In this interview, we talk with Ryan and Tristina of Grimiss about their self-described “psych witch rock” sound, blending drum machines, guitar, and dark, expressive vocals. They shared their approach to creating music without fitting into a specific genre, how their songs can shift styles while still sounding cohesive, and why they focus on building a sound that feels entirely their own. They also talked about performing at Make Music Salem, connecting with unexpected audiences in public spaces, and recording their second LP.
I saw you describe your sound as “psych witch rock”. How would you explain your music to someone hearing it for the first time?
Ryan: We’re a two-piece with guitar, drum machine, and a powerhouse female vocalist.
Tristina: Because we don’t have a drummer, all of our sounds are coming out of the drum machine. You get kind of an electronic sound, but with some psych stuff thrown in. I kind of veer into the darker realm with the way I deliver my vocals and some of my lyrical content. We don’t really fit into a specific genre box. We normally tell people we’re an electro-psych witch rock band, which — when you’re told that — you don’t quite know what that is. And that’s exactly how we want it, because we want people to check us out and hear us for themselves and make those judgments.
How did the band first come together?
Tristina: We were initially in a four-piece, a completely different band. It was very much a bar rock band. We had some ideas that we were throwing around with each other, and we tried to bring them into the mix, but it just didn’t feel quite right. From that point, we decided that we wanted to branch off and do our own side project. The band kind of fizzled out during COVID, and even though it was a horrible time for music, it was the perfect opportunity for us to get together and write a ton of music and get a set ready for when we were able to come back into the live scene.
Which artists or bands do you think have influenced your sound the most?
Tristina: It’s strange because we both love so many different styles of music. My favorite band is Genesis. I love prog rock, but I also love new wave. I like goth, post-punk. My favorite female vocalist is Whitney Houston. It’s all over the place.
Ryan: I’m a huge Ween fan. I like a lot of modern psych bands too. I like jazz. I like classic rock. It goes all over the place.
Tristina: We fall in line when it comes to our love for Led Zeppelin, Bowie. But none of it directly influences the music. I think we’ve spent so much time doing projects with other people where it was like, “This is the set sound and this is how we want things to be,” that both of us got tired of that and just wanted to do something that was our own. All those people that we’ve respected in the past were creating their own sound. They weren’t trying to sound like anyone else, and that’s part of what makes us admire them so much.
And as a band, do you feel like you finally found your sound, or do you think it’s still evolving?
Ryan: I mean, we just write songs. We don’t really put any thought into that. It’s just whatever idea we come up with next is what our next song is going to be.
Tristina: We were talking about this just the other night. We were here in our motel room, and we were talking about how we have songs that are so different from each other, but they all sound like Grimiss. They’re all cohesive. It sounds like us doing whatever it is we’re doing.
Have you guys ever thought of adding more members to the band? Or are you happy as a two-piece?
Ryan: We’ve both been in and out of bands for two decades, and we’re done dealing with other people. It’s all the hassles of trying to be in a band — trying to get a group of people together in the same room regularly, having to work everything out to be able to book shows. It’s just so much easier as a two-piece.
Tristina: I’ve never had this level of success in writing before, where he can just come at me with an idea and I write something to it. He’s like, “Yeah, that’s great. Let’s roll with it,” or vice versa. I can come up with a melody and throw it his way, and he can write something to it. And I’m like, “Oh, that’s exactly what I wanted.” Versus every situation I’ve been in in the past — it’s the back and forth, which works out great for some people. But we both, I guess, take a lot of pride in what we do, and we put forth a lot of work into our ideas. To have someone poop on them isn’t the greatest feeling.
So on to a few Make Music Day questions. How did you first hear about Make Music Day? Was last year your first Make Music Day event at Make Music Salem?
Tristina: No, actually with our old band we played in 2019. And then we’ve played as Grimiss every year since 2022. So we’ve been doing it for a bit. We live in Salem, and they make a legit event. They have hundreds of bands playing all over town. Although Salem has a struggling music scene, it doesn’t seem like it when June 21st comes. It is one day when everyone in town comes out and supports the local arts. It is a beautiful and amazing thing, and we’ve loved being a part of it.
How is a Make Music Day performance different from a normal gig?
Tristina: One thing that we’ve encountered on tour is that you have people you’re trying to convince to like you. As the touring band, you’re sandwiched in between, and they get to stand there and judge what you’re doing. It takes a lot to turn someone on to you. With Make Music Day, I feel like there’s such a different attitude. Everyone is so willing and ready to accept what’s going on — they just want to be a part of it. It’s such a great feeling. It charges you up, because they’re there and they want to be there for you, even though they don’t know who you are.
Ryan: I think Make Music Day brings out a lot of people that don’t normally go out and support local music. It’s more of a citywide event, kind of like a festival, and it’s free. So it draws a lot of people who wouldn’t normally make the effort to go out and see live music.
How is playing in open public spaces different for you than playing at a closed bar or someplace where people know they’re going to watch music?
Tristina: I love it. I love it because people are just walking by and stopping, and you’re getting these immense crowds around you. The very first year that we played as Grimiss, we had people several blocks away hear my voice and follow it to where we were playing. It’s a cool experience, because it’s this gathering of people who are so ready and willing to be part of the experience with you. I love a good stage, don’t get me wrong. But both experiences are very enjoyable.
So what’s next for Grimiss? Any new music, tours, or projects coming up?
Ryan: We’re in the process of recording our second LP. I don’t know if we’re touring again this year or not. We haven’t decided.
Tristina: It all depends on when we’re able to get the album done, because we’ve done our share of touring without new music, and I really want to be able to push something. So depending on when this album gets finished, I do want to have a tour along with it. I just don’t know where. We’ve done the West Coast and the Southwest. I’d really like to work our way over to the East Coast, but we have to save up a lot of money for that — or find people willing to donate to our cause.
So finally, last question. What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a band or make music?
Ryan: Make sure you enjoy the music you’re making. It can be easy to fall into a situation where the people are there, so you go along with it. But if you’re not enjoying it, it’s probably not going to last. You have to love what you’re doing.
Tristina: And don’t get discouraged. It’s really easy to fall into a slump and get into a weird headspace when things aren’t going the way you want them to. But there are good gigs, there are bad gigs, and there’s always an up following a down. So don’t let that down keep you down.