Interview: Heather Hellskiss of The Damed

The Damed are a powerful three piece punk outfit out of Hollywood.  They are currently tearing up the Los Angeles club scene promoting their debut self-titled album and upcoming videos.  Here is Heather Hellskiss vocalist for The Damed. 

Who are the members of The Damed, what do they do in the band, and how did they get there?

On guitar and lead vocals is me, Hellskiss, Watts on drums and Suze on bass and sings backup vox. I started the band and have been playing with Watts for a long time and we have a strong musical rapport and really trust each other. This is my first project with Suze and we share the same political views and like a lot of the same bands. We all just vibe off each other very well and also share a silly sense of humor.

The Damed is a fairly new band but you’re already getting some traction. Do you think that it’s solely based on the solidness of your new album or are their other creative factors in play?

The album says a lot of things both musically and lyrically. And we do not hold back. There is time spent getting the right guitar sounds/fxs and we really tried to capture our rawness on this album. We are not one specific genre and I think that keeps things interesting.

For people who haven’t heard your music before can you describe the songs of The Damed?

Intense, gritty, melodic, bittersweet.

Your debut release is a very political, but yet personal album, why did you go that route and what are some of the stories behind the songs?

Personal is the only way I know how to be. Songwriting is a release, so I write about what impacts me in my life. ‘Equal Pay Day’ is about the gender pay gap. ‘Extreme Vacancy’ is about how we interact in this internet age and ‘We Are the Proof’ address the #MeToo movement.

Is there a balance when recording of being too rushed versus being given too much time and what is that balance?

It can be a tough balance. But if you don’t have a lot of money you don’t have the luxury of being given too much time. So, you have to crank it out in a few days. It’s very punk rock, haha.

When writing, do you start with a rhythmic, melodic or lyrical idea? Please give an example of a specific song’s first spark of an idea and how it was developed into an entire song from there.

Usually melodic. In Little Ship I liked the juxtaposition of these 2 guitar riffs I was working on and smashed them together into 1 song. It felt like rocky waters. It created a visual of a ship and definitely the music alone tells the story of a rocky relationship.

Do you have any particular song off the new album that you enjoy playing live the most?

Escape from The Shadows is a real erratic noisy song where we just go off and get crazy on stage. I like that there are no rules and we are just being uninhibited.

What other types of punk (horror, skate, pop) do you enjoy listening to and will you ever venture into those sub-genres?

Post-punk and no-wave mainly. We already starting incorporated some elements of no-wave into a new song and definitely want to maintain our post-punk flavor.

Have any members of The Damed had professional musical training or are you all self-taught? If you’re self-taught how did you keep yourself disciplined through the years to elevate your skill level?

I took piano lessons when I was pretty young and have taken some guitar lessons, but I am mainly self-taught. Feel is more important to me than skill. The need to write/play kept me disciplined. Also, I tried to learn guitar solos I would never play in my own music to improve my skill and also help me think outside of my box.

So how does your own music influence you as a person and does it help you through your day-to-day life?

It definitely gets me thru my day-to-day life because I emote through music and these songs represent my beliefs and states of mind.

If you could pick a song that you wish you wrote what would it be?

“Don’t Stop Believin'” is the first song that popped into my head. “Bizarre Love Triangle” was the second song.

How do you physically and mentally prepare for a performance?

I usually go thru the set on my acoustic guitar to warm up, take it easy if possible, no big meals/dairy (not good for singing) and just prepare for the show like writing out the set list, packing up my gear and things like that.

What are the goals for The Damed for the rest of 2019 and beyond?

We are working on some music videos, a small west coast tour, new songs, record our 2nd release and hopefully make some sort of impact on society.

Is there anyone you would like to give special thanks to for helping you out in life and music?

My partner Melissa for being so supportive of our music and reminding me of my strengths when I am not feeling them.

Anything you would like to add?

I can’t believe we can’t teleport by now.

https://thedamedband.bandcamp.com/releases