Greer

She has participated in Dream Hair and currently Mad Comrades as a keyboardist. 

She listens to Durutti Column, Karen Dalton, Black Sabbath, Kate Bush, Arthur Russell, Electric Wizard, Broken Water, PJ Harvey and streams the New Age Rage station on Berlin Community Radio when she runs out of ideas. 

Conversation 

M: Tell me more about your fondness for chanting music and doom metal.

G: Growing up I listened to music from different cultures like Indian music set in a raag. One of the first things I remember liking on YouTube was a Lorena McKennitt video for Mummer’s Dance in the style of Princess Mononoke and it blew my mind. She came last week and that is definitely one of those shows I would attend by myself. Creating that kind of music feels so satisfying. It’s deeply personal and I find it easy to convey certain moods with that kind of structure. It provides a platform for emotions that aren’t easily expressed with words.

M: As an Evergreen State alum, can you recall any good musical experiences you had in Olympia?

G: The winter of my senior year I stuck around for another week after everyone had gone home after the end of the quarter. After being at the bar all night I walked around town since the streets were empty and it was totally calm, cold, and drizzly. The only sound was a big, deep, droning sound somewhere that was obviously someone rehearsing or some kind of gig after hours. When I found the source, it turned out I had stumbled upon a Wolves In The Throne Room secret show purely by chance. It was packed full of very attentive people at a spot called Le Voyeur and it was an album release show. Nobody was talking or socializing whatsoever, only swaying together or slowly nodding their heads. Naturally, I joined right in and it was the perfect thing I was looking for in that setting and I never forgot it. Another good show I remember was seeing Broken Water at the Capitol Theater. The drummer, Kanoko, was so good and she also worked at the best thrift store in town called Dumpster Values on the corner of Franklin and 4th Avenue where I bought 80’s jean jackets and other great pieces. 

M: You’re very stylish, in my opinion. Is there a costume aspect to dressing for the stage, or do you prefer when people bring their casual every day style right onto the stage?

G: It might be more a question about genuine expression. Kate Bush dresses like no one I have ever seen and it’s very theatrical and fantastic. She literally puts on costumes from Wuthering Heights or a soldier outfit, but always with her trademark big dark hair, bright red lips, and smokey eyes. Earlier you asked about the line between costume get ups and just having great casual style and she is someone who clearly incorporates that into her persona as an artist, but it’s probably not her casual style. I’m reading Clothes Clothes Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. by Viv Alberteen and she discusses getting to know Vivian Westwood In London during the rise of punk. Westwood had a store called Sex and it was expensive, insanely simple, and tightly curated with everything either black, white, pink, or red. You would rather die than be seen wearing brown or beige. Westwood was the first woman to spike her hair into Liberty spikes and brought a stunning visual aspect to punk rock. There was not a whole lot of feminine energy and they got beat up and harassed on the way to gigs, which sounded a little rough, so they had a lot to prove. 

Lorena McKennit – Mummer’s Dance https://youtu.be/lc7Ke9Org9U

PJ Harvey – My Beautiful Leah https://youtu.be/ql-_j2A-Mmc

Durutti Column – For Belgian Friends https://youtu.be/YDyzOQuBm20

Black Sabbath – Sabbra Caddabra https://youtu.be/noUYAPdLMp0

Electric Wizard – Vimun Sabbathi https://youtu.be/RbmiKvjk-Mg

Karen Dalton – It’s So Hard To Tell Who’s Going To Love You The Best https://youtu.be/EWVcSggT3J0

Broken Water – Hi-Lo https://youtu.be/Fl_9vJgIcIE

Wolves In The Throne Room – Thuja Magus Imperium https://youtu.be/JDrJ5qOyXyg

The Slits – Typical Girls https://youtu.be/ZyXGblps64M