“I met Josh in 2006 when we were both 22 years old. We had a lot in common, including the fact that we were both aspiring musicians who hadn’t really accomplished much yet in terms of meaningful musical output. We formed Mariage Blanc in 2007 and it seems almost surreal to me that the last seven and a half years have passed by so quickly.”
“Anybody who has ever been in a serious band at any point can tell you that it’s not unlike most of the other relationships people experience in the different realms of their lives: you bask in some pretty amazing times and endure some pretty low times, as well. Members come and go over the years, weaving in and out of your life. Dynamics change and so do the people involved. I can say without any hesitation that my involvement in this band over the years has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life, coming second only to my relationships with my fiancee, family, and friends.
A lot happens between your early 20s and 30s. During our time as a band, I’ve watched myself and my bandmates grow dramatically as both musicians and people. Invariably, this growth is accompanied by change. We came face to face with one of these changes when Josh and his fiancee made the decision to move from our native Pittsburgh to San Francisco last summer. It was a scary time for us. Josh and I have always had an understanding that we would continue this band until one of us is ready to stop, and while we were both fairly certain that the move wouldn’t mean the demise of the band, it was obvious that everybody (including myself) was nervous about the logistics of it all. Some friends and family were supportive about it; others seemed to doubt the likelihood of continuing a band under such circumstances.
For us, though, the bottom line was clear. We weren’t ready to stop, so we weren’t going to.
In a lot of ways we feel as though we’re just starting to hit our stride as artists. As the years pass, we feel a constant drive to push ourselves to see what we’re capable of creating next, and we’ve found that it’s become something of an obsession. We also find ourselves in a situation that I suspect many other artists our age find themselves in, which involves having to strike a balance between your “artistic” life and your “adult” life. What we have come to realize is this: if you’re serious enough about seeing an artistic vision through, nobody is stopping you from doing things on your own terms. You don’t have to just be the starving artist who disregards all other aspects of life, and you don’t have to just be Joe Shmo who gave up something he was passionate about because he’s got a 9-5 now. Life is not black and white, and being an artist is not an all-or-nothing proposition. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with creating a balance in your life that ultimately provides you with a platform to continue doing what you love to do, but you must be willing to adapt to the almost inevitable and uncontrollable circumstances that present themselves along the way.
Taking all of that into consideration, the band is currently in the most stable place that it’s been in a long time. Our latest record, No Autobiography, will be released this April and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with the world. Josh comes back frequently and we’ve been far more productive recently than we have been in years. We’ve been busy lining up shows to promote the new album and are already in the early writing stages for the next one. The entire band feels energized and rejuvenated about where we currently are, and we owe that to the fact that we didn’t let a seemingly immense obstacle cloud our judgement regarding where we wanted to take our art in the future.
We have every intention of continuing to make records and play shows as our lives move forward because that feeling is irreplaceable to us. Luckily, we’ve learned enough over the years to realize that sometimes things aren’t as out of reach as they seem, providing that you take the reins and be your own benefactor. You won’t regret it, and neither do we.”
—Matt Ceraso
Mariage Blanc’s No Autobiography arrives in stores on April 7, 2015. Preorder it on Bandcamp.
