We get some interesting records in the Dying Scene inbox, but something connected with me when I listened to Zachariah Tazewell’s appropriately named record, Opening Old Wounds Through Scar Tissue. Self-described as an experimental songwriting project, Tazewell used these songs as a way to deal with mental health while living in Northern Tasmania, Australia, and takes us on a journey into his mind. Using song titles and lyrics making references to video games and popular works of sci-fi, Tazewell shares his unique perspective and charm.
While this record runs through a gamut of genres (punk, reggae, folk, hip hop), a couple of highlights for me off this album were “Driftwood in the Sea of Time” and “We Happy Few.” “We Happy Few” contains the line that stuck with me the most, but I ultimately disagree with it when it comes to describing this album: “If home is where the heart is, I guess I’m homeless.” Opening Old Wounds Through Scar Tissue is manic and heartfelt in a way that’s usually reserved for Tom Waits albums.
Zachariah was nice enough to answer some questions about his record and his process of putting it together.
How long did it take to record?
It took about seven months—I think I started structuring the songs back in March.
Do you play all the instruments and which ones did you use?
I played the guitar and handled the MIDI synth/orchestral sections, and I used Toontrack plugins for the bass, technical piano, and drums. Most purists would probably hate that, but I just see it as having virtual band members.
What is your process for arranging your songs?
I arranged each track a bit differently. Some I wrote on acoustic with lyrics first, others I built by jamming on my electric with MIDI drums, and I just keep layering once I’m happy with that, and a few I fully structured and recorded all the instrumentation before writing any lyrics.
What bands influenced these songs?
It’s probably a pretty big list of influences—I’m a huge fan of music in all its forms—but I’ve always been drawn to genre-bending punk bands like No-Cash, Get Dead, The Taxpayers, and The Clash. And even though it’s controversial because of Scott, I won’t deny that LOC and SFH were influences. More recently, I’ve been loving the Codefendants’ stuff, and my new appreciation for the Australian hip-hop artist Wombat pushed me to give that style a go.
Did I spot some Sci-fi and video game references?
Haha, I’m glad you noticed—there are a few sneaky sound clips in there. I’m a bit of a nerd. It could probably get me sued, but I think it sounds cool.