In the past I have reviewed a single from this horror-tastic band, yet it was only recently that I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with the band. Read to hear what members Robert Writhe and Kenny Wolfsbane had to say about the band’s origin story and everything horror!
How did the band start? And how did you meet?
Robert: In 2016, I really dove into my local punk rock scene which is when I met Rikk and his previous band, JXV aka. JASONxVOORHEES, a Straight-Edge, hardcore, horror-punk group. We became pals and he would come to me for band graphics. I was raised religious and I grew up going to church with Chewy. He played with the church worship team and started a number of rock bands over the years that I would hang out with and watch practice. I even joined one of his bands called Wolves Made of Stone in 2017 where I played bass and some keys. That Summer, Rikk mentioned he was booking a horror show for the coming Winter and that he was short an opener. For some reason, I saw this as a challenge to make my ideas for an accordion punk band a reality. Rikk said that if I could finish material for a set by Thanksgiving my project could open the show. After I finished lyrics and basic music for four songs, I booked a jam session on Black Friday. At that session I recruited my bandmates in Wolves Made of Stone to play guitars and Rikk to play drums. Everyone grooved together almost effortlessly and like that The Writhers were born. We put the finishing touches on “I Like to Leave Marks” the day before our first show on December 15th, 2017 at Tower Bar. Our performance was met with unexpected enthusiasm, jump-starting what could have been a one-night experience into four years of music. While the band isn’t as accordion-focused as I had originally envisioned, it’s still an element in our sound. Kenny didn’t come into the picture until we needed a new bass player at the start of 2020 and Rikk reached out to him to fill the spot.
Kenny: I saw The Writhers when they opened for Argyle Goolsby and Nim Vind back in October of 2018. They blew my mind, I’d never seen anybody like them and was hooked immediately. I met Rikk after the show and we hit it off and kept in contact for a while. Naturally, I was ecstatic when he hit me up saying the band was looking for a new bassist. I learned all the songs before the audition, joined January 18th, 2020 (I remember the exact date because it was a big day for me lol), and the rest is history.
How would you describe your music?
Robert: A haunted buffet. Generally speaking, I’d like to tell people our music is horror-punk or goth, but we aren’t stuck on one genre. I want to write a little of this, a little of that, and sometimes mix this and that on the same plate, like a buffet. I usually tell those who have no point of reference that our music is “weird punk rock” and that’s that.
Kenny: I just tell people “it’s f**kin’ weird” haha. We ride the vehicle of horror-punk but it’s tricked with just about everything else that influences us individually. We all throw in our own flavors.
Can you tell me about the writing process for your music?
Robert: Whenever I think of an interesting melody, riff, vocal pattern, or lyrics, I record it on my phone’s voice memos. I have a lot of recordings. Some are played on my bass or accordion, but most are just hummed or sung out of convenience. Eventually, I’ll go through my notes and structure one or more bits into song skeletons until I have all or part of a demo to bring to the band. I tend to write music based on original stories, eerie subject matter, or the occasional real-world legend. While they can be fun, I don’t think making songs about existing horror movies and media is really the Writhers’ style. The closest I’ve come to this is with our songs “Greasy Strangler” and “Kingdom of Spiders.” The first of which is loosely inspired by my interpretation of what 2016’s insane indie horror “The Greasy Strangler” is about, and the latter is an unrecorded, sort-of unfinished song we’ve performed which uses the 1977 William Shatner film “Kingdom of the Spiders” to illustrate the classic pop-punk trope of complaining about and trying to move out of your hometown.
What is the meaning behind the name “The Writhers”?
Robert: The keyword “writhe” means to make continual contortions of the body. Squirming. Convulsing. I like music that not only makes you move but makes you move in odd ways. Writhing is such a gruesome way to articulate that idea, it’s appropriate for a creepy band. As “writher” isn’t really a word, people don’t always pronounce it correctly and is the cause for some confusion. I am willing to take all the blame, but also who cares. It does make us unique after all. We’ve only hinted at it so far, but the band does have a fictionalized backstory that I hope to someday commit to paper and the word “writher” has its own meaning in that universe.
Has your hometown had any influence on the band?
Robert: I’ve never been asked this question before so it’s interesting to ponder. The easy answer would be “no” because I don’t think it has. But I’ve lived in San Diego my whole life, so maybe. As far as the music scene goes, the variety of sounds you can find here if you dig enough has been inspiring for sure. And while musically they’re more or less a conventional garage rock outfit, the Creepy Creeps’ energy and vibe has definitely had an impact on me and the band.
What inspired the pink look?
Robert: I’ve been wearing the bright colored, button-up shirt and suspenders combo since the early 2010s. I’ve been through yellow, blue, and teal phases, but I switched to pink when I started working on an art project called 100 Punks as pink was a very popular color with punk bands since the beginning of the genre. I wore that outfit to concerts and art shows I attended all the way up to the point of starting the Writhers and it stuck. Also, it helps us stand apart from other horror and gothic bands when the common color choices in those genres besides black are Halloween palettes. And while I really like pink, my favorite color is actually purple.
Kenny: The black and pink look is the first thing that caught my eye before I even heard the band. I was already stoked to hear what they were gonna sound like before they even started playing.
If you were a horror icon, who would you be?
Robert: Pinhead from Hellraiser if Pinhead was just a little more sassy and zany.
Kenny: I’d be Ghostface from Scream for sure; obsessive horror freak who’s big on theatrics just like me. I’m planning on getting a Ghostface tattoo at some point.
Where can readers find you on social media?
Robert: You can find the band under @TheWrithers or on TheWrithers.com while I’m most everywhere as RobertMakes or RobertWrithe. The first handle is generally art centric, while the later is for personal or random BS.
Kenny: find me on IG @kennywolfsbane and on my YouTube channel “Kenny Wolfsbane Music” for general shenanigans and to stay tuned for other stuff I’m working on.
Any last words you would like to say to the readers?
Robert: The “analog horror” genre on YouTube is my favorite thing right now. I recommend the channel Gemini Home Entertainment. Watch all the videos on it starting with the oldest one.
Kenny: I just wanna say thanks for checking us out and we can’t wait to unleash even more horrors in y’all’s innocent ears. 2022 is gonna be a killer year for us and the scene!
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