Interview with Guinevere Q by Tim Brown

Musician, Poet, Prankster, No Big Fucking Deal

1) What was your first record?

Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” and Nirvana’s “Nevermind”. I fell in love with that 90s angst, that grunge, that growl. I memorized the lyrics to both. In fact, I’m pretty sure I could still recite both records from memory! I invited a friend home from school when I was a kid. I closed my bedroom door. She sat on my bed. I put on “Jagged Little Pill” and performed the entire album for her, complete with dance moves and hair flips. I’m pretty sure that was the first rock show I’ve ever done.

2) What was the first rock concert you attended?

I saw Red Hot Chili Peppers live. They killed it. I loved their energy. To this day, Flea continues to be one of my main influences as a bass player.

3) Who are your favorite musicians?

Janelle Monáe, Mr. Bungle, Les Claypool, Amy Winehouse, James Brown, and Janis Joplin.

4) How would you describe your style of music?

With The Wyatt Act, we play SlamRock.

5) What is SlamRock?

Here’s our SlamRock Manifesto :

Street-corner style poetry meets transgressive rock.
SlamRock is a philosophy, a lifestyle, an attitude, a swagger. SlamRock is a reaction to a society of detached, automatic, alienated, civilized play-acts. SlamRock values process over product and interaction over isolation.
3 Principles of SlamRock:
– Spontaneity
– Variety
– Put on a fucking show!

6) What other styles of music do you like to play?

With Doctor Striker, we play party-time, electro-pop. We have a new record coming out called “The Man” – it’s about being poor and it’s heavy as fuck. I also play in some other funk, psych, and rock bands and I organize and play jazz jam sessions.

7) You play jazz?

Working on it. I’ve been studying jazz privately with a very talented teacher and music mentor, Bill Noertker. I’ve got a lot to learn! I really believe that music is a language – it needs to be spoken.

8) What is the central message that you’d like to communicate through your music?

Take risks. Push boundaries. Demand self-discipline. Make art. Make love. Fight for equality like your life depends on it, because it does.

9) Let’s talk about your most recent release, “Sex Robot” by The Wyatt Act. Can you tell us about your latest work?

Well, as we’ve discussed, I was heavily influenced by the early 90s grunge scene. I love that raw, growling, dirty sound – it’s like biting into a lemon! So good. Damn. The Wyatt Act used some filthy synthbass, impending horns, a bit of electronic splidgitz, and some dark, BDSM-inspired vocals to recreate the emotion that comes from the inevitable take-over of technology. We recorded and mixed locally here in San Francisco at Hyde Street Studios and Mastered at Neato Mastering. It was an emotional ride, from start to finish! The song ends with layers upon layers of frantic, angular horns squealing like robots laughing as the drone crescendos into a dizzying climax. This was inspired by my experience dropping LSD in Golden Gate Park at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. The Blue Angels (loud planes) tore through the air while Ornette Coleman’s Primetime Band performed. This, of course, was a disorienting experience in its own right. My arms became my legs and my legs became my arms. Ornette Coleman possessed me. When I came down, I knew how to end the song.

credits:
Guinevere Q – Bass and Vocals
Jason Young Sun – Drums and Artwork
Breakfast for Chancellor – Saxophone and Vocals
Karissa McKelvey aka Captain KMac – Trumpet and Vocals
Bethany Schwarz – Splidgitz
Will Chason – Recording Engineer, Hyde Street Studios
Chris McGrew – Mixing Engineer, Hyde Street Studios
Piper Payne – Mastering Engineer, Neato Mastering

Here’s our EPK : http://thewyattact.com/epk/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TheWyattAct/
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF65BxN6mYze9aH8-8LKvKg
Bandcamp : https://thewyattact.bandcamp.com/
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Rt9bMnUjNMTe6OMpydGZX
iTunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-wyatt-act/1238948088
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thewyattact/
SlamRock Manifesto : http://thewyattact.com/slamrock-manifesto/

Photo Credit : Kaitlin McSweeney