Interview: Princess Possum

Today's interview is with Princess Possum, whose album Songs of A Depressed Anarchist was recently reviewed on Musically Dependent by Colin Carroll of Owls and Other Animals.

What should people who aren't familiar with your music know, and how would you describe your sound? 

Well I guess my solo princess possum stuff would be considered folk punk. I sing sad or angry songs straight from my heart raw and untouched touching on subjects of depression,  alcoholism, anarchy, being poor, breakups and my overwhelming amount of gender dysphoria. I like to call it sad possum core ha! 

Who or what would you say some of your biggest influences are? 

My two biggest influences in my music is Days N Daze and Mischief Brew. The fast pace chords and scream style of Days N Daze is a big part of my music and so is the Mischief Brew style song writing. Combined with my own whatever it is I do. 

You had mentioned to me in a message that you're a writer and poet. Do you have any works out that you'd like people to know about? 

Yea I am more of a writer than a musician. Which is why my friend Matt Pless (interview with Matt Pless) is a big influence on me too since we’re both poet musicians. I look up to him heavily and had the pleasure of playing a show with him this past December. I unfortunately do not have my poetry book out yet but when it comes out it will be over 100 poems throughout the last 3 years titled “a timid arrangement of Blasphemy” hopefully it’ll be typed out by this year so stay tuned for that! 

What about your other hobbies outside of music? 

Well one of my favorite things to do use to be skateboarding. I unfortunately had a bad skateboarding accident this past August that almost killed me and left me hospitalized for a week with a brain bleed and skull fracture.  I want to skate again but I got to wait awhile. But I do also enjoy visual art as well and do commission paintings and pencil sketches. And font work for my bands and different ones! 

What is it like juggling responsibilities for your solo project with the bands you play in, Burnt Toast and Fetus Pizza? 

Well Burnt Toast and my solo stuff is the most active. We are about 50/50 on how it’s equaled out. Fetus Pizza doesn’t play as much but my friends that play in that band have another band that’s way more active called Duck Butter that Burnt Toast is about to release a split ep with. So juggling the 3 projects isn’t too too difficult but trying to juggle adult stresses like working almost full time while very active is. Especially in my strive to be sober.  Sobriety has not been successful so far but 6 months clean off drugs is a win in my book! 

I saw you were recently picked up by Sleepy Owl Records? Can you talk about that some? 

Yeah! Sleepy Owl Records is ran by an amazing person, my friend Colin Carroll. He plays in a band with his wife and my other good friend Dana Carroll. They were formed in Huntsville, Alabama, and now live in Chicago. They are amazing people and I recommend their music and their record label. They do a lot for the underground scene! Colin is also the one that did the artwork for my first Princess Possum album out on Bandcamp Songs of A Depressed Anarchist. I’m very honored to be apart of that label now ! 

What should people know about the next album you got coming out, and when should people expect to look for it? 

This next album coming out is gonna be a little different than my last, but only because it’s gonna be layered over. So I’ll be doing the guitar and vocals all with bass, washboard, banjo, ukulele, harmonica, and tambourines all played by me mixed in all the tracks! Which is why this album is taking a lot longer to get done. My friend Dillon Sizemore is the one recording for me and he’s doing amazing. It’s also gonna feature some of my poetry! The skelton of the album will go... Poem. 6 tracks Poem 6tracks Poem I’m really excited to put this one out. It is called Road Kill, and the artwork was done by my friend Thomas OConner who also designed burnt toast’s toaster head logo. 

What about the bands you play in? What's in store for their foreseeable future? 

Burnt Toast is going on tour in April! We will have our split ep out with Duck Butter and a full length out before the summer. We are playing with Punk With A Camera in May! And also playing Midwest Punk Fest in Illinois in June! And we will hopefully be playing a benefit show with out friends in Days N Daze in the summer as well. We are wanting to go on another tour in July but haven’t finalized anything yet. And for my solo stuff me and Tail Light Rebellion are trying to do a two week tour in August so I’m hoping that works out I love those cats! And Fetus Pizza should have its full length out this year as well. Gonna be a fun busy year and excited for the experiences and for what’s to come after !

Also see the album review for Songs of A Depressed Anarchist or just skip straight to the music and check it out for yourself!

Interview with David Fort of Twin

Today's featured musician is David Fort of the Canadian folk punk group, Twin.

For those who aren't familiar, how would you describe your music?

Well our last album "We Rise and Dance We Sleep and Dream" which recently got picked up by All We've Got Records described it as "TWIN play a hypnotic and warmly crafted blend of alternative indie folk punk"  At our best however is live and live we are intense, truthful to ourselves, embodying our travels and interconnections to our experiences.

Who or what are some of your biggest influences?

Well if I'm speaking for Brooklyn I would have to say probably her late violin teacher that has obviously inspired a boundary breaking impassioned approach to her craft, art and life surrounding it. For myself it would have to be a myriad of people who were around me in a relatively remote northern setting growing intermingled with what the television and computers exported to us. I seem to be drawn to art/music of a rebellious or revolutionary type foundation but really I like so much music it depends on what part of the day you ask! 

You had mentioned to me that Twin does canoe tours. What's that like?

Yeah we've been doing that for about 10 years. Well it's amazing indeed but it's very hard on many different levels. It mixes the hardships that come with a journey like a canoe trip along with the hardships of a traditional road type tour.  It can be very dangerous pending on where you are and that danger can come from nature, humans and Industry. Industry does not move over for you or even slow down a little bit i.e ships, barges etc.... so you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times. With humans you can find your self in vulnerable positions in remote areas and nature well nature is always the beautiful wildcard to say the least. We have been in a few tornado situations, torrential downpours, ripping down through the Shasta/Lassen mountain valley on the Sacramento River just trying to point and shoot our way through the rocks and wind on open water yeah!!! Oh and getting caught in a flood on the North Saskatchewan river and having to share a small island with a wolverine for the night, we worked it out and kept to our own side of the sand barge and left a gift for it when we left!  So on that note the communication you can get going with nature is unprecedented and I like to think we bring that wildness with us when we land on shore for our performances. So what's it like you ask, it's being reminded once again what it is to be alive.

What do you need to prepare for that?

Timing is probably the hardest part as on a canoe trip without show parameters you can stop more frequently. We've learned to break up the distances more than we used to as the early trips were almost militaristic in there approach. So we've learned to give our selves a bit more time to enjoy simple things like swimming and cooking on a campfire the early trips were go go go up at 4am play till 1am crazy shit really. We still have some of that but mixed in with the let's chill with some smoke and drinks after the show by the river kind of thing! Weight and food management is important and the other tough part of touring with the canoe is keeping the instruments dry and safe as well as carrying merch!! 

Do you have a favorite river you've done a tour on?

They're all so amazing of course but I think I am very spiritually connected to the Mississippi as I was born along it and it's the first trip Brook ever did with Twin where she got thrown right in the fire for a crazy 40 day tour on the Mississippi and not only did we agree we should keep working on the music/canoe project but we became life partners as well!!  

Are you eyeing any rivers for future tours?

Yes indeed which one will be next I don't know. Weather patterns are changing so that's something we need to account for. The Assiniboine River in Canada (one twin has done for the past 10 years) was impassable in some parts this past summer as it was so dry and low. But always want to get back to the Mississippi, the Hudson, Rio Grande, Thames,  are some big name rivers we have on our list this summer however I hope to get back to the Muskoka River and possibly do the Don River in Toronto.

What about your radio show, Duel Citizen? Can you tell us more about that?

Yeah, we lived out in St. John's Nlfd 2 years ago and it started as simply doing a show at the MUN university CHMR 93.5fm and upon leaving they said I could keep recording the show from the road and wherever I end up. So a music on unique music of course often with a revolutionary bent and doing my best to keep up with resistance movements particularly those led by Indigenous people. 

What are some of your hobbies outside of music?

Cooking for sure, canoeing although that is more less integrated into music for me now. When were not touring both Brook and I usually work and I like to keep involved with outdoor education and Brook is a screen printing artist as well.

What's planned for Twin in the immediate future?

Right now were staying put in Southern Manitoba working our jobs, getting as many shows in the immediate area starting to contemplate a new album (tonnes of material just a matter of what to focus on and get it right). The last album is great but we recorded it mostly on our own so had little time to put into promotion of both it and our summer tour. So we either want to fully commit to tour planning or recording but not both at the same time because at a certain point your just on a computer all the time and your music starts to suffer not to mention yourself!  translation ---MORE LIVE SHOWS that is where Twin lives and breathes!! 

Don't forget to check out Twin's music!