M Lazar And Her Unique Artistic Vision

“We’re not here to take over the world. We’re the band that will create a new world for you to come join us in and escape,” M Lazar, September Mourning.

Enigma. Webster defines it as an inscrutable or mysterious person; something hard to understand or explain. Enter stage left one Emily Lazar; a multi-layered artist whose talents including being a writer, singer and model. She has modeled for and/or endorsed such companies as Draven, Coffin Case, Samson Microphones, Sourpuss Clothing, Lip Service and many more. She fronts an art project, not a band, called September Mourning. The story of M and her vision is one filled with ambition, hard work, strong women and comics. I recently sat down for a long and interesting chat with M about what ignites the creative beast inside of her.

Johnny: Hey M, it’s great to finally catch up with you. I know that you have been really busy as of late with September Mourning, but before we get into all of that, can you give the readers a brief introduction to who M Lazar is?

M/September Mourning: Who knows? I’m not even sure if I do! Well, I am a performer and I have been one since I started walking. I stepped on the stage for the first time at the age of 4 and I haven’t come off since. I have always been involved in the arts in some way. I have always been singing, dancing and modeling. I usually come up with the concepts of the shoots that I do too, such as with Draven shoes. I just love to put my own stamp on it.

Johnny: So, tell us about your project September Mourning.

M/September Mourning: Well, it’s definitely more than just a band, so I like to refer to it as my art project. It started out as a story of a girl who has her own alter bridge to cross. She is a strong female who is not always taken seriously, but she will punch your face off if she is pushed to it. I wanted to integrate music into the story since I am a musician. I hooked up with Marc Silvestri of Top Cow Comics about 4 ½ years ago and told him my idea. I picked Marc because when he describes female characters, they are empowered and strong, such as his character Witchblade. He loved the idea and asked if I had a band to provide the soundtrack to the story, so at that time I started putting one together.

Johnny: When you were piecing the band together, what kind of sound did you want to create?

M/September Mourning: I got in touch with Chris Egert who was an industrial kid that I had great chemistry with. I knew I wanted an industrial sound with a rock edge to it, but I really hate to put our sound in a box. I also worked with James Duran and Carley Coma and we cut some demos.

Johnny: Your sound has changed somewhat since those early demos; as well as your band mates. Was the musical change a conscious decision?

M/September Mourning: I believe that you have to grow as a group. The minute that you stop changing or morphing as an artist is a sign for you to break up or just stop because there is nothing left to do. Our current sound is popcore with a little electronic thrown in, but it’s still changing along with our band members and our look. We will definitely have all of those changes defined by next year. Our sound did change a bit from those first songs, which were more industrial. We didn’t release them, but we are going to go ahead and do so because a lot of fans discovered us back then because of them. O

Johnny: Those fans got a taste of those songs when you went out on tour with Marilyn Manson. How crazy of an opportunity was that for you?

M/September Mourning: It was like being blasted out of a cannon! We got that touring spot just 6 months after becoming a band. I think we did really well and it was definitely a blast. Manson is such an amazing artist both musically and visually and I learned so much from him.

Johnny: So, this project has been in the works for a few years now. You had a pretty major announcement at the San Diego ComiCon this year. Can you tell us more about that?

M/September Mourning: I am so excited about our project with MTV. We are putting together live action/animation webisodes that will depict the storyline of September Mourning. Each webisode will link together and they will contain our original music. They will be very interactive and the fans will drive the storyline. MTV Geek is just amazing and they really understand where we are coming from. They are very forward thinking and they get our vision and that really helps. Ultimately, this project is my life, it’s my child. My little goth/metal child.

Johnny: You just recently released a teaser video for a new song entitled “Children of Fate”. What a great song and a bit of a different direction for you. Also, on a visual level, it is quite striking. Can you elaborate a little bit on the whole package?

M/September Mourning: Well thank you! The reaction to it has been really great so far. First off, I am a huge Annie Lennox (Eurythmics) fan and I love watching 80s videos. I especially love her video for the song “Why”. I was inspired by that one and I wanted to show how our look and sound has evolved in the video. My look is more specific now and the video shows me evolving.

Johnny: When you write a song, such as “Children of Fate”, where does your inspiration come from?

M/September Mourning: I write alot of songs and I try to write one everyday; whether it’s just a verse or a hook or a complete song. I draw my inspiration from everything in life. I draw it from the guy I am dating and the way he smiles at me in the morning. I’m inspired by movies or seeing an artist perform and the crowd’s response or the taste of a chocolate chip cookie on my tongue. I have my dark periods too and I think that was because I was surrounded by so much death and trauma when I was little. My dad worked in an ER when I was 7 and I saw a lot of things that I shouldn’t have at that age.

Johnny: So, on a lighter note, do you have any guilty pleasures that would surprise your fans?

M/September Mourning: Well, I am a Scorpio, so I am an intense, sensual person; so some of those things can’t make it to print. Hmmmm, a guilty pleasure that’s printable? Well, I love science and quantum physics. I guess that makes me a nerd huh? I’m also a gamer and I love the new Batman Arkham City game. There’s also a new game coming out called Darkness 2 and I played a demo of it at ComiCon. The first one was banned in Singapore because it was so violent. It’s an all out gore fest and I love it!

Johnny: I would use many words to describe you, but nerd is definitely not one of them. You are such an active person and you definitely prove that there is a lot of brain there to compliment all of your beauty. I know at times your body must be exhausted, but your brain is still running at mach speed. How do you finally come down long enough to sleep?

M/September Mourning: It’s very hard to and that’s why I am usually an insomniac! I just recently learned how to shut it off thanks to meditation. I use to think that stuff was for “sandal wearing, granola crunching people” and not for me, but boy was I wrong! The very first time that I tried it, I was so chill that night. I do it now to help me stay centered, plus I have also learned how to just let things go too.

Johnny: Speaking of letting things go, as much as I hate to, I guess I should let you get back to the studio. I, for one, can’t wait to hear the new CD. I know you are shooting for the first quarter of 2012 for a release. Please keep us posted on your progress with that and thanks again for taking time out of your crazy schedule to talk with us. Is there anything that you would like to add in closing?

M/September Mourning: You’re quite welcome and thank you for wanting to talk to me. I do want to thank all of our fans, both old and new ones, who have stayed with us all this time and for passing us on to new listeners. We are a product of what you make us. Keep spreading the word and keep letting us know on Facebook what you think.