Sawyer Family interview with Zac Sawyer

By Ron Senyo:

Zac Sawyer of The Sawyer Family Photo by Josh Drespling

The Sawyer Family… What can I say?  I could throw a bunch of adjectives in here like, unique, quirky, or weird, but not of those would give you the full flavor of what this band is about. They hearken comparisons to Volbeat, Red Fang, Queens of the Stone Age and maybe even Dick Dale or Weezer. Hailing form the dank North West this group of musicians refuse to be boxed into a specific genre or be pigeon-holed by the industry. That is probably why they are a perfect fit to be playing at the 7^th Annual GWAR-BQ were Empire Extreme caught up with vocalist and bass violinist Zac Sawyer along the rest of the family for a quick chat.

Empire: I got to see part of your set today. It was very interesting and different. How do you think it went?
Sawyer Family: Good. I thought it went very well.

Empire: Is this The Sawyer Family’s first time playing at the GWAR-BQ?
SF: We played day three at the Brutal Brunch before, but this was our first time on the main stage. I’m so glad that we got invited back.

Empire: I’m a big horror fan and the name Sawyer Family, that has to be a reference to “Texas Chainsaw Massacre?”
SF: Yes it is! It’s funny and amazing how few people put that together. We’re all just big movie fans.

Empire: You have a newer album out now, simply titled Sawyer Family, right?
SF: Yes, we just released a the album last year. It’s been doing well and shows like this help to spread it out and get it in front of a lot more people.

Empire: The band is based in Oregon, correct?
SF: Yes, Sagawan, Oregon.

Empire: Now… I heard you played at a goat farm while making your way here to Virginia from Oregon. Any merit to that?

SF: Yeah! You heard about that? It was awesome! There were goats in the audience, that shit was real. It was a farm rescue in Colorado. It was called Broken Shovel Farms. We told them we wanted to play the most black metal show we could possibly play. I don’t know what’s more black metal than playing a goat farm.

Empire: You have a very unique sound, but without sounding cliché, can you describe your music?
SF: That’s really hard. I would say it’s like two white doves making love on top of a rainbow. The boy dove loves the girl dove so much he’s crying out “I love you baby!” He’s making love to her, while eating a hamburger and his penis is really too big for her. That’s how I would describe it. Aside from that, be prepared to be mind fucked. We don’t fit in a genre, we can play with metal bands, rock bands, etc. We find ourselves on all kinds of bills.

Empire: If you had the opportunity to play any festival in the world what would you play?
SF: I would say Bloodstock in Derby, U.K., HellFest in Clisson, France and Wacken Open Air festival in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Empire: Is there anything closing thought you would like to leave for the fans?
SF:  We are karate men. The Sawyer family… karate men. Drink your fluids, stay hydrated, drink beer and go suck on your dad’s dick.

So there you have it. A short but sweet peek into the mind of the Sawyer Family, including the “best-ever” answer to describe your music. You check the out on their Facebook page and purchase their album via their official website.

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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