Hemlock for Socrates – Capturing the human experience through its joys, tragedies, and mysteries

The times that we’re living through are generation-defining. These moments will be remembered and talked long after we’re gone. The struggles, the uncertainty, and the overwhelming. Many of us feel stuck, caught in the merry-go-round of monotony. The pandemic has forced us to look both in and around, at ourselves and those around us.

For years now, a group of local artists has been doing just this: painting their picture, a mark of their lives. It’s a message of human experience, and one to appreciate now more than ever.

Heather Shore and Kegan Heiss craft music for our time, an inspired sound for these moments. They develop their art from their own views of the world, and especially, the country we live in. Analyzing American capitalism, deliberating the day to day humdrum, and searching for meaning in the mundane. We’ve all experienced it, but now is the perfect chance to pay attention to it.

Noah: Heather it’s so great to finally meet you. We loved your performance on our last live stream. For anyone who missed it, why don’t you tell them all about Hemlock for Socrates?

Heather: Thanks Noah. And thanks for inviting us to chat. We liked being part of the PCC stream – it was a cool eclectic mix.

So, Hemlock for Socrates is a music project that Kegan and I have been working on for a bunch of years. It’s a little hard to describe exactly what type of music we make – I guess it’s pop music with elements of rock, jazz and classical. And we love synths – really love synths…

The songs are often sarcastic and ironic, but usually cover up our secret bleeding hearts. Kind of like the band’s namesake – we question society because we can’t help it. We’re really expressing some of the uncertainties we feel about our life, here in America, and just being a human in general. Like, why are we just little robots doing the same thing over and over without thinking about it? I mean, we are. We’re all at the mercy of our brain’s programming…. 

So, I guess lyrical content is important to us. That, and a good synth sound…

N: Given the existential nature of your songwriting, is there anything you’ve encountered that you’ve HAD to write about? Something that you couldn’t take your mind off of?

H: I’d say that most of the songs on Paper Animals were written when Kegan and I were feeling run down by working in retail – feeling like we were being eroded daily by the capitalist notion that helping people buy something is fulfilling. And it wasn’t even trying to sell something physical, but selling credit cards – selling the possibility of a future purchase so that someone, somewhere could make some money from some other money. It all seemed so empty and awful. Why is making money a goal? Why is the skill of manipulating the image of a product somehow better than the making of it?  Our society has this fallacy that if you work hard enough, you’ll make it – get rich. But if our president is the pinnacle of capitalism, then… shit. Accumulating wealth necessarily means that someone else is getting less. I think our whole society is going through an existential moment right now. We’re really trying to work through what is and isn’t moral, and realizing that the whole thing has been based on the systemic oppression of certain groups of Americans, namely black and poor populations.   

Kegan and I have always had discussions about the meaning of life, usually they’re sarcastic and bitter, (I say with a grin). We’ve had our share of joy and tragedy; we’re luckier than some. But that’s what music is for really – to share personal sorrows and joys in order to process the shit we go through. And hope that it resonates with someone else out there in some way. It’s the strong emotions that we seem drawn to, that spur words and melodies, like describing the feeling that comes over you when you’re in a dark, crowded room with loud music playing and you feel simultaneously like you’re alone and not alone. We can’t know what anyone else is thinking or feeling. Here we all are, now what? Are we achieving something?  Or is it ok to do nothing, together?

N: Who are you inspired by?

H: That’s always a tough one, because sometimes it seems like things sneak in unaware, and there are so many people, music, and media that have had an impact on us. I’d say generally I’m inspired by seeing people in life and art make thoughtful realizations, people able to express their specific selves. Kegan also says, video games, movies and media that provide an immersive experience. The mood created by the music and game play of Hyperlight Drifter, Celeste, Fez, and Portal have made lasting impressions. Some authors who have inspired: Ursula LeGuin, Anne Leckie, Kegan just found James Baldwin.  We also both love the band Deerhoof. I’ve been going through a Tyler the Creator moment. It’s also really inspiring to see all the people who are protesting and actively attempting to change our society. I’m inspired by women musicians who feel like they’re stepping away from typical gender roles: Aldous Harding, Santigold, Billie Eilish, St. Vincent, local favorite Swampwalk…

N: What’s your favorite part of your songwriting process?

H: Kegan usually starts a song with a lyrical melody and bass idea. I almost always have the lyrics and vocal line first.  For Kegan, his favorite part is the moment that the song starts to flesh out – when the initial idea is out there and other ideas are flowing quickly. I feel like the song is basically written after I have the melody for the voice, but really enjoy the fleshing out part as well. Have we mentioned that we love finding synth sounds? Right now, we’re actually creating alternate versions for every song on Paper Animals for a live recording. This has been really fun – it’s like dressing the song up in a different costume. Really interesting to see what it’s doing to the songs – we’re playing with tempos and switching roles, singing each other’s vocal lines, I play bass on one track.

N: What’s something you and Kegan feel you want to accomplish with Hemlock for Socrates, be it expressing an idea, explaining a message, or anything else?

H: I think mainly we’d love to leave people with a sense of mystery, with the idea that there’s a story boiling just under the surface, something strange or inexplicable, hopefully enticing – that sense of excitement you get when something is just about to unfold. Hopefully, the music triggers new ideas for an audience, maybe causes people to question some of their assumptions about society.  

N: Finally, where can people find your music and social networking to support you?

H: HFS has a website

We’re on Facebook and Instagram as hemlockforsocrates

Our YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoXzY2p83ZJu_jT6vN-kgzQ

Lastly, our Bandcamp: https://hemlockforsocrates.bandcamp.com/