VK Lynne -Web weaver & Wailer at The Spider Accomplice
Interview conducted on July 10, 2020
By Dan Locke
The Spider Accomplice “Crawl” single and video feature up now! “The Spider Accomplice can, at times, sound almost like a modern-day Pat Benetar”
What is your upbringing? How did you discover music? How did you start to write music?
I was born in Philadelphia to a mother who loved the Beatles, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, and year-round Christmas music! I was singing as soon as I was talking, and writing music began in my teens as a natural extension of that.
Are you still writing?
Absolutely; I’ve published three books and I’m working on one now in addition to writing new songs.
How did you get your first guitar and do you still have it?
I was playing and writing on a borrowed guitar, and my mother decided that I was serious enough about being a songwriter that I needed my own. So, she surprised me with an acoustic sunburst Alvarez for Christmas. I will always have that guitar.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
‘Baby’. Yes, indeed; it’s the first track on my first full-length album. It was actually quite a hit at a college radio station in Ohio, haha!
How did you start your present band? How the band did get its name?
Arno and I were in another band together before The Spider Accomplice; we had ideas for some different music we wanted to make and so our songwriting partnership was born! The name is based on a poem I wrote about the “spider” in my brain that spins the words I write.
What is Drunk Grammar?
I was an English teacher for many years, and Drunk Grammar was a fun web series in which my friend Heather Wood (also a teacher), and I would explain grammar concepts while tipsy.
Tell me about Eve’s Apple?
Eve’s Apple was the brainchild of Lisa Middelhauve; she wanted to create a community of metal/rock singers where we could support and encourage each other. We were active as a group for 3 years, and our roster had 50 women from roughly a dozen different countries represented. Many of us are still friends. We had the chance to play as a collective two years in a row at Metal Female Voices Fest in Belgium; it was a very special time.
Your band has won 12 LA music critics’ awards. Which was the first one and which was the last one?
The first was “Best Video Series” for our Indiegogo campaign for our EP “The Abduction.” We created a ‘mystery’ based on the premise that the band had been kidnapped and we needed to raise ransom money to secure their release. It was all very tongue-in-cheek, and really fun. The most recent one was for our song ‘Epilogue.’
Tell me about your latest single “Crawl”?
Crawl is about shedding your outer protections to discover your true self. It’s not always easy or pretty, but in the end, it’s works worth doing.
The song builds in intensity, just as the act of “molting” would, and by the end, you can feel that something new is beginning.
How do you stay healthy while touring?
Moderation. It’s easy to get into the habit of just eating burgers and pizza, but making the effort to eat half-portions of meals and saving the rest for later can help. Also, stopping at a grocery store to snag an apple rather than a candy bar can make a big difference. And stay hydrated!
What are your feelings about the social uprising going on in the United States?
It was bound to happen. History is cyclical, and the 1960’s saw social upheaval on an epic scale. Time passed, and we grew complacent. But with all the injustice that’s been building up since then, we were due.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
It will be more challenging to perform live. There’s a social understanding that has always existed in live shows; we’re here to connect. People squash together in the crowd, the band members lean on each other and share mics, after the show there’s hugs and handshakes at the merch table. All of that will be brought now, and it will probably be a very long time before we all feel safe to hold these events in that way again.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
Learning new skills! The best way to stave off uncertainty is to dig onto work, and so I started taking a class online to learn audio recording techniques.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
In a way- I exercise a lot to keep my mood elevated, and my friend Grace Meridan started teaching Zumba online. I’d never tried it and decided that what better time…? So, I’ve found a really fun outlet in that!
Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You did the Covid Concert Series. Tell me about it?
I do a livestream acoustic concert every Saturday at 5:00 pm on both Facebook and Instagram. It’s been a really special way to connect folks who support me and the band, and we chat and sing and raise a glass.
Live Nation is starting to do the first ever U.S. drive-in concert series — LIVE FROM THE DRIVE-IN — This will bring fans a live music tailgating experience unlike any other, kicking off July 10-12 in Indianapolis, IN, Nashville, TN, and St. Louis, MO. Brad Paisley will headline performances in all three cities, marking the start of a much anticipated return to in person live events. Darius Rucker and Jon Pardi will also headline the series. Is this something you would be willing to do?
Of course! Arno and I are pretty darn flexible, and the advantage to being a duo is that we can fit just about anywhere. We’ll see what opportunities arise.
For smaller bands who do not play large crowds, this is not really an issue. How do you see bands going back to smaller venues and doing things like play for the door, with no guarantees?
That’s always been a drag of a situation, but it’s been our reality. Currently, folks can see bands online, they can stream online, so going to live music is less of a treat. Also, many people don’t see why they should have to pay for entertainment…so none of this is going to get better when now there’s the additional fear of the virus.
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
We will keep making music. We can write and record in quarantine forever if we have to, but the music will still play. It’s who we are.
Anything you would like to say in closing?
Art will survive. By nature, it is malleable, changeable, always finding new ways to exist and grow. Humans are made to create. And that’s what we will continue to do.
