Localized: Willöh

The summer is heating up, so let’s keep the good times going! July’s edition of SLUG Localized is going dark with these sensational bands from beyond the realm. Start your worship with the punk-goth samplings of The Lizard Lords, get enchanted by the evolving sounds of Star Carmen and get electrified by some glamified rock with Willöh. Make your way to Kilby Court on Thursday, July 23. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the party starting at 8 p.m.! Be there or be square!

Willöh is here, and Willöh is pissed off! Bassist Maelissa Hale-Robinson starts every live show by yelling the following declaration at the crowd: “We might not be what you wanted, but we’re what you get!” This unapologetic confidence paired with carefully-crafted showmanship makes Willöh a force to be reckoned with. I sat down with the members of the band to learn what makes their music so invigorating.

“It’s just fun to celebrate outrageous femininity!”

When Willöh walks on stage, audiences are met with three women decked out in colorful, elaborate outfits complete with glamorous wigs and makeup. “We want it to basically be like we stepped off a spaceship,” Hale-Robinson says. Before anyone can decide what to expect, they’re hit with an aggressive mix of punk, classic rock and blues.

Some people might not expect such an intense sound because of the band’s hyper-feminine visual style, but the combination soon makes perfect sense. “It’s just fun to celebrate outrageous femininity!” says guitarist and vocalist Allison Arana-Skvor. Audiences grasp the concept pretty quickly. “We start playing and then [the audience] starts to tie it together,” says drummer Brooke McAfee-Tycksen.

The band members feel it’s their responsibility to establish the energy of a show, which they say is always reflected by the audience. “The crowd is looking at [us] to give them entertainment… if you come out there and you’re kickin’ boots, they’re gonna go crazy,” Hale-Robinson says. If jaws are on the floor, they’ve done their job.

Willöh is pissed off, and Willöh is for the girls. “We’re trying to be a voice for women who feel the way we do,” Hale-Robinson says. “There’s a distinct difference [between] femininity for the female gaze and femininity for the male gaze, and we very much cater towards the female gaze,” Arana-Skvor says. These themes of empowerment have clearly meant a lot to audiences. It’s become common for people at shows to dress up like the band, which falls right in line with the band’s assertion that “anybody can be Willöh.”

Once again, Willöh is pissed off. That energy is channeled into rowdy and exhilarating art. “We want to reach really high emotional highs, and the way that you get that is by reacting to really emotionally intense subject matter,” Arana-Skvor says. Willöh views music partly as a reaction to political climates and the state of the world around us. As Arana-Skvor says, “the only reason we have Rage Against the Machine is because there was a machine that they needed to rage against!”

“I wouldn’t want to be in a band with anybody else.”

Willöh may be pissed off, but Willöh LOVES making music together. During our conversation, the band was brimming with personality and a contagious energy of excitement and gratitude for each other. Since meeting at work and forming an all-female Fleetwood Mac cover band called Sisters of the Moon with two other coworkers, the members of Willöh have formed a close bond. “I wouldn’t want to be in a band with anybody else,” Hale-Robinson says. After impressive success in their first year of performing, they’re looking forward to continuing to grow together.

What’s next? Studio releases! The first Willöh EP is on the way, which will pave the way for a full album in the near future. Two singles from the EP have already been released, and the band is itching to release more music. “Our biggest reason for recording music in general is we want to bring the experience of seeing Willöh live to people who can’t see us live,” Arana-Skvor says. We pride ourselves that what you hear on the record is what you’re going to see on stage.” The band enjoys doing the work required to accomplish that. “I do love studio time just as much as the live stuff we do,” McAfee-Tycksen says.

I’ll be locked in and eager to witness what this band does next. Join us at SLUG Localized this month to experience the electrifying spectacle of a Willöh show!

Read more local reviews from Jacob Huff:
Local Review: GANKY — FWM (DELUXE)
Local Review: Olympic Deth — Peace Album

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