Josie Pace is a prolific Detroit-based powerhouse based out of Detroit, Michigan. She blends elements of rock, industrial, pop and then some. IV0X10V5 is the most recent release on Negative Gain Productions. She’s preparing to embark on a North American tour in support of Aesthetic Perfection.
Thanks for the interview with Rock Revolt today. Your music undoubtedly incorporates rock as one of the elements of the eclectic sound. There’s also a pretty good mix of retro and modern sounds. If you go back through modern music history, what rock bands/artists have influenced the sound you have today?
Josie: A lot of the bands that I listened to since I was young have influenced my writing style. Bands like Styx, The Eagles, Joan Jett and Def Leppard. The classic rock structure and more of a poetic approach to the lyrics is my strong suit. Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Nine Inch Nails and IAMX also influence the synth musicality of each song as well. Pulling from a lot of different genres and still keeping it fresh and keeping it my own is what makes our music stand out.
IV0X10V5 is the latest release. Would you say this is a concept record? What themes run throughout it?
Josie: I didn’t originally write it as a concept record, but I feel like it is. All of the songs are about perseverance and strength throughout hardships. Though there are some other themes, anger, sadness and overwhelming sense of not being enough. Each song really comes through with the attitude of, even though things are hard I’m going to kick life in the ass and get through this no matter what.
Your bandcamp page notes that the new album is dedicated to a couple of individuals. Would you mind mentioning more about them and their influence on the album?
Josie: The album is dedicated to Ashley Peacock and Alyse Monet Snowden. These two people are so dear to me and they are in my thoughts every single day. Ashley Peacock was a close friend and he was also my personal manager. He was such a positive person and he helped with not only managerial problems but with personal problems. He was an amazing songwriter, guitarist and just a wonderful person to be around. Unfortunately, Ashley took his own life in April 2019. Heartbroken doesn’t even scratch the surface of how we felt when we were called. He was there from the beginning and he believed in the music so much, we couldn’t leave him off of the album.
Alyse was a very close friend of mine. She worked on a radio show called Tattoo Music Lounge and every time we would be guests on the show, she would make it so fun and we would laugh so much my sides would hurt! She always had a list of questions about the new music and what we were up to. We would go out to Small’s and City Club together and dance for hours. She was so strong and witty and she was an amazing artist. She was one of my best friends. In January 2021, she died in a car accident. I got the call the next day and it tore me apart. She was like a sister to me. I felt like I wasn’t even present in my own body for a long time. After a while I wrote the song “Vicious” (which is on the album) for her and put her in the dedications also.
What’s the strangest lineup for a show that you’ve been a part of?
Josie: Other than being a part of a few festivals with a range of totally different genres. I’d have to say that playing a show with Davey Suicide, Modern Mimes and Combichrist was a…new experience? Even though our music is on the heavy side for most electronic bands, we really ride the line of electropop and electro rock. I was a bit nervous to play with heavier bands like these but the members of all the bands were so nice and down to earth. They really dug the sound and the vibes we brought to the table. And the fans there to see all the bands got into it and accepted us too. I love that with my music I can cross over to so many genres and it really helps when booking.
As you come to the conclusion of writing a record, do you pretty much put all of the songs on the album or do you end up leaving some off?
Josie: Unfortunately we can’t put every song on the album. No matter how much I would like to! All of the songs are very close to my heart but we do have to pick and choose which fit best for the album. We did put some of the pre released singles onto the album, but we also wrote a lot of new songs as well. We want to release an album with new songs so that we are still engaging the listener and keeping the music rolling and growing. Some songs do get shelved from the beginning and we may re visit them in the future. But usually I write newer and better songs as I grow in my craft.
On the new record, it would sound like there’s a lot of analog synth use. How balanced is your creative process between analog software synth sounds and actual hardware synths?
Josie: When I bring Ken Roberts a song to start transposing to electronic sounds, he is the one who chooses what synths would be of better use so I’ll let him answer this question. (Ken): When we first start writing I use all plug ins because its quicker and easier with time constraints of finishing the song and the release date. After we have mapped out the song to what we like, I go back and replace the sounds with real analog synths Profit 5 Roland Jupiters, Moog, arp 2600 etc. I’m not a snob when it comes to sounds. If it sounds good on a plug in, we will use the plug in. If it sounds good on a board, we will use the board.
Can you talk about the dynamics between you and your writing partner, Ken? How does the core concept of the song get woven in from the first note to the last?
Josie: So I write all of the songs on the guitar before anything else happens. I record phrases and chord progressions on my phone until I find something that is strong enough to write around. After I’ve written a song, I bring it into the studio where Ken and I transpose it to electronic music. Sometimes things get changed up a bit lyrically or rhythmically but we bounce ideas off of each other while switching the song over. Once we have a rough track ready, we record my final vocal and live drums and send it to be mastered.
What’s the biggest “Spinal Tap” moment you’ve ever had on stage and what happened after?
Josie: The closest thing to a “Spinal Tap” moment we have had was playing a Halloween show at Smalls in Detroit. We had two large power supplies in our rack and one was used for the in ear monitors for myself and Mark our drummer (Ken uses a floor monitor). And the other power supply went to powering everything that the audience is hearing. Throughout our last song the audience would suddenly just stop moving and they looked confused, then would burst out in screams and applause. This happened multiple times throughout the song. I was so confused but I just kept performing. After the show Ken told me that the power supply to the audience blew! So myself and Mark still heard everything perfectly fine in our in ears but the audience would stop when the music stopped and applaud when it came back on. Over and over and over! They commended me on keeping the energy up but I really had no idea what was happening! It was pretty funny. The day after the show we bought the best power supply on the market and we haven’t had a problem like that since.
Do you recall the most meaningful reaction to your music from a fan either in a live setting or via email or social media?
Josie: I have a lot of interactions with my fans in every aspect. Live or social media. One that sticks out to me was at my album release show at Bar Sinister in LA. It was a very important night for me, being my first full length album release. During the entire set there was a fan right up at the gate almost bending over it the entire time reaching toward me with their hand for the whole set. They screamed and cheered the loudest out of the hundreds in the crowd. During the outro of the set, I say my thank you’s and hype them up one last time. But I reached out to shake their hand and the reaction was heart melting. The smile and the joy that I saw is something I will never forget. When you dream about performing and doing this your entire life, that interaction is something you only really dream about. Being so important in someone’s life that just holding their hand brings joy.
What would you like the Josie Pace legacy to be one day?
Josie: I think I would like the legacy to be strength and perseverance. I try my best to let people know that they aren’t alone in this world and we can lift each other up and help each other. The world is a rough place and we could all use help or just a shoulder to lean on.
For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/JosiePaceGSM
https://josiepace.bandcamp.com/
