SXSW Artist Spotlight: Pelvis Wrestley
As part of our ongoing coverage of SXSW 2024, 360°Sound had the chance to catch up with Jammy Violet, lead singer, songwriter, and bassist of the Austin-based country-tinged synth-pop project Pelvis Wrestley. Violet spoke with us immediately following their colorful – aesthetically and musically – half-hour set at the SXSW Marshall Fun House Day Party in East Austin. This Friday, May 18, Pelvis Wrestley will kick off their “First Flight” Tour in Norman, Oklahoma. The band will play a show every night for a week, culminating at Austin’s Hotel Vegas on May 25. In this interview, Violet discusses the latest Pelvis Wrestley album, Donna Summer, and their goals for the project.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
360°Sound: How did you feel about your SXSW set?
Jammy Violet: It was really fun and really short. It just like started and then it was done.
How’s your SXSW experience been overall?
Sleepy. Kind of fun. Spooky. A little stressful. We’re having a good time.
It certainly came across on stage that you were having a good time. I was struck by the pedal steel mixed with the synthesizers. That was unique and turned out to be a great combination. Tell us how Pelvis Wrestley came to be.
Back in like 2016, I used to play in synth-pop bands. And then I was starting to write country music around the time that Donald Trump was elected, as sort of a means to embody and examine what an American identity is. So, using country music as a lens for American identity. It’s these country elements, but then we’re doing it with different instrumentation and different sounds that, some might say, are not entirely country at all. And then maybe we’re not exactly like Americans at all. Maybe America doesn’t need to be what America is thought of. There’s an opportunity to be something else and something more.
Tell us about your latest record.
Our second record is called Andy, or: the Four Horsegirls of the Apocalypse. It’s a homage to the synth-pop group that I used to be in called Andy. And it was a big mythology project. A lot of world-building, and a lot of that work was cut short by 2020. My bandmates moved to North Carolina. And so, it’s in some ways like picking up where that left off and just telling a little bit of that story.
One of the songs you played had an interpolation of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.” Are you a disco fan?
Disco is rad. I’m glad that the days are gone where you [had to] choose between being a rocker or a disco-er and do a little bit of both. But yeah, love Donna Summer. That song is funny because when we were first working on it, we were in the studio, and we realized that we used the exact melody from Goldfrapp. What’s that song? “Strict Machine?” Well, it was the exact same melody and so we changed it to this, and then we realized that now we’re stepping on Donna Summers’ toes. So, we just thought we’d lean into it.
What are your goals as an artist? What do you hope to get out of the SXSW experience?
It’s hard to know what’s feasible to get out of a SXSW experience. I’d like to make it through alive, and then, you know, we’re always team building. We’re always looking for who is going to be on our team, and that could be other bands that we meet or industry folks. We’re just trying to build a team.
What would you like to accomplish? Are you looking to get songs placed?
I really want to partner with a running company. That’s become more and more of like a weird thing that I’m interested in. I’m a runner. We sing about running. Hey, maybe your people talk to my people, and we do a running deal. That’s something that’s on my mind, and certainly touring more. I really want to be on the road more. We have a run in May up to Chicago and back, but I would like to be touring more extensively.
You’ve been making some headway in Austin. You recently had a show at Waterloo Records and have performed for local radio. What’s the reception been like from people in Austin?
Austin is a lovely town. I moved here from Seattle in 2016, right when I was starting to write these country songs. Pursuing music in Seattle, I found it very hard. And the things that were hard about it in Seattle were very easy in Austin. It’s nice to be able to do our weirdo pop thing. It felt very difficult to get people interested in Seattle. Here, people are just like down for a little bit of a silly time.
What can people expect from Pelvis Wrestley in the months to come and how can they learn more?
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok, and you can expect more videos, more songs, more performances, sassier looks, better attitudes, and more.
You can purchase Pelvis Wrestly’s music on bandcamp here
