Magik Markers are the just the right combination of noise, catchy tunes and crazed intensity. Their ferocious drones stretch out into incendiary live workouts (as you can see in one of the clips below) and they’re got a devoted fanbase. Since the group started, drummer Pete Nolan (via his Arbitrary Signs label) has produced handmade limited editions on CD-R and tapes with original artwork. After a four-year gap between records, Magik Markers (Nolan, Elisa Ambrogio and bassist John Shaw, replacing Leah Quimby) have returned with a solid new album, Surrender to the Fantasy (Drag City) that is perhaps more focused (not that this is necessarily a good thing or a bad thing) than previous work. I caught up via email with drummer Pete Nolan about the recent release.

Richard Metzger: Magik Markers were really prolific for many years, and the frequency of your output, plus the bespoke nature of your limited releases, imply an especially intimate relationship with fans. Then… nothing. Why the extended break or does it just appear that way?

Pete Nolan: We were still been putting out cassettes and live CD-Rs. Isolated From Exterior Time, 2010, had a lot of the tunes from Surrender on it. Also Mother was Magik documented at live gig at The Stone. We also put out a cassette last year with a bunch of 4-track recordings on it. So we’ve been doing stuff all along it’s just been more refined and limited.

Richard Metzger: How did you approach “locking in” to the Magik Markers head-space again?

Pete Nolan: We weren’t apart at all. We’ve done several tours over the last four years with bands like Black Bananas and Dirty 3 as well as playing lots of gigs around the east coast. So it’s not like we haven’t been playing or something.  Most of the material on Surrender was recorded over the past four years. We didn’t take a break or anything.  We’ve just been constantly recording. Surrender took shape as a result of honing through years worth of taped archives.  We certainly have enough material to put out another LP if we feel like it. We’ve just been doing things on our own schedule.
 

“Bonfire”
 
Richard Metzger: What’s the primary difference—as you perceive it as creators—between what you put on recordings versus the way you approach your live performances?

Pete Nolan: For our records we try to pick pieces that work well together as a whole and then just try to make them sound as good as possible. Most of these songs are first or second takes and we really let the loose ends stay loose on Surrender. For our past couple of proper LP s we sort of clipped things short and edited them up for the sake of making things more concise, but I think that’s really against the spirit of how we operate as a band. Our songs are weird little universes of their own that we inhabit. It would be unfair to cut them short.  The weirdness comes out when we let them breath for a bit and do their thing.
 

A live “Bonfire” that threatens to burn out of control, March 1 2012 at Bard College.
 
We recorded a lot of songs for this record that would be good and easy to do live. I think we’re pretty heavy as a live unit these days. We hit hard and swing hard and the songs are super loud when they need to be and quiet when they need to be. We also make sure that huge chunks of our live set are dominated by improvisation.  We thrive on unexpected things and it’s in these moments of improvisation where we can really tune into the energy of a room. I feel like we owe it to people who come see us to hit it hard and give a good sampling of what we re all about. I think our sets are pretty heavily energized these days.
 

A more sedate side of the group with “Mirrorless”