MAZARIN - Understanding the Mysteries of Mazarin

By: Andrea Toro - Damn Good Noise

“I really hate interviews.”
There’s a small pause, and then the genius behind Mazarin, easy-going Quentin Stoltzfus, rushes on, as if he’s offended me.
“No, no, I don’t hate interviews. What sucks is answering the same questions over and over again. It’s like this insane exercise in repetition. I feel like people can develop stock answers for questions, and then lose sight of how they really feel.”
Actually, for a guy who claims that interviews are often tiresome and sometimes boring, Stoltzfus was extremely pleasant on the phone, and I don’t believe he would have owned-up to his hatred of interviews if I hadn’t asked in the first place.
“The nice thing about interviews is that you don’t have to answer the questions that are asked if you don’t want to. You can just start talking about something else, which allows you to get creative,” Stoltzfus says, laughing.
In the case of his fans, the somewhat soft-spoken Stoltzfus declares that he would much rather sit down and have an in-depth conversation with one or two people because this proves much more rewarding than maintaining small talk. Being barraged by hundreds of fans and constantly hearing “good show, man” is not how Stoltzfus likes to get to know people, although sometimes he has little say in the matter.
The creator and songwriter of indie rock sensation Mazarin admits that he enjoyed the Damn Good Noise interview, and for that I’m grateful. After all, it isn’t easy calling a member of a band, especially when that band produces amazing music, as Mazarin does. Oddly enough, I’m as nervous and intimidated by Stoltzfus, as he once was when he met a member of new wave sensation, The Cars.
“I just realized that everyone is normal and trying to do their thing to get by. If you really like a band you have a tendency to feel inferior to them, but you shouldn’t. Bands who don’t treat their fans like equals are probably insecure to begin with,” Stoltzfus said.
After almost three years of silence from Mazarin, the band emerges with a beautifully crafted album that mixes psychedelic grooves with feel-good pop. The album, titled We’re Already There, a full length masterpiece from I and Ear Records, was recorded in Philadelphia, which is also where Stoltzfus makes his home when he’s not busy touring around the country. When he finds the time, he loves fixing up his home, and tending to his garden, claiming that sometimes, even the most mundane activities provide inspirations for his songwriting.
“The line between work and leisure is really blurred for me. I could be putting a floor in my bathroom and have a musical inspiration just from doing that. It’s extremely random,” he said.
At the moment, however, Stoltzfus isn’t able to be a handyman at his home because Mazarin’s been busy touring around the country and has co-headlined with Sound Team during November. Now, in December, the band teams up with Rouge Wave as they move from the northeast to the west, ending finally in Los Angeles on Dec. 20th.
The name Mazarin actually came from a character in a novel called The Island of the Day Before by Italian author Umberto Eco. Stoltzfus claims that he chose the name because it was unique, but that the band’s image fits more into the overall theme of the novel, rather than the personality of the character.
“The overall lesson of the book is to appreciate the things that you have. There’s always going to be something that you see as being better, but we should be thankful for what we’re given, and make the best of it,” he said.
Stoltzfus certainly believes that Mazarin is a part of one of the best labels, and has complete faith in the players behind I and Ear Records. He believes that indie labels generally allow artists more freedom, and also allow them to be part of the decision-making, which works perfectly for him, since he loves to be involved.

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I and Ear Records – http://www.ierecs.com/
Mazarin - http://www.mazarinband.com/
Email the band - theband@mazarinband.com
Booking: Kevin French,
Big Shot Touring - kevin@bigshottouring.com