A month or so ago we tipped you off on a sick new music project called Vespertina, a twisted mix of trip hop, pop, and classical meticulously crafted with the kind of dramatic melodies, catchy hooks, and haunting imagery that’ll cling to your mind for days. This ain’t your classic fairy tale or even the usual tumble down the rabbit hole – acclaimed producer Stoupe (of Jedi Mind Tricks) and dynamic vocalist/pianist Lorrie Doriza have come together and created a world all their own – deranged, impassioned, eerie, fantastic – but altogether powerful and utterly unique.
The pair’s debut album, The Waiting Wolf, is set for release next week on May 10, and they’ll be playing their first NYC show the day after at Bowery Poetry Club. We spoke with Lorrie in the lead-up to these milestones in her Vespertina journey to find out just what running with the wolves has been like thus far, and what she’s looking forward to in the months to come.
Vespertina - The Waiting Wolf
Lorrie Doriza – Vespertina’s Queen Wolf. Where did this title come from and what does it mean to you?
Haha, I don’t really remember, but I think it merely started as a joke and it kind of grew from there. Besides, if you’re amongst wolves, it’s better to be the Queen rather than Little Red, right?
Let’s jump back to the beginning for a moment. This isn’t the first time you and Stoupe have worked together. How did that come about and what was it about that collaboration that stood out to you?
A couple months into working on The Waiting Wolf, Stoupe asked me to collaborate on a song for his solo producer album, Decalogue. It was a very new writing process for me, so that song was more of an experiment at the time, but turns out people really liked it. Stoupe basically sent me a 2 measure loop of a riff and then just said “write a song over this.” It was a little nerve-wracking and I kinda thought he was testing me; I’d never written a song that way so it was good practice.
It’s been a few years since then and Vespertina is the new word on everyone’s lips. How did you and Stoupe decide to work together on this project, and how did you decide on its very particular aesthetic?
Vinnie Paz, from Jedi Mind Tricks, had heard my music online and told Stoupe about it. Stoupe thought it was fitting to his style so we decided to start working on a few songs to see how it would go. The Vespertina aesthetic grew from the vibe of the songs, our mutual love for quoting classical music in our own songs and my obsession with the theatrics of opera. I’ve always wanted to sing in an opera, wear the costumes and get lost in my role, but I love writing music too much to do that for real. I really wanted to make the Vespertina shows into a dramatic spectacle, with a live string quartet, costumes, the works… I think the music really lends itself to that visual, so why not? Music should be all encompassing.
What has the songwriting and recording process been like for The Waiting Wolf?
SUGAR -N- THUNDER 