Sockweb is a grindcore band from Richmond, Indiana which started gaining quite a bit of attention earlier this year when one of their tracks went viral. What makes Sockweb so interesting is that the band is run by a father and daughter combo. As if that wasn't cool enough, the daughter is only just 7 years old! The daughter, Joanie, creates all the lyrics and belts out all the vocals giving us all a bright idea of what the future of metal will be.
Give them a listen to as you continue into the interview. The title track off of the new album 'Werewolf'
1. Who are you?
I'm Adam. I play guitar and program for
Sockweb.
2. Where are you from?
We're from Richmond, Indiana.
We're from Richmond, Indiana.
3. What do you do?
I play mindless powerchords really fast over blastbeats while my daughter screams about whats on her mind.
I play mindless powerchords really fast over blastbeats while my daughter screams about whats on her mind.
4. Why do you do this?
It's a great bonding experience. And who doesn't love playing fast and angry music?
It's a great bonding experience. And who doesn't love playing fast and angry music?
5. I understand that your daughter Joanie, is responsible for the name?
What exactly is a Sockweb?
I'm assuming it's a spiderweb made from socks. Everything about this project is very impromptu and random, so it works.
I'm assuming it's a spiderweb made from socks. Everything about this project is very impromptu and random, so it works.
6. Not only did she name the band but is it true that she writes all the
lyrics as well? What inspires her? Most 7 year olds can hardly write their
homework let alone write songs.
She does. Like I said, it's all impromptu. After I get the layout of the song done, she comes in and yells the first thing that comes to mind. She doesn't physically sit down and write them out, and I think it'd take away from the purity of the project if she did. From what I can tell, she's inspired by what happens on that particular day. One day she wants pancakes, the next she's pissed off at some girl at school for bullying her.
She does. Like I said, it's all impromptu. After I get the layout of the song done, she comes in and yells the first thing that comes to mind. She doesn't physically sit down and write them out, and I think it'd take away from the purity of the project if she did. From what I can tell, she's inspired by what happens on that particular day. One day she wants pancakes, the next she's pissed off at some girl at school for bullying her.
7. One would assume that you are the driving influence behind Joanie's love of metal, does she secretly rock out to Justin Beiber or One Direction, or is it a strictly metal household?
To be honest, I don't even listen to metal that much. Of course, I do enjoy it, but I'm into music
as a whole. At any given time, you could
hear Michael McDonald playing, then Human Mincer right after that. Jo has a pretty varied music taste as
well. She gets exposed to a lot of the
top 40 garbage on the radio, as most children do, but she enjoys a bit of
everything.
8. What are some other influences that help shape the sound of Sockweb, for
yourself and your daughter?
Sleep Terror is a huge influence.
Agoraphobic Nosebleed, of course.
Psyopus, too. Been pulling a lot
of inspiration from Code Orange Kids recently as well. They're brilliant. As for Joan, she really digs Kat from
AnB. She's expressed that she wants to
do a track with her one day quite a few times.
9.Was being picked up by Monolith Records and releasing a full length your
divine plan? Or was this a gimmick that simply went viral?
Neither, really. I've been asking
Joan to yell on one of my tracks for as long as she could talk. It just so happened that I had just finished
a grind track (the instrumentation to I Want Pancakes) and she was into
it. I didn't expect it to get as much
attention as it recieved, but I'm thankful for it. It was a way to connect with my daughter on a
musical level, and things just picked up from there. The guys from Monolithic we're into the idea
of a full length, and Joan said she wanted to do one as well, so we went with
it.
10. Sadly you have been receiving a fair share of hate to go with all of the
love, how do you deal with the haters?
I don't even pay attention to it.
Some of the stuff said is pretty funny though. I personally don't understand why some people
are so pissed about it though. We'd be
doing this stuff anyway, regardless of the amount of exposure.
11. Do you fear that some of the things they say may be true? Ever worry
about how this could impact negatively on your daughter?
Not a bit. She's doing what she
wants to do. It's a creative outlet for
her, and I have no right as a father to deny her that. Also, she's in first grade, and last I
checked, has no clue what LambGoat or MetalSucks is.
12. Due to her age, is their concern
that the constant strain of screaming may effect the growth of her vocal cords?
I get asked this a lot, and this is the perfect opportunity to clear it
up. She doesn't scream all the
time. Literally, what will be released
has been the only time she has done any kind of vocals. We're not in the studio for 10 hours a day, 5
days a week. She comes down here, stands
in front of the mic, and 10 minutes later, she's done. I'm also pay very close attention to how
she's breathing, her technique, and how she sounds while screaming and after. If there were any sings of negative impact, I
wouldn't allow her to do it. While we
are in a grindcore band together, I'm still a father, and her well being comes
first.
 |
| A Father first, Batman second. |
Oh, absolutely. I'd love nothing
more than to continue making music with her, whether it be grind, or something
completely different. Nothing has been
more rewarding than doing this with my daughter. It's a dream come true, and if we can
continue doing it, I'll be stoked.
Regardless, I'll be stoked. As
for the foreseeable future, we have Werewolf coming out soon, and maybe a few
treats here and there. As much as I'd
love to take her out and tour in support of this album, she's just too young
now. Maybe in a few years, though.
14. Piracy and file sharing, what is your opinion on it?
I absolutely love it. It's a great
promotional tool. While everyone
complains about it taking money out of the artists pocket, I think the artist
should quit bitching and be happy that kids are listening to his/her
album. Musicians tend to forget why they
started in the first place.
15. Imagine yourself trapped on a desert island, you only had enough room
for 3 albums in your luggage. What three do you grab to have until the end of
time? How about Joanie?
Dance Gavin Dance - Downtown Battle Mountain II
Nemertines - SCD
Amia Venera Landscape - The Long Procession
Nemertines - SCD
Amia Venera Landscape - The Long Procession
As for Joan, she's in bed because she has school tomorrow morning. We'll have to get back to you on that!
Well I really appreciate you taking the time to do this with me, and I do
hope you like the interview. Any final words to all your fans out there?
At the risk of sounding cliche, thanks for supporting us, and we hope you
dig the album!
 |
| Look for the full length 'Werewolf' coming soon. |
Want more Sockweb?
Facebook:
Post a Comment