METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hello Snovonne. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for Metal Pulp And Paper. We appreciate it. So glad to be catching up with you. How are you, how are things going?
SNOVONNE DRAKE: I’m doing good, thank you! And thank you for having me here!
MPAP: We’ll talk more about your latest release, The Child And The Bitch, here shortly, but first, in a 2011 interview with RockbandAide, you described your music as, ‘very honest, expressive, with strong imagery, mostly in terms of psychology, elegancy and horror. It’s also been defined as a theatrical of modern rock music meets the aggressiveness of metal music with a splash of cabaret mixed in it? Is that the best way to introduce Snovonne to everyone reading this that might not have heard of your music just yet?
SNOVONNE: I think so, yes. I grew up listening to many different genres and to this day I still love variety. I think that’s why my material ends up being pretty colorful, or at least I hope it is. I always go by atmosphere and message… the mental tone. Some songs end up being more rock/metal than others. I do most of my writing on the piano, so from there, the song can go stylistically anywhere, and I like that feeling…I don’t usually finalize guitar parts until I have all of the other arrangements, like orchestra or electronics, finished. I feel the same way about visuals… I like design and the different approaches one can take to define an atmosphere.
MPAP: After first listening to your music, then later watching the videos that accompany them, it’s almost like you must view the videos first to get the full deal of not just the music you’ve created, but the visual art as well you’ve put into it, correct?
SNOVONNE: Yes, for sure. I feel like the song isn’t really finished until it has a video. Working on the video is like filling in between the lines of the lyrics, whatever I couldn’t express with words I’m hoping to express with images. Music for me is shapes and colors, so most of the time I see things already while writing and recording. Again, it’s all just about self-expression and from the first piano note to the last cut in a video - it’s all just its phases. It’s very therapeutical.
MPAP: Would you rather have the listener view the videos first, or it doesn’t matter?
SNOVONNE: Yeah, I think people would get a better idea of my work watching the videos first, like I said videos kind of fill in what I was after with the music. Although sometimes people don’t realize that what they see and hear is an outpour of one mind and that the video isn’t a marketing decision but just me finishing my thoughts.
MPAP: Now let’s talk about your latest release, The Child And The Bitch. It’s your third official full-length album, which came out April 17th, 2017, on Rogue Records America. If someone were to walk into a record store and start flipping through all the albums and they came across your The Child And The Bitch, and you were just so happening to be standing right next to them, what would you want to say to that person?
SNOVONNE: Well, I’d probably just observe, haha.
MPAP: What else would you want to tell them to draw them in even closer and want to pick up The Child And The Bitch album and look at it a bit closer?
SNOVONNE: Hmm… I’d tell them it’s like eating your favorite candy on a psychiatrist’s couch.
MPAP: You walk away, now that they have the album in their hand, but before you leave, what would you want to whisper in their ear, so they would go to the checkout counter and buy your album?
SNOVONNE: I’m gonna pass the advice that a fortune cookie once gave me: 'Try it, you’ll like it'.
MPAP: The Child And The Bitch is also subtitled Chronicles 1984-2014. Is each song, from "The Child And The Bitch", "Anatomy", to "Filth", and "My Poisons Made For Me" a series of events or I guess you could say, a set of memories for you since you were born in 1984? Are each one of these songs chronicling something in your life?
SNOVONNE: Absolutely. For me, writing songs is like keeping a diary. I’ve never written a song about something that didn’t happen to me or about feelings that I’ve never felt. Some of the songs I wrote when I was very young, and I reworked them for this record. So, the title has a sort of 'full circle' quality to it. I also turned 30 when I finished the demos for this album, so realizing that I’m still dedicated to the same things as when I was 9... I wanted to underline the autobiographical quality of the material.
MPAP: The Child And The Bitch was also described as heavy-hitting, stompy riffs are supported by epic, aggressive orchestral arrangements and cut through with razor-sharp melancholy. When you began to put music to your lyrics, did you have in mind at first how it was all going to sound? Or did it all just come out swinging when you went into the studio?
SNOVONNE: Well, I spend a lot of time on the demos. I record everything multiple times while ironing out the arrangements, so by the time I’m finished, the songs are done. I give the demos to my live band and they learn the parts. My drummer Tuky tracked the drum parts, Pete tracked the bass. After that I re-tracked the guitars and the vocals again. All the orchestral and electronic stuff stayed from the demos. The whole process was engineered by Eric Koondel who also took care of the mix and master.
MPAP: Recently you talked about your The Child And The Bitch release and said, 'it is about perception with points of view. It's the battle between two voices, how you were born versus what the world turns you into. There's no right or wrong, both entities have values to stand on, but that doesn't stop them from clashing... you wanted to give room to both voices.' Now going to the part, you mentioned 'how you were born vs. what the world turns you into,' let’s go into that a bit more. Are you saying the world has turned you into 'the bitch' to put it lightly?
SNOVONNE: Well, I don’t think it has but I think it’s trying to turn me into one and I would probably have an easier time navigating life if I let it, haha. I used the word 'Bitch' to primarily represent adulthood overall… with the good and the bad. Being smarter and more experienced as well as a lot more skeptic and 'bitchy'. The Child is beautifully free but let’s face it, primarily because it doesn’t know much of anything and the world didn’t take a bite yet. I carry both of these in me and I’m very aware of them and how they constantly clash. Sometimes it’s a bit of a torture, well mostly… but I find it interesting and inspiring too, so I figured I’d cement it into this record.
MPAP: In another recent interview, you said, "I hate what’s becoming of the internet; it’s causing more and more troubles and making people go insane. There’s no more identity anymore. People are smart-asses when typing, but when you meet them in person, they’re scared to tell you what they think." Why do you think people find it easier to talk hiding behind the computer screen?
SNOVONNE: Because there’s no accountability, no repercussion. Manners die quick apparently, if you’re not around people enough to maintain them. I think the internet fills whatever holes you let it fill and for some of these people it’s their only way of feeling powerful.
MPAP: I mentioned this in one of my recent interviews with Brittany Bindrim, from the band I:Scintilla, that I had seen a picture of the word 'Facebook' was written out in cocaine, a person was leaning over getting ready to snort it. And just like you said, people are smart-asses on the social media, but they are also addicted to the social media as well? From an artist’s point of view, the social media is great to spread your music, but it has gotten so out of hand lately between fake news or everyone getting offended so easily. What’s your view on all of it?
SNOVONNE: I agree it’s great to be able to share your art, or have people find your art just because they were browsing… that’s one thing. I love to be able to research anything and everything anytime I feel like it, that’s awesome. But as I mentioned before - the internet is going to be whatever you want it to be. For me, it’s a tool. It’s a means to do business and a means to save money on international phone calls. I don’t place any other than practical value on it. The whole 'getting offended' thing is just people getting high on their own fumes… I’m tired of people being offended and I’m also tired of people being rude and stupid. So… I just try and live my life here on earth, with real people that have real faces.
MPAP: On behalf of myself and Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Snovonne, for doing this interview. It was so great to get to know you a little better, and we look forward to what you do to finish out 2018 and beyond. What do you have in the cross-hairs coming up? Anything you can announce here?
SNOVONNE: Well, right now I’m working on new videos, new music and we are putting a European tour together for early next year. Nothing I can discuss in further detail yet though. What I can announce though is - if you subscribe to www.snovonne.net you get the digital album of The Child and The Bitch for free and 20% off the CD, or anything else you see in the store. I don’t recommend shopping on iTunes or any other platform if you wish to really support the project because the profits do NOT go to me or my band… All my albums were released by labels that no longer exist and we were left with no control over the accounts, so the official store, Sno-Ville, is the way to go. Everything there is handled by us direct. So if someone does choose to support, they can rest assured it’s going to the right place.
MPAP: Before we bring this to a close, is there any last words you’d like to tell all your fans and everyone reading this?
SNOVONNE: A genuine thank you for your time!
MPAP: Thank you.
SNOVONNE: Thank you!
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SNOVONNE
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SNOVONNE DRAKE: I’m doing good, thank you! And thank you for having me here!
MPAP: We’ll talk more about your latest release, The Child And The Bitch, here shortly, but first, in a 2011 interview with RockbandAide, you described your music as, ‘very honest, expressive, with strong imagery, mostly in terms of psychology, elegancy and horror. It’s also been defined as a theatrical of modern rock music meets the aggressiveness of metal music with a splash of cabaret mixed in it? Is that the best way to introduce Snovonne to everyone reading this that might not have heard of your music just yet?
SNOVONNE: I think so, yes. I grew up listening to many different genres and to this day I still love variety. I think that’s why my material ends up being pretty colorful, or at least I hope it is. I always go by atmosphere and message… the mental tone. Some songs end up being more rock/metal than others. I do most of my writing on the piano, so from there, the song can go stylistically anywhere, and I like that feeling…I don’t usually finalize guitar parts until I have all of the other arrangements, like orchestra or electronics, finished. I feel the same way about visuals… I like design and the different approaches one can take to define an atmosphere.
MPAP: After first listening to your music, then later watching the videos that accompany them, it’s almost like you must view the videos first to get the full deal of not just the music you’ve created, but the visual art as well you’ve put into it, correct?
SNOVONNE: Yes, for sure. I feel like the song isn’t really finished until it has a video. Working on the video is like filling in between the lines of the lyrics, whatever I couldn’t express with words I’m hoping to express with images. Music for me is shapes and colors, so most of the time I see things already while writing and recording. Again, it’s all just about self-expression and from the first piano note to the last cut in a video - it’s all just its phases. It’s very therapeutical.
MPAP: Would you rather have the listener view the videos first, or it doesn’t matter?
SNOVONNE: Yeah, I think people would get a better idea of my work watching the videos first, like I said videos kind of fill in what I was after with the music. Although sometimes people don’t realize that what they see and hear is an outpour of one mind and that the video isn’t a marketing decision but just me finishing my thoughts.
MPAP: Now let’s talk about your latest release, The Child And The Bitch. It’s your third official full-length album, which came out April 17th, 2017, on Rogue Records America. If someone were to walk into a record store and start flipping through all the albums and they came across your The Child And The Bitch, and you were just so happening to be standing right next to them, what would you want to say to that person?
SNOVONNE: Well, I’d probably just observe, haha.
MPAP: What else would you want to tell them to draw them in even closer and want to pick up The Child And The Bitch album and look at it a bit closer?
SNOVONNE: Hmm… I’d tell them it’s like eating your favorite candy on a psychiatrist’s couch.
MPAP: You walk away, now that they have the album in their hand, but before you leave, what would you want to whisper in their ear, so they would go to the checkout counter and buy your album?
SNOVONNE: I’m gonna pass the advice that a fortune cookie once gave me: 'Try it, you’ll like it'.
MPAP: The Child And The Bitch is also subtitled Chronicles 1984-2014. Is each song, from "The Child And The Bitch", "Anatomy", to "Filth", and "My Poisons Made For Me" a series of events or I guess you could say, a set of memories for you since you were born in 1984? Are each one of these songs chronicling something in your life?
SNOVONNE: Absolutely. For me, writing songs is like keeping a diary. I’ve never written a song about something that didn’t happen to me or about feelings that I’ve never felt. Some of the songs I wrote when I was very young, and I reworked them for this record. So, the title has a sort of 'full circle' quality to it. I also turned 30 when I finished the demos for this album, so realizing that I’m still dedicated to the same things as when I was 9... I wanted to underline the autobiographical quality of the material.
MPAP: The Child And The Bitch was also described as heavy-hitting, stompy riffs are supported by epic, aggressive orchestral arrangements and cut through with razor-sharp melancholy. When you began to put music to your lyrics, did you have in mind at first how it was all going to sound? Or did it all just come out swinging when you went into the studio?
SNOVONNE: Well, I spend a lot of time on the demos. I record everything multiple times while ironing out the arrangements, so by the time I’m finished, the songs are done. I give the demos to my live band and they learn the parts. My drummer Tuky tracked the drum parts, Pete tracked the bass. After that I re-tracked the guitars and the vocals again. All the orchestral and electronic stuff stayed from the demos. The whole process was engineered by Eric Koondel who also took care of the mix and master.
MPAP: Recently you talked about your The Child And The Bitch release and said, 'it is about perception with points of view. It's the battle between two voices, how you were born versus what the world turns you into. There's no right or wrong, both entities have values to stand on, but that doesn't stop them from clashing... you wanted to give room to both voices.' Now going to the part, you mentioned 'how you were born vs. what the world turns you into,' let’s go into that a bit more. Are you saying the world has turned you into 'the bitch' to put it lightly?
SNOVONNE: Well, I don’t think it has but I think it’s trying to turn me into one and I would probably have an easier time navigating life if I let it, haha. I used the word 'Bitch' to primarily represent adulthood overall… with the good and the bad. Being smarter and more experienced as well as a lot more skeptic and 'bitchy'. The Child is beautifully free but let’s face it, primarily because it doesn’t know much of anything and the world didn’t take a bite yet. I carry both of these in me and I’m very aware of them and how they constantly clash. Sometimes it’s a bit of a torture, well mostly… but I find it interesting and inspiring too, so I figured I’d cement it into this record.
MPAP: In another recent interview, you said, "I hate what’s becoming of the internet; it’s causing more and more troubles and making people go insane. There’s no more identity anymore. People are smart-asses when typing, but when you meet them in person, they’re scared to tell you what they think." Why do you think people find it easier to talk hiding behind the computer screen?
SNOVONNE: Because there’s no accountability, no repercussion. Manners die quick apparently, if you’re not around people enough to maintain them. I think the internet fills whatever holes you let it fill and for some of these people it’s their only way of feeling powerful.
MPAP: I mentioned this in one of my recent interviews with Brittany Bindrim, from the band I:Scintilla, that I had seen a picture of the word 'Facebook' was written out in cocaine, a person was leaning over getting ready to snort it. And just like you said, people are smart-asses on the social media, but they are also addicted to the social media as well? From an artist’s point of view, the social media is great to spread your music, but it has gotten so out of hand lately between fake news or everyone getting offended so easily. What’s your view on all of it?
SNOVONNE: I agree it’s great to be able to share your art, or have people find your art just because they were browsing… that’s one thing. I love to be able to research anything and everything anytime I feel like it, that’s awesome. But as I mentioned before - the internet is going to be whatever you want it to be. For me, it’s a tool. It’s a means to do business and a means to save money on international phone calls. I don’t place any other than practical value on it. The whole 'getting offended' thing is just people getting high on their own fumes… I’m tired of people being offended and I’m also tired of people being rude and stupid. So… I just try and live my life here on earth, with real people that have real faces.
MPAP: On behalf of myself and Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Snovonne, for doing this interview. It was so great to get to know you a little better, and we look forward to what you do to finish out 2018 and beyond. What do you have in the cross-hairs coming up? Anything you can announce here?
SNOVONNE: Well, right now I’m working on new videos, new music and we are putting a European tour together for early next year. Nothing I can discuss in further detail yet though. What I can announce though is - if you subscribe to www.snovonne.net you get the digital album of The Child and The Bitch for free and 20% off the CD, or anything else you see in the store. I don’t recommend shopping on iTunes or any other platform if you wish to really support the project because the profits do NOT go to me or my band… All my albums were released by labels that no longer exist and we were left with no control over the accounts, so the official store, Sno-Ville, is the way to go. Everything there is handled by us direct. So if someone does choose to support, they can rest assured it’s going to the right place.
MPAP: Before we bring this to a close, is there any last words you’d like to tell all your fans and everyone reading this?
SNOVONNE: A genuine thank you for your time!
MPAP: Thank you.
SNOVONNE: Thank you!
FIND/FOLLOW/LISTEN
SNOVONNE
HERE:
©metalpulpandpaper