AN INTERVIEW WITH MICROWAVES
3-13-26
PHOTO CREDIT: RUSS JOHNSON
1. Thanks for this interview! Would you please introduce yourself and what you do in the band?
Dave: I'm Dave Kuzy, guitar and vocals.
John: John Roman, here. Drums.
Zach: Zach Moore of bass and vocals.
2. Would you tell the readers a little about yourself such as where you’re from and your background as a musician and what got you into heavy/experimental music? Take us down your musical rabbit hole if you would!
Dave: I'm originally from Washington, PA. I'm a little older than the other 2 guys and I had a sort of inept original band back in HS, in the 80s. I was always interested in weird stuff, and I remember sending away for a bunch of punk/indie zines after reading about them in Spin.
John: I graduated from East Allegheny High School where I learned about heavy metal. I moved on to include other music during my collegiate years.
Zach: I was on a musical hiatus for around 10 years. After playing for almost 20 years in the band Hero Destroyed, when we stopped playing I needed to step away from everything for a while. One day a few years ago, a long time musician friend mentioned Microwaves’ bass player was moving. I casually mentioned that I’d be interested, and maybe it was time to start playing again. Well, my friend took that comment to John, whom I have known for probably close to 30 years. The next day I got a text from John, and within a few weeks I was in the band. I was always into the punk side of metal, and the metal side of punk, mix in some quick changing time signatures and with a dollop of noise on top. Microwaves felt right at home for me, and a good reason to start playing again.
3. Tell us about the band’s origin story—how and when did you form, and did you have a concrete vision for the project at the outset?
Dave: I had done some short-lived projects with John and other folks and at some point, he ended up not being in the band he was in (The 1985). He asked if I wanted to start a band, and so we did. This was in February/March of 1999. First actual Microwaves show wasn't until the end of 2000.
John: There was no concrete vision. The lineup went through a few different iterations and played a few shows under various names. We had a vocalist early on, but he mainly just knocked things over and threw stuff at people.
4. How would you say your sound has evolved over the course of the band’s lifespan thus far? How do you feel this context and experience informed the creation of your upcoming LP Temporal Shifter?
Dave: I guess the songs used to be simpler, maybe more along the lines of what would be termed noise rock. Over time, more metal and prog influences worked their way in. We still have songs that are all in 4/4, though.
John: We have much better gear these days. That seemed to be what audiences were after...or NOT after. Still figuring it out.
5. Temporal Shifter comes out on March 27th via Decoherence Records. How did that relationship come about?
Dave: We've known MP Lockwood, who runs Decoherence, for a long time. He's been at most of our shows in NYC and we've played shows with his band (Radio Shock) and other bands on his label; Chaser, for example. He likes what we do and we are a good fit with the other bands he releases.
John: MP Lockwood and Decoherence are running shit right now.
6. Let’s dig into Temporal Shifter a bit more. What else can you tell us about it—contents, creation, etc.?
John: Everyone played their own parts on the album. We usually do the same thing when we perform live.
7. I know for me as a reviewer and interviewer genre labels can be useful, along with specific artist comparisons, to establish an auditory frame of reference, especially if someone hasn’t heard the music in question yet. Obviously your music is challenging and isn’t easily categorized—I’m curious to get your thoughts on the utility (futility?) of genre categorization and artist comparisons.
Dave: I don't worry about it. People seem to like Noise Rock, and if they want to call us that, it doesn't bother me, though I don't know that the term makes much sense. As far as comparisons to other bands, when people make the comparisons, they are usually trying to pay a compliment, so even if it doesn't make sense, one takes it in the spirit it was offered.
John: This is merely what happens when we write music together. We once tried doing something different and it didn't work.
8. I know it’s a long period of time to condense into just one answer, but what would you say have been the major highlights of the band to date?
John: Having a pair of albums on ThreeOneG Records was pretty cool.
Dave: One thing that is always nice is playing with other bands whose music we like or who have influenced us.
9. What’s on the docket for the rest of this year?
Dave: More shows. We are also introducing Microwaves-branded dog food, but on the blockchain.
10. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Any last words for the reader?
John: I don't think it's responsible or proper for me to speak for anyone but myself. Sorry, it's just the polite thing to do.