Blogging / process / solo project??

Q: Hello!! Fan writing from Columbia South Carolina. A friend and I have been discussing a blossoming indie sleaze revival (Anonymous Blogging, Social media account deletion, cutting off nearly every single original hem of the band t-shirts in our closets), and I was wondering how you went about creating this website. This could be a phenomenon localized entirely within my friend group, but I've been kind of hunting for something similar to this for a while now, any tips would be LOVELY!

Do you have any particular writing process for songs? Your lyrics seem to just have this special quality to them that feels like you just uncovered them in the music itself; I can only imagine that that comes with years and years of practice and four-- soon to be five-- original albums, but if you had any breakthroughs in your perspective on writing while developing your skills that would be wonderful to read about.

Not to glamorize or put you on a pedestal, but I admire your lyrics for the way that the south is portrayed in an honest way. I find it to be absurdly common to have the south demonized in popular (and underground culture) and seeing your love for the south spill through in your lyrics hits home and it makes me feel like i'm not crazy for loving the south despite it's flaws. If u r ever in Columbia on a Friday or Saturday night, stop by New Brookland Tavern! It's a smallish music venue (about 300 cap?) that I run sound for sometimes.

P.s., do you have any hopes for a solo project in the future? Either music or another medium?

A: I just made this website with Squarespace! Neocities is another website building hub to try that’s more accessible $ wise, although the learning curve seems steeper there. There’s website building stuff in the “Resources” tab of this website!

I’ve answered a few asks about my writing process on here! They should be archived under tags underneath posts like “process” or “creativity” or “songwriting” etc. I’ll tag some of those categories on this post for easy access but here’s a direct link to the song writing tag!

https://www.prisondivorcebombshell.com/answering-ur-questions/tag/songwriting#show-archive

No plans for a solo project anytime soon, I love playing with my bandmates too much <3

I have been experimenting with writing in other mediums though, more info on that eventually!

Soup and Raw Talent

Hi, I hope you’re doing well!! Pick Up That Knife has been an obsession for me since it came out, I think I’ve listened to it like 7382828 times. What a great song !!! Anyway I just wanted to ask, what is your favorite soup? Also a more “serious” question, how much of making art do u think is working at it/practice vs “raw talent”? Does that make sense lol haha. Thank you so much for the wonderful music and also for having this space where we can ask u questions. I hope I can come see ur show in DC this fall!!!

A: Fave soup is ummmmmmm Matzah Ball Soup <3 Jewish penicillin

As for how much of art making is “raw talent”…? Idk… I think good shit just comes from a deeply strong desire to create. If you want it badly enough you figure it out! I think one can teach themselves to do pretty much anything… just takes lotsa practice and a deep need 4 it!

Wound Up Here reference

Q: okay i know yall said the line "wound up here by holding on" was from a poem but i cannot find that post anywhere... maybe i'm missing something idk. but i was just curious about what that poem was/who wrote it!! thank u so much

also i'm obsessed w this new single i haven't been able to stop listening to it!!!!! hope to see yall in louisville ky soon..... haha i wish

A: It’s referencing a line from my friend Evan’s book!

It’s available here :

https://bookshop.org/p/books/thickets-swamped-in-fence-coated-briars-evan-gray/20730799?ref=hearingthings.co

or here

https://asterismbooks.com/product/thickets-swamped-in-fence-coated-briars-evan-gray

Also I loooooooove Kentucky….. we’ll be there as soon as humanly possible

Getting Permission

Q:

First time caller long time listener here, i had a question regarding your stories. Your songwriting is very heavily laced with real stories from your life, which I love.

I have two question surrounding this. 1. What’s your protocol to clear that story with everyone involved? Because obviously sometimes these stories do not paint people well, I wanted to know what you have to do to be able to write about these stories. Do you have them sign something? Do you text them? I have no clue.

2. How do you decide if a story is good enough to include on a song? Sometimes the things you include in your writing are mundane, but they work in some weird way. Do you have a checklist or system you use? Or is it whatever fits the rhyme scheme? I’d love to know.

That’s about all I have about this but i might ask again if i think of something else. By the way if you could email me an mp3 of Pick Up That Knife that would be swell, ive been obsessed with that song since I heard it at the august asheville show. Thanks for reading this and thanks for making music, cant wait for everything that happens

A:

I think every situation is kinda different with this. I have not always asked people permission, but it’s always felt much much better when I do.

For example, I ran into the kid from high school who had overdosed on benadryl from “Chosen to Deserve” at a show once (he didn’t know I was playing lol) and we had already recorded the song but it wasn’t released. I was basically like “yo I hope that’s okay” and he was like “of course, I love that” and it was cool. Plus he’s doing really well in life so it’s like not kicking him while he’s down or something. Plus I don’t often use people’s real names so there is no real harm that would come from it.

Usually it’s best to have the finished product ready to show them so they can see the inherit beauty that lies within the story of theirs that you’re telling??

Idk I’m still figuring out this process though.

For your second question, idk, I just know when a story would make a good song… feels very natural. I think that is a part of my process that’s just always been there. I def have a list going of stories I wanna get to telling through song one day. I’ll never get to all of them…. at least in song form hehe.

I’m not gonna email you that, crazy!! But don’t worry you won’t have to wait too long for dat one in particular

Too weird

Q:

I'm a new fan and have been obsessed with Rat Saw God. When you are writing/recording a song do you ever think "this song is too long, weird, whatever" to put on an album?

This question was inspired by "bull believer" . The second half is amazing, especially when you start yelling (goosebumps every time) but I can see how it might not appeal to casual listeners.

A: One of my biggest suggestions to songwriters is never ever ever think about reception or the audience when making your music. It will nevvvvvvver serve the music or your fulfillment with it. I know it’s easier said than done but it is soooo important.

“Bull Believer” is a song I HAD to write, cause it helped me confront a wall I needed to get over to keep writing. I had been trying to write it for years and once I got it right there was nothing in the world that would’ve kept me from releasing it so I could perform it live and have the release that screaming gives me.

If people don’t fuck w that song or think it’’s too long I couldn’t care less cause it’s giving me what I needed so badly.

How 2 Rock

hello! I'm in a band but none of us really know what we're doing (not in a "no one ever knows what theyre doing!" kind of way but in the way that we all simply need lessons) - was wondering if you had any insight into how you write songs? Like do you come up with lyrics first and then try and work them into a melody or vice versa? i feel like im just not skilled enough to be able to write good songs - like how do you envision all the different instruments coming together? you're so talented and any insight welcome and thank you!

This is a HUUUUGE question, that idk if I can answer satisfyingly

I write a little bit about my process for lyrics here

As far as the instrumentals, getting a crew of people with good chemistry was inherent to how we actually formed the final versions of song. Everyone knew what our common influences were so they drew from those and their own tastes to write their parts. , I just come to practice with lyrics and my own guitar part. Experimentation is crucial though, so just trust each other, think of the emotion you want to capture with the music, and keep messing around until you mistakenly or on purpose find what your looking for.

It won’t happen immediately. It takes a loooot of work and you gotta really love expressing yourself with music to feel any sort of satisfaction from it. If it’s not fun or at the very least therapeutic I don’t see the point. Ask yourself what your motivation is for making music, and figure out what you want to say.

Dont go in thinking of the final product. Come with a loose idea and be open to it morphing and changing on it’s way to becoming the final version of the song.

Maybe listen to other artists that are self taught, self recorded, and accessible to your experience with your instrument to gain the confidence to believe you can do it too. I found this in Riot Grrl music when I was first starting out but you could also research the bedroom pop girlies, Guided By Voices, Daniel Johnston people in that vein. Incredibly important music from people that weren’t formally trained but that desperately had something to say. I could think of a bigger list of artists that make you think “I can do this too!” or if people want to suggest music in the comments below feel free.

Just listen to a bunch of shit that makes you excited to make your own shit! And write a bunch of bad songs until you inevitably write a good one

Hope this helps