Interview with Bad Witch: ‘We wanted to go for cruisey blues with that epic, crunchy, fuzz-driven guitar’

Central Coast, Australia, five-piece band Bad Witch, who play punk, rock, and blues with just the smallest dash of yeehaw, are working on their diverse debut EP, which they hope to release by the end of the year.

The band, which is based at the halfway point between Newcastle and Sydney, comprises Harley Shaw (vocals and guitar), Luc McCarthy (bass), Jethro Morris (vocals and guitar), Kira Anne Phoenix (vocals and keys) and Casey White (drums). They all knew of each other from different bands and Shaw knew Morris as a sound engineer. ‘Halfway through last year, Jethro and I realised that we lived around the corner to each other and we got together for a jam,’ Shaw said. ‘We brought our own songs and we loved what was happening here, so we started recruiting more of us. We started with Kira, she was an acquaintance of Jethro’s. We found our drummer Casey through Jethro and Luc and I used to go to parties together (laughs). I find it really exciting with this kind of project where we all started as acquaintances and became friends. There has never been a dull moment with these guys. Every gig/writing sesh/random hang out, we’ve always been making jokes, having a laugh about the most silliest things and just been having fun. I think that’s really important to have in a band, to just enjoy each other’s company and write and play music along the way.’

Phoenix came up with their band name: ‘Kira wanted a nice, gothic magical vibe to the songwriting process,’ Shaw said. ‘We went through so many names first!’ They derive influences not only from old school punk, indie and blues, but also classic Hollywood and French filmography. The band have brewed a diverse yet accessible sound in testament to the notion that “opposites attract”, where so many opposing forces, ideas and inspirations have come together to create fresh, exciting, and innovative new music.

‘The track was born of heartbreak and tarot cards’

Last month, they released their second single ‘Right Side Of The Devil’, a cinematic, mysterious, eerie and sexy track featuring Phoenix on lead vocals. It opens with sultry, atmospheric vocals that set the scene. For some reason, each time I hear it, I picture a graveyard and it feels as if they’re in a kind of no man’s land where anything could happen. ‘‘Right Side Of The Devil’ is a rich and moody epic build blues track,’ Phoenix said. ‘Apart from the wailing guitar solos and the haunting vocals from the band, it is laced with layers of symbolism all the way from heartbreak to witchcraft. The track was born of heartbreak and tarot cards, drawing significant influence from ‘The Devil’ card that depicts two lovers chained to one another standing at the foot of Satan. The card is also thought to symbolise repeated cycles in one’s life, much like returning to an ex-lover.’ As she laments throughout: “I was born with a broken heart”, describing repeated heartbreak and the familiar feeling it brings.

As the track kicks off: “I was born with a broken heart. With a darkness deep inside my mind. I was born with a broken heart. Right side of the devil. Born to fall apart.”

As Shaw describes it: ‘We are so lucky to have Kira. She’s really into her witchcraft and tarot cards. I think we’ll be aiming for a witchcraft and heartbreak theme throughout the EP.’ I ask whether Phoenix has used the tarot cards on them: ‘Not yet, we’re scared we might accidentally conjure up a ghost! Instrumentally, it all came down to wanting it to be a low blues jam. There’s a nice cruisey riff throughout the song. It came down to nice layers that Jethro is great at adding. We wanted to go for cruisey blues with that epic, crunchy, fuzz-driven guitar. What we’ve released so far is only the tip of the iceberg, we’ve written a lot of songs. We’ve got two singles in the works and hopefully will have our debut EP out by the end of the year.’

What makes Bad Witch particularly unique is that they have three lead vocalists – Shaw and Morris sing lead vocals on their debut single ‘Uptight’: ‘You don’t see a lot of bands with more than one vocalist, it’s true,’ Shaw said. ‘There’s so much variety when you have three of us. The overall plan was to go for two totally different sounding singles, we’ve tried to be more tactical with this project.’

Next up are two new singles ‘Lion’ written by Morris and ‘Oh My’ (working title) by Shaw, which will not feature on the EP: ‘It’s a toss up as to which one we’ll release next. ‘Lion’ has more of a western blues vibe to it, it’s a nice follow-up to ‘Devil’. ‘Oh My’ is more Arctic Monkeys, picking up the pace a bit on lead vocals. ‘Lion’ is basically about wanting to do what’s right but not being able to because it’d negatively effect others around you. Like sometimes, the right thing isn’t always the right thing for everyone, that’s what Jethro said. ‘Oh My’ is a play on words. It’s about what if Dorothy was the antagonist in The Wizard of Oz (laughs)? It’s about people putting on a pretty face and always getting what they want but eventually they end up hurting those around them without thinking about the ramifications of their actions.’

‘Casey has that real stoner, rocky vibe, he makes you want to headbang!’

They all had a hand in writing their debut single ‘Uptight’, a driving, energetic track full of heart, which kicks off with a thuddy bass line as Shaw and Morris trade lead vocals. It’s heavier, faster and wilder. The guitars are dirtier and scuzzier yet the track has the same nugget of darkness that makes ‘Devil’ so enticing: ‘Jethro had the main riff and brought it to me,’ Shaw said. ‘The next day, I had a free day and sat there writing the main verse, the hook of that chorus. I sent it to him and later that afternoon, Jethro sent me through through the second verse. It was written in sections, not all in one writing sesh. The other band members helped mold the rest of it. Casey has that real stoner, rocky vibe (laughs), he makes you want to headbang! That real mysterious rock vibe like Muse, what’s that one of theirs with the killer riff?’ I say they all have killer riffs and he laughs. ‘Ok, I’m gonna look it up (he does). ‘Supermassive Black Hole’! It’s got real cool swagger, that sweep your hair back vibe (laughs). That influenced how I wrote this song.’

Around 1 minute 30 into the song, it really kicks off as both the vocals and wailing guitars build to a melancholic key change, making it heavier and grungier: ‘This section is heavily influenced by Them Crooked Vultures,’ he said. ‘It’s designed to add tension before the next section when things release on the solo. We have my Fender Jaguar guitar playing through a Fender hot rod with a Rat pedal on the root notes – with me playing some vibrato in the appropriate moments with the tremelo arm – then Jethro added a clean guitar in the background doing the same thing as me to add a “western” feel to it. Jethro then did some bends an octave higher with his amp drive (an Ampeg GVT-212) and his Guild T-Bird. But yeah, lots of guitar layering there, plus there’s Kira’s synth on those high notes with us, too. Sonically, we think it sounds like some sort of alien planet! Jethro also had a touch of a high octave pitch shift mixed in throughout the whole solo so that it really peaks above the heavier guitars and distinguishes itself.’

Lyrically, ‘Uptight’ is about someone being better than anyone else, according to Shaw: ‘It’s about friends cancelling on you. At the time, I was feeling that about friends, who you try to make plans with but they cancel and act as if nothing matters. All four of us are singing on it, we already had Kira singing over the vocals in the chorus. We recorded that and part of ‘Devil’ on the same day.’ I say it sounds as if they really layered up the vocals on ‘Uptight’ and he nods: ‘We’ve got individual tracks we layered up and it’s the four of us at the end around the mic.’

As it kicks off: “Why settle with some phonies for some company? Stop begging me to share all my money. Pretend like you all really know me. Oh darling, I’m gonna have to disagree.”

‘It was a nice weekly tradition and I feel like having those moments really made me want to be a part of the music scene later on’

Shaw has his dad to thank for setting him on his musical path: ‘My dad was probably my biggest influence on music growing up. I remember waking up on Sunday mornings, having breakfast with the family and dad would play on the home stereo all the music he loved when he was growing up or some new band he discovered at the time. It was a nice weekly tradition and I feel like having those moments really made me want to be a part of the music scene later on.’ From that, it was only a small leap to picking up the guitar: ‘I probably chose guitar ‘cos I thought it was one of the coolest instruments as a kid, it started off as wanting to learn songs for the sake of playing stuff to my friends and family to sing along with, to later on discovering the joys of guitar pedals and seeing what crazy sounds I can make with them and the guitar. I find you can make the most simplest riff become so much more by adding a nice little effect on there. I could probably go on for hours on this (laughs)!’

His dream guitar would be a classic Gibson SG 61 in white: ‘I really wish I jumped on the Gibson bandwagon when they were still a running company but I was always swayed by Fender. This guitar just looks fantastic in my opinion and I feel like it’s such a practical guitar for both playing solos or nice big chords and it just looks good, too.’

Recently, their songs have become increasingly collaborative and can be kick-started in a myriad of ways: ‘Either someone will write a riff or someone will have a lyric or we might jam something out,’ he said. ‘I’m really hoping we’ll find the perfect song to all sing lead vocals on.’ They also bring a wide-range of influences to the band. ‘I’m more into garage fuzz rock like the Osees (an LA-based rock band). I really like Ty Segall, a multi-instrumentalist and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (a psych rock band in Melbourne).’ I say that I’m a big fan, too. ‘They’re so prolific, it’s amazing! I’ve seen them live once, the time I discovered them but I haven’t got to see them since, it’s sooo hard to get tickets.’

If he could go for a drink with anyone, he picks Jimi Hendrix: ‘I’d ask him how long it took to practice the guitar to get as good as he did – he probably never slept! I was always the guitar kid in my school playing for people’s assessments. If they needed a guitar, I was their guy (laughs). I started on acoustic when I was 12 and learned the basics, then in mid-high school, I started listening to 70’s rock like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and started playing that. If I could write a song with anyone, I would have to pick Dave Grohl. I’ve always loved all the side projects that he’s done and I feel like he’d be the type of musician you’d jam with who would bring out every creative bone in your body during the process, plus I reckon he’d make the writing sesh just an all-round fun time!’

(Top photo from left to right:  Casey, Jethro (back), Harley (front), Kira and Luc.)