Scrimshine
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started as an artist?
I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was introduced to the world of music in 2012. I was gifted my first guitar and began taking lessons in 7th grade after my first concert featuring Slash and Megadeth and decided I wanted to be a guitarist. After about 4 years of being in various local metal bands and playing shows with artists like Slaughter to Prevail and I Set My Friends on Fire, I had started making my own beats on the side. When I discovered Lil Peep - Crybaby and XXXTentacion - King and saw how guitar riffs could be used in trap beats I got really into trying to put my own twist on that sound which is what you can hear with my earliest album ‘Indigo’.
What inspires your work? Are there specific themes or subjects you’re drawn to?
Most of my music revolves around using metaphors to describe specific feeling and thoughts I’m experiencing. I try to tell a story and build the lyrics around the feelings that the instrumental invokes. Feelings of nostalgia, sadness, and anger are some of the most prominent topics I write about because they have been the most prominent feelings in my life. Sometimes I write blatant, and the metaphors are very obvious like in ‘Haunter’ and Riverbed’ and sometimes it’s more poetic like in ‘Something’s Wrong’ and ‘Truce’.
Can you walk us through your typical creative process?
My creative process starts with messing around with some sounds. I try to find a sound or sample that resonates with what I’m feeling or thinking and make the beat. All of my songs are my own beats. There’s a level of enjoyment knowing that the entire process from start to finish is my work. Most of the time, the lyrics and melodies start to jump out to me as I’m creating the instrumental and flows pretty easily. Sometimes it doesn’t and those are the songs I don’t release or wait until it does start to flow easier.
Do you have any rituals or habits that help you get into a creative mindset?
Getting into the creative mindset has been a journey. Some months I don’t feel like creating anything, and some months I’ll work every day. The most important thing to me is experiencing life. Going out and having stories and experiences to lookback on is what gets me into the creative process. As much as I would like to lock myself inside and release 100 songs a year, I can’t physically do that. I see music as something that should resonate and conjure emotion to the listener and if I’m not going out and experiencing them for myself, I won’t be able to write anything.
How would you describe your artistic style?
I would describe my artistic style as a story. My sound evolves with me through the different stages of my life. I was in a really bad place with albums like ‘Indigo’ and ‘Transient’ and using this music as an escape has gotten me through those times when I wasn’t able to rely on anything else. It’s evident that it has also helped other people going through the similar things as well. If I had to describe my style in one word it would be ‘ineffable’. Sometimes you can’t find the right words to describe what you are going through, and that could because there aren’t. That’s what I strive to reach with my music most prominently in songs like ‘0333_(dreamless)’ and ‘111_grow_up’.
Are there any particular techniques or mediums you prefer to work with? Why?
Recently, my preferred mediums are focused on the rhythm and timbre of my voice and the message I’m trying the get across. With this more in-your-face-sound sounds really nice with different vocal chains and lots of layers. I like to play around the beat with rhythm and syncopation and plays back to my metal roots with the trap style music like with my newest song ‘Roshambo’.
What are some challenges you face as an artist, and how do you overcome them?
The greatest challenge I faced the most within my career is releasing the songs that feel so personal to me. It makes me vulnerable, and I had no intention of promoting and telling people about it because it was so transparent. Lately my biggest issue is knowing part of the process of being an artist nowadays is promoting my art and getting it to reach people that can relate. Thankfully my recent releases are a lot easier to promote compared to my older stuff because I’m not in those dark times now.
What do you find most rewarding about being an artist?
The most rewarding thing with being an artist is having the outlet to express myself. Listening back to my songs feels like I’m flashing back to those parts in my life and it’s nice to know I’ve gotten through those dark moments and seeing how far I’ve come. It’s also very rewarding when people reach out to me about which songs they like the most. Knowing that people relate to my music is a double-edged sword, but I’m happy to share these moments with them even if it’s only for two minutes at a time.
What’s the story behind your band name?
Scrimshine, if I’m going to be completely honest, is a nonsense word. It was something that came to me when looking at a list of hundreds of words on a notepad. I had made a dozen songs with no artist name before I decided to release my music because it was more about having a creative outlet than it was about getting it out there. I was in a metal band, and I was making music and playing shows, and this was music that was just for me because I enjoyed it. So, when some of my friends suggested I release this music, I figured it was time to make an artist name.
Can you share a memorable moment at one of your shows?
I’ve only played a couple house shows as Scrimshine. Being face-to-face singing some of these songs I never thought would see the light of day and sharing that connection has altered the way I look at music. My favorite moment was when seeing some people jamming out and having a great time while right next to them was someone on the brink of crying. It just goes to show how music can resonate with people differently.
Who are your biggest musical influences, and how do they shape your sound?
The flow that Night Lovell, $not, and Smino have really inspire my newest releases. The rhythm and way they work the beat feels a lot like what Periphery and Polyphia do on guitar. So I can take my metal upbringing and pertain it through my vocal style. I’m also influenced by Bones, Nothing, nowhere., Lil Peep, and XXXTentacion for melodies and lyricism. Lately, I’ve been shaping my sound around mixing metal and emo trap. I enjoy making music that you can blast in the car or at the gym and get pumped since I’ve been doing well lately, and my music is shaped around these good feeling, stories, and experiences.
Favorite time of day?
Night
Afternoon
Morning
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