The Sun The Sea The Mountain The Cave" and started Misery Collective Orchestra."

Initially, this 40-minute opus which brings together Breeze's increasing interest in the dark folk music of Townes Van Zandt and his absolute devotion to avant-garde metal band Neurosis, was meant to be a standalone project - like an opera. But slowly it

evolved into Misery Collective Orchestra, a sort of musical umbrella under which other projects can be created and performed. To clarify the intent of MCO, Breeze developed a mission statement which reads as thus:

Misery Collective Orchestra is a group of musicians and artists who work together to support and promote the work of the collective. This will be through shared workspace, gear, marketing and promotional efforts and collaborative works. Everyone who is part of the collective will jointly share profits and costs, benefits and risks. We will heal our minds through the Art of Heavy Music and archive the pain of existence. All hail Neurosis.

Currently, MCO comprises Breeze (vocals & guitar), Tiffany Fleming (vocals), Kent Beeny (guitar), Tyler Messamore (bass) and Josh Barron (drums). While Fleming came to the project with little stage experience beyond karaoke, she's blossomed into a strong performer possessing an alluring and haunting quality to her voice. Beeny and Messamore, meanwhile, are a meticulous rhythm section courtesy of Empty Skins, a noise-rock band from Madisonville, and Barron - who Breeze swears has the fastest hands in the tri-state - is another Kentucky export known for his work in Dancing with Ghosts. All five members are totally on board with the MCO mission as rehearsals continue at 417 Studios on Evansville's east side with an eye on committing "The Sun The Sea The Mountain The Cave" to tape this summer.

But fans of local music have already been treated to this monumental piece - or sections of it - on several occasions, including a memorable MCO Halloween show at Bokeh Lounge and at Lamasco where Breeze books punk and metal bands one Saturday night a month. While those who've followed him through the years might be surprised by the softer, almost ethereal folk elements of the opus, that's the direction he's increasingly been heading in; in fact, Breeze is most excited by a new acoustic project called Murder of Crows that's all about murder ballads and prairie songs. "I think people are going to love what we're doing with the acoustic stuff," he says. "Drunk people really like us."

Ultimately, Breeze envisions a time when MCO involves a revolving door of musicians - including a violinist and synth player - so there's no cause for alarm when someone drops out. The endgame, in a perfect world, is a scenario where there's such musical diversity that the collective can perform at disparate venues, "maybe even on the same night," he half jokes - say, do murder ballads at Bud's and then "The Sun..." at Lamasco. That would certainly be a first for the tristate music scene, but if anyone has the determination to pull it off, it's Breeze.

Be sure to catch Misery Collective Orchestra at Bokeh Lounge on March 19 with Blood Tribe, 1984x and Bleed the Masses.

For more info, follow Misery Collective Orchestra on Facebook

ULTIMATELY, BREEZE ENVISIONS A TIME WHEN MCO INVOLVES A REVOLVING DOOR OF MUSICIANS