SKELETONKIDS, aka James Catlett, has been someone I've wanted to interview for years. If you've followed the witch house scene since 2010, it's almost guaranteed you've come across his name one way or another. One of my first posts on this blog covered his project, so I'm stoked to finally have the chance to chat with him about his long and prolific artistic journey, the multiple projects he's been involved in, and what the future may hold. James has also put together an exclusive mix for the blog, make sure to check out "‡her▲py" above. Enjoy the read.
I discovered SK towards the end of 2010, when you joined the witch-house.com forum and posted your socials there. A couple of months later, you released your first single Shuttle b/w Negative Films with Tundra Dubs - how did you link up with Ben?
Ben actually reached out to me through SoundCloud which turned into a long term friendship.You came onto the scene during the second wave of witch house. How did you discover the genre, and what are your earliest memories of the early WH era?
I got introduced to SALEM through the Adultswim/Beaterator ATL tape, and then branched out from them listening to a lot of witchhouse and witchhouse adjacent projects like Story of Isaac, Memory Cassette, and HEALTH.
You used to run a blog called Subject To Strange. In one of your first posts there from July 2010, you talked about getting back to working on music. I’d love to hear about the pre-SKELETONKIDS era. Were you in any bands or did you have any solo projects?
Damn, that’s a James Grymmace deep-cut. I had a few actually. A myspace era shoegaze project called Black Orchestra or something like that and then III which was like a weird dark influenced electronic project I did. That one was inspired by a mix of producers like Teargas Plateglass, Justice, and the nite versions by Soulwax. None of my stuff was really like that though. It was just dark instrumental shit thrown together in early FL Studio that used some of the same techniques or drum sequences.There’s a few III-named EPs on one of your Bandcamps - are those the same recordings from back in the day?
Nah, those were actually me embodying the same styles or whatever, but with the liberty of sampling personal life or whatever I wanted and using them in songs. The original III tracks were like conceptual albums that will probably never get released. They were based on ambiance that came from the main reverb on the master track. For example: one was called cathedral and used a reverb preset in FL that I still use to this day for stuff.Are there any crumbs left online from the Black Orchestra days?
Honestly, a lot of it got reworked into later b-sides or things for the project “R O S E S” I did for a brief moment. I think one that got reworked ended up stealing the guitar part used in “Hyperventilation”.Wait, so there was another side project called R O S E S? When was that?
When I was still living in Brooklyn. I tried looking up the soundcloud, but I’m not sure if I repurposed it or what happened, but can’t find it anywhere. Only released maybe 4 tracks. I’ve used them in mixes before or repurposed parts over the years. Lemonade is one I actually remade into a song for SKELETONKIDS but it sounds off to me because the vocal styles weren’t something I was quite using in songs yet. Those are some of the only tracks I still have access to.Another project of yours that I discovered quite recently, is Dynamic Dennis Rodman. What’s the story behind this alias?
Just a fun gabber inspired project I came up with when Ben and a few other people decided to kind of all start working on these fun little side projects.
In the Fall of 2010 your tumblr featured a mix titled "GH☼ST M‡X", by ▲LEX who was described as a former member of ϨКԐⱠԐ†Ѳ₦ К‡ԂϨ. At the same time, there was also another mix curated by BRI††▲NY & ▲LEX - could you tell me more about them?
They were former friends I had falling outs with. Brittany was a friend of an ex I messed around with but was too clingy with and pushed away because I was still young and relationship-dumb. Last I saw or heard she was married in Oregon. Alex and I had a falling out after they got mixed up in some bad shit for a while, we never reconnected. I got close with his brother for a while too, but time got away from us and we lost connection. I hope the best for all three though, always.What about GR Zombie, I know he was briefly a member of SK as well?
Todd is good. We talk every so often but both are on different life paths. As for music, I stay being a control freak, so it’s easier for us to preserve our sound by pursuing our separate music projects. Always root for the guy though. We spent a lot of time together for months and were super close friends in a very whirlwind turbulent time in our separate lives.Did you guys live together?
Yeah. It was him and I living with my ex in a “railway style” apartment in Astoria, Queens. He eventually moved out, and between what was already going on and some other bullshit, relations between him and I soured for a bit.You’ve mentioned Brooklyn and Queens, but you're originally from Arizona, right? Did any of the places you’ve lived in influence your sound or creative choices more than others?
Definitely NY. I always tell people I came out of my shell most after I moved to NYC. If I ever hit it big enough, I would love to have a small apartment in NY again, but I couldn't live there anymore. I would only live there to raise my son there at this point to be honest.Have you had a chance to perform live?
I performed mostly back when I lived in NY. I haven’t performed since like 2022 or 23 but even that was as Lil RoseGold. Would love to at least do a couple more SKELETONKIDS shows before I stop completely."
Your first “bigger” project "Enola" dropped in the summer of 2011 - what were your inspirations at the time. Some of the tracks, as well as the digital cover art, point towards SALEM.
Would definitely be SALEM, post-punk, tumblr shit, semi-underground hiphop (like Sage Francis), nine inch nails, and a bunch of other random shit haha.Your debut album “Brother Island” was mired in controversy. Soon after its release by Baku Shad-do, the label dropped it, allegedly destroyed a bunch of physical releases, and an online beef ensued. If I recall correctly, there were lawsuit threats as well. Can you shine some light on that whole situation? What advice would you give to yourself from 13 years ago?
Mikey accused me of selling cds under the table when performing live when in reality, I didn't really push that hard to sell when out and about because I was more focused on performing. I was unhappy with the “mastering” because my work wasn't really leveled for cohesive volume, certain things were boosted that made it sound unnatural to how I made it. It wasn’t mixed with stems, but my final bounce of each track. For one hihats were raised on a couple songs where they were supposed to be subtle because the EQ got fucked with and etc. I was bitter and hated the whole experience in the end. I had to take a cab to some UPS depot in deep Queens to pick them up and wasn’t given reimbursement to do so. I was just so delusional and thinking I was finally getting managed only to realize dude was a total fucking idiot. If I could give myself any advice it would be “don't let somebody try to intimidate you. Cut contact sooner, rather than later because you will be better off”.
Despite all the drama that surrounded it, “Brother Island” was indeed the most fleshed out SK release to date at the time. Can you tell me more about the creative process and your studio setup at the time?
At the time, I was still using the HP pavillion laptop I bought with the money I got from being commissioned to make the song “Fack Ya” for Fabia Bercseck. I don't think I even had an interface at the time to be honest. Probably was doing a mixer straight into the mic input. Recently, I switched back to a similar setup, just a smaller mixer, into the interface vs. the input. Looking to upgrade my current rig soon though. I've maxed out my memory cap on the current one (it's a Dell) and want to be able to fully utilize FL Studio in its most recent version as well as all the plugins available to me. When I finished the album, it really was a collection of refreshed hits and songs I thought deserved to be on an EP rather than a single release. Not that they didn’t have merit on their own, but they kind of worked together like a soundtrack to a movie. Most of them are just like songs about former relationships and life experiences and gives you a bit of insight to my life at the time if you can understand the lyrics. Well, except “Red Woods”. That one is creative work based on horror movies, real serial killers, but written with the perspective from being bullied when I was younger and feeling like I could fight all those punk motherfuckers now. The ending is being realistic and admitting my only bullies now are my own thoughts. I have an updated version I kind of want to put on the next album or something because I would love to perform it live. Just more lyrics on the end instead of the chop on the album version. “KVLT SHYT” was written after getting in a fight with my half-brother and his now wife. The harp was supposed to be a guitar but I couldn’t get my guitar to record correctly at the time.Is there a story behind the cover art for that album?
Not really. Mikey and team denied my album art multiple times, so I ended up just settling for a blurry pic I took of two shirts I had hanging up on the wall in my apartment I shared with my ex in Queens. First choice was what I ended up using for the remix album "Poveglia"."
I’m curious about the commissioned track you mentioned, could you share more? Can I find it online?
Fabia is a brilliant fashion designer I met online during the height of my fame. She commissioned me and two other artists to make a track with her own vocals tracks she sent over for the release of her new line. I’m not sure about where you can find it. I might have it lying in a mediafire or dropbox somewhere to be honest, but not sure about it being anywhere else. Not even sure I have the stems. That was all like 3 computers ago hahaFinally, in 2014 you released your last, self-titled album. Could you share more thoughts about it, how did it come together?
Those are all songs that mean a lot to me. I wish it were more well received. I put a lot of work into the lyrics and such for that album. Deerhunter is one of my favorite songs I've ever written. I wrote all of this right before my son was born and right after working on LVIThN. It was also supposed to be a no-stop tape like Alopecia by WHY? but I didn't mix it very well in my own personal opinion. It was supposed to be something I hoped to tour with but I kind of stopped doing everything after my kid was born, for a while at least.
What’s the meaning behind the roman numerals on the cover?
3-5-10 are the numerals I sing in “Foxycodone” and the roman numerals and dollar sign are what I subsequently cut into my arm, thighs, and leg in a moment of self-harm. I honestly don’t know how to really describe the meaning outside of 3, which is the saying “it comes in 3s” meaning something positive or negative, as well as the life cycle: born, live, die. The 5 and 10 are lost on me since I haven’t done those sort of drugs in the well over a decade that has passed and I probably couldn’t even give an answer back then haha. It might stem from people who try to push establishing a 3, 5, and 10 year plan yet I was a complete fuck up at the time and didn’t see myself lasting past my 20s. That was a big thing people were trying to put in my head at 19 since I didn’t go to college because people wanted to make me out as the loser in the family at the time.While SKELETONKIDS is your most popular project, LOUDPCK is your other, darker and grittier alias. What made you pick up that mantle?
It was supposed to be like stoner doom metal but electronic, something I called black electronic for a while. I wanted something that gave me the freedom to sample and make just loud music to listen to after smoking. My office is a dark room with red lights and that is the environment I prefer to listen and preview my music in (with my eyes closed usually). LOUDPCK is supposed to be like a “pack of loud” but in your ears.
You once posted “A band is only as strong as it's made up genre name.” - what are the genres for SKELETONKIDS and LOUDPCK?
I usually say SKELETONKIDS is “screwgaze” or the more popular witchhouse, and LOUDPCK is “harsh electronic”.Last year you mentioned on your socials that a new album may be in works - what’s the latest on that?
I have a lot of the songs finished, I just need to set aside time to mix it. It's gonna be about 12-14 tracks long, and I'd like to have a limited physical release ironed out prior to release but that is aiming for the stars. Another extremely lyrical album with very long songs, a lot of which are completely unheard by anybody but me and maybe 3 people on the planet.
You mentioned playing guitar earlier, can you play any other instruments?
Bass, guitar, and keys, just not drums. I can program them, but that's the furthest extent. All of it mediocrely. The new album has more stringed instruments used since I finally got a bass again and wanted to utilize my guitar more. Just don’t expect greatness because one guitar track got so modified in post because it sounded like some Carlos Santana shit the first time it was recorded and added in.What are your plans for the near and more distant future?
I have some things in my personal life I need to iron out, but for the near future, I would like to finally upgrade my production computer so that I can finish my album and mix it all. Distant future, release the album properly with a physical release, upgrade my equipment for live performances, maybe get together some new merch, and play some shows. I might take like a month of vacation at work sometime in the future to go play shows in a couple cities or something, playing both tracks from the new album and updated versions of older songs of Brother Island and SKELETONKIDS.Any shout-outs?
I’d like to shout all my family and my friends from the Tundra days: Ben and Jordan, Andrew, Brant and Nancy, Mollie and Casey; some artists that inspire me or people I listen to regularly like: Santos Santana, White Car, Danger Incorporated, Lil Boodang, Lorn; and finally, some people who help entertain me when I am in my office working on stuff: William Osman, Kevin - TheBackyardScientist, Nigel - NileRed, Nexpo, Nick Crowley, Andy King, and Hunter - Papa Meat.Make sure to follow SKELETONKIDS on FB facebook.com/skeletonkids, Tumblr: skeletonkids.tumblr.com, Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/skeletonkids and Bandcamp: skeletonkids.bandcamp.com