An Interview With: SENTRIES
SENTRIES is the brainchild of Kim Elliott. SENTRIES latest project, Snow as a Metaphor for Death, is an acerbic blend of industrially-flecked rhythms and brash, forthright sonics. Often deadpan delivered and other times heart-achingly impassioned, SENTRIES material evokes a soul-tied feel; pulled apart - in many ways constricted - by that which feasts on itself.
With influences such as Gilla Band and Suicide and a knack for mediating the more unhinged side of the music spectrum, SENTRIES is on track to become a mainstay in the world of music.
If you know, you know.
SENTRIES will be playing their first ever live show at the Sled Island music festival in Calgary this June.
Peter: Your latest project 'Snow as a Metaphor for Death' has been out in the world since January. How has the overall feedback been?
SENTRIES: It's been surreal. I get so many messages every day from people all over the world asking questions about the music and how I made it on my own. It is extremely gratifying to me that, even at such an early point in my career, I've inspired people to make music on their own terms. It is a bit scary as our first show is still ahead of us, we're just starting. But I think the general consensus is that people really like the new record.
Peter: Could you tell me a bit about the ups and downs of being a solo musician? What has it shown/told you about yourself?
SENTRIES: So far, the pros to being a solo musician are that everything is on my terms. I don't find myself inhibited by anyone else's desires or ideas for what the music should sound like. Which is good right now, as I'm still kind of figuring out how to carve out my own sound. Too many cooks in the kitchen at this point could really derail things. The big downside is then bringing the songs to my live bandmates, I feel like a bit of a dictator. Which is maybe a good thing, but I also want the band to be tight on a personal level, not just musically. Doing this (mostly) alone so far has shown me how driven I am, and that I do actually have some sort of a work ethic somewhere deep inside haha.
Peter: What are some of the lessons that you learned during the process of making Snow as a Metaphor for Death?
SENTRIES: A big lesson I learned from the making of Snow as a Metaphor for Death is the importance of taking my time. There were a lot of things I rushed about that record and I think I was kind of shooting myself in the foot a bit. I announced it before I had even recorded most of it, and before I had even written "Seance". What I think people don't realize is that I fully expected maybe 10 people to listen to this album, my following at the time consisted purely of a handful of nice people from the black midi Discord server lol. I don't consider that to be a good excuse for being lazy about making and recording music, but that's what happened. I feel a responsibility now to be much more thorough and thoughtful with the entire process.
Peter: You get the opportunity to have a conversation with one person of your choice - dead or alive. Who do you choose and what do you think you would talk about?
SENTRIES: I think I'd like to have a conversation with the recently departed Steve Albini. Not only did he have a hand in inventing the very musical niche I find myself in, he was a highly skilled recording engineer, and I'd love to pick his brain about every part of his process on records like In Utero and METZ's Strange Peace. Instead of going to college for anything "normal" I studied recording for a year in Vancouver here in Canada. I would tell you how valuable that was for me, but I think anyone can hear it by listening to my oldest work compared to Snow. I take great pride in the recording side of SENTRIES and people like Steve Albini are a huge part of that.
Peter: Is there space in the SENTRIES world for collaboration? If so, are there any musicians/producers that you would like to work with?
SENTRIES: There is absolutely space for collaboration in SENTRIES. I think I've falsely given people the impression that I'm some sort of reclusive recording nerd by choice, but the truth is I started doing this at a time where nobody I knew in person would commit to this sort of thing as hard as I have. Lethbridge was pretty dead for music. I got used to doing all of this with my head down and not really reaching out too much, but now I find myself with access to loads of great, like-minded artists and people everywhere. Even in Lethbridge there's so many great bands now like Alec Arms and 4BPM, who have lent me a couple of their members for some upcoming shows. I think it would be great to work with anyone who is just as crazy as I am, and is okay with being in a tour van for weeks at a time lol.
As a side note, I'd also love to do more work recording other artists and bands. It is very satisfying to see how other artists operate, and to see their visions come to life in front of them.
Peter: And finally, what can your fans expect from you in the near/distant future?
SENTRIES: People can expect some new music somewhat soon. I've had some rough writer's block since Snow came out, but in the last couple of weeks I've been making music that I feel good about again. Eventually, when it feels right, it will all shape itself into the third album. I've been putting together a live studio session type video here in the basement where I recorded Snow, initially as something just to send to promoters, but I think I'm gonna edit it real nicely and make it public.
We're playing Sled Island in Calgary this June, which will be our first show ever. I'm so excited for that, and I couldn't have picked a better group of guys to be helping me play this stuff.
You can also expect lots more shows to be announced. It's extremely stressful as a one-man team trying to plan a tour, but at this point I just want it too much to give up.
Cheers to Kim for taking the time out of a busy schedule to take part in this! You can read Peter’s review/thoughts/scribbles on Snow as by clicking the link belowwww:
