A song that made you want to make music?
– Hmm not sure what song in particular for me (Kat) it was the band Radiohead OK Computer. Maybe “Exit Music for a Film” and Refused “New Noise” (Nick)
Best rider you have had?
– Our riders have always been pretty necessity based and nothing too wild unfortunately, Throat Coats, Caffeine, Tequila and protein bars etc.. but we’ve had some pretty excellent catering at different venues.
Craziest moment in the band?
– Probably when we had 24hrs notice to open for Coheed and Cambria for a weekend playing in Amphitheaters in Southern and Northern California. Our drummer had just gotten back from a 2mo tour days before, we had one rehearsal around midnight and the next night we opened. It was one of the best experiences of our lives. We have fans that have come out to see us on tour since that weekend so it was pretty incredible and quite a milestone for us.
Deepest lyric one of your songs features?
Oh I love writing lyrics so much that it’s hard to choose but I’ll go all the way back to our first EP Mother Father. That music that also ignited the band, was my healing during the greatest loss I have ever encountered. The loss of my parents in the same year. I chose this song and these lyrics because it is just raw honesty not even wrapped in subtle metaphors but what I have come to learn about the world around me at that time as I was figuring out how to live again.
“Mother, Father …life’s a little harder without you by my side. Mother, Father.. the world’s a little colder. Everybody says they care but they haven’t got the time. Mother, Father they’re afraid to ask me for fear of the uncomfortable truth. Mother Father… they are moving faster but I’m just standing still waiting here to feel you.”
-Kat
Easiest song you wrote?
– Perhaps Tv Dinner or Little Godz. Those two songs poured out of us easily. I knew I wanted to say a lot in a very easy to digest package and I loved writing those lyrics but also loved how the guitar shined in those songs and Nick’s production really took a turn in such a cool direction that we knew we needed to explore this more and heavier.
Favourite song in your set?
–Little Godz is always a strong closer but I also love “Get Mine“. There’s a slinky, sexy vibe to that one and it gives me such a feeling when we perform it. It just makes me feel empowered when I sing it and the fans always sing that one back to us.
Guest you’d most like to feature on your record?
– Zack De La Rocha or Shirley Manson
Hardest thing about being in a band?
– Today I feel it is harder for many musicians. It is so oversaturated and while the internet gives possible opportunities to blow up on platforms like TikTok, it has changed the way musicians approach music. Many times it feels like it is less about the music these days and more about the passive views and follows – making music for transitions and anything for a “viral moment”.
Bands now have to not just write a great song but they also have to be great marketers, content creators, staying present on the apps all the time to feed the algorithm beast. It’s exhausting, confusing and sends the wrong message. And now with streaming being hard to make real money in royalties – bands turn to Tik Tok and all others of the like to recreate passing trends for the sake of being relevant when perhaps they don’t even like what they are doing and in the end, it smells of inauthenticity. To each their own but I hear more musicians bitching about social media than actually wanting to be part of this never ending internet rat race. We all hate it and yet don’t do shit about it.
Interesting fact about one of your members?
I started music professionally because I had a rare opportunity to be on a gameshow with Alice Cooper. He heard me sing and encouraged me to do music. He gave me great advice that day which I took, started a band and never looked back. – Kat
Jokes you have in the band?
– I can’t even recall because we have several. Our current drummer is a Hulk like fella and we coined him Johnny Smash. He loves it.
Key to writing a song?
– a great Hook is everything. I used to always approach songwriting as lyrics first but it is great to have a strong melody worked out phonetically and fit the words and shape to that. What I call the Ryan Tedder method. I used to always write the verses first and then find a chorus but that got me in a stuck place many times when I would have a killer melody for a verse and not knowing how to beat it in a chorus but it is encouraged by many to start writing a song with the Chorus first and work your way backwards.
Longest distance you’ve travelled to play a show?
– We have only toured the US so far so I would say upstate New York. But we plan to head to Europe in 2024 so hopefully that will be the longest distance soon.
Most inspiring musician you’ve experienced?
– Live- I would say when I saw Jehnny Beth and Savages. I caught their show at The Observatory in CA which I believe was their final performance before the band split but Jehnny’s energy and power was so inspiring. It’s something you can’t teach. It’s this commanding confidence that I often think about that show when I need a reminder. – Kat.
Seeing Foo Fighters when we played Sonic Temple this year. The musicianship of every member in that band was incredible and so inspiring. The real deal. – Nick
New band you’d recommend?
– Hot Box. We played with them in Anaheim and I was an instant fan. Rap/ Metal band from Israel now US and they really bring the energy live.
Opening for this band would be ideal?
– NIN would end me in the best way. – Kat.
Place you’d most like to tour?
– the UK, Japan and Germany
Quote that you’d like to pass on to our readers?
– “The point is there ain’t no point.” – Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men
Reason for the title of your forthcoming release?
– In most thrillers, the monster is an external enemy but in this body of music I really wanted to lean into the internal enemy but also acknowledging how this internal enemy is influenced by our external world and what we are made to feel about ourselves and about others. “Cult Classic” seemed fitting to describe the horror we feel inside and out. It is also the title track and well we love cult classic horror movies so we just leaned right into it.
See us live at?
– We will be announcing tour dates for 2024 soon. Follow us at @HolyWarsMusic for all our tour updates.
The old days of music were better than the current, do you agree?
– Well I can’t say I know personally what it was like in the old days as I have been pursuing music in this social media age unfortunately however, yes I imagine it was WAY better then. I believe people had more appreciation for it, putting more value on it and actually enjoyed buying albums. The crafting of an album and its artwork and inner sleeves was a special experience. I remember being a fan and filling up my cd collection, saving the lyric sheets and listening to a whole album over and over. Now it’s singles and streams and then there is the looming threat of AI on the horizon.
Unusual merchandise?
Lunchboxes and Eat it up Spit it out Jelly Beans. These are more rare items and ones we sell at our live shows. But for our debut album release of “EAT IT UP SPIT IT OUT”, we made EIUSIO lunch boxes and had Jelly Beans that were half gross and half delicious. Hence Eat it up or spit it out.
Variations you’d like to do on one of your songs?
– I think I would bring back the Mother Father EP – I would probably do another variation of Orphan or Back To Life.
What do your fans mean to you?
– Our fans feel like family. Ever since we wrote our first EP, we have been building our family of orphans. Music has always been a form of healing for us but knowing our music has also helped others- is everything. We as people often think we are alone or that no one gets us… but music bonds us together. You find your kind and you feel like you have a community of people who get you and understand your pain, your frustration and most importantly make you feel like you are not alone. That is what we get from our fans and so they mean everything to us.
X-rays or any treatments needed for band injuries?
– Not yet but just collectively racking up a shit ton of bangovers.
You’re late for a show, whose fault is it?
– Probably Johnny, our drummer. We also call him Johnny Molasses as a joke but it also checks out.
Zoo animal that best describes the personality of your band?
– A frankenstein of a Lion, meerkat, jaguar, pelican and a mouse. Pretty much like the multi genres of music in our songs.