Ladies and gentlemen, and I use the term loosely. This edition of Fistful of Questions goes out to Sherbrooke, Quebec quartet Occult Witches.
What is your full name?
Singer: Vanessa San Martin
Bassist: Danick Cournoyer
Guitarist: Alec Sundara-Marceau
Drummer: Eliot Sirois
Do you have any aliases?
No
If you had an alias what might it be?
None
What bands are you actively involved with?
Occult Witches
What was the first instrument that you played?
Singer: Saxophone
Bassist: Primary school flute
Guitarist: Piano, then guitar hero, then acoustic guitar, then electric
Drummer: blew into a flute once or twice, been playing drums since then!
Tell me about one of your first musical memories?
Singer: My parents bought me Avril Lavigne’s Let go when I was around 7 and I was obsessed.
Bassist: My step-dad showed me a VHS video of Victor Wooten playing Amazing Grace on the bass.
Guitarist: Dad playing blues guitar
Drummer: Neil peart, YYZ playing on my dad’s big CD player
What was the name of the first band you were in?
Singer: Occult Witches
Bassist: Gorophyle
Guitarist: Ass control
Drummer: Twenty-One Twenty
Tell me about the genesis of Occult Witches.
Danick, the bassist, decided to start the band during covid. He’d hear Vanessa singing in the shower, or hidden in their room (they’re a couple) and he didn't hesitate to suggest that they start a band. Alec, guitarist, joined the project and the other members followed not long after. It was lockdown, so we would start writing a song, take a video, send it to the first members so they would add to it and so on haha.
Then we got to play in a garage for a while until we could actually see people and not long after our drummer at the time had a jam space in his basement. At that time there were 6 of us. 3 guitars, one bassist, singer, drummer. Eliot, drummer, joined us for the second album. At this point we were 5. Dan took over the bass because, well, 3 guitars.. Come on. We did the albums Occult Witches and Mastermind with the 5, signed with Black Throne Productions and ended with just the 4 of us for our new record!
What inspired the name Occult Witches?
It sounds cool, and I like witches and occult stuff.
How long did it take you to write and record Sorrow’s Pyre?
Alec : 4 months with our drummer working in the north half of the months. So 2 months of real work, jamming 2-3 times a week, so maybe a maximum of 30 days. Each jam is maximum 4 hours, so we wrote the album in less than 120 hours. 36 hours of studio in 4-5 days.
If you could insert yourself into any one band what band would it be and why?
Singer: I’m happy with this one
Bassist: Sleepwulf, the riffs are cool.
Guitarist: Corbeau with QC woman singer Marjo. Because Marjo is hot and the riffs are sick.
Drummer: would rock a Van Halen set or a CCR tribute!
Have you ever heard a song and immediately wished you had written it? If so… What was the song and artist?
Singer: Moonbeams Curl by Sleepwulf, the lyrics are insane
Bassist: Black sabbath by Black sabbath. The birth of metal.
Guitarist: Dyer Maker by led zep.
Drummer: Mr. Robert by Dirty Sound Magnet
Do you have any non-metal/rock musical inspirations?
Singer: Erykah Badu, Soko
Bassist: Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastiorius
Guitarist: Julian Bream’s instrumental album of BACH
Drummer: any good blues song !
What’s a non-metal/rock song that you'd like to do a cover of?
Singer: Down to the River by Ben Caplan
Bassist: i would like a chopin/bach minor ballad
Guitarist: Canon in D
Drummer: 1983 jimi Hendrix
What band have you played with that has really impressed you with their live show?
Singer: St/Elmo, their presence on stage is incredible.
Bassist: Tumble
Guitarist: Tumble
Drummer: Tumble
Do you have a favorite venue to play at?
L’Escogriffe in Montreal
Do you have a pre-show ritual?
It’s 18+ private hahaha
C*****
What is your favorite thing about touring?
Living the rock n roll lifestyle hell yeah brother, and Black Throne’s ryan’s sandwiches
Getting to play music everyday for people who enjoy what we do!
What is your least favorite thing about touring?
Loading and deloading, we need a roadie ! call 819-437-9551
Is there a city that you love to hit while on tour?
Montreal and Toronto are always cool!
Drummer: I really liked Rimouski . By the water, nightclubs and great people !
What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had on the road?
Definitely doing acid with Tumble in a private camping in the middle of nowhere. There was too much going on hahaha
Might have smoked heroin by accident, we got gifted a weed joint that did not feel like weed.
-Jay, former member, always ate sardines
The year is 2012. Where are you at and what are you listening to?
Singer: I’m on the south shore of Montreal and I’m probably listening to Bon Iver hahaha
(interviewer’s note… I’ve been known to enjoy some Bon Iver)
Bassist: Skateboard video music.
Guitarist: Parent basement. Listening to Blues.
Drummer: trading guitar hero Aerosmith for a Zeppelin album
What advice would you give young musicians that are just starting out in the music business?
Don’t be an ass to people, make connections
Do what you want to do man hell yeah brother, just shred the pentatonic blues.
Drummers, you can play in as many bands as you want, but choose only one girlfriend!
What is an absolute band killer?
When the result is very bad not good, we have to stay tight
When we need a click but we don’t know what it is
When your girl and the bass player's girl is the same girl
Have you ever recorded a song that you really didn’t like, but somebody else in the band really did?
-Yes, on the first couple albums. We had lots of different ideas in different genres, so sometimes it had weird results.
-Drummer: I personally enjoyed rocking some of these songs that I didn’t necessarily write. Some songs they were already tired of playing…
If you were to start your own music festival what would be the name of that festival and who would be the three headlining bands?
Name : Cool daddy issues music festival
Headlines :
Dan’s choices : Dunbarrow, Sleepwulf, Graveyard
Alec’s choices : Creed, Nickelback, Three Doors Down
What’s the longest time you’ve gone without bathing?
Singer: 3 days?
Bassist: 14 days
Guitarist: 8 days during tour
Drummer: 5 days maybe
What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?
Singer: I’ve never had a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich
(interviewer’s note… I can’t get any of my 3 kids to try a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They just don’t know that they are missing one of life’s simplest pleasures)
Bassist: I have a father. I know him.
Guitarist:
Drummer: I am actually one of a smart guy myself
Is the Fistful of DOOM show in the top 10 of your favorite music podcasts?
It is now
Do unicorns sleep standing up?
No, do unicorns poop upside down..
(interviewer’s note… I’m asking all the questions here, buck-o!)
Give me three albums that I should listen to immediately, if not sooner.
1.Dunbarrow III
2. Corbeau illégal
3. Cayouche Moitié Moitié
You’re driving cross-country and you can only listen to one album the whole time. What album will it be?
Singer: The Doors
Bassist: Any Black sabbath album with ozzy singing
Guitarist: any Fleetwood mac blues album
Drummer: Yes Fragile
You are writing a book about your life thus far. What is the title of that book?
Singer: I don’t know
Bassist: Motté
Guitarist: the Asian guitar shredder VOL.4
Drummer: peter pan and the Zildjian
What is your favorite song by Taylor Swift?
Her name shouldn’t be in our interview. She dissed Celine Dion the GOAT of QC. If I see Taylor Swift, I will TKO her.
Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin (if you had to choose)?
Singer: Led Zeppelin
Bassist: Led Purple
Guitarist: Deep zeppelin
Drummer: keith moon playing both
Doobies or Boobies (if you had to pick one)?
Singer: Doobies lol
Bassist: boobies
Guitarist: boobies
Drummer: Doobie brothers
Waffles or Pancakes (if you had to pick one)?
Singer: Crepes
Bassist: waffles
Guitarist: waffles
Drummer: maple syrup anything
Star Wars or Star Trek (if you had to choose)?
Singer: Star wars jeez
Bassist: star wars
Guitarist: star wars
Drummer: same without jeez
Favorite band t-shirt you own?
Singer: Black Sabbath
Bassist: GG allin
Guitarist: Celine Dion
Drummer: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Favorite meal?
Singer: Pita Souvlaki
Bassist: dorados tacos
Guitarist: al pastor tacos, with margarita (triple sec tequila and lime juice, not the frozen shit)
(interviewer’s note… those frozen margaritas are trash!)
Drummer: wild game meat
Favorite book?
Singer: Couldn’t say
Bassist: satanic bible
Guitarist: atomic habit
Drummer: car part catalog
Favorite movie?
Singer: Dumb and Dumber
Bassist: The dirt
Guitarist: Crossroad, with karate kid actor
Drummer: Wayne’s World
Favorite album?
Singer: Kids by Mac Miller, It’s not the best but means a lot
Guitarist: Electric Citizen, Sateen album. And from Album 1 to mob rules by black sabbath.
Drummer: Electric Ladyland, Hendrix
Favorite video game?
Singer: Crash Bandicoot
Bassist: Diablo 4
Guitarist: Fallout new vegas
Drummer: Need for speed most wanted
Favorite Professional Wrestler?
Singer: Have never watched
Bassist: My dad…
Guitarist: Dan’s dad
Drummer: Macho Man Randy Savage
Many, many thanks to Vanessa, Danic, Alec and Eliot for a wildly entertaining interview. I appreciate your candor and your comedic stylings. As for the rest of you, do yourself a favor and click on the link so generously provided below and immerse yourselves in the sonic sorcery of Occult Witches newest album Sorrow’s Pyre. You will not be disappointed.
~El Pedo Caliente (aka Uncle Jameson from the Fistful of DOOM show)
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