Four things you need to know about… Salem
If you’ve ever asked “what the heck kind of music is witch-house?” then you’ve probably already heard of Michigan buzz-band Salem. The trio became the poster kids for the subgenre (though rather begrudgingly) after taunting eardrums with the sludgy, raved-out beats heard on their 2008 EP, heartwarmingly namedYes, I Smoke Crack. Now with full-length King Night under their belt, the group is on the road, looking to cast their spell on concertgoers.
1. Their tuition dollars are hard at work
For a band that seems to revel in mystifying the masses—at least when it comes to their genre-bashing sound—the road to formation was surprisingly humdrum. “[Keyboardist] John [Holland] and I went to boarding school together,” says singer Heather Marlatt. “We met [beat-maker] Jack [Donoghue] in Chicago.”
2. That’s not a costume
“We are the same onstage as we are in our bedrooms,” says Holland. Even reports that Marlatt has performed while made up as a porcelain doll are quickly de-sensationalized. “I never dressed up in a costume,” she says. “That’s just how I look.”
3. Enough with witch-house already
You’d be hard-pressed to find an article about Salem that doesn’t reference the subgenre, but the band is far from thrilled to be associated with the spooky scene. “Honestly, it’s not a conversation we take part in,” says Jack . “Listeners should let things wash over them without trying to understand how they relate to it.”
4. Seriously though, what is witch-house?
Salem’s shadowy musical style has its roots in a specific source—hip-hop’s “chopped and screwed” method of remixing songs by slowing them waaay down. Holland says, “We use the term ‘drag’ to call the songs we slow down, since it’s another term for ‘screw.’” There’s no black magic involved.
-Published March 17 in Eye Weekly
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