Getting to Know… Aaron Avis | Interview 🎤

Aaron Avis digs deep on the 75^th interview on the Musical Hype, discussing his unique brand of music and mental health.

“I was always kind of a loner; struggling with a lot of trauma and depression and anxiety I just didn’t even know how to process. I just put a lot of that into music, finding comfort in the artists I loved.” That’s just a portion of Aaron Avis’ personal response regarding his musical background.  Throughout the 75^th interview published on The Musical Hype, Avis provides absolutely brilliant, thoughtful responses to my deep, probing, and specific questions.  In regard to a question about mental health, he prudently answers, “Some people shove that shit down their whole lives, and it immobilizes them. I know I was very at risk of that until my friend told me ‘you have to choose yourself.’ That definitely transcends music, sigh.

Although there are no shortage of deeper moments encompassing mental health and sexuality, this jam-packed interview also has ample discussion about his music, including the colorful single, “Bad Bitch Walk,” as well as his 2019 concept album, Erin.  Self-described as “A blend of a lot of the Goth music,” and the “current wave of emo trap/pop,” Avis is an incredibly compelling musician, period.  Without further ado, here is one of my favorite interviews I’ve ever had the pleasure to conduct, Getting to Know…Aaron Avis: Interview #75!

Hey Aaron, thanks so much for agreeing to this interview – it is a pleasure to have this opportunity with you.  The Getting to Know… series is all about learning more about musicians in a variety of ways. For those who are unfamiliar with you, tell us a little bit about yourself – your background, your motivation to become a musician. … I know you are from Minneapolis. 

Aaron Avis: Thank you for having me! Yeah, I’ve been in Minneapolis my whole life. I’ve been playing shows in the area since around 2015, in different projects and outfits before landing on my current thing.  I was a really lonely kid. I didn’t really have a friend group until my last year of high school. I was always kind of a loner; struggling with a lot of trauma and depression and anxiety I just didn’t even know how to process. I just put a lot of that into music, finding comfort in the artists I loved. That’s just what I want to be for other people, to give that sense of understanding and comfort.

How does your background impact or influence your music? Do you use music to channel adversities or the hardships you’ve faced, and if so, how?  

Avis:  It’s kind of hard to explain to be honest. When I write a song it’s all for me; channeling those feelings, purging those huge emotions. Like, finding a place to put all those things I don’t know how to cope with.

When I release a song it’s for everyone but me. It’s always been weird to justify releasing music because it’s always felt like “oh, this is an ego thing, look at me.” It’s uncomfortable to think of it like that or be perceived like that. Now I think of it like “I know someone else has felt this exact same thing, so if they take comfort in this song it’s worth it.” When I listen to The Cure I’m never thinking “Damn, Robert Smith just wants everyone to pity him.” I think “Damn, Robert gets it.” Ultimately, I think by expressing myself as openly as possible it’s inevitable I strike a chord with people. No matter what the context, people feel the same things and experience the same emotions. I think music shows us what it means to be human, by showing us that other people know those feelings in inexplicable ways.

I know that you wish to be transparent about personal struggles with trauma and with mental illness.  For so many years, it seems too many people were willing to sweep mental health under the rug and write it off – ridiculous, of course.  Speak about your thoughts on the significance of mental health, and perhaps what you might say to someone else who’s experiencing it.

Avis: Processing my own trauma and learning to cope with mental illness has changed who I am. I honestly think it’s dangerous to live under this toxic assumption – that our culture is so used to – that processing your trauma or acknowledging your mental illness makes you weak or crazy or whatever. Some people shove that shit down their whole lives, and it immobilizes them. I know I was very at risk of that until my friend told me “you have to choose yourself.”

That would be my advice too. It seems powerless, but you have to choose yourself. You have to decide you’re worth the intense amount of pain and work that goes into accepting these things. And you have to decide you’re worth loving; because the hardest part is being faced with my mental illness every day and in that moment having to say, “I love myself enough to try.” Trying can mean a lot of things, big and small. Taking a shower, getting out of bed, taking a break. But making the decision to love yourself over and over again in small ways culminates into being able to make that decision for huge things; avoiding toxic relationships, coping with tragedy, etc.

Admittedly, that was a HEAVY question! Let’s focus more on music, shall we? As a graduate music composition student, I remember one of my professors talking about the significance of a composer being able to describe their music.  Applying that any sort of musician, how would you describe your music stylistically, emotionally?

Avis: Stylistically, it’s a blend of a lot of the goth music I love and this current wave of emo trap/pop. Emo trap was a revelation for me, because I had wanted to find a way to meld my love of goth music and hip hop for a long time, but I had no format to go off of. But emo trap was such a perfect blend of its two influences; it showed me how it could be done. The percussive elements, bass, flows – that’s all based in hip hop. The sonic textures, my voice, and the style of production are all rooted in goth music.

Everyone is influenced by someone else.  What other musicians would you describe as your biggest influence and how do they influence you?

Avis: The Cure is definitely at the top of the list. I’ve been a ride or die fan since I was 9 years old. I heard the song, “Friday I’m In Love” in the game Singstar, and I’ve been stuck ever since. Pornography was pretty much my soundtrack in high school. Disintegration is tied with that as my favorite album.

More on the Goth side; Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, Type O Negative. On the Hip Hop side; Lil Peep, Trippie Redd, Juice WRLD. Drake was kind of the gateway drug for that style, and it just got more and more Emo through college.

Besides the musical influences you mentioned, do you have other influences in your life that shape you as a person and/or shape your music?  

Avis: My best friend Noah, AKA Discover. He’s also a musician in the local hip hop scene, and he was the first person to really teach me what it meant to find self-worth. I don’t think I’d have tried to open up and become vulnerable enough to make the music I make without him.

Also, my last relationship taught me a lot. I never really allowed myself to be vulnerable with anyone the way I was with them, and to trust they wouldn’t take advantage of that. They helped me find myself a lot, and the more I find myself the more my music evolves.

Sexuality has become more pronounced in music in recent times.  There are many more LGBTQ+ musicians.  Furthermore, LGBTQ+ musicians are incorporating their personal stories and situations into mainstream music.  I know you’ve mentioned coming out as bisexual, so, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, how do you contribute or wish to contribute musically to this growing movement of musicians? 

Avis: I don’t know, I honestly never had very grand plans when I decided to be visible with it. I just felt that being as vulnerable and honest as I could with my audience would let them know I’m here for them. My intention was more on the individual level for the listener; to help them feel empowered and understood.  

“Bad Bitch Walk” – now that’s a F-I-E-R-C-E, unapologetic title if I do say so myself! Sound like you’re ready to totally “kick ass and take names,” ha-ha. Maybe ‘fiercer’ are the lyrics and the intensity captured here.  How was “Bad Bitch Walk” born? What was the writing and recording process like?

Avis: I was very much swinging for the hip on that one. It was the last in a string of songs I wrote (and scrapped) over a span of a few months trying to capture that feeling. The confidence was an interesting phenomenon to me that I had a hard time describing; like, having a sense of self love that’s fueled by spite for the people that hate you. I felt I finally expressed that with “Bad Bitch Walk.” It probably sounds anti-climactic, but recording it was honestly like recording any other song. I do demos and sit with the lyrics so long, it kind of disarms the feeling of vulnerability.

It doesn’t really sink in how vulnerable the content is because I get lost in the music. And that makes it easier for me to ignore how much my listeners know about my personal life. If I dwell on it, I psych myself out. I think the stuff that hits closest to home is extremely personal. I’ve spent so much time analyzing lyrics and reading articles about Robert Smith, David Bowie, etc. I think most people want to find as much of themselves as they can in the artists they admire.

Backtracking, you released the concept album Erin in 2019.  For those who aren’t aware of the project, can you provide some insight – school us Aaron! What makes it special, and/or a favorite song?

Avis: Yeah, Erin was kind of my first transition into what my current sound is. It was heavily influenced by Tyler the Creator’s IGOR. I loved how he captured the feeling of an old R&B record into a hip-hop framework, and I wanted to do the same with post-punk. Making something that had the production and vibe of Seventeen Seconds [The Cure] or Unknown Pleasures [Joy Division], but in a hip-hop context. I referenced those two albums a ton during mixing, trying to mix it with the same space.

It didn’t start as a concept album, it just turned out that way. I would write songs and try to figure out what I was really trying to unpack across all these songs. And eventually, it hit me really hard; that I was trying to process my trauma and understand how it stained my relationships with people. Especially the romantic relationship I was in at that time; I saw all the ways my trauma had distorted how I loved the other person. But the message of the album is that it starts inside and works outward. Nobody can really change you; they can just make you realize the ways you need to change yourself. 

Obviously, the coronavirus has had a huge effect on the entire world.  For musicians, it’s totally changed plans whether it be touring or recording itself.  The question is, prior to the pandemic, tell us about one of wackiest or crazy moments from a show, tour, or even, while recording. Entertain us!

Avis: Unfortunately, no good wacky stories so far. The craziest moment was actually pretty scary and depressing, unfortunately. It was at the release show for Erin in Minneapolis. The bartender called the cops on somebody at the show for not wearing shoes. He came alone and wasn’t bothering anybody. The cops came and apparently, he refused to leave, so they tackled and tased him. Three or four officers held him down, knee on his neck, and five more cops were called in. They carried him out on a stretcher because he refused to go – he was still responsive and able to breathe. I went on after that, and my set was cut off by the bartender who kicked us all out.

With the uncertainty of the world post-COVID-19, what do the future hold for Aaron Avis? What projects are you currently working on, or what kind of shows or touring do you have planned for the future?

Avis: I’m currently working on my second full length project, Gabriel. It’s a concept album about an abusive relationship I was in for a long time; just detailing it front to back. It was a lot more interesting to write, because I had the concept before I wrote any songs. So, I plotted out what the arc and the plot beats of the album were going to be before writing any lyrics, then I wrote the songs in order.

I also release a single every three weeks. My next track is called “Lockdown,” featuring Discover. It’s about the anxiety surrounding the state of the world; COVID-19, global warming. How we just feel helpless, and the disillusionment of it all. I hope to be performing this summer, but we’ll have to see how this pans out.

Is there anything else that The Musical Hype – better yet the world – should know about you? Any hidden or special talents or random facts?  

Avis: I kick ass in Smash Melee. Get my Falco any time.

Again, Aaron, it has been a pleasure to interview you.  Thanks so much for providing us insight into you personally and into your craft.  Please keep us informed of your future endeavors!

Avis: Yeah, thanks for having me! It’s been a lot of fun and I loved your questions. All the best.

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Photo Credit: Aaron Avis, Arctic Spell, Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype