Who Is Molly Grue

Molly Grue can play music

Interview conducted on September 1, 2018

By Dan Locke

Molly Grue is a side project of Krista Acheson, an eclectic singer-songwriter and visual artist, currently based in Edmonton, Alberta.

After returning to music after a 10 year hiatus, I’ve decided  to divide my songwriting catalogue into 3 and separate it by genre. I’m planning on releasing EP’s with selected old material and new material.

*Molly Grue is the project where I will be releasing soft rock/indie pop songs that deal with fairly dark subject matter, based on personal experiences and stories that people have shared with me.

*Character from the book ‘The Last Unicorn’ by Peter S Beagle

 

Most people don’t know you have a second career as a visual artist.  What was >your up bring like? Did your parents encourage you into a musical career or visual artist career?

My childhood home was actually fairly void of visual art- unless you count an owl wall hanging and a “Footprints in the Sand” plaque, as art. Although…

Krista Acheson

now I’m compelled to rescue (buy) every macramé owl I come across in a second-hand shop, so I guess that owl has had a pretty lasting impact.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t consider my family to have been artistically cultured at all. I only started learning about art as a career within the last 10 years.

My parents did definitely encourage me towards music though- even though it was solely Christian/religious music. If it wasn’t for my dad bringing me into the studio in the 90’s to record my first album (religious album), I’d likely have had very little involvement with music at all.

What instruments did you grow up learning? I see you have recorded with tuba, sax, trumpet in some of your other projects?

Growing up I only learned basic guitar playing- I still only use my guitar to communicate melody lines to people who are far more skilled at
playing.

The tuba, sax, and trumpet parts were written by me, by ear, using a keyboard patched to a computer, which played instrument samples, and
then that was passed on to session players. The way I write is: I hear music in my head and then use a keyboard, or guitar, to work it out and
then I write out the chords. At the demo stage, if I’ve conceived of something above my skill level, and I can’t pluck it out, then I’ll enlist a friend to write it out, while I guide them vocally. I realize it would be simpler if I’d just master one instrument at least- but I think I’d still prefer leaving it to people who have a true passion for their instrument. I’m passionate about creating- but decidedly terrible at music theory, and not super jazzed on any instrument in particular.

Sometimes a part you’ll hear is written by a musician, like the bass line in Land Mine, written by Jeb Dalling and performed by Scott McKinley. Creative guitar parts, such as the transition around 1:43 in Land Mine, are credited to Scott McKinley- he’s pretty awesome.

What bands did you listen to growing up?

Growing up, until well into my late teens, I had limited exposure to music outside of Christian music and hymns.  In interviews I often cite Finklemans 45s ( a ’50s, 60s, early 70s, hits radio program) as my main musical influence. I remember holding my clock radio out the window to get better reception.

I have a really weird relationship with music. I’d not listened to it extensively in my youth and I still rarely listen to it now, as it’s not really an ingrained behavior to seek it out. So, I just occasionally emote musically but can’t really credit it to the inspiration of any band in particular.

You grew up in Nash Creek NB. What was the music scene there like?

Nash Creek is a village of about 300 people and some cows. It had a small post office, a corner store and 3 churches. There wasn’t any music scene outside of what you would hear in a church, unless you count the frogs and the crickets- *their* music was truly beautiful.

You are now living in Edmonton. Have you been able to see any big  artist play in any small clubs there? Like some of the ones who are from there  ie.Kd Lang or Purity Ring.

K.d Lang was well beyond the level of fortuitously stumbling across her in a small club by the time I moved to Edmonton; I only moved here in 2009, but that probably would have been around the time when Purity Ring came on the scene. I’ve never seen them perform but my understanding is that they had nearly instant success and quickly went beyond Edmonton. I only recognize the name because they were the act that was used as an example, when I was talking to a guy about grants, after I mentioned having a difficult time getting support locally. He basically said, a band called Purity Ring started here (Edmonton) and are actually very successful- but you’ll rarely hear them getting major airplay support here in Edmonton. So, they were kind of like an antidote to feeling hopeless if this isn’t turning out to be your scene. I don’t think I’ll ever be expecting comparable success to Purity Ring or K.d Lang, though.

Why is your band called Molly Grue?

 

It’s a character from the book ‘The Last Unicorn’ by Peter S. Beagle, which was also an animated film that I watched on repeat as a kid. I still watch it from time to time.

The decision to name the project after her happened while I was contemplating the process of releasing music again, after having given it up for years, and thinking about the futility of trying to find success in something that is such a financial gamble- especially at this point of my life. The movie, The Last Unicorn, was playing in the background while I was working on a sculpture and the part came on where Molly is angry with the unicorn for only coming to her now, at this point in her life- when she was essentially a shadow of who she once was. I felt that pretty much encapsulated my sentiment about coming back to music with nothing, and as nothing. If I ever were to finally have success as a singer-songwriter at this stage of my life… I’d
definitely have a comparative reaction to when Molly Grue met the unicorn.How does Molly Grue differ from your own band as a solo artist?

Molly Grue is the side project under which I’m releasing my more introspective ( mildly depressing) material. The vibe of the Molly Grue
project won’t contradict the lyrics as much as it does on my Krista D project. The Krista D project sounds really sugary and it’s coating over
some fairly heavy subject matter. The Molly Grue project will cover topics like assault and mental illness but there’s not really much sonic perkiness
to distract from that heaviness. Overall the EP will be fairly gloomy.

All of my music projects are basically solo projects- I don’t actually have a band. It’s been a challenge even hiring people here, let alone pulling together a band. I mean, my last performance I literally just set the stage up with mannequins out of pure frustration. I made them some cute band shirts, hung my instruments on them and performed alone, karaoke style. ( Krista D project) It actually went surprisingly well and people seemed to dig it. I might actually just continue with the mannequins, it’s so much easier.

The first single “Anyway” came out in May. How long before the LP/EP comes out?

The EP was supposed to be out in late June, early July…. I didn’t even come close to hitting any of my self-imposed deadlines with this project. When
I start things, I always set my timelines without factoring success into anything. So, when I was offered an artist residency, which was slated to begin after my solo exhibition, I switched focus to my visual art.

The single was basically released prematurely because a wonderful DJ, (Adam Waltemire),who has been supporting my music for years, was interested in being the first to feature it on his anniversary show. I only uploaded it onto digital platforms in case anyone might want it after hearing it on his broadcast.  So it’s *kind* of released… but not in any official, “I’m doing things properly” kind of way.

I see you’ve made a video for your other two projects, any plans for Molly Grue coming out with a video?

Absolutely! I’ve begun making a stop-motion video for it- once it’s done.  I’ll do a more official release of the single, and will definitely have the EP done by then.

I guess where it’s such a new project and no one is really anticipating anything from it, I can kind of get away with a certain amount of haphazardness right now. It’s all pretty chill unless something random happens and the single I tossed out there takes off- then I’d really be scrambling. But I guess that would be a nice problem to have.

Getting to your visual artwork, how would you describe it?

I think it mainly falls under the umbrella of surrealism- which just means it’s all fairly weird. I’ve not had any art education so I’ve been kind of figuring things out as I go; you’ll find that’s the common thread with everything I do.

One thing I make sure of, with my art, is that no matter how weird anything I sculpt, or paint, may appear to the viewer- it always has a point, or meaning, if anyone is interested in knowing it. I don’t consider myself someone who “gets” a lot of contemporary art… some art seems to be only meant for those who have gone to art school. So I always create from the perspective that art should at least theoretically be for the enjoyment of everyone- at least in that it should have some sort of cognitive intent or graspable concept behind it. Not everyone has to like art- but they should at least have the
option to understand where it’s coming from without a bunch of thesaurus fluff and artspeak.

Have you done any art installation which combines both your music and your visual artwork?

Not at the capacity that I’d like to- not yet, anyway. I’d love to do a theatrical/dance performance combining all of my music projects, videos and art aliases at one venue- ideally a large art gallery with a stage. It’s definitely one of my future goals.

I did perform my song ‘Hush’, off my album Janes’ World, written about my fears and emotions following the diagnosis of being mentally ill, during one of my art shows. I held a gallery show called ‘Inside Out’ where I presented sculptures that were meant to visually express Bipolar symptoms, because I feel that reading a DSM symptoms list lacked context. It was interesting that visitors, who had personal experience with a specific symptom, were intuitively drawn to the sculpture representing that symptom. The exhibit almost acted like a visual diagnostic.

All of my sculpture based shows, where I intend for people to respond on an emotional level, are created under my art alias ‘Gerri Harden’.

You remind me of Laurie Anderson, because of you mixing media together.

That’s a lovely comparison- thank you! I researched her a little and she is very accomplished and multi-talented – I hope to be at her level someday. Laurie definitely seems to combine her artistic discipline and her music far better than I do, though. Right now I’m kind of broken up into several aliases, she presents her skill-set much more neatly.

Actually- it turns out that I used Laurie’s’ vocal work in ‘O Superman’ as an example of how I needed my staccato vocal background layer to be edited, for one of my ‘Hooha and the Peter Guns’ tracks… so it’s really neat that you mentioned her.

Tell me about your last art installation, “Birds, Bees, and Ambergris”?

Birds, Bees and Ambergris was a large-scale sculptural installation based on environmental concerns. I spent about a year saving my plastic bags and
the plastic tarps from my partners job as a painter, encased it all into a 13-foot whale sculpture, as well as into 3 large sculptures of baby birds. The sculptures are basically waste pods and they kind of protect other animals by preventing it from entering the environment.

I also handcrafted 840 polyclay bees, with wings made of plastic pop bottles and threw them all over the gallery floor for people to have to walk through.

Birds, Bees, and Ambergris

The main point was to impact people in a memorable way with issues such as deforestation, pesticide effects and plastic pollution. It was meant to linger with the viewers on an emotional level in a way that facts don’t seem to. One lady left the gallery crying, so- I’d say that it was successful in that regard.

I also sculpted a miniature woman in a bikini, taking a selfie, next to the dead baby whale, because while I was online looking for whale references, I kept coming across people taking smiling selfies in front of dead or suffering beached whales; some even taking pictures of their kids sitting on top of the carcass. It was just stomach turning. It’s like- this amazing creature starved to death because it was clogged with our stupid human garbage and you’re all smiling next to it and treating it as a photo op. It was kind of narcissistic and demented.

Anyway…the whole exhibit initially stemmed from my own self-loathing of how I personally contribute to harming the planet with my own entitled human behavior- but the selfie thing- that just kind of punctuated it. I made her as a last minute addition to the exhibit.

I see you are combining your music with your art. I love the first attempt >you tried. “Green Mazes” by Hooha and the Peter Guns. Did you use after effects to create the video right?

I directed the video and created a basic storyboard- but that’s actually my partners’ art and his video making skills you’re enjoying. ( Patrick Byers, www.101industries.ca) He used a photo manipulation technique to create the characters and yes, you are 100% correct- although he built
everything in Photoshop, he animates everything using After Effects. His digital artwork is incredible, and to swing it back to a music connection, Kerry King (Slayer) actually owns one of his digital pieces.

Any other things you use for editing your videos?

Adobe Premiere is something I think he plans to use as well, for one of the upcoming videos we’re working on. I have a stop motion video in the works and a traditionally animated video- meaning all the frames are hand drawn on paper.

Was Land Mine one of your visual art pieces also?

Yes- but you’ll have to forgive the drawings, I really should have done a better job, but I was trying to illustrate it quickly. I felt it was important to do a lyric video ASAP because there’s a lyric that can be misheard as ‘Aryan Nation’ ( I’m actually singing ‘alien nation). I thought that was a pretty important thing to clarify.

The adorable animated actions were done by Patrick, except for the.gif that I made of my fingers mooshing the grape I had painted to look like
Earth.

The lyric video was Patricks’ first time using After Effects and our first introduction to grappling with animation software. I’m glad he has the patience for it, I certainly don’t. The Green Mazes video was his second try at the program.

How many projects do you record under?

3 right now:’Krista D’, Molly Grue and ‘Hooha and the Peter Guns’. It’s pretty much just my song catalog divided as perky music, sad music and angry music.

Oh, I guess I can maybe say 4 projects. For fun, I’ll also be releasing a SUPER 80s flashback single, under the name ‘Tetra D’, as soon as I’m done
the video for it. I’m pretty excited for that one; for a lark, I even crimped my hair and poofed it, when I record the vocals in the studio. The engineer probably thought I was nuts. It’s a really fun track. (I think I’m honestly just looking for any semi-valid excuse to crimp my
hair again.)

Any plan of touring?

Eventually, maybe… but it’s been kind of tricky. My whole “brilliant” the idea of expecting to be able to manage music on top of an art career-
and the fact that I do both x3, makes it a challenge to go on the road without letting something else crash. It’s like juggling all the time and
that’s on top of being a mom. So, financially, a tour isn’t likely to happen in the near future unless listeners suddenly become super supportive.

My main plan is to book music performances around gallery exhibitions, when I hold them in other cities, and see if I can slowly develop a fan base that way. Otherwise, I’d only specifically travel to play music in cities that I’ve tracked a response in. If no one responds to the music digitally, then I can’t really traipse about hoping for support; traveling is just far too expensive. So, for now, visual art is my main gig and music is mainly just another facet of my self-expression.

How do you see yourself in 5 years?

At this rate: burnt out and completely skint. But, where I hope I’ll be in 5 years is that I’ll be more established and have enough momentum behind my career as a visual artist that there will be some sort of consistent interest in my work. Also, I’d hope to have at least one of the tracks, from any of my music projects, making consistent enough sales or royalties so that I can afford to pay some bills while I’m working on art. It would be awesome if my creative careers would begin to support each other. So far I’ve been recording music with money I’ve made from selling art- so I think music owes art some money back. It’s really only fair.

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