The Mystique and Melody of Magic Dance

The Mystique and Melody of Magic Dance

Magic Dance has returned with their new album Remnants, a masterwork whose spiraling synthwave tunes are absolutely mesmerizing to behold.  In an album where the joys of life and mysteries of death combine with timeless AOR inflections, Remnants by Magic Dance is an auditory adventure music fans will want to revisit time and again.  Highwire Daze recently interviewed Magic Dance founder Jon Siejka to find out more about the melody and mystique of the glorious Remnants, now available worldwide from Frontiers Music Srl. Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Magic Dance, and how long the band has been together.
Hi, I’m Jon and Magic Dance is my project. I write, produce, sing and do most of the guitars on the records. I’ve been doing this since 2012.

Where are you based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
I’m based out of Long Island, NY. I can’t say what the local scene is really like here; I am usually holed up in the studio! I would say my project is more a result of the internet rather than anything going on locally.

How did you wind up signing with Frontiers Music Srl?
I ended up contacting them and hearing back a few months later. They’re one of the few labels out there who really understands this genre and has the resources to promote it well.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the Remnants album title?
The album mainly centers around a theme of accepting your own death and using it as fuel to live the life you want while you still can. Remnants because it’s usually not until we’re older that we start thinking about this. The album moves from dark to light and the artwork is tied into that.

Select two songs from Remnants and what inspired the lyrics.
Change Your Life – This track really centers in on the album theme. It has an urgency to it both lyrically and instrumentally that spells the album’s message out clearly.

I’m Still Holding On – It’s probably the most motivational song on the record, in the “montage rock” kind of way that you’d hear in movies like Rocky IV. I always picture sports scene when I hear it.

Who did the cover art for Remnants and how much input did you have on it?
Bo Bradshaw did the artwork and he did an amazing job at it. I had the idea of a person who was half alive/half decaying and reaching towards life. Bo took it from there.

What has it been like to record and release new music in the middle of a pandemic and so much social unrest in the world?
The early stages of the pandemic shutdown helped me finish the record and turn it in to the label relatively on time. I don’t think my love of writing music has wavered one bit since this all happened, in fact it’s probably gotten stronger. And I think people are still hungry for new music even with live gigs not happening.

There is an amazing David Bowie song called Magic Dance. Is your band named after that song and are you a Bowie or Labyrinth fan at all?
Yes! It’s a tribute to him and that soundtrack. Labyrinth was a big part of my childhood.

Has Magic Dance ever played live or is that something you would like to do in the future?
A few times in NYC. The area is not exactly a hotbed for AOR but we had a good time. I think if there was anything in the future, it would likely be in Europe.

Are you involved with any other bands or projects outside of Magic Dance?
I’ve had other projects and bands before this, but nothing right now. My last project was called The Flight Away, which you can check out on Bandcamp.

What do you hope 2021 brings for you and Magic Dance?
All I can ask for is the streaming algorithms will put my music in the earbuds of new listeners. I’d love to gain more fans.

Any final words of wisdom?
Thanks for the opportunity.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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