Periphery started in 2004 near Washington, DC by Misha “Bulb” Mansoor and Alex Bois. Over the years the band has had a few struggles, line-up changes and most recently the departure of Alex Bois. His departure frazzled the band a little, but they pulled together and continued toward their musical goal of being heard beyond the periphery of the progressive metal genre.

Times Square was able to chat with lead songwriter and guitarist Misha Mansoor. Periphery is wrapping up their headlining tour, Frak The Gods, and will be performing at Gramercy Theater on October 6^th, 2011.

Times Square (TS): I am always curious to know how bands come up with their names. What inspired Periphery?

Misha Mansoor (MM): Ours is a little bit interesting. I knew I wanted to start a metal project and I saw everybody’s [band names] were very stereotypical....you totally could tell, they all had dying, blood, or black...those kinds of words. I found it so predictable, so I wanted a band name that if you had never heard of us before you’d have no idea what kind of music we played and periphery sounded like a pretty beautiful word. I like the meaning of it too: being on the outskirts. I think that was a very cool name for the kind of music that we play. The idea being that if you had no idea who we were and you saw us live it would hit that much harder.    

TS: Awesome. The band has seen some ups and downs most recently the departure of Alex Bois. How do you think it affects the band overall?

MM: We’ve been through a lot of line-up changes over the years, but we’re fortunate enough to have enough friends now and know enough about music that we have no shortage of fill-ins for the time being. But luckily for us, Alex wasn’t so much a contributor in the musical department as he was in the business side of things. He was a very integral part [since the beginning], so it’s the behind-the-scenes stuff that has become more intense for everyone on a day-to-day basis. But fortunately it won’t affect the sound whatsoever...so if there’s a silver lining that’s probably it.

TS: I agree. Life is filled with many changes: there’s good, there’s bad, and sometimes there’s ugly too; hopefully not too much of the last one though. Can you explain the Djent movement for those who may not know what it is exactly?

MM: Basically it has become its own genre and has been associated with us. It’s a word that was started to describe a certain guitar sound and technique. I started using it to describe that same sound and technique. It seems to have evolved into that genre that no one really understands exactly what it is and it really has very little to do with the original guitar technique. It’s pretty much an umbrella term for any new heavy progressive band...the new wave of progressive metal in general, which is good company to keep.

TS: What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome being a self-taught music producer?

MM: I don’t view it as a challenge, more as it being fun. I’m self-taught because I like figuring out things for myself. I could have taken lessons if I had wanted to, but I just never fare well with them because my mind is like ‘I’d rather figure it out for myself’ kind of approach. The challenge that I faced was that I didn’t learn quite as fast as I could have, but personally it’s a lot more fulfilling when you get something after figuring it out for yourself. It’s a trade-off, I wouldn’t say one way or the other is right or wrong. I think it’s just whatever works for you.

TS: Indeed, there is no cookie cutter way to do things. Who would you absolutely love to have headline for your band?

MM: One of the bands we’re actually doing which is Dream Theater. We have a European tour with them coming up...But really any modern progressive act that have that a sound of their own and have made a big impact on the music community.

TS: This one is for the gear geeks; why did the band chose to use only an Axe-Fx and Fractal MFC Foot Controller as opposed to other technical gizmos on the market?

MM: Because we go direct. Ever since we’ve gone direct instead of using amps we found that everything just sounds better, tighter, and clearer. So it’s a lot easier to use, a lot less to maintain and a lot less heavy. We’re talking about a unit that weighs ten pounds to replace a two hundred pound guitar rig before. Now we don’t even use pedal boards because we have a computer switching everything for us. It makes our jobs on stage that much easier and allows to focus more on playing than worrying about other things. I doubt we’ll ever switch back to amps or other technical gizmos, haha.

TS: You play a wide variety of guitars, if you had to decide on one to be reincarnated into which one and why?

MM: It would be my Blackmachine B2. Because Blackmachine makes the most incredible guitar that I have ever laid my hands on. That’s the reason that I never take it on tour because it’s a one-of-a-kind, it’s irreplaceable...to me the ultimate perfection in a guitar.

TS: I heard you guys had quit a challenge getting your first album released. How do you feel now that it’s out there for the masses?

MM: Yeah the first album was definitely a labour of love, probably the most stressful thing I’ve ever done and because of that it was very cathartic to get it released...to not have to worry about it anymore. But now I am more so worrying about the second album, which we are getting together as soon as soon as we get back from our headlining tour. Because the pressure is back on...I think the stress is going to be back on. But I am taking more time with it this time around, but it’s gonna be a stressful experience no matter what, so I am kind of worried about that.

TS: I wish you guys best of luck on that. How would you describe your live shows for someone who’s only heard your recordings?

MM: The album is purely supposed to be a composition; you’re hearing the music like we wanted it to sound. And live we are at our best with our energy and composition while rocking out and having a good time with it. We try to vibe off the audience...our live shows really depend on the audience.

TS: Are you guys excited for the show at Gramercy on October 6^th?

MM: New York is awesome times. One of the best, if not the best, show on tour we do. For some reason New Yorkers like us and for that reason we love New York...We always look forward to playing there. It’s a nice little way to end the tour.

TS: What else does Periphery have on its plate? What are some things fans should keep an eye out for?

MM: We’re actually working on two albums: a regular one and a concept album. And with any luck they will be both released next year. Or at least definitely one of the will be...It’s kind of a big undertaking...And we’ve got the European tour, as I was saying, with Dream Theater which is pretty exciting because we’re all huge Dream Theater fans...

TS: Thanks Misha for the chat and all that is left to say is...Keep on Rockin’!

Photo Caption: Misha Mansoor on left with John from Monuments and Acle and James from TesseracT

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