Interview with . . . Erin Incoherent
Erin Incoherent is the coolest. She’s definitely a punk rocker in appearance as well as the sentiment of her music. The music itself is like acoustic punk. If there were some more stringed instruments, her music would be folk punk. Incoherent does play the ukulele. You don’t see a ukulele in punk rock too often.
Anyway, since she was cool enough to grace us with her answers to our most pressing questions. Don’t forget to check out her links and the video after reading the interview.
How did you get into playing the ukulele?
My mom purchased me one for Christmas a few years ago and I’ve been playing around on it ever since.
What led to moving to Philadelphia from Colorado?
It was a culmination of being unable to remain in the same hometown filled with ghosts and memories and my heart calling me somewhere else. An old friend told me he would be looking for a new roommate in Philadelphia if I or anybody I knew would be interested. I told him I was.
Who would you pick?: Erin Incoherent or Erin Coherent
Erin Incoherent was my stage name from my very first punk band so that’s why I chose it when I re-labeled my music from my birth name. I like it because it rhymes and because I’m not actually incoherent. My lyrics make a lot of sense if you’re listening to them, but I feel like a lot of the sentiment can get lost in the poppier sounding and more upbeat songs, like Medusa. (Which is about getting on and off of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.)
What advice would you give to anyone with anxiety issues?
Hmm, I feel like you either have time to be avoidant or be reactionary. You can either map out things to do to avoid being triggered, or you can create an evacuation route for once you’ve been thrown into an anxious environment. Now sometimes people feel anxious for no reason. And my advice is to learn to identify your surroundings and perhaps employ grounding techniques (what are 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste) as these have been found as effective in identifying how your body reacts in stressful situations.
Why do you think Medusa is still so interesting?
As a track? Because it’s dark with content but lively as a song. I think that kind of dichotomy can reel you back in again and again. You can listen to it mad, sad, groovin or glad and it’s going to greet you differently each time. As an album? Because it was made in a very transitional time period for me and I think a lot of people will hear that reflected in their own journies. I think there’s a lot of different elements at play musically throughout the album, and that always helps to keep the ear of the listener as well.
Is that a tattoo of Frieda Kahlo on your bicep?
Yes. I’ve been captivated by her since the first time I learned about her in one of my high school classes. She’s always seemed to honor herself and her heart. She overcame so much in her life and still did it all in her own way. She knew pain and love and travel and creation and loss quite vividly. I adore her work and writings. Though I really do wish she had just stayed away from Diego.
Where was your first show as a fan? as a performer?
The first show was 2005 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado to see Green Day on their American Idiot tour. First performer show was probably the 7th-grade talent show. That must’ve been 2006. But overall, I’ve jumped behind the mic every chance I’ve gotten growing up.
Do you have a favorite show on TV/Netflix?
If I’m on Netflix, I’m either pilot surfing (just watching the first episode of random new shows) or watching cool house shows or blue planet 2 or serial killer documentaries
What kind of books are you into — if you’re into reading?
The last book I finished was lent to me by my roommate, who is an avid reader of many different tastes. It’s called ‘The Weight of This World’ by David Joy and it was truly a good read. It’s one of those books where action meets consequence in a grizzly and dismal way, and how what remains afterwards can inspire a new life.
What do you want people to know about Erin Incoherent?
I’d like them to feel like they know me when they listen to Medusa and see the lyrics. I’d like them to know that there’s somebody else who understands feelings of worthlessness and fear and I’d like them to feel inspired to move through their problems with new options. I guess to say it shortly, I want people to know I want to help. That I understand feeling viciously unwanted and that I have also learned to viciously love myself despite some persons best efforts. That new future can exist out of harsh sadness and pain.
Links:
Erin Incoherent on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinincoherent/
Erin Incoherent on Spotify :https://open.spotify.com/album/7q4bN7V66ASpdin4ODyqVP
Erin Incoherent on Twitter: https://twitter.com/erin_incoherent?s=09
Nick is Your Buddy with the music: https://www.radioreadypr.com/
Originally published at chasingdestino.com on February 13, 2019.
