Q&A: ‘Take One’ finds inspiration in unique places
From left to right: James Leahy, Martin Harvey-Olson, Max Von Markgraf , Cooper Fitz . (Photo by Samuel Bendix)
From mandolin-heavy folk music, to 1950s horror films, the band Take One finds inspiration far outside the boundaries of the melodic hardcore they play.
Started as a folk duo, Take One traverses genres, rotating through members and existing untethered to the numerous music scenes dotting New England.
Yet uniquely at the center of this nebulous and at times dark identity lie bright colors and campy subcultures.
Guitarist Max Von Markgraf likes superhero films. Fellow guitarist James Leahy likes the card game Magic the Gathering. Drummer Martin Harvey-Olson, meanwhile, loves 1950s horror films and the entire vintage aesthetic.
The day they swung by the Five By Two studio to record a live session, Take One’s members dug into all these interests and the impact they’ve had on their sound...
Photo by Samuel Bendix
Dakota Antelman - Five By Two Music Journalist: You guys have been through a lot as artists. What has changed about your music and approach to making it over the years?
Max Von Markgra - Take One Guitarist: Specifically speaking. the way that we’re making music, it’s evolved us to a whole new level. At first, we started as a folk band. But then we started to go a little more hardcore after we saw [the band] It’s Been Real. That really gives us a good passion.
DA: Quarantine has had an impact on the creative processes of a lot of bands. Have you felt your work changing at all?
Martin Harvey-Olson - Take One Drummer: The sound hasn’t changed a ton but I think it’s a lot more polished than it’s been on past releases. We’re experimenting with time signatures and we’ve added a bit more funkiness to the hardcore sound which gives it a bit more of a weird feeling. We feel more comfortable.
DA: You guys live up in New Hampshire. How do you guys interact with the many music scenes in the area?
MHO: What we do doesn’t really have a niche here. There’s a lot of heavier things, there’s a lot of light indie stuff, and then there’s a lot of punk and postrock. We’re more of a combination of various things. Trying to find exactly where we fit has been interesting. We have breakdowns but we also have softer songs with clean guitars.
DA: Martin, you’re wearing an old horror tee shirt. Is that an inspiration?
MHO: I’m a big fan of vintage horror movies and vintage movies in general. I made a joke, everybody is going to show up with band shirts and I’m going to be here with my vintage horror thing. I like that kind of stuff.
DA: So what’s next for you guys?
MHO: We just actually finished a song called Dr. Jekyll obviously about the book. The concept of the song is singing from his perspective and goes from light to heavy to kind of reflect the Dr Jekyll to Mr. Hyde dynamic. It’s one of the most complex songs we’ve ever written.
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Our latest live session stream, featuring Take One alongside Sunday Morning and Louzy will take place on this website on August 30 at 7:30pm ET. We will also be featuring additional Q&A articles on other local bands in the coming weeks and months.