Exclusive Interview with Marcus: the Apex Predator!

Marcus: the Apex Predator! is a Detroit-based indie/post-hardcore outfit. Formed in 2015, Kevin Watts (guitars, vocals, songwriter) teams up again with Float Here Forever bandmate, Nick Marko (drums and percussion) for the band’s 2025 “Newborn Fossil” EP. Sean Bondareff (Kind Beast) lays down the bass this time around. The tracks were recorded and mixed by Jake Shives and mastered by Grammy-winning Detroit legend, Dave Feeny, at Tempermill Studios. Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music?

Kevin – Marcus: the Apex Predator!: I’ve been drawn to music from my earliest memories of it: listening to the University of Michigan Marching Band with my family at Michigan Football games; the first time I heard Michael Jackson and Black Sabbath; when I bought my first electric guitar and hit an E minor chord with distortion—all of them were impactful.

2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?

Kevin – Marcus: the Apex Predator!: I learned how to read music from playing the recorder and the trombone in school. But my guitar playing is basically self-taught. It’s been years of watching other people, trying new things, experimenting. For me, technique and skill are worthwhile to hone, but it has to have a feel or a vibe.

3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, what’s the story behind choosing the name ‘Marcus: the Apex Predator!’?

Kevin – Marcus: the Apex Predator!: I idolized James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett from Metallica when I was younger. And I still do! But I also picked up other guitar heroes along the way because of other kinds of sounds and feels they bring out and that have found their way into my playing—J. Robbins, Omar Rodriguez, Bob Mould, Frankie Stubbs, and on and on.

Marcus was my amazing cat. He was super-friendly and loved people. But when he got older and was starting to give way to cancer, he became a hunter for the ages. He had gotten pretty slim and had no front claws, but he still took down just about everything in the neighborhood and brought it to the back porch to show off—chipmunks, opossum, a rat, birds, rabbits. As tough as he was on other animals, he never lost his love for people.

4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?

Kevin – Marcus: the Apex Predator!: I think we offer our own spin on things, while still being some form of rock n’ roll. I like to believe we have found a great balance of aggressiveness with melodic elements; musicality and rawness; volume and purpose. If people come away feeling like we have something honest and interesting to contribute, we would be thrilled.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?

Kevin – Marcus: the Apex Predator!: I think this goes back to growing from teenagers trying to sound like Metallica or Husker Du to—I don’t want to say adults… “old kids,” I guess?—finding many pieces in many places and making them our own. Our influences are rattling around in there somewhere and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. But at some point pretty early on, I knew in my heart I had no desire to play cover songs or be the “next” whatever. I think the more you play, and the more different people you play with and expose yourself to, the more that originality can naturally come out.

6. Music often transcends entertainment. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

Kevin – Marcus: the Apex Predator!: I think one of the most amazing things about music is that it is all of those things and should be all of those things. I believe that music is one of God’s greatest, my versatile, and rewarding gifts. My lyrics tend to be more about personal experiences—especially on the Newborn Fossil EP. But there are M:tAP! songs and songs I’ve written in other bands about politics, religion, cultural issues, and everything in between.

7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment you’re still seeking?

Kevin – Marcus: the Apex Predator!: I definitely don’t rely on music as any sort of retirement plan, and I don’t think my wife and kids would appreciate it if I quit my “real world job” to focus solely on music! But I have long been enthralled by the idea of creating something out of nothing that someone—even a stranger—can take something positive from.

I can’t cure illnesses or build houses, but if I can at least affect someone positively through song, it’s all worth it.

8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, what’s the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?

Kevin – Marcus: the Apex Predator!: For M:tAP!, the songs usually start from a riff or a rough song outline that I come up with. I then show it to Nick (drummer) and he adds his rhythmic wizardry and inflections to help bring it out and solidify the structure. On the Newborn Fossil EP, Sean (bass) joined us and he really helped cement the rhythm and bring out the nuances lurking underneath. Nick and Sean did amazing work on this record and once the music was well enough underway, the vocal patterns and then the lyrics came to me.

9. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

Kevin – Marcus: the Apex Predator!: As much as I love playing a good live show, there is nothing quite as fulfilling to me as finishing a recording and feeling like it came out really well. So much goes into that process—blood, sweat, tears, and dollars—and it’s a great feeling to hear that finished product on your own stereo or in your car, or playing it for family or friends.

10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

Kevin – Marcus: the Apex Predator!: I don’t think it’s necessary for the real story to be understood in order to enjoy a song or to pull something good from it. Selfishly, I suppose I would prefer if people understood exactly where I was coming from. But then again, most of my lyrics are somewhere cryptic and to expect a listener to be able to glean the precise story, experience, or message from them is kind of silly. If the song resonates with someone and finds them in a time or a place where they need to hear it and they get something out of it, I’m all for it.