Adam MacGregor (microwaves)
photo by Will Mecca from No Coast Fest 2022
What are your top five albums that were released in 2022? (In order 1-5)
- Oxbow / Peter Brotzmann - An Eternal Reminder of Not Today (Live at Moers)
- Cloud Rat - Threshold
- Echthros - God is Love
- Amorphia - Lethal Dose
- Hissing - Hypervirulence Architecture
What band did you discover in 2022 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? How so?
As Quill was one of the first bands to have played the Woodstock Festival, I was amazed that I had never heard of them until reading their name on that absurdly comprehensive Woodstock audio archive that Rhino released some time back. Why they had been left out of the historical record was obvious when I heard their music. Their sole album counterbalances the sunny harmonies and choogling guitars of the day with swatches of dark psych and angular dissonance that wouldn’t be out of place on an ESP Disk release. Assuming they were just as contrarian live that fateful day, I wonder how many mellows they unceremoniously (and deservedly) harshed!
How will you remember 2022? (In terms of music)
For me, it was a return to the joyous toil that is touring. The microwaves jaunts in May and October were the first I had done since 2018. COVID of course created a two-year hiatus for everyone, but I had been out of circulation since August 2018 when my wife and I moved abroad for her job. Like everyone, I missed discovering new bands on the road, playing music with good friends, and meeting kindred folks across the country. As a still-recently returned expat, it was fascinating on our latest run to see how the underground zeitgeist has changed in exciting ways in such a short time -- I felt like Rip Van Winkle more than once. I’ll look back on 2022 with gratitude, ultimately: I still get to do this stuff.
What can we look forward to from you in 2023?
More microwaves shows in different areas, at very least. I think John (Roman, drums) and Dave (Kuzy, guitar/vox) would agree: It feels like microwaves is in good shape, spiritually and artistically. Having been in the band twice before (2006 and 2012) has given me an unusual perspective on this. What was that ad that said “As I got older, I got better”? Right now, I feel that we are more adept at realizing the band’s sound and vision than ever, so I personally hope to commit that to tape.
What records are you looking forward to most in 2023?
Questions like these make me miss the “coming soon” section of the old Aquarius Records new arrivals list. I am honestly not sure what is even scheduled for release in 2023. Whether they are planning it or not, I would love to hear new work from the following:
- Thrones
- Cellular Chaos
- Moor Mother
- Yowie
- Neil Hamburger
- Honduh Daze
- Sam McPheeters
- Godflesh
Live shows are still a mixed bag as we adapt to social gatherings in a COVID world. What is something positive you see about touring right now? Anything you’d like to see change?
I see live shows in the immediate term as an essential part of our collective recovery: they are how we re-establish the human connection after such a prolonged trauma. “Music is the Healing Force of the Universe” – Albert Ayler.
Adam MacGregor – social media links
- Instagram: @microwaves.ltd
