The Untitled Interview #206: Starring Heather Heywood (Kissing Cousins)

I have a confession, friends. I kinda wish I was in Kissing Cousins. Mind you, I'd have to have musical talent and live in LA, neither of which can be said, but there it is. Their bewitching, otherworldly noise is bolstered by the occasional tempest of hellion racket, and I daresay it's impossible to ignore. 

Songsmith and lead witchy woman Heather Heywood hails from Alabama, has quite a way with lyrics, and would take Elvis over the Beatles and the Stones. That Black Sabbath ended up on Heywood's list of favorite records is really no surprise. Read on to get to know this Kissing Cousin, and do it while you listen to the song posted down below, or to their killer EP In With Them (spoiler alert: you'll see it on a certain list in the not so distant future).


Fuzzy Logic: How the hell are you? 
Heather Heywood: Sassy 'n fabulous!

FL: What was the last song you listened to? 
HH: Ex Hex - "Waterfall."

FL: Playing music is: 
HH: aural witchcraft.

FL: What album most made you realize you wanted to make music? 
HH: Bananarama, self-titled.

FL: Beatles or Stones? 
HH: The real question is, Beatles or Elvis. And the answer is Elvis.

FL: Top 5 albums (of now, of this week, of ever): 
HH: PJ Harvey - Rid of Me, Cocteau Twins - Head Over Heels, Black Sabbath - Paranoid, Madonna - Like a Prayer, The Cure - Disintegration.

FL: Favorite music-related movie? 
HH: Almost Famous.

FL: Half-full or half-empty? 
HH: Thrown against the wall & shattered with blood and water pooling on the floor.

FL: Which of your peers do you think is making the best music these days?
HH: Fakers (brand new supergroup).

FL: What's the first thing you think when you wake up in the morning? 
HH: Coffee.

FL: Little-known Kissing Cousins fact? 
HH: We're all actual cousins!

FL: The greatest record store in the world is: 
HH: Amoeba, Origami Vinyl, Vacation Vinyl, Record Surplus.

FL: What's your favorite spot in all of Silver Lake? 
HH: The dog park, obviously.

FL: Your boots were made for: 
HH: Stomping on guitar pedals.

FL: Shaken or stirred? 
HH: Whiskey neat.

FL: Favorite venue (either to play or to visit)? 
HH: We just finished a residency at the Satellite, so it kind of feels like our second home.

FL: Best piece of advice you've ever been given? 
HH: Liquor before beer. Definitely lick her before beer.

FL: If you weren't in a band you'd be? 
HH: Boring.

FL: If you were so inclined, whom would you form a tribute band in honor of? 
HH: KISS. And the band shall henceforth be known as KISS-ing Cousins.

FL: Best song ever written? 
HH: "Put It In Your Mouth." Google it! You're welcome.





[posted 1.13.15]

[photo by Jessica Tosoc]