Pleased To Meet Me: Grim Streaker
Introduce yourself… (Where are you from, what band do you play in etc..)
We are Amelia, Dan, Piyal and Bill and we play in Grim Streaker. We are currently based in Brooklyn, NY and Vancouver, BC.
Why do you play music?
Amelia: I play music because it is an absolutely necessary way for me to release my emotions. It’s a form of therapy for me and I don’t know if I’d still be here without that outlet.
Bill: The same as Amelia, and it’s also a nice creative outlet.
Dan: Honestly, playing music these days can feel masochistic. I think about quitting all the time. I never do though. Ultimately, I think it's because I have to. My body needs the outlet like Amelia and Bill mentioned. It's more out of necessity than desire to be famous or be well-regarded or something like that.
Piyal: Honestly, I don't like doing anything else.
What was a major influence on you as an Artist/Band?
Bill: As far as our band goes, everything from 70s and early 80s punk to post-punk, shoegaze, noise, krautrock, hip hop and even some dance music. I might also be the only person in the band who really likes metal…
What’s a favourite book or film?
Amelia: Bicentennial man
Bill: Blade Runner or maybe Aguirre, the Wrath of God.
Piyal: I rewatched Chinatown recently. So so good.
Dan: Factotum by Bukowski, On The Road or Big Sur by Kerouac. Anything beat era really. And speaking of Jack Nicholson and beat era, I recently watched Five Easy Pieces - incredible film.
Do you prefer the recording process or performing live?
Amelia: I love the recording process but nothing beats ripping around on stage in front of a screaming crowd, letting my body move in ways I didn’t know it could and expressing the performative side of my personality to the fullest.
Bill: Totally agree with Amelia here. The live show is like a personal exorcism.
Piyal: Live show for sure
Dan: Might have to be contrarian and say recording. Especially the studio portion and live tracking. I love the challenge. It's the culmination of years of work sometimes. We condense a period of our lives into a handful of songs and a few days of tracking. And it's amazing when you see what bands with relatively no budget are capable of doing. With live shows, it's awesome don't get me wrong, but if it's not your best show there is always tomorrow night or next week. With recording, you have one shot. Make it count.
What would be a dream collaboration?
Amelia: Grim Streaker x Taylor Swift
Bill: Grim Streaker + Boy Harsher?
Dan: Grim Streaker x Boy Harsher x Taylor Swift
Describe a favourite album.
Amelia: My favorite album of recent times has got to be Highs in the Minuses by Charlotte Cornfield. I’m in love with everything she writes. She is the most poignant lyricist.
Piyal: One of my favorites right now is Haram by Armand Hammer. The whole vibe and tempo of the album is so cool. It's got this sort of brooding, moody energy that creates so much atmosphere.
What's your favourite local haunt?
Amelia: Old Timers or TV Eye in Brooklyn, The Narrow Lounge in Vancouver.
Bill: My local bodega or pizza place.
Piyal: Best Pizza in Williamsburg
Dan: The Lot in Greenpoint, BK. Dope outdoor spot with music and drinks. Little Canal in Manhattan for a coffee or beverage.
What's your strangest experience while performing live?
Amelia: Probably when I hit my head on the cement bottom of a mic stand and didn’t realize my head was aggressively bleeding until I saw the crowds faces turn from joy to horror. There was also the time where I tried to stage dive and no one caught me. Not stage diving again without a helmet.
Bill: Watching Amelia do the things she described above, but also that time another band I was in played a DIY space in Chicago where something like 15 crust punk kids decided to get butt naked during our set (I think they enjoyed the set?).
Amelia: Oh yeah that reminds me of the time we played Princeton University and all the girls took their bras off without me asking them to. I guess i’m a witch.
What are some of your favourite aspects of being a musician in (your city here)?
Amelia: In Brooklyn, it’s the the sense of community that tops all else.
Bill: Agree. And also the amount of innovative and great music you can see on a regular basis (often music made by your friends/community).
Piyal: Yeah, there's just so much great art and great people making it here
Has the current COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine influenced your creative process?
Amelia: I’ve had to learn how to still be productive on my own without having the other band members around me to force me to go to practice every week. I’m not very disciplined so it has been harder to stay motivated but I also think the distance has given us more time to assess what we’ve written with patience.
Dan: It's definitely slowed it down and shaped it into a totally different process. We're thinking more creatively about what a song by Grim Streaker can be. Using much more electronics and a mix of writing live and on the computer. And since we have less time together we're more thoughtful about the ideas we work on. We don't really chase things that don't grip us right away.
If you weren’t playing music in (your city here) where would you be ?
Amelia: Probably London England.
Bill: Austin, TX or maybe even Philly.
Piyal: Mexico City
Dan: +1 CDMX
Any sage advice for young musicians?
Amelia: Don’t pay for plays. It’s obvious when you do.
Bill: Keep pursuing music because eventually some good things will come your way, but also try to have some kind of decent paying career or job you don’t totally hate because music is (unfortunately) not an easy thing to survive on.
Dan: If you're a band that cares about playing live, then play live as much as humanly possible while you're young (and your band is young). Like 50, 100, 150 shows in a year. And don't record for the sake of recording. Try to record when you've filled the room and have people wanting more.
Piyal: Pay a little extra for the good ear plugs.