Life is all about timing, and chance. Cliched sure, but it's true. It's how Hey Mother Death---the experimental art-goth project of Halifax expat Denma Peisinger and Parisian actress Laurence Strelka---came to be.
A serendipitous encounter on a subway platform outside of Paris led to the two meeting, who eventually began dating and later, recording music together. Another chance encounter with acclaimed art-house director Alejandro Jodorowsky led to Strelka studying theatre at the same school as Peisinger. He had been attempting, as best he could, to become a clown under renowned clown master Philippe Gaulier. "I was so bad, I had no idea what was going on. He just teaches by insulting you," Peisinger says, laughing.
The couple eventually ended up house-sitting a regal Parisian home that happened to have a gorgeous grand piano, and out of sheer spontaneity, they wrote "Black Monday" during an overcast afternoon jam. The creative energy was furious. "Immediately there was this total connection, it was intense," Peisinger says. "It was very dramatic---we were like, 'Wow, that's really beautiful.'" Strelka adds.
All of this has led up to their debut self-titled EP, released as a deluxe, limited edition cassette or pay-what-you-can mp3s. And as an added bonus, the lyrics to their songs---Strelka's poetry---are included in French and English. The duo appreciates physical music, but are far from Ulrich-ian with their work being available online. "The more people who pirate our music the better. Just having people listen to it for free is like total publicity, allowing [them] to discover us," Peisinger says.
Hey Mother Death have never performed for a live audience, so their OBEY debut will be a special---if nerve-racking---one. They've been practicing at Peisinger's father's home who, during jam sessions, dons large soundproof construction headphones. Certainly less than ideal, but Strelka affirms they're used to improvising. "In this way, it's a bit like theatre."
Hey Mother Death w/Wolfcow, Jay Crocker, Friday, June 1 at Lost & Found, 2383 Agricola Street, 4pm, Free
