Pennsylvania-based queer punks Witch Weather are one week away from unleashing their self-titled debut on the world. To help celebrate the upcoming banger, TGEFM and the band got together for another in our line of Roll of the Dice interviews.
1. Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! First of all, I’d like to congratulate you in advance on the upcoming release of your self-titled record. Could you tell us a bit about Witch Weather, your sound and what you hope to represent through your music?
(Kaitlynn): We’re a gothy punk band. We’ve been taking a lot of inspiration from 80s goth and surf music through a punk lens.
2. What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
(Kaitlynn): I think the catalyst had always just kind of been started for me since as long as I can remember. Every time I would go to a show when I was young I remember thinking that I wanted to do that. Even if those shows were initially mostly country shows at the county fair when I was a kid because that’s mostly all I had access to. I think bands like Against Me and Bad Brains and just punk music in general was what made me really feel like I could do it, and wanted to do it as well.
(Juliann): I grew up going to concerts from about 5 or 6 so that’s pretty much what did it. Ironically I grew up going to see glam metal and hair metal bands like KISS, Poison, and Cinderella. I knew I wanted to perform too because I grew up a dancer. Once I started getting into the punk scene and seeing that the punk scene was full of people like me, that’s when I kinda landed on punk as a focus specifically.
3. The world has undoubtedly been going through some shit. What effect, if any, have the cultural (and/or political) landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
(Kaitlynn) I scream a lot more now in our music.
(Juliann) Me too.
(Kaitlynn) But also we’ve like actually started writing angrier music in relation to current events. Goth Beach Party in specific is very Eat-the-Rich core. And we have a lot of songs about being angry at transphobes so there’s that too.
4. We’ve all got a few, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
(Juliann) Taking shows on a Sunday afternoon.
(Kaitlynn) Not releasing more music. I’m always writing and making demos and I wish I’d make more. Also regret not releasing demos sooner because I had been doing it for so many years but too afraid to release anything.
5. This is your debut album, but Witch Weather began to take shape back in 2013. What has helped you grow the most as a songwriter and musician over the last decade? What has been the biggest hurdle to overcome as a writer?
(Kaitlynn) I think just doing it over and over again helped me grow a lot. I think that’s the key to getting good at songwriting is to just keep doing it nonstop. I’ve got about 10 or 11 demo albums lying around and most of those songs will never see the light of day. But doing that so often for so long lets me make way better music now than I did back then.As far as hurdles go it’s really hard for me to focus on one vibe for a project. I’m always torn between wanting to write 12 different genres and none of them quite go together.
(Juliann) Getting older, because 10 years ago I was 13. I don’t think there was one specific thing there’s too many to list. Biggest hurdle is not knowing another instrument other than bass. I kind of know guitar and piano but I don’t spend time playing them so when we’re writing I just sort of have to get my ideas across in a different way.
6. Witch Weather has played out a bit this summer. What should audiences expect from your live shows?
(Juliann) Gremlin demon behavior. The potential to get stabbed with a bass. Nipple pasties here and there.
(Kaitlynn) We act like low-key idiots and lose our minds for however long our set is. Whether the audience is as well or not, we’re just kinda there to have fun.
7. While the punk scene seems to be more inclusive than it once was, but Pennsylvania isn’t known as much of a progressive utopia. How has the reception to Witch Weather been while playing shows? Is there more of a release to writing or performing live, especially in terms of your more personal lyrics?
(Kaitlynn) it’s been really good honestly. We stick to queer spaces mostly. There’ve been a few times where I felt really sketched out or felt unwelcome but that’s been few and far between. And it’s places you would expect to be way nicer sometimes too, really just depends on what crowd you end up with I think, because I really do believe it’s kinda the same like that in every state, especially as a trans person. And I can not choose between writing or playing live for which is a bigger release they both feel so good.
(Juliann) the reception has been pretty good. We tend to play in the cities. And that’s where everything is anyways. Haven’t seen or heard anything TOO wack go down. There’s stares and comments here and there but we stare back. Like the void.
8. One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
(Kaitlynn) I looove these questions. Only gonna stick to active bands for now but SL.AP from Lancaster is really good. Penny, Eevie Echoes, and Crush Fund are all NYC/Brooklyn-based based and they’re awesome. The Moon Illusion and Bullpup are also really sick.
(Juliann) The Blushes but we haven’t gotten to play a show with them.
9. What’s next for the members of Witch Weather?
(Juliann) Lol, I mean we do have plans to put out another EP, plan a big tour, get signed to a label (hopefully)
(Kaitlynn) Yeah the EP is a big one, hopefully coming next Summer (and hopefully that’ll come with a tour)
10. Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
(Juliann) My bass is not bigger than me, contrary to popular belief.
(Kaitlynn) If anyone’s looking to part with a large sum of money please contact us.
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/