Taylor Davis Waring
Answering this is in direct conflict with any answer I may or may not have to this question.
If you had an alias what might it be?
Answering this is in direct conflict with any answer I may or may not have to this question.
What bands are you actively involved with?
Aside from Merlock, I play in a death rock band called Cruel Velvet and have a couple other personal projects. One is an ambient / death dream project called dis/temper and one is a black metal-adjacent project currently without a name.
What was the first instrument that you played?
I'm not totally sure. I remember my first acoustic guitar, but I'm not sure if I played anything before that.
Tell me about one of your first musical memories?
I just remember when my elementary school friends and I transitioned from playing superheros on the playground into pretending we were in a band that were also superheroes.
What was the name of the first band you were in?
My first proper band was called Phineas. I started that in High School with my good friends Scott and Andrew. It was like post-grunge prog rock lol.
Tell me about the genesis of Merlock.
Merlock started in 2017, when I moved to Spokane to get my MFA in Creative Writing. I was pretty used to the lifestyle and I couldn't imagine my life without it. I met our drummer Luke on Craigslist. He'd just moved here from Montana and was in a similar place that way. I also met former member Hailey on Craigslist. I met Andrew on a local stoner / sludge Facebook group. We all clicked right away when we all got in a room to jam, so we just went with it. Hailey amicably left around 2019 and that ended up shifting our sonic trajectory a bit into where we are now.
What inspired the name Merlock?
Drinking and smoking weed.
How long did it take you to write and record Onward Strides Colossus?
It was actually a really quick, intense process. I want to say we wrote it all in around 6 to 9 months in 2020 and recorded it in early 2021.
If you could insert yourself into any one band what band would it be and why?
Maybe Neurosis is looking for a new front man?
Have you ever heard a song and immediately wished you had written it?If so... What was the song and artist?
DOPESMOKER
Do you have any non-metal musical inspirations?
Definitely. I don't really listen to that much metal these days. I've been in a real jazz rabbit hole lately. I really love Bohren & der Club of Gore. Obviously, there's the classics like Pink Floyd. Gilmour is a huge influence on my guitar playing. So is Robert Smith. There's a certain angularity in our earlier stuff that came from Omar Rodriguez Lopez. Leonard Cohen's lyricism is kind of always floating around in my mind. A lot of the lyrics on this record were inspired by the epic poetry tradition, so Homer, Dante, and Milton. I'm ravenously in love with good art, so it all kind of percolates in my noggin and comes out in unsuspecting ways.
What's a non-metal song that you'd like to do a cover of?
I was just watching a video of Amenra covering a Portishead track. Something like that would be rad. Maybe One of Us Cannot Be Wrong by Leonard Cohen.
What band have you played with that has really impressed you with their live show?
We've played with so many wonderful musicians. Wizzerd, Year of the Cobra, Hippie Death Cult, Sorcia, Mountain Tamer, LaGoon, Ghorot. Tons of great memories.
Do you have a favorite venue to play at?
I think Aces High in Salt Lake City is pretty high up there. One of our favorite spots on tour for sure.
Do you have a pre-show ritual?
Luke and Andrew have a beer or two at the bar and I pace around like a nervous wreck.
What is your favorite thing about touring?
The smells.
What is your least favorite thing about touring?
The smells.
Is there a city that you love to hit while on tour?
Salt Lake City is always tight, because that's where Aces High is. Santa Cruz has always made for a good time.
What's the weirdest experience you've had on the road?
I booked what I thought was a really nice Air BnB in the Redwoods. It was sketchy as hell. There was no TV, no real food around, no internet. The dude who owned seemed a little off. Not rad.
The year is 2006.Where are you at and what are you listening to?
I was obsessed with Dredg and The Mars Volta around then. Also a lot of Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle, and Sisters of Mercy.
What advice would you give young musicians that are just starting out in the music business?
Learn as much as you can about being a well-developed human being. Learn about business. Learn about marketing. Learn about history. It's all important. Just being a good musician isn't enough - that's one thing I wish I would have figured out earlier. You've gotta be a good person too.
What is an absolute band killer?
Lack of communication.
Have you ever recorded a song that you really didn't like, but somebody else in the band really did?
Lol. Yes. Absolutely. I think everyone in Merlock has a few pieces they aren't in love with, but that's less and less as we get better at writing albums and working as a unit.
If you were to start your own music festival what would be the name of that festival and who would be the three headlining bands?
I'm working on that. I haven't settled on a name, but I was thinking about calling it Reliq. Obviously getting High on Fire, Yob, and Bohren & der Club of Gore would be dream-level goals. Bongripper would be tight too.
What's the longest time you've gone without bathing?
What's bathing?
What's one thing that most people don't know about you?
I'd really rather just be spending time with my cats and my partner.
Is the Fistful of DOOM show in the top 10 of your favorite music podcasts?
If I listened to music podcasts, it would be. I only listen to podcasts to fall asleep, so I listen to really boring conspiracy shows and stuff on the occult. I really like Theories of the Third Kind and What Magick is This?
Do unicorns sleep standing up?
Unicorns don't sleep.
You're driving cross-country and you can only listen to one album the whole time.What album will it be?
DOPESMOKER
You are writing a book about your life thus far.What is the title of that book?
DOPESMOKER
What is your favorite song by Styx?
DOPESMOKER
Slipknot or Deftones (if you had to choose)?
Deftones hands down.
Doobies or Boobies (if you had to pick one)?
Death.
Waffles or Pancakes (if you had to pick one)?
Both are useless.
Star Wars or Star Trek (if you had to choose)?
Ugh. It's hard to say. Probably Trek because of TNG, but I watch A LOT of Star Wars lore videos on YouTube.
Favorite band t-shirt you own?
Sleeveless Matchbox 20.
Whatever one I didn't have to cook.
The Book of Nightmares by Galway Kinell
Queen of the Damned
Queen of the Damned OST
Frank's Adventure
Favorite Professional Wrestler?
LITA
Massive thanks to Taylor for taking the time to answer my questions.I appreciate it.If you are not listening to Merlock then what are you even doing with your life!?Seriously, take a little time out of your hapless day and cram some Merlock into your ear holes.You can thank me later.