Exposed Vocals Interviews VOLK

VOLK is the crusade of two American storytellers carving out their own place in the Berlin music scene with back-to-basics Rock n Roll. Their first release, “Boutique Western Swing Compositions” (March 2015) combines honest, vivid songwriting with raw, unfiltered emotion. Their music will draw you to the edge of your seat and then yank you up to stomp and holler on the dance floor.

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

VOLK: Chris (guitarist for VOLK) – I grew up in the Pine Curtain of East Texas. Eleot comes from San Diego. We both came separately to Berlin in 2012. We ran into each other doing the open mic circuit in Berlin after both becoming disenchanted with our jobs, mine in teaching and Eleot in theater. We then started collaborating on songs and it sort of snowballed from there.

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

VOLK: Eleot and I started out as a folk band, just playing guitar and singing. We always wanted to move onto rock music from the start. We were never able to find anyone to play with us though so Eleot picked up the drums. We decided the addition of amplifiers (voltage) combined with our folk/country roots made a name like VOLK (folk + voltage) appropriate. Though it might give the impression of uber death metal when actually spoken…

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

VOLK: The gates are open. The music industry is pretty much dead, which is good and bad in ways. Now everyone has a way to be heard. The trick is to find a tall enough hill to make our stuff heard over everybody else. We definitely do promotional things with our music with free giveaways and its up on Spotify, Soundcloud and Youtube. Music is essentially a worthless commodity these days, like charging for ketchup in the States. We have to create a demand for our supply before going Adelle or Taylor Swift on everybody.

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

VOLK: We’re still trying to figure it out ourselves a lot of the times. Practice all the time. If you get a gig, knock everyone dead, even if its just five people watching (that’s five sold T shirts). Make sure they remember you, like your Facebook and sign up for your newsletter. Get business cards. It’s really about grass roots now. Network a ton and make sure when you are able to showcase yourself that you’re showing off the best of what you can do. Be nice to everyone, it goes a long way.

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

 

VOLK: All the time. We’re still working on the sound. A good piece of advice I got was that you don’t stop playing after a mistake; just act like whatever you are doing is the coolest thing ever. The best compliment I ever got was after I broke a string on one guitar, without hesitation or acknowledging it, I just picked up my other guitar and went on with the song. Most of the time the sound of a small venue/bar is gonna be bad/non existent, so its more about how you are acting the part than the actual sound of things. Have fun and treat a screw up as part of the entertainment!

Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?

VOLK: We’ve done some small tours in Europe so far. Going to vinyl stores is an awesome activity for several reasons: getting your music into stores, networking for future gigs and just getting your brand spread worth of mouth. If you have time before a gig, go to vinyl shops, music stores, see if you can get hooked up with a local radio station, or just go busk. You’ve gotta find people to come to your show if you don’t know anybody yet. The venue definitely won’t be advertising for you.

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

VOLK: I steel a lot of lines and idea from books and articles I read. I also just try to listen and pay attention on a hyper level, and always record lines that I think would work as hooks or catchy phrases. I’ll either come into a song with a line I like or a riff I’m playing at the moment and conjure up a nice melody. I can’t really come into a song with too much of a concept (ex. this is going to be a break up song) because then I’ll try and jam things in that don’t fit and eventually ruin it. Eleot and I have had to kill a lot of our darlings, as they say in the theater world.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

VOLK: livevolk.com. We’ve got everything, I think. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Bandsintown, Bandcamp…a Tumblr account somewhere. We try to maintain a constant interaction on social networks; it’s pretty necessary these days…according to the Internet.

Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?

VOLK: The original Transformers film (1984) soundtrack. I’m actually not ashamed of it at all.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

VOLK: I’d pay off the rest of my student loans and credit card debt, then proceed to fiddle around on guitar and learn a bunch of songs and guitar riffs I’ve always wanted to learn.

Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?

VOLK: We’ve got nothing as far as a studio goes at the moment. We’re pretty much nomads for the next year with plans to be in Texas and then head to Nashville. Hoping to be working on our first album or at least another EP in the next year.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

VOLK: Busking is great in Berlin and pretty much the only way to make money here. Wish we were more consistent with it. We’re painfully addicted to social media. Whenever we go to new cities we always have our vinyl with us and always gift one to each vinyl store we visit. Sometimes they play it and will take 3-4 on commission. Super helpful for getting new fans and gigs. We also harass family, friends, bartenders, promoters, and any poor Joe on the street who will listen to us.

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?

VOLK: Chris – That answer changes every day for me depending which artist I’m currently obsessing over. Currently I’d love to play the White Horse in Austin, Texas opening for Sturgil Simpson.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

VOLK: We have a 10-show tour lined up through Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands at the end of March/Early April. We’ve decided we’re ready to bring our music stateside and are currently planning a small tour through Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana for the summer. Then the plan is to head to Nashville with everybody else.

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

 

VOLK: Teaching at a community college, I guess.

Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?

 

VOLK: I bought CDs of Stone Temple Pilots first big album and Cake’s “Fashion Nugget” at Target in Tyler, Texas. I was thinking “I’m gonna need to ask dad to buy me a CD player.”

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

VOLK: I don’t…

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?

VOLK: VOLK saying goodbye to Europe. America, prepare to get VOLKED.