Ten Questions to .... Blood Bells

This month finally saw the release of a physical edition of the excellent debut album A Time For Roses by Texas duo Blood Bells. Their bass and drum machine driven post-punk drew favourable comparisons with 80's scene legends Red Lorry Yellow Lorry (particularly on this track) on release in early 2018, with a strong set of songs and clear band identity marking them as an artist to watch. Since then there has been a line-up change and some local gigs, but hopefully the cassette edition of A Time For Roses is an indication that new music and wider acclaim is not far away.

To find out more, I contacted main man Clint, and he and new member Lauren were kind enough to agree to become the latest willing victims of this blog’s “Ten Questions to …” feature.

1.       It’s two years since the album was released to widespread acclaim as a free download on Bandcamp. Why has it taken so long for a physical release to come to fruition? Are there plans for vinyl or CD as well as cassette?

Clint: We have gone through many trials since our inception. The delay has been partly because the original bass player disappeared and I took some time off as a result of that loss. After that reprieve, we rebuilt with a new member (Lauren, my partner.)

Lauren: While pressing vinyl and putting a CD out would be great, we’re completely self-funded so that is still on our to-do list. The label Cease and Destroy just released A Time for Roses on cassette, which is available on our Bandcamp to purchase. To us, accessibility of our music was most important, so that’s why we emphasized availability on streaming services first.

2.       You’ve lived with the album for a couple of years now. Which are your own favourite tracks and are there any that now wish hadn’t made the final cut?

Clint: I am proud of all the music on A Time for Roses. Coming from playing in punk bands throughout my twenties, I felt very accomplished being able to create what, in my opinion, was a solid dark record. My favorite tracks are Destroy and the title track because they are fun to play live.

Lauren: I enjoy the song Bones. I also enjoy Red because it is a great song. I’m trying to push Clint to incorporate Vision Thing by Sisters of Mercy into our live set because I enjoyed learning it for our cover show last year in Dallas. He seems to not like that idea. I’ll keep working on him, though.

3.       Many contemporary reviews of the album name-checked slightly obscure Leeds post-punk legends Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. Were you familiar with their music or aware that there were similarities in the sound before those reviews were published?

Clint: Oh yeah! We are definitely familiar. Funny enough, RLYL were the template I used when writing the first ever guitar-based Blood Bells song Secret. It’s embarrassingly close to their track Hollow Eyes. So much so that I’ve had more than one person come up to me after our shows and exclaim “I loved your cover of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry!” I laugh every time. Scary Lady Sarah (a well known DJ out of Chicago and musician in the band Bellwether Syndicate) usually plays Secret in her DJ set right before Hollow Eyes because the flow is practically seamless. You have to start somewhere, and I needed a basis for my music at first since I didn’t know where to start. We have since come into our own and are more comfortable creating less derivative sounding music.

4.       Since the album was released there has been a change of bassist in the band. Will that affect the project’s future musical direction?

Lauren: Though I am influenced by a lot of the same music that Clint is, we come from different musical backgrounds. So yes, I’m sure that will ultimately impact the musical direction to some degree. But we are both on the same page as far as keeping with a similar sound to A Time for Roses. I am looking forward to co-writing lyrics, as well, since I have a writing background. Though I do enjoy a lot of 80’s hair metal and musical theatre, so you never know...haha.

Clint: Though my previous bass player was someone I was close to and played music with for years, he was never involved in the writing process and just kind of let me take the reins. Now that I am writing and playing with my wife, the dynamic is different. We have a very powerful psychological connection and she is not afraid to throw ideas into the ring. I am excited about the new tracks we’re working on together.

5.       The final track on the album Bones has a totally different feel to the rest of the album, being primarily instrumental synth wave with a Kaelan Mikla vibe. In past interviews you’ve said that the band formed initially as a synth-based project – is that song a survivor from those early sessions?

Clint: It’s definitely different. I wanted to put it on the album as the final track for a reason. A way to let people know that we will do whatever we feel like doing musically. You will get what you want with the guitar-driven deathrock/post-punk, but expect a few surprises thrown in from time to time. We can’t help but step outside expectations sometimes.

6.       What prompted the move away from the synth-based sound to the slightly scuzzy post-punk rock sound on the rest of the album?

Clint: I’ve always primarily played guitar-driven music, so I feel more in my element within the gothic rock sound

7.       On Facebook last year you stated that you were working on new material. When is that likely to be released and on what format?

Lauren: We have a lot of new material in the works, and have played a couple of new songs live.

Clint: There are plans to get back into the studio in Fall or Winter of 2020 with a new album out on streaming and cassette early next year. If we’re lucky, perhaps a label will pick us up and put both of our albums out on vinyl. I find CD’s are a waste of time and money. Fancy coasters for our modern lives.

Lauren: I still have a CD book in my car. I don’t agree with that.

Clint: Well, we’ll see who wins on this opinion.

8.       Since the album was released, there seems to have been something of a gothic resurgence in the US, with most of the more inventive new artists coming from your side of the Atlantic. Do you have any theories as to why this might be and what the catalysts have been for the belated third wave in the States?

Clint: Things always come and go in waves in the US. People tend to get bored after a short time and forget their musical heroes. Just like punk and psychobilly were all the rage in the early 2000’s, people are looking at Goth as the hot commodity now. The popularity will fade away again in time. We’ll still be here. I’ve been into the subculture since I discovered it at the age of 15. I’ve wanted to start a band like Blood Bells for years. It’s just a coincidence that we are just now getting up and running. That being said - there are so many wonderful bands gaining popularity now that are just blowing my mind. I am so happy to see the resurgence taking place and excited for the future!

Lauren: I think the fact that things are so much more accessible online now than even ten years ago plays into the resurrection of interest in Goth music and fashion.

9.       The band is named after a Current 93 track and you have worn their band t-shirt at gigs, yet there doesn’t seem to be an overt Current 93 influence in Blood Bells’ music. Does your love of that project have any more subtle influence on your music?

Clint: David Tibet, Current 93, and a lot of the artists and musicians from the 80’s and early 90’s neofolk and esoteric underground have had a lot of influence on me as a lyricist more than anything. The way they can paint pictures with words has always inspired me. I am a far more stream-of-consciousness writer with words. I thank a lot of the artists from that time period for that.

Lauren: Did you know that party metal Guru Andrew W.K. played with Current 93 for a time? Wild!

10.   So far you’ve only played gigs in the DFW area. Do you have any concrete or distant plans to play further afield any time soon?

Lauren:
We would really like to play abroad sometime, and we will make plans to hit more states in the US soon. We’ve played in San Antonio and have a show lined up in College Station this Spring.

Clint:
We are tied to our 9-5 jobs at home and find it hard to get time off for touring. We are also in need of savings so we can support ourselves on a tour. We love to travel and hope to get out more and explore soon!

Blood Bells is Clint Jerome and Lauren Williamson Jerome.

You can check them out on Bandcamp here and follow them on Facebook here