METAL PULP AND PAPER: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us here at Metal Pulp And Paper. We appreciate it.
ASHLEIGH SEMKIW: Happy to be here! And may we just say, these were terrifically fun questions to answer.
MPAP: How are you doing?
ASHLEIGH: We’re currently driving through Arizona on our way to LA to open for Evergrey across the Western US, so we’re excited.
MPAP: Now give us a little run down about your band Tulip and what we need to know, and especially tell us if you have any new music coming out soon.
ASHLEIGH: We formed in September of 2018, the brainchild of Colin. He thought my classical vocal background would serve a female fronted metal band well, so we began writing the EP. Our full length, High Strangeness, will be out later this Fall.
MPAP: We’re going to change up this interview and do something different. I’m going to pull some recent headlines from the Metal Injection website and get your reactions and comments on them.
Here we go:
1. Celtic Frost Frontman Wishes Metallica Had Left 'Their Millionaire Fingers' Off His Song
MPAP: So, at a recent Metallica show in Switzerland, Kirk and Rob played one of Celtic Frost’s song "The Usurper" during a break in the show. According to Tom Warrior, vocalist for Celtic Frost, the two of them butchered it. He said, 'Maybe I should go onstage and do a really miserable version of [Metallica’s] "Hit the Lights" with, like, 200 mistakes to set the balance.' What do you think about this? If someone was going to cover one of your songs, do you think it should be done in good taste and without any mistakes, or it’s Metallica, and they can do whatever they want, it's no big deal?
ASHLEIGH: If anyone wants to cover our songs, we’d be thrilled. We find pretense in the arts community really irritating. Once you release art into the ether for everyone to experience, it belongs to all of us, so if you’re going to be angry that someone didn’t do your song justice, then that comes off as self-important. Who cares?
2. A Fan Died In The Slipknot Mosh Pit This Weekend
MPAP: Very sad. So, apparently, a 62-year-old Slipknot fan died while in the mosh pit at a Chicago show. Corey Taylor had recently stopped a previous show because he saw the mosh pit was getting too violent. Accidents do happen, but do you think mosh pits at metal shows are becoming more dangerous?
ASHLEIGH: Wow yeah, that is extremely sad. We haven’t been in any mosh pits lately, but from what we’ve observed, there seems to be quite good etiquette involved.
We’re pretty partial to the Amon Amarth Viking rowboat. Very safe.
3. Slayer Pulled As Primary Sponsor Of Nascar Due To Complaints From Other Sponsors
MPAP: Really? C’mon., it’s just a band. It’s not like Satan himself will be driving the car, right?
ASHLEIGH: Who was protesting Slayer? Christian groups? That’s ridiculous, and probably pissed off a lot of Nascar fans who are also diehard Slayer fans. Those are their people for sure. We live 15 minutes from Texas Motor Speedway and that is Slayercountry.
4. Maynard Got Death Threats Over How Long The Tool Album Took
MPAP: Talk about some diehard fans. I think that is going a bit too far, even if you’ve been waiting 13 years, right?
ASHLEIGH: The internet is a scary place, but after 13 years, pressing play on that record had better open up a dimensional rift in the space time continuum.
5. Controversial Video Shows Rob Zombie Grabbing A Female Fan By The Hair After Being Groped
MPAP: His shirt was pulled, but, nevertheless. I guess during a show Rob went out into the crowd, and an enthusastic fan reached out and pulled on his shirt. After this headline was posted, quite a few bands like Shinedown, All That Remains, and Bad Wolves defended Rob’s actions. What are your thoughts, do fans need to keep their hands to themselves?
ASHLEIGH: Sometimes fans forget that as a musician you are working. Just like you wouldn’t want someone yelling or grabbing at you while you’re at your accounting job. We appreciate where Rob is coming from. It was probably a total melee, so who knows what really happened. Sometimes fans will want a hug or to put their arm around you, we should all be able to behave like grownups. However, in the same breath, we could all stand to have thicker skins in 2019. If you get bumped or grabbed in a way that isn’t deliberately an egregious assault, just move on.
6. Behemoth Frontman Confronted At YMCA For Wearing Darkthrone Shirt & Kicked Out Not Believing In Jesus
MPAP: It was just a shirt, and he was going there to workout. It wasn’t like he was going to sacrifice some virgins and spill blood everywhere. What do you think?
ASHLEIGH: Remember on Seinfeld when Elaine’s boyfriend Putty becomes a 'born again' Christian and she does the devil horns and sticks out her tongue at him? That’s how we feel about this stuff now. It’s so silly.
7. Former Weedeater Drummer Arrested For Allegedly Spiking Wife’s Drink With Meth
MPAP: Umm, this doesn’t look like they have a very good marriage going on for this to have happened. Do you think they need some marriage counseling or what?
ASHLEIGH: They probably need a lot more than just counselling.
8. Walmart Shoppers Call The Cops On Metal Band for… Sitting In A Van Parking Lot
MPAP: This happened right after the tragic Dayton, Ohio shooting where ten people were killed, including the shooter, and 27 others were injured. The gunman just happened to be a metalhead because he was wearing a The Acacia Strain hoodie. It’s good that people report things, but this could turn out that every traveling metal band that’s parked in a Walmart parking lot are going to get reported now. What do you think?
ASHLEIGH: We have no problem with people being vigilant, as long as the cops were gracious about it, but as far as we’re concerned, the people in the metal community are some of the brightest, kindest, most down to earth people we’ve ever met.
9. People Are Going Wild For This Rant Tommy Lee Shared Against Donald Trump
MPAP: The rant/tweet is quite a bit long, so I'm not going to torture you to read it, but I will say this: should musicians talk or write about politics? In a way, it’s like their forcing their beliefs down our throats. What are your thoughts?
ASHLEIGH: Of course, artists are deep feeling and thinking people, that’s why we do what we do. But in an age of celebrity crafting, using your celebrity as credibility can be obnoxious. He happens to have a platform, and he’s entitled to his opinion, but we care more about what people who have typical life experiences have to say on the subjects that affect them the most. Tommy Lee probably doesn’t have to deal with the same types of problems that a waitress in Tulsa, Oklahoma would.
10. James Hetfield Calls Woman Who Used Metallica’s Music To Fend Off Cougar
MPAP: A young lady, was out walking her dog when off in the distance a cougar began to stalk her. She eventually played a Metallica song on her phone to scare it away, and it worked. She definitely had luck and the power of music on her side, right? What song of yours do you think would scare off a hungry cougar?
ASHLEIGH: Haha that’s a terrific story. Probably the bridge of "Limited" is the part we would play.
11. While She Sleeps Release Free T-Shirt Design To Clue Fans Into How Much Streaming Doesn’t Pay
MPAP: This is what the design said: One T-shirt is the equivalent to 5000 streams on Spotify. 76% of all music is streamed and not bought physically or digitally. Band merchandise is the most direct way of supporting a band. Sadly, buying music isn’t the same anymore. Back in the day, it used to be fun to buy an actual album or CD, don’t you think?
ASHLEIGH: We absolutely agree, which is why High Strangeness is going to be a full album to listen to top to bottom, not just singles. We would love to release physical copies, but the demand just isn’t there anymore. We have a vinyl collection at home, but of course it’s much easier to throw on an Apple Music playlist when you’re on the go. It’s tough out there.
12. David Hasselhoff Teams Up With Ministry Frontman For "Sweet Caroline" Cover
MPAP: All I can say is, this should be interesting. Hopefully, it’s not a train wreck for David. Worth a listen to when it comes out though. What do you think of this collaboration?
ASHLEIGH: Definitely worth a listen. Hey Hasselhoff doesn’t have a terrible voice, but why was a Neil Diamond song the choice? Seems odd.
MPAP: And what tv/movie actor would you like to cover a song with someday?
ASHLEIGH: Jim Carrey. #jimcarreycannibalcorpsecover
MPAP: On behalf of Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Ashleigh, for taking the time to answer these music headline questions. We look forward to what Tulip does to finish out 2019 and beyond.
ASHLEIGH: Thank you!
MPAP: Any last words for all your fans out there?
ASHLEIGH: Bucee’s is life.
