Straight out of Brooklyn, Makes My Blood Dance is as wild, diverse and, yes, insane as the County of Kings. Anyone can take Disco, Glam, Electropop, and Metal, throw them in a blender and call it a song. It takes some kind of twisted genius to make that kind of molotov cocktail into something that you won't stop listening to, and can't stop moving to.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Evan Russell Saffer - Frontman

John Christian Polimeni - Lead Guitar/Programmer

Alex Nikitin - Bass

CK1 - Drums

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Makes My Blood Dance? How long has the band been around?

I was honing my craft for years with Fixer (Active 2000-2009), then solo band for a while and lastly was part of electro punk duo RainMKERS before starting Makes My Blood Dance with John. John Polimeni was most know for his metalcore group Proxima Control. Alex Nikitin was touring Europe with rockabilly act Hi-Tones out of Moscow, Russia. CK1 our mysterious drummer was mostly a gun for hire appearing in national tours with acts like Venom. Evan and John formed MMBD in 2017 writing the first 6 song release before putting the band together. Alex joined soon after and recorded on the album. CK1 was the last to find the fire and join the circus.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

The name stuck from the get go, it was picked out of long list and unanimously agreed upon as living up to our music and our message. It was inspired from a love poem written by Chris Poindexter in a poem he wrote about the way he feels when he looks at his girlfriend. I thought, exactly!! That is the best that life has to offer, that's the power of love and music and people and we all need and want that in our lives. Chris is a writer and poet that inspires me daily with his devotion to love, art and living free. I hope I get to meet him someday.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

John and I write the songs together with me mostly working melodies and lyrics and John presenting his technically masterminded beds of music. Then we Frankenstein them to life and the band puts their touch on the whole, mostly the grooves and their individual parts. The songs mostly revolve around self exploration, recovery, connecting with a higher power and making sense of this thing we call life. We all struggle, and we cannot grow without each-other. We find meaning in love as well as conflict and strive to be our best selves and bring that out in others.

Like why am I acting out or stressed out and what do I do during those intense times? Do I drink? Drug? F@ck? Scream? Get Violent? Hurt myself and others? Or see myself as creating the conflict that doesn't exist, can I walk around with a clear conscience without guilt or secrets or posturing?? Can I be vulnerable and see my stress for what it is, something that conditioned me since I'm a kid, something I had to control over but I can now, as an adult and choose to be something good. That's all hard stuff and that's where I go, into the fire and I'm working through those uncomfortable patches or fear on a daily basis. I express that journey in my music with John and the band.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

We are always listening and trading ideas. John and I talk pretty much every day and have been reading and listening to everything from the Clash to Phish to Rammstein to the Doors. There are also some modern bands in there like Periphery, Static-X, and Fozzy. We like music that moves people and takes you on trip and of course makes you dance. Bands like the Clash were very tuned in to what people were going through, and I think MMBD is also tuned in. All the stuff we talk about relates directly to the self which in turn relates to relationships, self estreem, leadership, teamwork, politics, all of it. It's about consciousness and moving beyond the wheel.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Starting the band came from within, because we were both in other projects when we met and the timing of our spiritual journey made the collaboration have a deeper meaning. It was actually a difficult start because musically we had to find ourselves. It wasn't a fast and easy process, it took some digging and listening. Ultimately the songs and style came together but I remember at the time listening heavily to Rammstein, Stone Sour, Periphery and Fozzy.

What do you do to prepare for a show?

Personally I am usually out mixing with the crowd, meeting people and hanging with friends until right before we go on. Then I sort of hide in a corner and center myself, do some vocal warmups and start jumping and doing some body combat to get my energy levels up. Our show is super high energy and I have an athlete's mind before the show.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

The milestones have been coming frequently and we are very blessed. Everything from finding eachother, to the writing and discovery of each song. Very thankful for our production team including producer Kallie Marie who helped get the ball rolling, Paul Ritchie (Parlor Mob) who engineered the songs, heavyweight Dave Ogilvie (Tool, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie) who mixed the songs, to director Derek Soto who collaborated on our videos (Beaming Right Up and Sick As Our Secrets) and most recently all the love we're getting from our PR teams, the bands and venues who we are working with on each tour.

If I had to point out THE BIGGEST highlight, for me it's meeting and collaborating with John Polimeni (Lead Guitar of MMBD) who I could not have taken it this far without his wisdom, creativity and tenacity. We have a mutual respect and a I'm still digging his music stylings.....our newer songs are also rad.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

I think touring with KISS would teach us a lot, those guys have it down.....although I was managed by Bill Aucoin (former manager of KISS) for years before his passing and he taught me a tremendous amount which I apply today. Would be fun to open for a jam band like Phish and be challenged to expand our musicality and keep that crowd engaged. Makes My Blood Dance is playing longer sets as we continue to grow and incorporate longer musical sections in songs like Communion and some of the newer titles and jams that we are road testing.

I think we would do well on tour with Ozzy, Stone Sour and Guns N Roses. In the younger band realm I think a tour with Ghost, Fozzy, Airbourne, Fever 333, Pop Evil, Ice Nine Kills would all be great match ups for our diverse disco metal genre.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Life is a struggle every day for all of us. I'm a seeker and that keeps me tuned in to my feelings and the maintaining a presence so I don't go crazy. We are all a little crazy but together we can heal eachother, bring out the best in ourselves, crush the ego and learn to live better. I like to put this out there to inspire others to join us on tour, whether we share the stage or come together and watch the show, we need to reconnect and explore the human experience. Technology has hurt our ability to do that, while making us faster and smarter it has made us feel more alone than ever. If this is you, don't hide because it only gets worse, come and find us, we want to help and be helped. Love ya. Evan Russell Saffer