Tunes Tuesday: Vudu Sister

Keith McCurdy performing at Myrtle.

Where does the name Vudu sister come from? 

It originally comes from an old rock band I was in before I started this project. “Sister” is actually important to me as a reflection of my interest and comfort in feminine perspectives over anything related to maleness or the experience of being male, which I don’t particularly relate nor do I endorse.

Adynata is your 5th studio album. What makes it stand out from the others?

I think the songwriting is evolved on this album. It was highly collaborative with Diane (O’Connor) on violin and Isabel (Castellvi) on cello. It’s our first time working with Isabel on an album, with whom we’ve been playing and collaborating for four years. I think this album refines our sound that we’d started to really cultivate on Mortis Nervosa (our third album) in context to the “gothic-folk” or “chamber-gloom) aesthetic and mood.

Take me through the creative process of the album. 

I wanted to make a darker, heavier album that leaned more into my love of film scores, even video game scores (e.g. Diablo, Darkest Dungeon, Grim Dawn). I picked up an acoustic baritone guitar, we’d started playing with Isabel our cellist, and with some of those elements providing some meatier tones and low end, we were able to give this album a sense of weight. I also wanted there to be almost a metal influence since I was listening to a lot of newer music in those various subgenres and adjacent stuff (e.g., Bell Witch, Emma Ruth Rundle, Chelsea Wolfe’s Unknown Rooms and Marissa Nadler’s collaboration with Stephen Brodsky on their Droneflower album had been a longtime favorites). Adynata, as I’ve said, was more collaborative than previous efforts. The three of us (Isabel, Diane, and I) really worked closely together on the songs, there is even an instrumental track that was conceived by Diane and fleshed out between her and Isabel (I’m very proud of that one).

What does your song writing process look like? 

I often find a melody that feels strong in my vocals and I chisel away until I have a song. The lyrics don’t come first in spite of my poetic predilections and my background in language and literature. Everything is for the sake of the song; the euphony, the feeling, etc. and it must be something that captivates me. I primarily write songs that I personally want to listen to.

I have background in classical studies and literature, and I have a love for the arcane, eldritch, esoteric, and the strange. Wherever I have the chance and it feels right for the song, I try to inject my literary influences into my work with a tasteful degree of subtly.

How would you describe your sound? 

I try not to get bogged down with genre as I’ve done different things with The Sister. I am obviously very partial to strings and working with classical musicians; I think it gives a certain timelessness to the music. I am comfortable with labeling the band “gothic folk” and have discovered a delightful term, “chamber-gloom” or “chamber-doom”, but I think what’s more important to me is mood and tone: I haven’t really strayed from exploring dark, uncomfortable realities of the human experience, even when I inject the occasional impish grin when doing it.

I’ve joked that if I had to come up with a short description, maybe “Kurt Cobain meets Edgar Allan Poe” or “H.P. Lovecraft meets PJ Harvey”.

How did you get introduced to this genre of music? 

I think it was a natural progression. I think a combination of growing up with some of the MTV Unplugged in the 90s (e.g., Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Hole), early Mark Lanegan records, PJ Harvey (especially White Chalk, and then more recently I fell in love with artists like Agnes Obel, Chelsea Wolfe, Emma Ruth Rundle, a lot of amazing women doing dark, heavy, sombre work which to me, has been more centred on mood and texture as opposed to be too beholden any one genre…all of that gave me a feeling that “oh this is where I think I belong” in terms of sound and direction. It never feels like I’m being derivative of any of it as I’m combining different elements, and ultimately, I think what we’re doing is very much our own sound.

Who are your biggest influences? 

Eternally: PJ Harvey, Soundgarden, Nirvana. A lot of early 90s and riot grrl music. I’m also a big listener of classical music, especially the Romantic era, but also medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque. Film and video game scores I unapologetically love. Wojciech Kilar’s score for Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Matt Uelman’s work on the first two Diablo PC games have been favorites and informed a lot of the work on Adynata.

More recently, I’ve mentioned Emma Ruth Rundle as a valued source of inspiration. I discovered her more recently (well, in the last five or six years), and she was the chief reason I even picked up an acoustic baritone guitar. We included a cover of her song “Marked for Death” for the new album. I chose that song as a nod to her influence over these recent years.

You had your album release show at Myrtle. What were some highlights during the night and performance? 

It was a special and possibly the best release show I’ve done. It was very exciting to have Eryka Fir (Come Hole) open with a special solo/acoustic set and for my friends Long Kate to graciously close the night with an impressive, tight, and heavy set of their incredible songs. Eryka and I joined them for the finale which was a cover of Alice in Chains’ “Right Turn” which originally featured Mark Arm (Mudhoney) and Chris Cornell (Soundgarden); it’s actually been a teenage dream of mine to not only cover that song but sing it with singers I respect and who appreciate that legacy of what makes that song so great. Eryka nailed Chris Cornell’s part. We’ve been talking about maybe recording our version of it.

You teased fans by releasing songs off the album slowly before its official release. How else do you plan on promoting Adynata? Any upcoming performances/ tours etc.?

More singles are slated for release for sure. I am currently looking to see if there’s interest from labels. I’m in talks with some EU booking agents to set up another tour over there, hopefully this year.