By:
Erik Sugg
Looking
for a good, unsigned band who brings the heavy while also soothing your mind,
body and soul? Richmond , Virginia
After listening to their three song, Garrett Morris-engineered demo, which consists of the hard-charging “Nightbong,” the eerie, Sleep-esque “Sourwolf,” and ends with the slow burning “King Mildew,” I knew instantly that Book of Wyrms wasn’t going to be just another stoner rock band who gets lost in an endless cloud of smoke. This is a group of young people who know how to work their volume and instrumentation, while leaving plenty of space for their fantastic vocals and melodies. I spoke to with the band’s singer, Sarah Moore Lindsay, to learn a little more about them.
SL): So Sarah, you guys are a
relatively new band. A lot of us may not know a whole lot about you yet. Mind
giving us a brief run-through of how Book of Wyrms
came together as a band?
Sarah: Our
story actually begins with my answering a Craigslist ad (in spring 2014) which
was looking for a Stevie Nicks-like vocalist. I sang with Sematary
for a few months before I got the boot, which hit me hard as it was the first
band I’d been fired from. So my bassist husband, Jay Lindsey, said, “You don’t need those guys to do what you
want to do. You found what makes you happy. I’ll play with you.” So he started
writing a few heavy riffs and I came up with lyrics. We asked our buddy Chris
DeHaven to play drums, and then we’ve gone through a few guitarists since the
beginning. We’re stoked with the current line-up of our two guitarists, Ainsley
Coudriet and Kyle Lewis. Those guys have been playing together for years so
they have an incredible rapport already.
SL): The group is based out of Richmond Richmond Richmond
Sarah:
Yes, definitely. I was just referencing the Ted Talk, which Mike Bishop
recently gave, which addressed the history of Richmond Richmond
SL): Your sound ranges from
upbeat, hard rockers to slow and low heaviness. Do you guys have a particular
dynamic that you prefer, or do you just write your tunes and let the dynamics
work themselves out?
Sarah: I
think we like to vary our dynamics to make certain parts of the music more
impactful and to keep things from getting boring. It’s pretty exciting to have
those moments of pure upheaval when you come out of a quiet part. I think it’s
a rush for us and the audience.
SL): What’s up with a song title
like “Nightbong?” Do we have a memorable experience from a late night stoner
session, or is it your tongue planted firmly in your cheek?
Sarah:
Haha, yeah that song title originally started out as a joke. One of Jay’s and
my favorite activities is coming up with funny or epic band names, so it was
just one that we said which sparked something in my imagination. Then it took
on a whole personality, and this “nightbong”
suddenly had magic powers which I thought were hilarious. The first lines are “Green machine/It’s loaded it seems” – basically it’s a story of
coming upon a magical bong which packs itself and takes you places, turning
your brain inside out.
SL): Generally we all see gender
as something that never really needs to be brought up in a conversation about
music. However, that’s kind of difficult when there are so many gifted ladies,
like yourself, singing for heavy bands these days. It’s really changed the
whole landscape for metal and what metal can be. Who are some of the front
ladies in this day in age that you enjoy?
Sarah:
Well, I’ve got to first mention Dorthia Cottrell of Windhand, because I admire her so much
but also identify with her in a lot of ways. But I also dig Alia O’Brien from Blood Ceremony,
Jillian Taylor from Ruby the Hatchet, Myrkur, Chelsea Wolfe,
and so many more.
SL): What’s on the horizon for Book of Wyrms?
Sarah:
We have a few Richmond shows this fall, and we
will be trying to hit the road to Harrisonburg , Charlottesville , Raleigh ,
Philly, and Baltimore
