SOURCE – Congratulations. The new album is killer! It seems like the logical progression for the classic King Witch sound. Was that what you were going for?
Jamie Gilchrist (Guitars) – Thanks! I guess it is just a natural progression. We didn’t make a conscious decision to change our sound or write anything in a particular style: I just come up with some musical ideas, and then we hammer it out in the practice room until we have a song! I do think on this album it was a more organic process than on “Under The Mountain”. On the first album we were dealing with lineup changes while writing and recording, and I was recording it in our practice room whenever I had time. It was a slightly disjointed process. On this album we just started working on the songs until they were ready, then we recorded some demos, tweaked the songs a little, then went into the studio! We were really lucky this time around to have the opportunity to record in a beautiful studio in the Scottish countryside called Deep Storm, with co-producer Kevin Hare, it was the perfect place to get these songs down.
Laura Donnelly (Vocals) – Thanks so much. Really glad you dig it! We never really set out to make the new album sound a particular way as such. That’s just how it turned out. I do think our sound has definitely developed though.
SOURCE – Listening to the album, it’s like an experience. Is there a certain mood you have to be in order to write?
Jamie Gilchrist (Guitars) – I don’t know, I guess whatever mood you are in probably affects the music you write! I kind of always have the guitar in my hands so I have ideas constantly. It is the ones that keep coming back to me that became songs. Most of the time I can’t remember exactly when an idea first appeared.
Laura Donnelly (Vocals) – Lyrically all the songs on this album were written during many of my moods haha. Some days it’s really easy to come up with lyrics and melodies – others it can take a long time. Vocally I tried to be a bit more dynamic. I’m not a trained singer so I’ve always just sang full force on everything. For this album I wanted to try to have a bit more light and shade in my voice to help complement the music and to try to have a bit more soul/feeling in the execution. I’m really happy with the outcome.
SOURCE – We’ve never seen a crisis like this in our lifetime (pandemia). How has your daily job changed since the cases started increasing in Scotland?
Jamie Gilchrist (Guitars) – I am a self employed contractor when I’m not playing with the band so this has hit my work hard. Just now I am trying to enjoy each day and make the most of a bit of free time. It certainly gives me plenty of time for music! I just hope I can get back to work some time soon.
Laura Donnelly (Vocals) – I work as a graphic designer by day so my job hasn’t really changed that much. I feel lucky that I can still work from home as many people I know are full time musicians or freelance workers so their situation is a lot more difficult.
SOURCE – How has your band adjusted to the monetization of streaming versus the traditional way of selling albums?
Jamie Gilchrist (Guitars) – I guess there isn’t much adjustment involved – musician’s just need to accept the fact that recorded music is no longer a real source of income. I can see why streaming is so popular, and it is definitely the people who will listen from now on (for the most part), but I really think that the way it is charged for needs to be changed. Companies like Spotify are thieving money from musicians, it is not a sustainable way to work. It’s great that people still buy records and CD’s, and in heavy music it is probably more than in other genres, but it is just a drop in the ocean. I just feel like streaming was one of the final nails in the coffin of the music industry.
SOURCE – Many musicians rely on music as their only source of income. What advice do you have for artists who may be struggling right now over canceled tour dates and lack of sales?
Jamie Gilchrist (Guitars) – Yeah it’s very difficult. If you are a band, you really just need to push merch sales and online content. We can continue to work on new music, and record to some extent, but touring and merch sales on the road are crucial for most bands.
Laura Donnelly (Vocals) – It is a very difficult time for musicians, especially if it is their only form of income. I guess if you feel you have the skills to teach online that may be an option. If you can still access your jam space, then a paid live steam gig might work. If you have merch available now if the time to really push the sale of that. Mentally it’ll be hard very hard too. I think trying to keep positive is very important as it could be really easy to slip into a dark frame of mind.
SOURCE – Describe the driving force behind King Witch and how do you harness that force and deliver it to your fans?
Laura Donnelly (Vocals) – Jamie’s mighty riffs haha – I think we write music that we would basically want to listen to ourselves. Big riffs, big vocals and a wall of sound. We write music that can first and foremost be played well live as well as sound good recorded. I think that’s really important. We practice the songs till they are super tight then we unleash them at gigs. We all play with energy and passion and I think that definitely comes across at shows.
Jamie Gilchrist (Guitars) – I think the most important thing is writing music that we believe in and love. You can tell when a band really loves what they are doing and that is when rock music is at it’s best. The high point of the band is playing a show where the crowd are really into it and the band are feeding off that energy. That is what it’s all about!
SOURCE – Has your music career given you any opportunities that you normally wouldn’t have?
Laura Donnelly (Vocals) – We’ve played in lots of countries, festivals and venues I may never have been to otherwise.
We’ve met so many amazing people too and made a lot of great friends which I’ll always be grateful for. Seeing our photos, reviews and interviews in magazines from around the world is also a really cool thing. It’s an incredible feeling knowing that our music is being listened to far and wide.
Jamie Gilchrist (Guitars) – Travelling and playing to new people in new countries is really the coolest thing, had so many awesome times with people we would never have met otherwise. Also just the feeling of people around the world enjoying our music is amazing – knowing that people are enjoying King Witch the way I enjoy listening to music is awesome.
SOURCE – Is there anything else you’ve noticed or a message you want to add?
Jamie Gilchrist (Guitars) – Thanks for taking the time to speak to us! Really glad you like the album, maybe one day we might even make it to Brazil! That would be awesome, although I get sunburn in Scotland, so Brazil might be a challenge!
Laura Donnelly (Vocals) – The release date has been pushed back slightly to the 22nd May but I think that was a wise decision given the current situation. It’ll also give us and Listenable more opportunities to promote it. Please keep an eye out on our social media pages as we’ll be posting!
Contact:
Video: