Originally from Philadelphia, CREEPOID recently moved to Savannah, GA on the heels of their new EP ‘Wet’ released on the Savannah-based Graveface Records. The band — drummer Pat Troxell, bassist/vocalist Anna Troxell, guitarist/vocalist Sean Miller, and newly added guitarist Nick Kulp (who also plays in Philly-based FAR-OUT FANGTOOTH) — are currently in the midst of a whopping nearly 3-month-long tour. We caught up with them only ten days fresh into a month-long stint supporting AGAINST ME! CREEPOID are certainly showing no signs of slowing down.
BOSTON HASSLE: It seems like Philadelphia music is sort of on the rise right now and has been for the past several years.
PAT TROXELL: Philly’s definitely under the public microscope right now. I think it stems from the War on Drugs all the way down to smaller bands like Bleeding Rainbow and Nothing. I’ve been touring for 15 years and I’ve never before seen fans recognize Philly as something to be really psyched about. At the same time, it’s a tough town to live in. You gotta work a lot and it’s not the cheapest place or nicest place to live, but I love it either way.
BH: So you all recently moved to Savannah, GA. What’s the scene like?
PAT: It’s laid back. No one gets overly excited about certain genres; they’re just kinda excited all around. Basically, the same crowd that would come out to a garage-punk show is the same crowd that would come out to a metal show. It’s such a sleeper town; I love it. It’s haunted as shit and everyone’s awesome.
BH: Any bands of note?
PAT: Well, Kylesa, Baroness, and Black Moth Super Rainbow are all from there…
SEAN MILLER: Casket Girls, Black Rune, Dreamend…
ANNA TROXELL: Cusses, Black Tusk…
BH: Nick, so obviously you moved with the rest of the band to GA. Seems like a pretty big step. How long have you known Creepoid for?
NICK: About 5 or 6 years. I actually met Pat and Anna when I screeened a poster for the G . Far-Out Fangtooth was on Creepoid’s label at the time, so working with them was keeping things in the family, so to speak. I screened the cover for Horse Heaven when I was working for a clothing company and had late-night access to their equipment.
BH: So your last EP Wet was recorded in your last house while most of you were living together in Philly. Do you have plans to record in your new home?
SEAN: It’s definitely how we’re going to operate from this point forward.
PAT: If this is our full-time job, that’s half the fun: finding our own drum sounds, whatever. It’s better than discussing where we’re gonna spend our money next.
NICK: Also, in living in a house together, we’re making a family together. I grew up in a broken household but I love and trust the people in this band; the atmosphere we’re creating is family to me.
BH: You balance texture and songcraft in a really smart way. What’s the writing process like in general?
PAT: Texture is definitely key. It’s a word we’ve been using since the first day of this band. Our songs are never really final until they’re recorded; we still play stuff out differently and change lyrics until we find the right balance. Leaving it loose and open-ended like that has given us a lot of constructive room to prepare for the records. We spend a lot of time on our records; we decide: “this is the landscape, this is where the peaks and valleys are.” That journey is super important.
BH: Who writes the lyrics and how do they develop?
PAT: Sean and Anna basically just write whatever lyrics they’re singing. No one person ever goes, “this is my song, these are my words, I’m singing these words.” It’s more like everyone asking, “where do you wanna go next?” It’s kind of a team effort. That’s just how we are. A big thing lyrically with Creepoid is asking questions.
ANNA: And it’s not only a command for other people, it’s also the introspecive, exploratory questioning that we’re doing ourselves.
BH: Music journalists have commented on the ‘darkness’ of your music. What’s your take on that?
SEAN: Darkness could be perceived as negativity. For me, I think this world can be a shitty place or a good place to live in, but you have to see the whole picture – whether it upsets you or pulls you out of your negativity.
NICK: Acceptance is key.
SEAN: Honesty.
BH: I’ve noticed that you’re a very visual band, in both art design and your live sets. How important is that to how you’re perceived?
PAT: I think it’s really important. You think about every kid who comes to see us, the first thing they do is take a picture of our bass drum. Also personally, growing up in the 90s, bands like Ink & Dagger would bring full-on light shows to DIY spaces and it was huge for me to see that. Atmosphere is crucial.
NICK: But there’s a fine line between atmosphere and gimmick. If there’s too much gimmick, there’s a distance between the band and audience.
SEAN: A distrust.
BH: How has tour with Against Me! been thus far? Any notable shows?
SEAN: Long Island wasn’t ready for Creepoid.
ANNA: They were confused.
PAT: House of Blues in Cleveland was a highlight for me. We had a James Brown dance party backstage and Tommy from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts showed up, and it was the first time that Against Me! really full-on hung out with us. We had a blast. There really hasn’t been a bummer night so far. We’re all really grateful for the opportunity. What’s even crazier for us is finally reaching people who have had Horse Heaven for years and have an intense personal connection with it.
BH: So have you met a lot of people with those personal connections to your music?
PAT: A lot of couples talking about how they fucked to our record.
BH: That’s a good thing to know.
PAT: Supposedly we make sexy music; sad, dark, sexy music.
CREEPOID will be coming through Boston supporting BALANCE & COMPOSURE on 10/2 @ The Paradise. For the time being check out this live cut of “Old Tree” off of their Self-titled LP out now on NO IDEA.
