Spookybands Talks New EP, Religious Artistry, and Why Your Favorite Artist is Going To Go Country

Spookybands Talks New EP, Religious Artistry, and Why Your Favorite Artist is Going To Go Country

By Justice Petersen

Spookybands was my first time interviewing a musician. He was also my first artist interview here for Chicago Music Guide. The LA folk musician had just released two singles, “Up Straight” and “Drinking Problem,” both of which he filmed music videos for at LA’s infamous Viper Room. Since then, about a hundred Justice Petersen’s have died and Spooky has gone on to add many more singles and EP’s to his name.

On March 11, Spooky released his most recent musical effort. A five-track EP titled Good God, this project takes a new route into the deep layers of Spooky’s artistry. Taking a more reflective approach to his songwriting, this is perhaps the most vulnerable we’ve ever seen Spooky. Strong words for an artist who has never shied away from writing songs about heartbreak, addiction, and mental health struggles.

Throughout his musical journey, Spookybands has embodied the kind of musician that we have long thought to be gone. Resembling something of an old west traveling musician, roaming from bar to bar in search of something far deeper than any Grand Canyon, Spooky writes music for the people. Since talking to him last year, one thing is true – time goes on and the scene may change, but Spooky’s willingness to write folk music that is as raw as it is confessional will remain the same.

Thank you for taking the time today Spooky! How have things been for you since the last time we spoke?

Music-wise, it’s been good. Everything else is kind of up in the air. Everything in my life has been hectic and I’m not necessarily taking care of myself the best way I can. It kind of speaks for itself on the new record, but I have a feeling that it’s leading me somewhere good.

I did notice the new EP was a lot more reflective than your previous releases. What was on your mind as you were writing the EP?

Reflective is a really good word. The idea behind it was there was a breakthrough moment for me as an artist when I started to get more personal with my lyrics. I went from writing what I wanted to hear to what I needed to hear. I’ve been going through a lot of different changes in my life, everything from spirituality to interpersonal relationships. It’s one thing to write personal lyrics, but it’s another thing to write them when you’re going through something personal. This EP was a test for me to see if I could do that and not have that worry. I also rediscovered religion lately. My mom had a very complicated upbringing with religion that she’s still recovering from, so being religious is scary for me. I didn’t have religion around growing up and none of my friends are religious, so that was also a big part of this EP.

In terms of religion, is it specifically Christian beliefs?

For sure. And everybody has their little twist on religion, and mine’s very faith-based. It’s less of a religious awakening and more of a spiritual awakening. I pretty much grew up like religion didn’t exist at all, so it’s scary for me to adopt it now. But I’m leaning into it. It’s helping me through a lot of things in my life and I compare it to music in that way. They feel close to the way they bring people together and help people see themselves through different things. Not only that but the way people idolize musicians and entertainment people. I draw a lot of comparisons between religion and music that I didn’t think about before.

Even with imagery in music, religion is sometimes used to show that the two are so similar. It reminds me of Soundgarden’s ‘Jesus Christ Pose.’ This just now occurred to me – is the EP title inspired by your current relationship with religion?

Yeah. When I’m working on a new project, I make a folder on my computer. I don’t give it a concrete project title; it will just be called what I’m going through. When I was working on these songs, it was Good God. I liked how the words ‘good’ and ‘God’ looked together and how similar they are. It played off religion, but I wasn’t preaching religion. There’s just an aspect of religion here. The songs are very personal and sad, but there’s an uplifting aspect. I thought that was a perfect example of what religion has been doing for me. Things aren’t perfect, but there’s an underlying tone of positivity.

We talked last time about how in your songs you’re not afraid to talk about vulnerable topics, whether it’s relationships, mental health, or addiction. Through the EP, or your music in general, what do you hope listeners can get out of it?

When I first started releasing more personal music, I was so scared because I was worried nobody would be able to relate to it. I wrote this song ‘Fever Dream’ about a girl I had a thing for who lived far away. Somebody reached out to me about somebody close to them who passed away, and they heard that in that song. They didn’t hear this sad guy talking about a long-distance relationship, which is what I was worried people were going to hear. They connected them to this loved one and how much they wanted to be back with them, which was so eye-opening for me. It’s scary to talk about these personal things going on in your life. Not only just as an artist but in general. I wanted people to hear me being this vulnerable and being able to say exactly how I’m feeling. I wanted people to realize that even if you think something is too personal or nobody’s going to relate to it, trust me. Somebody will.

With music, sometimes the more niche or personal it is, the more relatable it is, which is kind of an oxymoron.

Totally. A lot of what I’m consuming, music or otherwise, goes into the current songs I’m making. With this EP I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff about mental health and spirituality. Since COVID, when people got more isolated, there’s been a huge spike in studies of people thinking that they’re Jesus Christ and the Messiah complex, whether it’s cult leaders or people with mental problems, and I think that’s really interesting. I think that the Messiah complex is the most extreme case of people thinking that their shit is too personal because they’re thinking the whole world is for them. I feel like when you’re really isolated and you’re going through something really bad, you’re thinking this world is designed to destroy you. I don’t think I’m Jesus Christ at all. I promise. I’m just saying it’s hard to come out there and talk about things you’re going through, but if you don’t you’re going to get this super jaded view of the world and persecute yourself.

You say things you’re consuming have inspired the EP. Over time, I noticed your aesthetics started to take on a Western Americana vibe. Why do you use this kind of imagery?

My family on my mom’s side is that aesthetic. They are Western, folky bluegrass type of people, and they were the first people in my life who made music seem like a possibility. I didn’t have a lot of time with my mom’s side of the family. They were on the West Coast and I grew up on the East Coast. But once I moved out here and I got to really sit with them and spend more time with them and watch them make that aesthetic of music, it felt more authentic to me than any other kind of branding I’ve given to myself. But the thing about that aesthetic, for me at least, is that it goes back to me being personal and relatable to people. I don’t want to seem like this larger-than-life musical figure that’s wearing shit you will never wear. You see these celebrities wearing these crazy outfits and they almost look like aliens. They stick out so much. With my music and stuff, it’s not like that. I want to look like I just got off work and I’m playing at this bar that you happen to just get off work and go to. I want to look like your uncle that you just had Thanksgiving dinner with and is outside strumming the guitar on the porch.

Cool uncle energy.

Yeah. I want my music to embrace you in a way that is not theatrical. It’s intimate and organic. I’ve been reading a lot about Woody Guthrie, the guy who wrote ‘This Land is Your Land.’ He traveled the whole country making music and he got so in touch with people during the Great Depression that the US government started hiring him to write music for the US government. They wanted that working man’s perspective and I admire that so much. People are always asking me, ‘Are you going to go on a tour? When are you going to play here?’ I want to rent a home in Texas, New York, wherever people are asking me to play and play there for months. I’ll play at every dive bar in your fucking town. I don’t want to tour and stop around. I want to absorb and express myself in every place. So the traveling musician aesthetic is what I started to adopt more lately. And I think I was ahead of the curve because I’m seeing it start to pop up. I don’t think Beyoncé had a country song the last time we spoke.

You said it (laughs). I remember you brought up Woody Guthrie last time we spoke. You said to me, ‘It’s not like I can’t get these big collabs or these record deals. I can if I want to. That’s just not how I want to do it.’ You want to do it differently. So that led to my next question. Do you still hold those values? Do you still want to do it in a very traditional way?

Definitely a traditional folk way. Not even folk as a music genre, but folk as in American folk. It’s cool that I said that then because it’s kind of coming full circle. I can’t really speak on it now, but I’ve been approached to do songwriting for some major label people and they’re asking for help making country bluegrass music because it’s really popular right now. A lot of artists you wouldn’t expect are about to come out with country.

It’s crazy that now all these major artists are going to start going down the country route. Why do you think people are drawn to do country now?

Here’s the thing, and this is something that I’ve been talking to a lot of artists and people in the music scene about. Country was always popular. Country was always huge in this country and in other countries like Europe. But, the demographic was a little older and they weren’t as technologically inclined enough when streaming got big. But older people are on Instagram now. They’re on TikTok now. I think that the country people just got technologically advanced enough to see it make an effect in pop culture, streaming, and TikTok. Even with album and merch sales, merch sales for country artists have always been through the roof.

I don’t know if you’re super interested in future trends when it comes to the music industry, but – whether it’s music or fashion – whenever there’s a trend things usually start on one end and then soon go to the exact opposite. Now that country is getting really big, do you have any predictions for what might be the most popular genre after country?

Country music is very fun and popular, and it’s definitely going to have a big moment, but you can only listen to songs about drinking beer and that lady in the bar so much. So eventually we’re going to start to go into more songs about drinking tequila, playing pool, and having your heart broken. In an industry sense, people are going to try country that aren’t country. They’re not from the South, so they’re going to make their own spin on it. It’s going to be like Post Malone, for example. He’s going to have the country instruments, country producers, and country packaging, but his lyrics aren’t going to be country. They’re going to be Post Malone. So I think the next thing after country is going to be alternative country.

As you say, there’s very upbeat country music, with the stereotypical beer, trucks, and girls vibe, but then there’s alternative country. It doesn’t talk about beer, it talks about addiction. It doesn’t talk about girls, it talks about heartbreak. I’m interested to see if or when the industry takes that turn.

It’s like how Hip-hop is not what Hip-hop was when it first came out and was popular. Hip-hop is not Eminem anymore. Hip-hop is Future and Drake and stuff. It’s a new genre. They’re already calling it a new genre, but I think if you look back in 100 years they’re not going to call Drake or Future rappers. Because Eminem was a rapper. A Tribe Called Quest were rappers. I think the next genre after country is going to be something that happens once country gets that mainstream appeal. It’s a genre we don’t even necessarily have yet.

You’re definitely active in the industry and you know people in the industry who can tell you these things. It’s cool to hear your predictions and I’m very excited to see what’s going to happen in the industry.

I’ll put a $5 bet down with you right now that Kendrick Lamar is going to make a country album. I could see him doing that. I try to get a good grasp on this stuff. I don’t want to say I predicted it, but when I made the switch from Hip-hop to the type of music I’m making now, I made it early. Switching to folk was hard for me to accept for a while, even though what I was making felt right for me. You know when something feels right, but you almost get guilty because of how easy it feels? It used to take me so long to make a song I was proud of when I was doing Hip-hop. Now I make a song and I’m like, ‘Really? That’s all it took? Shouldn’t I be putting hours and hours into this song?’ It’s cool now to see. Even with people approaching me to help them write a country song, it feels so good to know that I saw it. I wasn’t making this music thinking country was going to get huge in a couple of months or anything. It’s just cool to look back. To see that it’s popular now feels good.

Did you have any final thoughts or anything else you wanted to touch on?

Just going back to the EP, I like to think of myself as a very vulnerable and three-dimensional artist. But even for me, this one was a lot of vulnerability. I even surprised myself, so I’m just grateful that I’m seeing the positive feedback that I am from it. I did put a lot of time into trying to make it as beautiful as I could. I went against the grain with myself a little bit here for this project in terms of production, so I’m proud of it. Also, sometimes with people close to me, I’ll explain all this stuff and they say, ‘That’s beautiful, but I don’t think anybody’s going to see it how you see it.’ I beg to differ there, especially with this project. I hope people give it a couple of listens and allow it to grow on them because I think there’s a lot below the surface that will start to make sense to people as they listen to it more.

It was so cool to talk to you again, Spooky. Thank you so much!
You as well!

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