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.
TGEFM had the pleasure of rolling the dice with Leah Martin-Brown, the frontwoman of Evol Walks, and chatting about her new single “Sleeping With A Ghost,” and her thoughts on music, the world and the future.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. We’ve got 9 questions for you today, so let’s dive right in. Evol Walks was formed in LA, fronted by an Australian and spent much of the pandemic working in Sweden. How does the diversity of locales play into your art?
Strangely enough, weather and climate do tend to affect the way I write music. In LA or Aus, it’s easy to right up-tempo party music OR (in the case of Aus) when its raining- ballads.
The majority of the time I spent in Sweden was during the Winter months. It was dark, snowy, and cold. Channeling an angrier, darker sound with heavier riffs seemed to come naturally. Can definitely understand how the Gothenburg sound was created there!
Congrats on the release of “Sleeping With a Ghost.” What’s the story behind the track?
‘Sleeping with a Ghost’ is a very personal track to me. I co-wrote this in Los Angeles with Canadian Producer Brian Howes at the beginning of my sobriety (over 3 years ago now). At the time I was in a very toxic situation and was feeling a lot of frustration toward that person. I channeled my anger into this track.
As time has progressed and I have had more time to sit with the music, I came to realise that the weakness I was seeing in him was actually triggered because it was in me. And it made me angry. In the end, this song was never about him. It was about the now sober me reaching out to my past self and giving her a well-deserved wake-up call.
Of course everyone of us are going to have our own takeaways from your work, but what is the lyric or moment on the “Sleeping With A Ghost” that you are most proud of?
I was really impassioned when writing this song. Maybe seething would be the correct word? haha. So, the most brutal lyric for me that I am also quietly proud of is “I’m done with trying to drown your hollow weakness”. I was clearly on one that day. Other than that- the balance between vulnerability and power that exists in the vocal performance. There are some big, powerful notes and also quiet phrases where I almost crack with emotion. It was a rough day in the studio that’s for sure.
What stood out most to you with this recording compared to your previous releases?
Definitely the honesty of this track. It is raw and brutal and I think that holds power.
The world has been going through some shit over the last few years. What effect, if any, have the cultural and political landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
It has definitely encouraged me to be more honest in my writing. I have also tried to move away from always writing party songs or angry love songs- we need more than that at the moment. Evol Walks last release, ‘Saints & Sinners’ was a collaboration with Swedish band Defueld and this track was centered around hope of our future despite of the darkness. I think its important to inject some positivity into the madness haha.
What’s the best piece of advice, music or otherwise, you’ve ever received?
Don’t be an asshole ties equally with ‘Before you decide you’re having a terrible day, make sure you’ve eaten. It might just be low blood sugar”
The obvious follow-up, of course, is what’s the best piece of advice, music or otherwise, you can give?
Don’t be an asshole… haha. And never, ever give up. If it is your passion, if it makes you happy- just keep doing it.
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 know about?
Oooh I LOVE spreading the LOVE! Lexie Layne is one amazing artist whom I love! She is a total badass. Black Aces and also Girl and Girl from Australia are two bands I have massive amounts of respect for. They kick so much ass. Zeal & Ardour are also AMAZING and I am so stoked that I got to see them live at the end of last year.
Now that the world has its hands on “Sleeping With A Ghost” what’s next for Evol Walks?
A nice little Summer Christmas back at home and then straight back to releasing new music! I have been working on some new tunes with Swedish Producer/Songwriter/Frontman for Defueld/General Badass & Nice Dude Chris Wetterstrom and we are SUPER excited to get those out. Back to Los Angeles in January for more adventures.
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/
