FOR FANS OF: Babes In Toyland, Paramore, Nirvana
Riot Course are a brand new alt-rock band, out from Michigan. The trio consists of Kate Emrich (vocals, guitar), Spencer Haithcock (bass) and Sawyer Dupree (drums). They made their debut at the end of last year with single "Insecure," a furious and promising start, and released their first EP earlier this month, Maybe I'll See You Next Year, a 5-track EP that is brilliant and absolutely worth listening to if you're a fan of guitar-driven, alt-rock music. Scroll on to read the interview I did with the band.
1) Who are the members of Riot Course and where are they from?
Kate Emrich is the founding member of Riot Course as well as the original writer, guitariast, vocalist and bass player. She is joined by bassist Spencer Andrew, and drummer Sawyer Dupree.
Kate, originally born in California moved to Michigan and spent her years growing up in various different houses in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. Spencer was born in Michigan and resides in Ypsilanti. Sawyer is from and lives in Ann Arbor.
2) Where did you meet?
Kate: I met Spencer in 2019 attending an Antighost show. We attended together and I knew him to have mutual friends. We ended up hitting it off and making some really great memories, and would go to some of the same shows. In September of 2020 we became roommates. I met Sawyer during the summer of 2020 at our local skatepark, and I had heard from a few friends that he was a talented musician as well. We discovered that we grew up attending the same music school as well, it felt like a good fit.
3) What’s the story behind your first single, ‘Insecure’?
Written from a place of hurt and betrayal, the song focuses on Kate regaining her worth and power while she simultaneously watches the antagonist deteriorate, unable to manipulate her anymore. The song was written and recorded at the same time as the other tracks on the EP (that is pending release), but felt like the proper teaser for the project given its fervent and somewhat spiteful energy in which many can relate to when they feel wronged by a person. “As soon as Kate showed me this track over the summer I knew this project was going to be something special”, Spencer says.
4) Who are your musical influences?
Kate: Each of us have considerably different taste in music, however with overlap between certain artists and subgenres. As for primary musical influences that influence the writing process, I draw inspiration from artists such as Dead Poet Society, Nothing But Thieves, and Microwave, although her overall taste ranges from 60’s 70’s psych rock to 8-’s metal to modern hardcore and post-hardcore.
Spencer is a fan of Early 2000's pop-punk bands (like MCR, Fall Out Boy, Say Anything)
90's indie rock/midwest emo (like Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral, Nirvana, Drive Like Jehu, Fugazi) to Alternative Metal (like Deftones, and System Of A Down).
Sawyer says, "For drumming, I’d probably say Travis Barker is the most influential drummer on the way I play, I like playing a lot of pop punk and hardcore type beats”. He is a fan of a wide range of emo and indie acts.
5) How would you describe your sound?
A combination of old-school emo music and New Rock Mafia influence, with hard-hitting riffs and powerful vocals.
6) Can you tell us a little about your debut EP?
The process for Maybe I’ll See You Next Year involved about five months of writing, and the five songs on the EP were narrowed down from an original eight. It was written and performed by Kate and engineered by Mark Stewart of Raydon Studios who has also helped create fantastic records for some of our favorite Michigan bands.
7) What are your plans for the rest of 2021?
Until we can play live shows, we will be focusing on writing primarily for the next bit, as well as connecting with new people and bands online. We really hope there is a chance 2021 will be able to host live music.
8) If you could tour with anyone in the world, who would it be?
Microwave, Dogleg, the Arctic Monkeys, or members of NRM (New Rock Mafia, the Canadian collective made up of cleopatrick, Ready the Prince, and ZIG MENTALITY.
9) Is there any special meaning behind your band name? Is it a reference to the riot grrrl movement in the 90’s?
The name "Riot Course" came from a poster Spencer saw in a downtown cafe, which depicted a student protester after being roughed up by the cops. The poster was meant to show the protestor in a negative light, but by reclaiming that image as activists, we like the statement that is made.
(But also, we do love Bikini Kill)
10) What do you love about music?
The catharsis, release, escape, community, and the creation of something greater than yourself that has the potential to impact someone’s life. We remember what it felt like growing up and finding the bands that shaped us. To be that for others is a fantastic concept. We love the emotion music brings out in people and the different energies that attract certain people to certain types of music.
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