Born out of late shifts and loud jam sessions, church bats feel like a band that just kind of happened (in the best possible way). What started as restaurant work buddies getting together to jam quickly turned into a noisier project than Jackson’s been used to hearing. In this conversation, the band talks about accidental songwriting, unlikely hip-hop influences, and what it means to play heavy music in a town better known for bluegrass and powder.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. -Ed.
Evan Ballew: Would one of y’all be able to tell me how the band first got together?
Andrew Skinner: We were all working at a Teton Thai at the Village. Dave and I, he was in the kitchen, I was out front. And then Louis moved from Indonesia somewhere in the winter…
Louis Grassell: Actually, I moved here this summer, but I got to meet you guys around September or so.
AS: And then we kind of just ended up jamming together and organically kind of became this. Well, Dave and I played together for a couple of years just off and on, kind of writing music. And then we just invited Lewis to come hang out and jam with us one day. He was in and it kind of just never stopped.
EB: Can you describe what your writing process is like?
David Gorka: Andy [and I] played together for many years, made a bunch of noise and took the good parts of the noise and kind of had some half songs. And then we met Lewis and it was a true romance. He brought the groove to the band. So now we’re able to play for people. The writing process is pretty unorganized. It’s an accident. It all happened on accident.
EB: Sometimes the best plan is no plan at all. Who are some of y’all’s biggest influences on your instrument and on your sound?
DG: I listen to a lot of 50 Cent and chopped and screwed music, DJ Screw, shout out Houston.
LG: I listen to a lot of Sleepy Sun. My hugest [sic] influence, they’re just great.
EB: Could you describe your experience of writing and playing heavier music in a scene like Jackson? How do you find a way to fit in?
DG: We’re just having a good time. People like to party, everybody likes rock music, everybody loves bluegrass, everybody loves funk music, and there’s a lot of other bands or musicians out here that maybe we’ve never seen or we haven’t heard of yet. So I think you’ve just got to get out there and just go play in a parking lot or go play in front of your friends and we can all share it and have a good time.
Andrew Skinner: I was at that Thai Me Up [a now-defunct restaurant in Jackson –Ed.] party where they kind of ripped the walls apart and I remember when the band was playing. It was just like a bass drum or bass guitar and a drummer. They were just ripping. I heard this guy in the background that was like ‘This is what happens when you get forcefed the same thing for ten years.’ I feel people like to unleash. I think it’s just feeding something that’s just not there, it’s like the meal’s already big and we just brought another piece to the meal.
EB: Is there anything in particular that you hope folks can get out of your music?
DG: If some people come to see us, I hope they feel romance and I hope that they get a kiss from somebody that night.
LG: My hope is when people come to see us, go crazy on the dance floor.
DG: That’s the most fun to me, looking out to all the people in town who want to get heavy.
EB: What’s coming up next for the church bats?
DG: We got an album coming out sometime in the spring, and we’re going to play at the Virginian Saloon on March 7, it’s a Saturday, and it will be a free show for everybody. So come on out, gangsters.
AS: We all lost a friend. We all know who we’re talking about. Tell your friends you love them.
DG: And shout out Ben (This Message Will Self-Destruct). Thank you for having us, KHOL.
Listen above for KHOL’s full conversation and live performance with church bats.
