Paragon Music Magazine: First of all, I’d like to thank you so much for your time in doing this interview. I am a huge fan of Faith and the Muse, so this is incredibly exciting for me. Tell me about how Faith and Muse started out.

William Faith: I had been in a number of bands over the years, working predominately as a sideman, and was really starting to feel a bit confined; I wanted to work on my own expressions and ideas, and there was really no room for me in the other projects I'd been in. When I met Monica during the Shadow Project tour in 1992, a number of possibilities presented themselves...

Monica Richards: Thank you! I was singer for numerous bands, but when I met William I knew that something really extraordinary was in the air. He took me seriously as a songwriter and as a partner, which allowed me the confidence to try anything I wanted.

PMM:  What have you two been up to recently? I’ve read on your official website that Monica acted in a movie called The Corridor. Tell me about that.

M: Lovecraft is a great love of ours, and the film was influenced by the Cthulu Mythos. A friend of ours wrote the script, and like all films, it hasn't even been edited yet. It was a learning experience for me. I enjoyed playing the Creature aspect of my character, but the human parts were very hard. I don't think I would act again unless it is akin to my performance on stage - a bit over the top in character!

PMM:  What other side projects have you two been working on lately?

M: Really, we've had nothing on our plates except the new album!

W: F&TM is very much a full-time project in itself...

PMM: Your music is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. It is very unique and beautiful, spanning cultures and times, and both of you are extremely talented people. What influences you? Tell me about the writing process. Do you both write the music and lyrics together, or do you work separately and then bring everything together?

M: Thank you for such kind words! Our influences come from all sides, actually - mythology, history, literature, our view of the world around us. We write our own songs and then bring them to the table - I may have lyrics that fit one of William's melodies, or I may compose a piece and he'll help arrange it, or he may write his own piece and I'll add my touches, the process is different for every song.

PMM: I know that William plays all the instruments, and sometimes sings, on your albums. Does Monica play any instruments?

W: Monica handles recorder, pennywhistle and the odd percussion bits here and there; she writes mostly on keyboard, but prefers being free to move about live.

PMM: How long have you been playing music? Did you ever take lessons for music, or are your talents innate?

M: I was writing operas in my head as a child - I have been creating for as long as I can remember... I did not begin to sing until I was a teenager and decided to front a punk band!

W: I started playing at 13; I took a year of bass lessons from a jazz teacher when I was 14 or so, which really did very little beyond broadening my horizons. I do not read music, and function totally by ear.

PMM: What advice can you give to aspiring musicians? Did you both know, even when you were young, that music would end up being your career? What are the best and worst parts of your job?

W: If you REALLY want to make a go of this life, you have to commit yourself to it utterly and totally. I've been very lucky, inasmuch as I knew from the age of 10 that this was precisely what I wanted to do with my life -- I've never had any other dream or goal but this one. The best parts of our job? Performing, without a a doubt. That is, above all, why I do this. The energy is unlike anything else out there in the world. The worst? Everything else!

M: It's actually a very involved way of life - everything we do goes back into the creative process. I think that either you will be an artist or you won't - my advice is to never give it up if it's what you want to do. There are no rules to life, don't let anyone tell you differently!

PMM: Monica, you are an amazing writer, as well as a remarkable artist. You truly are a muse. What are your driving forces/influences when you write your poems, lyrics, and short stories, and when you create your artwork?

M: My poetry is very personal, thoughts on myself as a woman in this world, as a human on a journey; it has captured me at very vulnerable times when only writing was the way to get feelings out. Our new album actually has more poetry in the lyrics than ever before. I think I continuously express the same ideas: mythological themes that intertwine throughout our lives.

PMM: I cannot wait for the new album to come out. What can fans expect from it? Will it be very different from your past albums?

W: Yes, it's called The Burning Season: It stemmed from a desire to burn down all preconceived notions of who we were; to destroy all definitions – even our own – and start over. We reached the end of a cycle with Evidence of Heaven, and Vera Causa was very much a closing of the book on that era. The Burning Season is the end of something old; the birth of something new.

M: Strength, cleansing, rebirth, FIRE! It’s a state of growth for us, as far as stretching our tastes and songwriting further, but also a fuller spectrum, incorporating our original influences as well. We have had some phenomenal reactions to it thus far. I'm actually floored at what we're hearing about it.

PMM: The first time I ever heard your music was while I was listening to GothicRadio.com a couple years ago. Your song, Vervain, came on, and I loved it immediately. What is the meaning behind that song? And while we’re on the topic of meanings, what is the meaning behind the song Mercyground?

M: Vervain is very much about the Sleeper awakening, however you may characterize it. It's a tale of the inspired taking hold of their own, be it their Muse, or their own deity within. Mercyground - it's very much about being dragged down by those who have no sense of dream; it's about the good fight to keep yourself intact.

PMM: Monica’s voice is truly extraordinary. I really think you have a magnificent voice, and after hearing the live tracks on your most recent release, Vera Causa, I cannot wait to see you live! Where are you planning on touring for your upcoming CD, The Burning Season, and how long will the tour last?

W: We will be touring Europe in the fall, South America in the Winter and L.A. dates will occur in between. We do not know how long we will tour this album for, but I suspect it will be for quite some time to follow...

PMM: For those who do not know your music, how would you describe it?

W: We stay away from genre classification -- it's far too limiting. We do what we like to call dark cinematic rock, with elements of electronic, avant garde, neo-classical and world music all folded into the whole picture. Each song is it's own thing. Each album is a collection of different ideas, but somehow, it's all us.

M: It's part of our own unique universe. By having no boundaries to the music we create, we can cross historical and cultural styles and transcend genre specific language. We are finding it harder and harder to really classify it as we've expanded our horizons through the years. We write music to express the mood of the song, and this changes from one piece to the next.

PMM: Once again, thank you both so much for doing this interview. I really hope to see you on tour someday soon. I will definitely pick up the new album, The Burning Season. Keep up the amazing work!

M & W: Thank you for such a great interview!