INTERVIEW WITH THE BAND WORHOL

Left to right: Craig Malinowski, Ashley Worhol, Larry Worhol, Marty Naul

 Yes, another band I learned about in the FB group Female Christian Rock & Metal. This time around, I have the honor of having the entire band involved. Besides the initials, I have each member in a different color font to keep it who's speaking (Ashley in red, Larry in blue, Marty purple, and Craig green).

 

JR: It probably shows my age, but when I saw the band's name, I immediately thought of Andy Warhol. Any relation? Also, how did the band start, and who's all in the band? 

 

AW (Ashley Worhol): Actually, yes!! Andy is our distant cousin and there’s a long story to why our last name is spelt with an “O” instead of an “A” but in the end it’s a blessing because 1)  we are still recognized by our last name due to the relation, but 2) we are also able to create our own story since our spelling is slightly different.

Both my father (Larry Worhol) and I have always bonded over and shared our passion for music. Starting out, it wasn’t even until I was in college when I realized my dad played guitar. I always knew him as a pianist, like myself. I remember coming home one weekend and hearing what I thought was a recording playing and I walked in pleasantly surprised to see it was my dad playing the guitar! At that very moment we decided we were going to start a band and chase our dream together. We started writing music together and then began our search for our other band members. 

 

Currently, we have four total members: myself, of which I am the vocalist, lyricist, pianist and co-composer; my father, the guitarist, pianist and co-composer; our drummer Marty Naul and our bassist Craig Malinowski. My father, myself and Marty actually have our degrees in music and Marty even plays with the Fort Bend Symphony. Craig has his degree in Computer Animation which helps us because he does the majority of the graphic work for the band and even designed our logo! So overall, we have a very well-rounded group of individuals who are extremely passionate about music!  

 

JR: On your Facebook page, you have the intro, "An army of chosen ones who would bring forth to the land a new and inspirational voice in music." That sounds intriguing; would you like to elaborate? Any connection to your 2017 project "The Awakening?"

 

LW: Within the words spoken is a spiritual belief and message. Like an army of angels chosen by God to descend down to the Earth, they will be sent to change mankind to a new and better way of thinking and believing. Not that we were chosen by God, maybe so, but to bring a change to the age of music we live in and bring a breath of fresh air with our music.

AW: My father actually came up with that intro and in all honesty, I think it fits our band’s aesthetic quite perfectly. When we began the process of writing and recording our first album, “The Awakening” we wanted our music to tell a story, to be a voice that needed to be heard. The title is extremely symbolic and “The Awakening” represents the path of enlightenment and being aware of all that is going on around us. Our music, our lyrics, each of these are set to awaken individuals, to help guide them, to comfort them, allow them an escape from reality. Everything we do has a purpose.

 

JR: You have a new EP coming out, if I heard correctly. Would you like to tell me about it, and especially the track "Fight, Fight, Fight?" (As if there's any chance you don't want to talk about your new project?)

 

MN: Sure! My perspective is from a drummer’s point of view, so here goes; “Fight, Fight, Fight” is a hard driving straight-ahead rocker with a really fun drum part that I created for the song. There’s a lot of double bass drum work in the tune, but it doesn’t overshadow everything else that’s going on. There is also a recurring drum fill that I play, sixteenth notes between the Tom’s and kick drums, that I used to tie the sections of the song together. It’s a pretty intense drum part, but it’s a lot of fun to play! 

AW: The EP we have coming out I would consider to be some of the most elevated music we have written both lyrically and musically. Without giving too much away, what I can tell you is the majority of these tracks are heavier than our first album and the lyrical content is extremely deep. The orchestration that my father composed on these tracks are breathtaking and will completely take you on an enchanting, dark, yet beautiful journey.

The track you are inquiring about, “Fight, Fight, Fight” might be one of my favorite songs we have written but I’m a little biased and love all of them! Ok, maybe I’m a bit biased! HAHA! This track speaks about artistry as a whole. It doesn’t matter what field you are in; we as artists of all forms all have the right to share our story and should have the freedom to do so. This track is a reminder for anyone to fight for what they believe in and to stand strong if anyone tries to take away your voice. The opening lyrics of this song are, “In this mess of a world, I will stand. Join me in this fight, till the end. Hand in hand let's raise our flag. It’s us or them, don't be their body bag.”

 

JR: Besides the obvious pandemic, what struggles has the band dealt with since it started? What sources of encouragement have helped deal with those issues?

 

CM: Well since the pandemic has first started, it truly has affected us as a band as well as independently. Lockdowns lasted a while and even some great venues have shut down permanently. In 2020 I think we only played a single gig all year long. Finances become tight and delayed productions in what we had planned but we are still moving forward. All this can be pretty depressing. After being a bit down for a while, I decided to make the best with what I can. I found some flexible sources of income, started to take some time to invest in myself and eat healthier and work out a lot more. That has made a tremendous impact and helped me keep my head on straight.

 

AW: When the pandemic first became a national crisis everyone in the entertainment industry was left stranded. I know for myself, performing is a way I have always healed myself and that was no longer an option. I am someone who absolutely loves human connection and to not be able to perform, to hug, to share our music which allows people to escape, was actually incredibly difficult on many levels. I personally struggled with my mental health and fell into a deep depression. I am someone who always tries to turn a negative situation into something positive which is exactly what I did. I went straight back to music and started writing a song called, “Speak to Me” which Worhol is actually about to release this month (Jan. 28^th). Everything I was feeling, the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, I allowed myself to be vulnerable and turned this heartbreaking situation into something that could heal myself and hopefully others during this universal time of sorrow.

 

MN:  We have managed to keep our music alive and relevant during this trying time of COVID related shutdowns, by marketing our music through videos and films. When live performances went away, bands could either sit around wondering what to do, or they could think out of the box and come up with a “Plan B”, and that’s what we decided to do. By making sure our music stayed available, it hopefully gave people a way to escape the bad things that were going on all around them. 

 

JR: If there was one thing that happened that made you think the band accomplished something positive, what would that be?

 

AW: There have actually been so many positive accomplishments so far in our journey, it’s hard to choose just one. Outside of the personal satisfaction of putting what’s in your mind into a reality, what I cherish the most and will always consider a high accomplishment is when someone tells you how your music truly has impacted their life. I consider myself a healer in a way through our music and some of the messages I/we have received have put me in tears but in the most beautiful way possible. To be able to touch a human life in that way is exactly the reason I do what I do and is even more confirmation that I/We are on the path we are meant to be on.

 

JR: Thank you for your time. Any other news you'd like to share? Any events coming up? And how can we keep up with what's new with the band?

 

AW: We can’t thank you enough for taking the time to get to know us! We actually have a lot of incredible opportunities lined up for this year! One of our very exciting announcements is that Worhol will be headlining LEAF Fest in Llano, Tx March 12^th, 2022. We also have multiple musical releases planned for this year as well as a performance planned towards the end of the year that we can’t quite announce yet, but what I can say is something of this caliber has been on a bucket list of mine ever since the band began its journey. 

 

Some other exciting news, there are two featured films that I scored that are set to release this 2022 year. “Terror Trips” which is directed by Jeff Seemann and “Root” which is directed by Christopher Maggard. So overall, this year is looking quite promising for Worhol and we can’t wait to share our music with each and every one of you! In regard to keeping up with the band, you can follow us on all social media platforms and if you message the band you are in fact talking directly to us so feel free to reach out!