Holding court in Los Angeles, High Priestess delivers perfectly executed Heavy Psych Doom that any fan of the genre should know about. Their new album Casting The Circle, out on Ripple music, is a pure work of art, down to the tiniest details. Built on a thick base of groove, the band creates eerie psychedelic atmospheres, driven by ethereal vocals, melodic leads and strategically placed synth lines, before crushing us with the heaviest riffs. The trio definitely understands the value of patience in songwriting and make great use of Prog arrangements to hypnotize the listener, especially on the 17 minutes epic journey of song Invocation. This High Priestess should have no problem reeling in droves of slow-headbanging faithfuls to willingly sell their souls at their altar.
Which music genre do you listen to the most? List your five favorite albums in that genre.
Katie (guitars/vocals): For a while now, I have definitely been on a Doom kick. I wouldn’t say these are all time faves but definitely have been on my recent rotation:
- SLEEP – The Sciences
- MONOLORD – Rust
- GREEN LUNG – Woodland Rites
- PAGAN ALTAR – Judgement of the Dead
- BLOOD CEREMONY – Lord of Misrule
Your five favorite drummers of all time?
Megan (drums): Only 5 favorite drummers? That’s tough. John Bonham is my absolute favorite drummer. After his majesty, I’d have to go with Neil Peart, Ginger Baker, Bill Ward and Dave Grohl. Others I really dig: Brian Tichy, Anika Nilles, Kenny Aronoff, Stephanie Bailey, Mike Johnston, Barry “Frosty” Smith, Billy Cobham… I could go on forever.
What’s the album you’ve listened to the most in your life? Do you still listen to it?
Katie: That would probably be Band of Gypsys, Live at the Fillmore East (HENDRIX). Definitely wore that one out, and I absolutely still listen to it. The energy, the musicality all sounds fresh and exciting to me each time I listen to it.
Megan: Very likely it’s either LED ZEPPELIN II or Led Zeppelin IV. I mean, holy crap, what incredible albums, and yes I still listen to them often.
Five heaviest riffs of all time?
Katie: Here are the first 5 that come to mind, not necessarily an authoritative list!
- Under The Sun – BLACK SABBATH
- Codex Gigas – CANDLEMASS
- Dopesmoker – SLEEP
- Eat That Question – FRANK ZAPPA
- I Want You (She’s so Heavy) – THE BEATLES
What are some of your favorite song lyrics? Lyrics that have been important to you or that had an impact on you?
Katie: I always love songs that can invoke certain emotions in you by telling a story. I love HENDRIX’s lyrics. Castles Made of Sand has always been a favorite, the nature of time, human relationships, nostalgia, sadness, yet we can always rely on that same constant in life: change. Little Wing is such a beautiful song, it’s like he painted pictures with words, like he did with music. Another lyricist and songwriter I love is JOHN LENNON, I always felt he was super straightforward with his lyrics. They are emotionally raw, sincere and they can cut you with a knife. The songs on Plastic Ono Band like ‘God’, ‘Mother’, ‘Working Class Hero’ are classic.
Do you have an absolute all time favorite band or musical artist? What makes them so special to you?
Katie: It’s always hard to narrow down, but I guess I would have to say PINK FLOYD. I’ve listened to that band forever and they’ve been instrumental in influencing me. From the songwriting, the instrumentals, the live shows, the vocals, the guitar solos, keyboards, artwork, just all across the board.
What are your ten favourite albums of all time (all genres)? Name a standout track on each of these albums.
This is really hard to do, but I’m just going to do this off the top of my head, and in no particular order.
JIMI HENDRIX – Band of Gypsys – Machine Gun
PINK FLOYD – Meddle – Echoes
METALLICA – Ride the Lightning – Orion (Note: cheating is allowed!)
BLACK SABBATH – Vol. 4 – Snowblind
ROD STEWART – Gasoline Alley – Gasoline Alley
SLEEP – Dopesmoker
LED ZEPPELIN – IV – When the Levee Breaks
RAVI SHANKAR – Chants of India – Mangalam
ACID KING – Busse Woods – Drive Fast Take Chances
FRANK ZAPPA – Chunga’s Revenge – Tell Me You Love Me
Do you remember the first time music had an impact on you?
Katie: I don’t remember it, but my mom said I would move my head and jam to The People’s Court theme music as a baby. I also remember playing the movie Glory soundtrack on the piano by ear when I was little, that’s when my parents decided to get me piano lessons.
What were you listening to in elementary school? then in high school? How much of that music is still a part of your playlists today? How have your musical tastes evolved since?
Katie: I distinctly remember a few things from elementary school. I loved PAULA ABDUL. She was just so funky and fun. I had the soundtrack to Pretty Woman tape and I was obsessed with Fame by DAVID BOWIE. I also remember I really liked The Right Stuff by NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK. In middle school, I don’t know what made me get it, but at a Sam Goody in the Dover, DE mall I bought NIRVANA Bleach tape. That tape made me want to play guitar. I remember I went back and bought the cds Nevermind and the Black Album by METALLICA (because it was next to Nirvana). We didn’t have cable at my house, no MTV, back then you would buy records based on what you heard, if you liked other albums from the artist or even just the album cover. Nirvana was sort of my gateway into Rock, I quickly became a PINK FLOYD head, I devoured other classic bands like LED ZEPPELIN, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and JIMI HENDRIX.
What beloved music do you share with your parents? Any specific memories?
Katie: My mom always listened to ROD STEWART and JOHN LENNON in the car. I grew up in the country so there was a lot of driving. We shared a lot of time together in a Ford Tempo listening to those tapes and the oldies station.
What are some of the most memorable shows you’ve ever seen? What makes them stand out?
Katie: A show I saw recently that I will never forget was HEILUNG at the Novo in LA in January 2019. It was so moving, primal and magical. They put on an outstanding show. I’ve seen ALICE COOPER’s show a few times and it is just amazing. He is a legend. I love the costumes, the themes, the theatrics and the songs. Every ROGER WATERS show I’ve seen was epic, but US + Them at the Staples Center in 2017 was one of my favorites of all time. I loved the political messages and the video projections out into the crowd.
Just a few others: ACID KING at Psycho Las Vegas 2016, KADAVAR at St. Vitus, 2015, and CANDLEMASS at the Regent Theater in 2017. All just incredible bands that kill live.
Is there any band that you’ve always wanted to see live but never had the chance to catch them? Any classic show that you wish you could have experienced?
Katie: WITCHCRAFT I got close to seeing live at Psycho Las Vegas but unfortunately was cancelled. I’d love to see them live. For classic shows, it would have been cool to hear the National Anthem by Hendrix live at Woodstock. Definitely the Band of Gyspys shows at the Fillmore East on New Years Eve. I would’ve liked to have seen BLACK SABBATH on a tour in 1970 when they were playing clubs. PINK FLOYD on their original Dark Side of the Moon tour.
Megan: I wish I could have experienced a 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS show back in the day in Austin, TX. I love Roky Erickson and was fortunate enough to see him perform in Los Angeles twice before his passing. One of the times even Billy Gibbons came up for a song, it was a magical night. I’m a bit envious of the lucky ones who were baptized in the beginnings of Psychedelic Rock.
What music or artist has been the most influential to you as a songwriter? Do you change what you listen to when you write music? Do you have a go-to record that you use for inspiration? How have these influences changed over the course of your songwriting career?
Katie: I feel like my songwriting influences kind of stem back to my formative years, like NIRVANA, PINK FLOYD, JIMI HENDRIX and JOHN LENNON. Kurt Cobain used dynamics really well in the sense that he would have these quieter verses and longer, louder choruses. John Lennon in the sense of using simplicity to get a message across. Also I played classical piano growing up and learned pieces from the ground up. You learn a lot by playing other peoples songs. Because I went to music school and analyzed classical pieces, I really got a sense of the internal structure, techniques, what the composer’s intent was, and importantly, form.
What is the most impressive band you’ve toured with? The one that you just had to watch every night?
Katie: CITIES OF MARS, who we toured with in Europe and who is on our label, was great to tour with! They put on a great show every night, and I loved hearing their songs time and time again.
What are some of your all-time favorite music books and/or zines, documentaries, biopics?
Katie: Right now I’m reading Alice Cooper’s book ‘Alice Cooper, Golf Monster’, and it’s great! I love classic music autobiographies, like ones by Tony Iommi, Nick Mason, Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Grace Slick, Frank Zappa, Ray Manzerek. I also love the female perspective of women in the scene, like ‘I’m with the Band’ Pamela Des Barres, ‘Through Gypsy Eyes’ by Kathy Etchingham, ‘Wonderful Today’ by Patty Boyd, ‘John’ by Cynthia Lennon. I really enjoy biopics like ‘Amadeus’ and ‘Immortal Beloved’, ‘The Doors’, ‘Love and Mercy’ and ‘Spinal Tap’ of course. ‘Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge’, ‘Metal: A Headbangers Journey’ are good, also ‘Super Duper Alice Cooper’ ‘The Decline of Western Civilization’, ‘How the West Was Won’, ‘The Story of Anvil’, I’m sure there are a bunch I’m forgetting.
Is there any classic / universally acclaimed artist that you missed out on when they first came out and discovered way later? Any artist that you didn’t like at first and learned to appreciate over time?
Katie: I had that experience with the FUGEES. I was in high school in 1996 when The Score was released, but I probably didn’t get into them until college, maybe 2002-2003? I guess that’s not way later, but in high school I was just so buried into Classic Rock and Metal I didn’t come up to breathe for other genres until later.
Do you have an artist that you love in a genre that you don’t usually listen to? What makes them stand out?
Katie: I really love LADY GAGA. I suppose her broad genre would be Pop, and I guess you asked about a genre I don’t usually listen to, but I do listen to it. There’s always been great stuff happening in Pop, and I also love what’s going on with the Hip Hop scene these days and historically. I listen to it all, I make spotify playlists, I listen to the radio. There can be so much melody, but also just a fascinating way of using sounds as music now. Artists are almost reinventing language, using the human voice as an emoter without words, like mumble Rap!
Do you have any unpopular music opinion that you would like to defend? Something that you love and yet can hardly find anyone to agree on how great it is?
Katie: I hear a lot of people dis auto-tune and I disagree. Most people don’t realize that pitch correction is all over music now, it can be used covertly or overtly. I think it’s a great invention as a tool, but also as an instrument. Auto-tune gives a great, instrument-like timbre to the human voice. It’s transformative. Of course I love the natural human voice as well. But when we look back on this era of music history the auto-tune sound will probably be a dominant signature of this time.
Can you think of a band or artist that put out only one fantastic release (album, EP or demo) and then disbanded? One that you really wish would have kept going?
Katie: Band of Gypsys, hands down. That combo of Hendrix, Buddy Miles and Billy Cox was just amazing. I wish they put out like 20 more albums, if Hendrix had lived.
What albums have been on heavy rotation lately?
Megan: TWIN TEMPLE’s self titled album, MONOLORD’s Empress Rising, MONDO DRAG’s The Occulation Of Light, and KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD’s Murder Of The Universe have all been on my heavy rotation lately.
Katie: I’ve been listening to a lot of ALICE COOPER since I’m reading his book. I’m up to Lace And Whisky right now. The Doom Charts is a great reference for new music, so I’ve been listening to stuff like DOPELORDS Sign of the Devil, and FORMING THE VOID Reverie – who are also our labelmates on Ripple.
What are some up and coming artists that you would recommend?
Katie: I really dig the band JOINTHUGGER from Norway, also KING WITCH from Scotland. KOFFEE is a young artist from Jamaica who I think is immensely talented.
Is there a band that you’ve discovered live recently that blew you away?
Katie: I was recently made aware of HEILUNG recently and was lucky to catch them this past winter in LA. They totally blew me away as I mentioned earlier. That show had everything. It is definitely in my top 5 most favorite shows.
What are you listening to right now, while answering these questions?
Katie: Right now I’m listening to FRAYLE, the song Marrow!
Final thoughts?
Katie: The High Priestess album Casting the Circle was released in April 2020 and is out now on Ripple music! We worked really hard on these tunes and I’m very proud of them. We have a video for the title track Casting the Circle, filmed and edited by Vibralinx, that you can find on YouTube. We also recently collaborated with Brimminghorn Mead in Milton, Delaware for some Casting the Circle mead. It’s delicious! And lastly, coming up on June 24 we are guest hosting on Gimme Radio, choosing tunes to play, and donating the tip jar to Mothers Against Police Brutality.
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