The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Spencer Robinson from Into the Valley of Death

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I like to say that I make loud music for sad people. I always write different types of music, but with Into the Valley of Death, I ended up writing about a lot of darker stuff. It’s not all doom and gloom, but I started writing songs for the first EP during the early days of Covid, so it was not the happiest of times. I often like to look at the underbelly of something. Whether it’s death, sex, depression, etc., I think it’s interesting to try to come at it from a different perspective than I’m used to seeing commonly reflected.

Describe your first musical memory.

My parents were not musicians, but heavily into music. I was lucky because their tastes were different, so I wasn’t just exposed to one thing. My dad was the Rock ‘N’ Roll fan, and my mom was into soul music. My early memories were equal parts The Beatles, and Sly and The Family Stone. I remember specifically hearing both I Want To Hold Your Hand and Dance To The Music coming from the family turntable.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I was in a band called The Lords of Altamont that toured a ton, and I was able to play with bands I loved like The Who, The Cramps, Guitar Wolf, The Pixies, and a bunch of others. All of that was amazing, but there was one show where we opened for X in Los Angeles, and that was such a huge deal for me. I grew up in L.A., and X was always a big part of my musical life. It was just really cool to be able to play with a band I’d idolized for so long.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

I actually thought about the answer to this question for two days, and I have to admit that I’m stumped. I’m pretty damn stubborn, so my beliefs aren’t tested all that often. I guess the 2016 election was pretty eye-opening. I kinda thought we were making more progress, and I was proven way wrong there.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Well, if you’re progressing, it always leads to something new, right? It might not be as good as something that came before it, but it’s definitely not the same. I don’t think that every band needs to push into new territory all the time, though. Some of my favorite music is from bands that just did what they did really well, and made a career of that. For me, I try to find new ways to work in the genre of music I’m writing in, and hope that whatever comes out isn’t garbage. I also try writing different types of music. I guess that’s how I progress musically.

How do you define success?

That’s a really interesting question, and I don’t know that I have the exact right answer. I think that success as a musician is tough. Making a living playing Rock ‘N’ Roll these days ain’t easy. I like the look at each thing I try to do, and see if it worked out the way I hoped, or at least some version of it. Like was I successful in recording the song the way I wanted, or playing that show well, etc. I guess that is hopefully the way to keep my brain from going too crazy.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

I once accidentally saw someone giving birth, and it was frightening. I know they say that childbirth is a “miracle,” but it looked like horror movie stuff to me. Needless to say I won’t be having any children.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

In addition to writing all the early songs for the first Into the Valley of Death EP during quarantine, I also started working on a ton of druggy Trip Hop tracks. I have a lot of that stuff just lying around now, and I’d like to make a record in that genre sometime soon. Something that sounds like Portishead and Massive Attack.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

I don’t think there is one answer to that question. I guess to entertain is the obvious one, but I just want to make people feel something…anything. I think, if you can illicit an involuntary emotional response (smile, laugh, cry, etc) well that’s pretty powerful.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

I’m getting ready to produce a horror film that will shoot this year. I’ve been working on putting that together for almost 3 years, and it’s just about ready to go, so that’ll be really exciting.

https://www.facebook.com/SpencerRobinsonMusic
https://www.instagram.com/intothevalleyofdeathmusic/
https://intothevalleyofdeath.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DoomsayerRecords/
https://www.instagram.com/doomsayer_records/
https://doomsayerrecords.bandcamp.com/

Into the Valley of Death, “Reject” official video

Los Angeles-based solo outfit Into the Valley of Death self-released its debut EP, Space Age, last Fall, and the five-songer has been newly picked up for release through Atlanta’s Doomsayer Records. The project is spearheaded by Spencer Robinson, also known for his bass work in The Lords of Altamont and for playing/recording with his backing band, The Wolf Spiders. On Space Age, he is on his own with what might be programmed drums pretty deep in the mix and very-much-real thickened guitar strumming at the forefront.

Doesn’t sound like anything too fancy, I know, but that balance — guitars up, drums down — turns out to be crucial in the EP’s overall affect. A song like opener “Leeches” or the centerpiece “Strip” present a vision of desert-style heavy rock redone in the methodology of bedroom solo folk. Where others might try to ape the sound of a full band, Into the Valley of Death does everything a band does — “100 Feet Tall,” with the video premiering below, proves that handily enough — but with the mellow-gruff vocal delivery casting shades of Mark Lanegan and the often stark instrumental spaces, Space Age sounds like it’s a one-person offering. The resulting vibe is intimate but not minimalist, tripped out and exploring but based on solid footing. Second cut “Under the Ground” has a march that would work on stage, and “Leeches” might too, if in more grumbly fashion, but the more languid moments feel geared toward something else entirely. They are what they are.

Rock gets the last word as “Malice” rounds out the 18-minute IPO with more uptempo riffing and a daring bit of rhythmic shake, but already the brooding sensibility has resulted in a style richer than just one thing and richer too than the rawness of the production might at first lead one to believe. In the video for “100 Feet Tall,” Robinson mines the public domain to discover animated footage from the 1982 Korean film, Raiders of Galaxy (yes, I asked; that is not information I could just pull out my ass), which, if you’re interested in reading about the politics of post-war importing of cultural products between Asian nations, offers some fodder for that. Mostly when it comes to the clip for “100 Feet Tall,” it’s got giant robots. Accordingly, you could only really say it’s on theme.

According to Doomsayer, there’s a follow-up EP in the works. Until then, the full Space Age EP is streaming near the bottom of this post, and you can see and hopefully enjoy the “100 Feet Tall” video below.

Right about here:

Into the Valley of Death, “100 Feet Tall” video premiere

Spencer Robinson on “100 Feet Tall”:

100 Feet Tall: Have you ever ingested something that mistakenly made you feel bigger than life? Invincible? That’s what 100 Feet Tall is about.

We are excited to announce and welcome Into The Valley Of Death into the Doomsayer fold. Our hope in this partnership is to gain more eyes and ears for the hardworking efforts of Into The Valley Of Death.

They have already been writing and working on a new EP, which will find its home here with us. So go experience “Space Age” and get familiar with them before the EP drops.

Into The Valley of Death is Los Angeles Stoner Metal. Taking their cue from the bands of the low desert, Doom Metal, and Psychedelic Garage, Into The Valley Of Death creates something dark and heavy, druggy and trippy.

Into the Valley of Death, Space Age (2021/2022)

Into the Valley of Death on Bandcamp

Spencer Robinson and the Wolf Spiders on Facebook

Doomsayer Records on Facebook

Doomsayer Records on Instagram

Doomsayer Records on Bandcamp