California-based experimental musician Lou Kelly has long been known for his genre-defying sound, darkly humorous storytelling, and wildly eclectic influences. With his latest release, No More Children (review here), Kelly once again blurs the lines, blending elements of punk, metal, orchestral arrangements, and even vintage jazz into a uniquely unsettling yet oddly melodic experience. Never one to take himself too seriously, Kelly’s music thrives on contradiction—abrasive yet catchy, chaotic yet carefully composed. In this interview, he offers a glimpse into his creative process, the inspirations behind his latest work, and the irreverent worldview that fuels his aural experiments.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your musical journey. How did you get started in the world of experimental rock/metal?
When I came into this world against my will, I was thrown into a dumpster. As I banged into the walls, my first thought was, “What an interesting rhythm”. My second thought was, “Ow”.
Thankfully, I was eventually rescued by a pack of hyenas. They were classically trained to play punk music by their previous owners before they were abandoned (hyenas are high maintenance and have expensive tastes, apparently). So, coming from that musical background, it seemed natural to get involved with rock and metal music that could be vaguely described as experimental.
[Lou Kelly’s biographer fact checked these statements which were determined to be false. Much to everyone’s disappointment, Kelly was actually raised by a human. Kelly joined punk and metal bands in his childhood/adolescence. While punk and metal in their various permutations were central themes, Kelly was thankfully surrounded by friends, family and bandmates with very eclectic tastes – progressive rock, classical, movie soundtracks, jazz, new age hippie music, folk, and a dose of Weird Al and Enya.]
Let’s dive into the featured track on the compilation. Can you share the inspiration or story behind “Allie”?
I’ll over-indulge in the actual music later but as far as the lyrical story is concerned, it started from realizing everyone from my peer group were having kids and cultivating their own families (or so it seemed, anyway). At least on the surface, they appeared to be flourishing as they expanded to being – not only individuals with their own dreams and interests – but as parents raising and guiding their children through life; discovering a kind of love that is of its own form. I thought it was an oddly beautiful thing and couldn’t understand how they have the time or energy for their own creative pursuits while keeping their kids alive.
Naturally, my impulse was to express this pessimistically and present the exact opposite of what I just described above – which was the result of No More Children.
With “Allie” specifically, I had the unoriginal idea of a woman who, out of perceived necessity, begrudgingly takes on the role as a maternal caregiver (which ultimately becomes her exclusive identity forever). I just imagined the utter resentment that comes with that – the feeling of being a mother and grandmother at the expense of your own life. The song ends when Allie grows old and drowns her grandchild. A happy ending, naturally.
[Lou Kelly’s biographer confirmed these claims are true.]
Walk us through your creative process. How do you typically approach writing and composing music? What was your creative process like for your recent EP No More Children?
Usually, I scream into the void. Sometimes it tells me I need to polish my ideas but it usually politely asks me to stop.
From there, I try a variety of methods to get my ideas into music and it all depends on the style I’m trying to accomplish and the mood I’m in. That may involve mashing my knuckles into the keyboard; molesting the guitar; starting a mosh pit with the pots and pans; shouting at my tape recorder like it owes me money; or clicking buttons on the computer with my eyes closed and hoping for the best.
For No More Children specifically, I wanted to try a few things I haven’t tried before. Previously, I’ve “composed and arranged” hardcore/punk/metal/mathcore with primarily orchestral instrumentation (not real instruments; just with sample libraries and virtual instruments – because I’m an authentic poser). However, I wanted to do something that was vaguely closer to “emo” (or my perverted, contorted interpretation of it). I wanted to do something that just sounded “lighter” than I did previously – something that was far more consonant and blatantly melodic (rather than the outright dissonant or pseudo-atonal stuff I’m used to doing). I wanted to try and capture something that felt like a mix of old-age emo; Dead Boys-like punk; pseudo Bruce Springsteen-esque gusto and song-writing; and vaguely Nat King Cole-ish medium ensemble arrangements.
I also wanted to treat it as if the songs were movements of a symphony with consistent instrumentation throughout rather than doing what I normally do (having a different production and set of instruments on every track). I’ve never wrote a literal symphony or an actual overture before so I wanted to dip my toes.
The whole process was a pain in the ass and to explain it will bore you to tears.
So, I’ll go ahead explain.
The songs were written on guitar (I wanted to use more “pretty” chords with extended intervals you’d expect from those soft spoken, alternative college kids from the midwest). Also, as useless as this sounds, I was curious what it sounded like to use acoustic guitars but have them function in the same way as typical electric, distorted guitars in a punk production. I recorded the “acoustic” guitars with a Line 6 Variax Standard with the acoustic models – again, authentic poser.
From there, I started recording and programming the rest of the instruments (my DAW of choice is Reaper, by the way).
I started with the “core band” first – guitars, bass, and drums. I played the guitars and bass but programmed the drums, if that means anything to anyone.
For the orchestral parts, I sketched out the arrangements with generic, factory virtual instruments (the instruments that come with Kontakt, if anyone’s curious). That allowed me to figure out the harmonies and extra melodic themes before dissecting and disseminating the midi data to other sample libraries that sound more like real instruments and less like an ’80s synth.
On the days when the neighbors weren’t home to disturb, I recorded the vocals.
Fun (for no one) facts:
– For the track “V. To My Sons”, I recorded the spoken word portion first and wrote/arranged the instrumental around it. It was tedious and I wouldn’t recommend it.
– For the track “IV. Maxie”, the faux-classical guitar outro was written and recorded years prior and I threw it in because I didn’t know how to end the song (and I was lazy). I sprinkled in the extra instrumentation later.
[Kelly’s biographer verified the statements are mostly true but felt necessary to clarify that when Kelly was “molesting the guitar”, it was consensual. When attempting to contact the void regarding Kelly’s creative process, it was unavailable for comment. It is confirmed that the fun facts are in fact not fun for anyone.]
Who or what are your major influences? How do they impact your own musical style?
Musically speaking, it’s a hodgepodge of various sources and ultimately I use them as a frame of reference when I want to imitate something in my own limited ability.
Depending on the project, the influences can vary drastically but I will list some of the artists that the largest or most consistent impact that permeate throughout my work:
AFI – for showing me how music works.
Beethoven – for showing me how classical music works.
System Of A Down – for their unique and weird approach to metal that somehow made it catchy.
Mr. Bungle – for their extremely wide ranging, expansive, and masterful weirdness that melds and defies genres at the same time.
Tom Waits – similar reasons as Mr. Bungle; extremely versatile with an unmistakable voice. He seems more like a myth or some bygone historical figure than a real person.
Devon Townsend – for his unique, jaw dropping, extravagant, and humorous approach to metal.
Justin Pearson (particularly The Locust) – for showing me that hardcore punk pathos truly can be expressed cinematically and with virtuosity.
Dillinger Escape Plan – for anything mathcore related.
Kurt Weill – for his unique approach where pathos, uneasiness, tasteful dissonance are displayed beautifully through his compositions.
Danny Elfman – his Tim Burton movie soundtracks are truly a soundtrack to my childhood.
Frank Sinatra – more so the big band orchestrations that supports his voice.
Modest Mussorgsky – specifically the “Night On Bald Mountain” as shown in Fantasia.
There are so many others that I’m forgetting (and will regret for doing so).
I will also throw in an “odds and ends category” that typically involves music found by accident, whose names I forget, but the music and atmosphere left a mark. This is from stumbling across old records and especially the out-of-context videos online.
Some examples: a country band that plays ballads at funerals; DIY instruments (see Bart Hopkin); Balinese gamelan music; Klezmer music; Native American chants; “negro spirituals”; Russian folk pop from the ’60s; Ethiopian jazz; calypso; circus music; calliopes; dixieland jazz; canine heart sounds; novelty albums; kitsch; murder ballads; dystopian R&B, jazz infused hip-hop; cartoon soundtracks; vocal noises; childrens choirs; musicals; cult music; religious music from regions I can’t pronounce; Mariachi in minor; and animal noises.
[Kelly’s biographer confirmed the statements are true. However, it should be noted that Kelly neglected to mention that Kelly’s biggest influence to create music against people’s wishes is spite.]
What challenges have you faced as an artist in the scene, and how have you overcome them?
As an artist stuck in a scenery painting, I can tell you it’s very challenging to get out. While the landscape with rolling hills and lush trees was truly a beautiful scene to behold (it’s as scenic as it gets), it gets boring and lonely after a while. Thankfully, I was able to fist fight my way out of the painting against my Bob-Ross-wannabe-of-a-painter and enter the real world again.
Although I was able to break out from my scenic prison of idyllic landscapes, I was not quite able to break into the prog rock scene with the same success. The thing is, I haven’t figured out how to market myself correctly (or consistently) or get people’s attention as an artist. We’re all already drowning in oceans of music that grow bigger by the second and I haven’t figured out a way to convince people to get in a canoe and row themselves over to my own little cesspool.
I’d say the biggest challenge is just being noticed at all. And if you do get noticed, the next challenge is to trick people into thinking your cesspool is really Kool-Aid to get them to drink out of it. Then the next challenge from there is you’re trying to plead your case on Judge Judy. It’s just a hassle.
[Kelly’s biographer lost their patience in fact checking the above claims. One discrepancy to note however is that Kelly does not own anything, let alone a cesspool. He doesn’t even own his own soul.]
How do you see the scene evolving, and what role do you believe your music plays in that evolution?
As I haven’t been able to break into the scene to get a good look at it myself, I can only judge from an outsider’s perspective with a bum eye – kind of like a blind peeping tom.
With that said, I believe that music in general (prog rock, punk, and metal are no exceptions) is constantly expanding at lighting speed. The tools to make music by yourself are becoming more accessible by the minute. I believe just about anyone can write, record, and release an album for cheap or free while still “feeling” like a deliberate piece of art that can connect with someone on an emotional level.
With the Internet (despite algorithmic manipulations and limitations), I think it’s natural that people’s tastes (both fans and artists) are becoming more eclectic as they stumble upon something new through the constant piss-streams of content. Those influences (and their infinite iterations) are reflected in their music making.
I think the evolution from this leads to an unfathomable rate of new subgenres, microcosms, esoteric fandoms, and niches. Corners within scenes; nooks within subgenres; crannies within subcultures. Essentially, if you can think of it, there’s a good chance there’s already scene for it.
As much as I would love to believe I’m a special snowflake, my work is very much a product of this evolution of infinite mutation and unconscious influences. The role my music plays in this evolution is not even a background character; it’s a passive audience member.
[Kelly’s biographer confirms that his work is not special.]
Share with us some of the most memorable moments in your musical journey so far.
There are too many but here are a few:
– I played a show in a cave. The cavemen were unimpressed though they got excited by the pyrotechnics as they’ve never seen fire before.
– I once sang some lullabies to a gang of rats before they ate my shoes.
– I played a show as a clown and was asked to cut my set short when I was making off-color jokes. The children, like the cavemen, were unimpressed though I heard a young Arthur Fleck was in the audience taking notes.
– I played an acoustic show in a sewer. The mutants seemed to appreciate it. One of the turtles brought me pizza.
– I performed at a public bathroom. The patrons weren’t expecting it and felt uncomfortable whenever I made eye contact.
– I started a mosh pit at a kindergarten. The teachers were not pleased.
– I did a gig at a dog pound. The dogs couldn’t understand the lyrics when I sung them so I had to bark and howl instead. I was paid in Milkbones.
– I played at the care center for the deaf and blind once. I didn’t get much of a response from the audience though.
On a more sincere note, one of my highlights that I always bring up is collaborating with the disgustingly magnificent animator Nekrotherium (or Waldemar Schuur). He has a unique art style that I always describe as wonderfully grotesque. I am quite frankly enamored with his creativity. For a point of reference, I’d describe his art as a mix between Ralph Bakshi, Ren and Stimpy, and nightmares.
I had the honor of doing the soundtrack and sound design for his fully animated short film “Savage Death Valley” (about two cavewomen wandering treacherous landscapes and fending off beasts and monsters).
Savage Death Valley video here – https://youtu.be/KOeb_dBwmMs?si=7Cd8-LK-v_s3Kc7t
I was also able to trick him into doing two animated music videos for my album Junk City (“Junk City” and “Juh Jee Juh Boo Boo”).
Junk City – https://youtu.be/ikX3E4_mM9Y?si=Gage0rO4myhCxCBQ
Juh Jee Juh Boo Boo – https://youtu.be/yDCEB5Zxc4Y?si=QQvY8Xp3MJk6qs3O
[With the exception of his collaboration with Nekrotherium, Kelly’s biographer could not find records of any of these events. It is generally accepted that there is nothing memorable about Kelly’s musical journey.]
Do you have a personal favorite among your own compositions? If so, which one and why?
No.
Can you give us a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re working on?
I don’t know when it will ever be out but I’m working on a spoken word album currently titled “Noble Men”. It’s taking on the perspective of various characters; all morally bereft men who think they’re anything but.
Remember when I said that I wrote and arranged the instrumental around the spoken word recording for “V. To My Sons”, that it’s tedious and I wouldn’t recommend it? Well, I’m doing that for the entire album.
I also provide vocals for the progressive metal band The World Is Quiet Here. As a follow-up to their last album (“Zon”), they’re having me also provide vocals for their upcoming EP. It’s one of the few things I’m excited about and I still don’t understand why they trust me to taint their masterful work with my vocal noises.
[Kelly’s biographer detects no lies here.]
What does it mean to you to be a part of our compilation? How has the experience been for you?
It’s an honor! I always wanted to be associated with Prog Sphere in some form or fashion so I was happy to be part of the compilation. It’s also doubly cool as Prog Sphere interviewed my Internet buddy Jón Þór Sigurleifsson for his project Kilpréz. So, I feel like I am in good company.
Check out his latest schizophrenic album “A Dirge For Dregs” – A Dirge For Dregs | Kilpréz
Is there a message you’d like to convey to your fans who will be discovering your music through this compilation?
I apologize.
For Lou Kelly’s music visit his Bandcamp. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
