Interviews: Watersdeep
On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Pop Punk band Watersdeep from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.
1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?
Gabe: Watersdeep started when I was in college. Me and my former bandmate John Martin
would always do acoustic covers on a college radio show that I used to have. One night we
covered “Drown” by Bring Me The Horizon and my DJ partners girlfriend jokingly texted him
saying “Tell Gabe to name his band The Water Is Deep” (In reference to the Drown cover we
had just played) and that eventually led to the name Watersdeep.
2. Why did you want to play this genre?
Gabe: When I was 18 and just starting college, pop punk was making a massive comeback
with bands like The Story So Far, Real Friends, The Wonder Years, etc. Since I didn’t know
many people when I first got to college, I spent a lot of time alone, teaching myself to sing and
teaching myself acoustic covers; mostly a ton of Mayday Parade. The melodic “sad boy” pop
punk/emo vibes really resonated with me and inspired me to start writing my own music. This is
how the first Watersdeep songs were written.
3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?
Gabe: Watersdeep started as a duo between me and my buddy John, but when he left, it
became my solo project. Rohan and Julia have always been great friends of mine in the music
scene, long before Watersdeep became a full band. We were all part of the same scene and
knew each other from shows, which eventually led to the current lineup Watersdeep has now.
Rohan: Back when Watersdeep was just Gabe and John, I did vocals in a metal band. We
ended up playing a few shows together on mixed genre bills, which led to that connection.
When Gabe was toying around with the idea of turning Watersdeep into a full band, I jumped at
the opportunity.
Julia: I’m the newest addition, I met Gabe and Rohan early 2018 through a mutual friend, by
then Watersdeep was well on their way to becoming a full band. In July 2019 I volunteered
when they needed a fill-in bassist--best impulse decision I’ve ever made. I joined as a full
member when we got the chance to play in The Emo Show, a fantastic concert series run by
Transcendent Events at Baltimore Soundstage.
4. Each band member favorite band?
Gabe: My Chemical Romance. They were the first band to truly inspire me to play music and
create a band of my own.
Rohan: That’s a tough one… I feel like my list of favorite bands changes pretty often. I would
say that Modern Day Babylon, Thornhill, In Her Own Words, Sworn In, and Before I Turn are
some of my favorite bands right now. Oh, and Dealer slaps pretty hard too.
Julia: Don’t make me choose a favorite child! Off the top of my head: The Cranberries, Bastille,
Periphery, Halestorm, Foo Fighters. That hurt to choose.
5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?
Gabe: The biggest thing that inspires us to write the music that we do is the messages we want
to give to our listeners, which is to always love yourself and know your self worth. We write
about some pretty sensitive topics but we do so because we want our music to be there for
those who need it. I think taking care of your mental health is extremely important and I believe
that music can be a great medicine for those who are struggling.
Rohan: I’m an absolute sucker for emotional sounding instrumental sections in songs.
Personally, if I’m in a rough spot mentally, listening to music that I can relate to, both lyrically
and sonically, helps me feel better. That being said, most of my musical inspiration comes from
pain and my strong desire to express how I’m feeling in a constructive way.
Julia: Music is an opportunity to enter your unique perspective into a conversation with an
unlimited number of people. Every day I realize there’s more I haven’t processed about myself
and my experiences, and I’m still learning how to set aside time to rest and reflect: writing is a
great way to guide me in doing so. I’m more comfortable with words and the rhythm section right
now--lyrics and bass lines flood my head at random times--and I’m still learning my way around
writing for a full band, but I’m lucky to have the best collaborators!
6. Where was your last gig?
The Flipside Lounge in Fredericksburg VA. It’s a really cute DIY cafe and a friend of ours threw
the show together to cap off our EP Release weekender. Before that it was the VFW in Falls
Church VA for our EP release party. Next up is Metro Gallery in Baltimore, which we’re eager to
play: every Transcendent Events show is always a party!
7. Where would you like to act?
Gabe: I would really love to play The Fillmore in Silver Spring one day. I went to so many
shows there in college, so it’d be amazing to one day play on that stage.
Rohan: I heard that Mayhem Fest is making a comeback...
Julia: 930 Club, hands down. Best venue in the country, maybe the world.
8. Whom would you like to feature with?
Gabe: If I could work with anybody I would love to work with Gerard Way. He’s such a talented
world builder/story teller on top of being a great singer/songwriter. I love how every MCR album
has a specific story and vision to it, and I think doing any sort of collaboration with him would be
an amazing experience.
Rohan: For the past few years, a goal of mine had been to work with Tyler Dennen, the old
vocalist of Sworn In. I was always drawn to their unique sound and creative imagery, and they
have been one of my favorite bands for a long time. Recently, I was able to get ahold of Tyler.
He is currently recording a guest vocal spot on a song I am working on for a heavy recording
project that hasn’t been announced yet.
Julia: I have this recurring dream that I’m a guest vocalist on a new Bastille track but that’s a
ways off, unless someone wants to hook me up with a plane ticket. I’d love to be on the same
bill with so, so many artists... I think we’d fit as good openers to bands like Doll Skin, Dance
Gavin Dance, and Nothing More.
9. Whom not?
We hate that we still have to say this in 2020, but any group with members who are racist,
sexist, homophobic, or transphobic, are people we don’t want to associate with.
10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat
that?
Gabe: I definitely do. I get very nervous before every show, especially when we are headlining
or playing a larger venue. Sometimes I do a quick breathing exercise before going on stage to
help calm myself down. Breathe in for four seconds. Hold for four seconds. Breathe out for four
seconds. It’s a nice stress reliever and really helps to relax you before going on stage.
Rohan: I guess I do, but I wouldn’t call it stage fright as much as I would call it a slight lack of
confidence. Remembering that everyone is there to just have a good time, and consciously
reminding myself not to overthink and second guess my ability helps keep me grounded before
a performance.
Julia: Oh yes. Even when performing with choirs, I get nervous. My first ever show on bass was
at Baltimore Soundstage in front of hundreds of people, so I really got thrown in the deep end! I
try to have a few minutes fully alone before a set, blast music that makes me feel invincible, and
jump around like a fool to get all the nervous energy out! When onstage, I find that interacting
with my bandmates on stage really helps my confidence.
11. What bands have inspired you the most?
Gabe: My Chemical Romance has always been my biggest inspiration. I wouldn’t be playing
music if it weren’t for them. One of the first songs I ever tried teaching myself by ear was the
intro to “Welcome to the Black Parade” on piano when I was 10. Later in life I discovered
Mayday Parade and they are still one of my favorite bands to this day. Mayday Parade is partly
responsible for Watersdeep’s earlier sound, because they really inspired me to want to capture
that same “sad boy emo/pop punk” vibe.
Rohan: Two bands that really inspired me musically early on are Linkin Park and Breaking
Benjamin. Linkin Park is the reason I started getting into slightly more aggressive styles of
music...Chester Bennington is the reason I learned how to scream. I also listened to Breaking
Benjamin religiously during a particularly rough patch in high school. Their dark and full sound
resonates with me immensely, and has definitely helped shape my current writing style.
Julia: When I was 9, I ripped my dad’s old punk and new wave CDs and put them on my MP3
player (what an old-fashioned sentence) and felt like I’d found a world I could fit into with The
Clash, The Cars, The Boomtown Rats, Sex Pistols, and their cohorts. As a teenager, Halestorm
was the first band where I directly could connect the music to envisioning myself on stage,
fearlessly. As an adult I look to Bastille for inspiration on how I want to be as a writer: they’ve
created a soundscape in their songs that’s uniquely them, and while we’re not the same genre
by any means I want to make sure Watersdeep has a unique sonic identity that can’t be
mistaken for anyone else.
12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?
Not an ask per se, but the weirdest fan interaction we’ve had so far: We had a show in DC last
summer and after every song, this dude kept coming up to the stage and placed an orange in
front of us. We ended up having like 5 or 6 oranges just chilling on the stage. We don’t know
where he got the oranges from or why he had so many just, ready for us, but we appreciate it,
dude!
13. What do you think of your fans?
We think very highly of our fans and love every single one of them! They’re the whole reason
we’re able to keep going with the things that we do. Watersdeep has been given a lot of
wonderful opportunities in the past couple years, and a big part of that is thanks to everybody
that supports us: whether that’s coming to our shows, streaming our music, buying merch, or
simply showing us love through the screen!
14. What do you think of our site?
We believe that sites like this are incredibly important to the music scene. Any company that
helps promote growing bands will always have our support. We are very thankful that you exist
and that you’ve helped push our latest release. We also love how the new music never stops!
Every day there are multiple new discoveries that help us expand our musical horizons, which is
ideal because we never want to stop checking out new artists.
15. Something to add?
We want to thank everybody for taking the time to read this interview. We have a new EP out
now called Trust Issues where you can find everywhere online, and we would love for you to
check it out! Keep up with our adventures on Facebook and Instagram, @watersdeepband, and
be sure to reach out: we’d love to talk with you!
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