Goth Duo MGT Bring Positivity Into The Light

MGT adds a little night to the daylight. In a good way. Musically unique, yet familiar in a half-remembered sense, with vocals that add an unexpected comfort.

“I try to be comforting,” singer Ashton Nyte (The Awakening) agreed. “There’s a lot at odds in the world, I think a little bit of comfort goes a long way.”

Having just completed a string of dates in support of their sophomore album, Concert Guide Live caught up with Nyte, who alternated between talking somewhat seriously and sometimes with a bit of tongue-in-cheek.

CONCERT GUIDE LIVE: You joined MGT as lead vocalist for the latest album, Gemini Nyte, a clever combination of names – yours and guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite (The Mission/Peter Murphy). But, the first album had a variety of singers so are you just involved with this album, or could there be further collaborations together?
ASHTON NYTE: Basically, the first album was Mark’s first solo album which is called Volumes. And on Volumes he wrote the music and then he got a range of guest vocalists to write the lyrics and to sing. I was one of those and eventually we just hit it off and kept writing songs.

The original plan was to release the new body of work as “Gemini Nyte”, as a new project, essentially. But what happened is the record label got involved and they encouraged us, to release it as the second “MGT” album rather than a new project. So as things are now, Mark and I wrote this album together. I’m the guy who writes all the words and sings them and Mark generally writes the music and plays it. That’s how this has come to pass.

I’ve never worked in a collaborative sense like that before. It’s been quite liberating and interesting to have somebody else write the music and myself provide the lyrics and the vocals. Then we mix it together and produce it together and you got the album.

CGL: What do you like about playing live?
AN: it’s the other half of the whole. I think creating the music is wonderful, you know, it’s like seeing it from a seed to a tree. But performing is the other side of it, it completes the picture and it satisfies something in me. I don’t know if that’s healthy or unhealthy, but I find it very satisfying to see people’s response, to act and to engage. I’m not the kind of performer to just, you know, stand there and be removed from it all. I think it’s important to engage with the audience and we have a good time and hopefully they do, too.

CGL: What do you remember about the first time you ever played live, Were you nervous?
AN: No, I was very excited. I think I’ve always had that “the more the merry” type feeling. I played the first show and I was looking forward to the next one and playing to more people and playing louder.

CGL: Whatever possessed you to go into music in the first place?
AN: Probably some sort of mental disorder. I don’t know. It’s just always been my passion. I can’t really see myself doing anything else. It’s something I need to do. I could do other things, but I would never want to stop doing it, let’s put it that way. I enjoy various artforms but, music is an integral part of my life.

CGL: Do you find yourself listening to music all the time?
AN: No, I probably spend more time creating than listening. I probably spend a fair amount of time listening. It’s healthy to be aware of what’s going on, whether it’s recent or something from the past that continues to inspire and invigorate. But, I like to think that I write more than I listen. Focus more on creating than catching up.

CGL: Where do you get your ideas and inspiration for your lyrics?
AN: I think there was a kind of dystopian themed undercurrent that runs through this album. I think that’s probably self-explanatory. The place we find ourselves in the world these days leaves a lot to be desired. So, a lot of the songs reflect that but I’m singing from the perspective of hope and positivity, trying to recognize some of the problems but remaining optimistic and making suggestions to move forward rather than complaining and whining things.

CGL: Do you write all the time, or do you just write when you need to come up with a song?
AN: I write all the time. I have referred to myself as a compulsive songwriter, it’s an addiction. I have a band, The Awakening, and we’ve released I believe eight albums and I’ve released another eight… which is 16 albums which is more than most people and I probably have as many albums with the material that’s not released so I think it’s safe to say my songwriting addiction is real, and that the therapy hasn’t worked, yet, but I’m giving it time, I’m working through it.

CGL: What about the other musicians, will MGT have a set lineup moving forward?
AN: I mean, it would be lovely if we could keep the same (musicians), from a unit perspective, to keep the same live line up as it is now. The band that’s touring right now isn’t the band that played on the album, for example. If the stars continue to align and everybody is available to do that it would be wonderful for us to keep doing it this way.

CGL: Do you have a home studio, or do you record in different places?
AN: I have a studio in my house. So, does Mark. Which is how we assembled this album. He did his thing and I did my thing and we file-shared pretty much. Wonderful the way we can do it these days.

CGL: What was it like when you first started?
AN: When I first started recording? Back when I was 12? When I was 12 it was difficult understanding things. I think we all improve with age. That’s the point, I think.