Telomyras
Interview conducted on June 6, 2023
by Dan Locke
Seattle (WA) – Heavy Metal quintet TELOMYRAS have released “Colorless,” the second single from the band’s forthcoming self-titled EP. “Colorless” is available at telomyras.bandcamp.com/track/colorl
Inspired by both classic and contemporary metal bands, TELOMYRAS writes riff-driven music with an emphasis on melodic phrasing, punctuated by progressive elements.
The collection of songs on the EP represents the band’s musical vision, which embraces both the darkness and the light with triumphant exclamation. The musical performances are influenced by a range of metal genres, such as thrash, power, and traditional heavy metal. The powerful vocal performance and lyrics comment on conflict and change through the lens of myth, personal strife, and the reality of the world we live in.
FFO: Iron Maiden, Smoulder, Megadeth, Crystal Viper, Chastain, Metallica
Sammie Gorham – Vocals
Travis Busby – Drums
Eric Thomas – Bass Guitar
Ephraim Grimm – Guitars
Jack Schonher – Guitars
Your band is from Seattle, WA. What is your upbringing?
Jack Schonher- The band was formed in Seattle just before the COVID 19 Pandemic by Jack and Ephraim, who are from California and Ohio respectively. From there we added some other passionate musicians, Travis on drums, Eric on bass, and Sammie on vocals that helped solidify the band.
How did you discover music?
All of us have different backgrounds and history with music, but we have a mix of self-taught, and classically trained musicians. Everyone in Telomyras has a love for heavy music and our goal is to express that passion in our songs.
Sammie Gorham -As a kid, my parents listened to a ton of stuff. My dad liked Metallica, Megadeth, the mainstream metal bands in the 90s. I was in orchestra as a kid, mainly because my sister was and I wanted to be like her. And then in highschool I was in orchestra and choir and theatre, then went to college for voice.
Ephraim Grimm -My first genuine album was “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath in 2004/2005. I to this day have no idea how I came into possession of that album and haven’t been able to find it since. In 2005/2006 my best friend introduced me to Iron Maiden and Dragonforce via his dad’s coworkers who traded around albums like trading cards. Around that time I took up guitar with him and learned from various people who would teach me different things. I spent a day learning sweep picking with Rob Marcello and then the next 2 years, 2-4 hours a day trying to make up for lost time. Between 4 kids my family didn’t have any money for extracurriculars or lessons so I traded yard work for my first guitar which my mentor built for me, which I still own!
How did the band get its name?
Ephraim Travis wanted to go with “Telomere” after the medical/science term for the ends of DNA. The name was of course taken. I had the idea to combine the prefix Telo (End) with a word/name like Mira (“admirable,” “peace,” “female ruler,”, and more) and make up the word Telomyras. It just means something like “Admirable End”. Funny that we ended up being female fronted because she rules the stage when we play. Many of our spanish speaking listeners have remarked that the name sounds funny in Spanish, which I find hilarious.
Describe your music.
Jack-The initial inspiration for the songs came from classic metal bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica. The songs were polished over the course of a year and we found our own style as we completed the
band lineup. We strive to write music that combines classic and modern heavy music in a way that reflects our identity as musicians.
Ephraim -My idea was a traditional heavy metal sound with different genres of metal sprinkled in. I think we’ve accomplished that given our different backgrounds as musicians. I really can’t praise the drums, vocals and bass enough because they all gave me exactly what I was hoping for in my mind all these years. Going forward I’m personally going to lean more modern if my chops will allow it.
What was your first performance like?
Jack-It was fun! We opened for some well established acts and they were a huge help as connections in the long run. We were still operating as a four-piece at the time with our guitar player Ephraim on vocals,
which was temporary before we found a permanent vocalist. We have fond memories of that first show.
Ephraim-Nerve racking and fun as hell when I was doing vocals for the first time ever in my life. I am not a vocalist…
Sammie-Awful lol I was so nervous. My first show was at The Cryptatropa in Olympia, WA. I really
wasn’t used to using a microphone and earplugs, and I didn’t figure out exactly how I
wanted to sing until later on. There are different techniques I was trying out and I just did
not do well.
Sammie, you were singing Luthera Songs. How did you end up in the band?
Do you mean classical music? I have a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance/Opera. I sang a lot in local Seattle groups and opera companies, and had quite a few church gigs. But the pandemic changed all of that. I was living alone at the time and started writing music again after the first lockdown in March 2020, and realized I wanted to sing in a metal band. I had always wanted to, as a teenager, but I had been too insecure about it. Later on,Telomyras played a show with Greyhawk, another Seattle metal band, and the singer Rev is another opera singer in the area and a buddy of mine. Ephraim got to talking to Rev about finding a singer and he recommended me, and the rest is history. Telomyras is my first band, and I’m really grateful they took a chance on me.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
Jack-Our first completed song is called Ashes, and the demo is still available to listen to on streaming. We chose not to record it for our debut EP, but we may revisit it in the future with a proper recording.
Ephraim-I think that “Ashes” was also our first real sojourn into a real studio. The engineer, Michael, was really easy to work with.
What is the process of writing your music?
Jack-The music writing process is highly collaborative, usually starting with a riff or melodic idea for a song. Once we have some ideas for a song we spend a lot of time working on it in the practice space before we deem a track to be “done”.
Ephraim-I write something that’s impractical to learn and play and everyone comes together to make my idea comprehensible to actual humans ha ha. Seriously though we tend to build off of one or two ideas and are always recording and saving things for later. We tend to give input to each other but ultimately every part is made by the person playing that instrument.
Your single “Cambion” is on your new debut self-titled EP, which came out Feb. 18th. Tell me about it?
Jack- Cambion came from a song idea to write something heavy that would be a good way to start a show. The riffs are aggressive and the lyrics talk about emotional repression and how that can affect those around us all.
Ephraim- Jack had this vision and a set of riffs that built into each other. When I wrote the lyrics after the fact I just let a story take root around the music. To me it sounded like struggling with your inner demons,
things always there but unacknowledged and repressed. When repressed emotions boil over and things get darker, more twisted.
Sammie- To me, it’s about letting rage take over. That rage can come from anything, but my vision
was more along the lines of rage that comes from the inability to make positive change for yourself and others. Sometimes rage is the thing that makes change happen.
Out of the 5 tracks, which is your favorite?
Jack- It is hard to say, but Colorless is a standout musically and vocally. It is an ambitious track that we worked very hard on to get it to the version you hear on the record. Definitely a labor of love!
Ephraim- Hydra has become my favorite song on the album. Sammie crafted a cool story that’s open to interpretation, the riffs Jack made flow into each other nicely, and I love the turn it takes towards the end.
Sammie- If I have to choose, I’d say it’s between Colorless and First Blood.
What are you feeling about streaming music?
Jack- Streaming is a great option for many music listeners around the world. The modern music listener is more likely to stream music than any other medium currently and we want to be heard by as many people as possible.
Ephraim-Streaming is fantastic for my consumption, but I’m still learning how to navigate it as an artist. It’s a huge market and I’ll be honest, I’m unsure how I fit into it just yet.
The symbol # is known as the number sign, hash, pound sign and a sharp sign in music. The symbol has historically been used for a wide range of purposes Since 2007, widespread usage of the symbol to introduce metadata tags on social media platforms has led to such tags being known as “hashtags”, and from that, the symbol itself is sometimes called a hashtag.
Are people forgetting that the # is a part of music?
Jack- Symbols can be anything that people make it out to be, just like our “Ohm” symbol that is used in the band’s imagery.
Ephraim- Definitions and meanings change with the times. A term like “sick” or “nasty” is a sign your riffs are good in metal!Sammie- I don’t think a lot of people know music theory enough to know that the hashtag is a sharp sign in written music to begin with.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Jack- Some of the band collects vinyl, but not all of us and it is still a niche product for the vast majority of the music listening population. While vinyl collectors are still buying LP’s in large numbers, digital music is convenient and is the dominant form of music consumption in the current market.
Ephraim- Both. I see it as more exposure the more formats it’s on. Physical media in general I think is good so original versions of works are not lost. It’s like if I was offered free funds and reign to re record our first album in 20 years, I wouldn’t use it to replace the original
cut.
Sammie- Digital, entirely for longevity.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
Jack- We like playing a cover of Hallowed be thy Name by Iron Maiden from time to time, and it is a lot of fun. Iron Maiden is a primary influence of Telomyras and that song is one of the greatest metal tracks of all time.Ephraim- I find myself more often than not humming the song “Live Your Life Like A Dream” by Pagan’s Mind. Their guitarist Jorn Viggo Lofstad is an influence of mine and years ago he talked with me for awhile on messenger and gave me some tips.
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means things like a playlist on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
Jack-Some aspects of the music business are blocked behind paywall, but we are very particular about what we choose to invest in for exposure. We do not pay to play live and find the practice abhorrent,
fortunately we have not run into that yet in our journey at this time.
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Ephraim- Though it wasn’t exactly “pay-to-play” when I played in an alt rock band in Ohio back in the early 2010’s, the practice of making bands sell their own tickets was rampant at every venue if you were from there. I promised myself I’d never take such a deal in my own projects.
The trend of venues actually asking for a cut of merch sales these days is frankly alarming given that bands finance their own merch now that production is cheaper. “I don’t see “Joe’s Bar” on this shirt sir, I see Telomyras!”
Sammie- I don’t have much experience with pay to plays for bands, but I do have experience with pay to sings with opera. It’s unfortunately part of the industry that many singers have to al with in order to make connections, but in recent years more singers are beginning to refuse those offers more and more. I say fuck ‘em, they’re run by people who just want to exploit you.
The show Star Trek introduced people to the holodeck: an immersive, realistic 3D holographic projection of a complete environment that you could interact with.
Today holograms are already being used in a variety of way, such as medical systems, education, art, security and defense.
Performers like Tupac, Michael Jackson, Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, Buddy Holly, Ronnie James Dio, Marylin Monroe, and Whitney Houston have done it already. The band ABBA just announced that they will be doing a comeback together after nearly 40 years as holograms on their next tour. With ABBA it was with the help of George Lucas.
If the cost was down to the point, you could do it also, would you be willing to do Holographic concerts in our living room?
Jack- Currently we are interested in the live experience for music, and we will let other bands that want to experiment with this new technology do it first.
Ephraim- I would do it if the tools were there for the average user to create grand spectacles in a virtual environment or via holograms live, but the technology looks pretty above my understanding as is. Imagine being able to project our album art as a 3D hologram that interacts with the music! For big arena bands it could mean no more need for tons of pyro and heavy set pieces when these things can be projected.
Sammie- I have no idea. I mean, I imagine most people wouldn’t say no because it’s still publicity, and we all need publicity in order to survive, so I guess I’d do it.
In the past if a musician stopped doing music, they found a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
Jack-We are all professionals that play music for the love of it. None of us are career musicians currently and have passions and aspirations outside of music.
Ephraim- I have no clue, I’m sure these guys have passions outside of music but I can’t say I do. Nothing honestly makes me as happy. Maybe I’ll go back to EMT school, live in a converted van, or dedicate my time to my best friend’s graphic novel.
Sammie- Well, I’m actually currently in grad school for a master’s degree in Couples and Family Therapy. This is what I’d want to do besides music regardless, because I’ve accepted that music is so unlikely to become my main source of income. this day and age we
have no choice; music isn’t really a viable career option for most of us.
What is your happy place?
Jack – Playing live with friends both new and old. We have met so many great musicians playing in the Pacific Northwest, and we love to support local heavy music acts.
Ephraim- My happy place was taking apart my toys with my grandpa’s tools as a kid. Nothing will ever compare to hanging out with him and tinkering with stuff. –
-Red Hot Chili Peppers are about to sell their entire song catalog for $140 Million. In the past year a lot of musicians such as Stevie Nicks ($100 Million) , Bob Dylan (over $400 Million), Taylor Swift, Journey, Def Leppard, K.T. Tunstall, John Legend, ZZ Top and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last year. Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog for a reported $300 million. Neil Young sold 50 percent of his worldwide copyright and income interest in his 1,180-song catalogue to Hipnosis Songs Fund limited. Once you get to the age of about 70. Publishing is far more lucrative than the mechanical royalties paid to artists based on sales, airplay and streams. A good example of this is Michael Jackson brought the rights to the Beatles catalog in 1985. And in the late 80’s the Beatles Revolution appeared in a Nike commercial.
The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax friendly concerning estate planning.
Do you think you would be willing to sell your back catalog if someone like Universal is will to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs? Remember anything that you create forward will be 100% yours.
Jack- We will keep writing the music we want to write and play live, which is our primary goal as musicians. We would listen to inquiries about our catalog, but we find this situation unlikely in the immediate future.
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Ephraim- I’ll start you off at $50 million, open for negotiating! (cheeky grin)
Sammie- What Eph said.
Over half a billion active users around the world share their favorite music on TikTok either with something like a dance challenge and lip-sync videos or creating a funny skit or candid camera moment.
TikTok has become a great platform for music promotion, sharing songs, and finding new listeners. In which it has become a place for music artists to earn revenue when people use their music. In many cases the daily promotion on TikTok has led to huge boosts on other platforms like Spotify, Facebook and YouTube.
TikTok does this with the algorithm that generates a feed of content for each user, which you see as the displaying of #. The more a user engages with content, the smarter TikTok gets at guessing what kind of videos the viewer wants to watch. Because a song can go viral because of this.
Sony Music and Warner Music Group- , The ByteDance-owned video app revealed that it has struck an “expanded” global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more?
Jack- We do not currently use TikTok for promotion but we cannot say whether we will use the platform or not. We can say that our music is meant to be enjoyed as a finished product, not just clips and edits.
Ephraim- I don’t see why not? It makes sense to put yourself where people’s eyes are if you want to be noticed. I think we might be too old for Tik-Tok however.
Sammie-I personally don’t enjoy creating content on social media, but if the band says we gottado it, fine.
-Breaking news: TikTok is launching TikTok Radio, a full-time SiriusXM music channel going live this summer. The station will be available in vehicles and as a streaming channel on the SiriusXM App, desktop, and all connected devices. Some of the on TikTok include Cassyette, YukoEXE, Ashinikko, Palaye Royale, Josh Dun (Twenty One Pilots), Yungblud, Morrissey, Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett, Gene Simmons, and Mick Jagger The station will be part of a new TikTok collaboration with SiriusXM and its subsidiary,Pandora, to jointly promote emerging talent. Do you think this platform could become a force in the future of streaming music?
Ephraim- I’ve heard the “promote emerging talent” statement said by every streaming service in its beginnings from Youtube to Spotify. I don’t know the streaming habits/usage of most people, but I always have to manually go looking for newer bands if I want to hear them. Not trying to sound cynical but that’s always my experience.
Anything you would like to say in closing?
Jack- Check out our album! We have worked hard on this and we think fans of classic heavy metal will enjoy it. Also, please
support local bands. Even just a “like” on a social media post means a lot to many local bands.Ephraim- I got into music primarily because I could express myself and connect with others. I hope one day I can get a crowd of 1000+ people to chant a melody I wrote like my big band heroes do. If not, I’m so happy regardless to know these band mates. I love you guys.
Sammie- Thanks for the support! Let us know what you think of the album! https://telomyras.bandcamp.com/album/telomyras-full-ep
