Inspired by the 1988 Bill Murray movie of the same name, we bring you the sixth in a series of interviews called Scrooged.
Past
One Thirty BPM: Describe your earliest memories of music. Was there an instant attraction to making it or was this something that developed over time?
John Holland: One of my earliest memories of music is listening to a Motown compilation tape I found somewhere while driving with my family to Ohio. Some of the songs made me feel so strange, others so sad, and others i didnt like. I would also put a tape on to record the radio and leave for the day, and come home and have music to listen to if a song I liked got recorded. I started really liking rap in the third grade then in the fourth grade I got a Biggy CD.
Jack M. Donoghue: I remember in Chicago when I was young hearing people playing music was heavy kicks and bass in their cars and seeing the side mirrors and windows shaking and really liking the sound of the car vibrating with the music. I have always been really drawn to heavy percussion, marching band, drumcore with bagpipes, African drumming, techno, rap…
Were you all creative from a young age? Did these creative tendencies manifest themselves in any non-music ways?
JH: Yes we were. I was always drawing and painting since I can remember and then taking pictures in junior high and highschool and making things and collecting things. I still do all these things.
JMD: Yes. When I was younger I would get scared because I couldn’t control my imagination and I would think of things that would bother me. I have always loved drawing and still do.
Because getting together with friends or colleagues and making music is one thing, was there a desire to perform? Or was performing something that that is secondary and wasn’t really considered when you decided to pursue music? Did any live music experiences impact this?
JH: I’ve always been a lot more passionate about making music instead of performing it. But I like performing our music, it’s an art form on its own in some ways.
JMD: Same as John.
Was there a moment with Salem where you realized this was something that you were going to ride out and see where it takes you? How does one make that commitment?
JH: We were all making music separately for a very long time, when we started working together we weren’t really conscious of what we were doing. Just hanging in Chicago always recording things and music really late into the night. There was no real time when we decided we “started.” We just always were.
JMD: Even if no one else was listening we would still be making music. That people are interested has just provided us with more opportunities.
Present
Now, around the release of King Night, there was a bunch of controversy regarding “rape gaze” being used to describe your music. You guys seemed pretty open to answering questions about that. Now that some time has passed, is it something you want to put behind you, or do you welcome the controversy and the attention it draws as a result of it?
JH: I’ve always been strongly against that term. I dunno who made it up but I think it’s really stupid and horrible and not funny.
JMD: That term doesnt interest me at all, it doesnt mean anything, and has nothing to do with us.
King Night seemed pretty polarizing in its critical reception. I know personally, music journalists I respect either love or hate the record. Do you appreciate such passionate reactions or do you take some of the criticism personally?
JH: I’m really glad people either love it or hate it. Love and hate are both extreme emotions, and if we can evoke that in people I think it’s a really good thing. It’s a compliment.
JMD: For the most part I love music or am uninterested… I think its nice that people love or hate our work.
In interviews, the group can come across as apathetic, or even abrasive. Was this a result of inexperience with the media, heavy partying, or just the image you want to portray?
JH: We dont want to portray any image besides the one that we truthfully are. If we seem a certain way its just because we don’t pretend anything, and that can be interpreted differently. We are all very opinionated and passionate and emotional. Sometimes that may come off as abrasive. If we don’t feel anything for something, we don’t hide it and that could be apathetic. I know I feel apathetic about a lot of things sometimes. I don’t see a reason to pretend to feel a certain way about something if it’s not true. I don’t have much experience with the media, no, but I’m not sure how that effects how I am in interviews.
JMD: I feel like we are honest. Sometimes a writer might sensationalize something, but we aren’t trying to invent an image.
Now you guys are doing a headlining tour across the States. Last year, there were reports of some disastrous shows, but again, reviews have been polarizing. What can people expect from your live set. Has anything changed from last year to this year?
JH: Yes, our set has changed a lot. We were pretty new to playing live a year ago, and still are. We are always growing when it comes to performing. Hopefully people will be affected by our shows in one way or another.
Future
Looking ahead, are there plans for a follow-up to King Night?
JH: Yes, we are always working on music and other things almost every day.
JMD: We are working on music, making videos and planning rare performance experiences.
Musically, what can fans expect from future releases. Do you guys have any goals or aspirations as far as your sound goes?
JH: We will continue to do what we’ve been doing. We don’t have a certain point in our music we want to reach, otherwise what would we do when we got there?
JMD: I think that we as friends and people have changed a lot from when we first met; I think our music develops and grows with us.
What about collaboration. Do you have any dream producers or vocalists you plan to work with or would like to?
JH: I really want to work with WING and it would be cool to work with Soulja Boy. We want to make some mixtapes with music all our own.
JMD: Araab Muzik. I’d like to produce some mixtapes with unknown rappers and vocalists.
Salem doesn’t seem rooted in a lot of the things currently seen in the mainstream, or even the indie music communities. Do you think your music speaks to any trends we could see in the future. Do you think your music is saying anything about the direction you would like music to go?
JH: I don’t really know how to answer this, I don’t really know what’s going on in mainstream music or indie music. I just think of our music as the music we make, feel passionately about and love.
JMD: I really believe in and stand behind our music, so if people are inspired by it I will understand. But I dont really know where things will go, we’ll have to wait and see.
