Scary Stories to…Sing…In the Dark: Vudu Sister Releasing “Mortis Nervosa”

I am fairly certain most of the folks around my age (or their parents from being kept up most nights with terrified children) remember a little book series called “Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark”. The images and stories haunted me and my dreams in the best way possible. Keith McCurdy was also a fan of these books and inspired by them. Keith has a way of eliciting beauty from some of the most macabre and sorrows themes with his music. Death and insanity and sadness seem to dot the lines of his songs and infuse their way into his art.

His project Vudu Sister is on the verge of releasing  another album titled “Mortis Nervosa”, with many of the tracks being inspired by that aforementioned literary masterpiece so many of us elicited our own macabre images from. You can pre-order the album now on the Vudu Sister’s bandcamp site or head over to the IndieGoGo Campaign page and hear more about the project and donate.

IndieGoGo campaign for Vudu Sister release “Mortis Nervosa” from brett davey on Vimeo.

I caught up with Keith to talk about the project and how it came to be. Recording the project to tape at the Columbus and his inspiration as a songwriter.

RLR:  First and foremost, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was a staple in so many people’s childhood. Bringing terror and excitement. It is such a joy to see a homage by the vehicle of haunting, poignant music to the series. Why did you choose to use the book as a launching point or inspiration?

Keith: Obviously, I grew up with these books like many people born in either the 80’s and 90’s…even the 70’s. There is a strong literary connection in this album to books like those and the Grimm’s Tales, Poe and all sorts of gothic fiction. The writing for the record started out as sort of challenge a few summers ago after I had released Household Items. I had been flipping through my copy of the Scary Stories treasury that I’ve had for decades and I just mused on the fact that some of the story titles sound like great song titles (especially for me). I never write a song after a title but sometimes it’s an interesting challenge to write a song based on made up song names….I was going to only do a few but it carried away with itself and I ended up with all these songs. Some don’t have anything to do with the book at all but most do. Some are songs that I simply stole the title (like “Cold as Clay), some songs I wrote based on the story and added a twist (“Rings on her Fingers”) and some I adapted the story as it is in the book (i.e “White Satin Evening Gown”).

“White Satin Evening Gown”, if you know the story, is about a young poor girl who cannot afford to go to the dance she wants attend so badly. Luckily (or maybe not), she finds a used white gown she can borrow from the thrift. I won’t spoil the ending but it’s a very tragic and morbid story. There are other elements that I added to my version of the story that would definitely not be suitable for children at all. Songs like that and “The Girl Who Stood on a Grave” were some that I had a lot of fun re-examining these stories I had known for as long as I can remember and figuring a way to tastefully pair them with music in a way that that felt  perfect and familiar to me.

RLR: The subject matter certainly does create a certain tone and mood to the music. An aesthetic that goes hand in hand with much of what I have known you for artistically. What is it that draws you into that kind of themes for your own art?

Keith:  I think I enjoy unpredictability. I feel as though that what I like to capture is a dichotomy of beauty and ugliness. Sometimes it ends up being humorous as well, at least to me. I find that some approaches can be tiresome, boring and wholly uninteresting to me when they don’t offer an insight to suffering. I think that suffering is a very gratifying occurrence in ways that aren’t always apparent or immediate; it is a slow gift that takes patience to enjoy.

There is an obvious catharsis with art that expresses the themes that I like to involve. I don’t feel that I necessarily attempt to tackle anything that hasn’t already been dealt with before.  These are themes that are essential to the human condition and have been addressed through artistic expression for a long, long time.

And then, of course, it’s just funny to me…I mean, it’s fun, it’s scary, who gives a shit?

RLR:  I am really impressed that you recorded everything pretty much acoustic and direct to tape. Depending on the artist that may come as an extreme challenge or a totally freeing experience. How was it for you?

Keith: It wasn’t really something that was completely intentional. It was serendipity. Means and opportunity presented itself. As much as I wish I could maintain punk credibility and tell you we intended to record analog. Honestly, I’m not an audiophile and I was skeptical whether or not my idiot ears could tell the difference but oh, was I wrong…there is SUCH a difference, even to a layperson like me.

Although I was eager to do the record this way, I did have reservations on whether it was going to be more daunting than I had hoped because I had absolutely no experience with recording like that before. All of my fears, however, vanished and we came and felt very comfortable moving along with ease and it took less time than ANY other time I’ve recorded. There was an urgency to deliver and we did. Most of the song you’ll hear on the new record were one take, all live. I don’t hope to record any other way in the future.

RLR:  Talk to us about the experience going back to the Columbus and the studio there. The general vibe and character of that building certainly might add to the overall feel of the music.

Keith: This is our second collaboration and the best! They are dear friends and I always have trusted  Ben’s instincts. I think they pour a lot of love in everything they do and that’s very important for me. They are obviously competent craftsman but there is vision and lifeblood involved in the process.

This time around, we involved a very good friend of mine, Andy Davis from Pixels, to co-engineer. Andy is very talented and is a believer. I only want to work with people that can offer some kind of vitality and heart to what we’re doing.

RLR:  So, what is next for you and Vudu Sister?

Keith: So so so much to do! We’re working on some small, blitzkrieg tour-ettes throughout the Northeast and maybe some southern dates throughout the Summer. There are some festivals we’re working on also. Diane and I have started writing some new material again probably will spend a good deal in the Autumn working on new songs for a subsequent release.

A big goal is to go to Europe at some point. I have good friends that frequently tour and have nothing but great things to say about their experiences playing music there. I think Vudu Sister would get along very well in Europe.

So far, now, we’re just very excited to release Mortis Nervosa