Interview with Laura McCullough of Goddamn Wolves

March 29, 2024

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today? 

My parents had several Beatles records when I was growing up and I suppose that’s what did it. They also had two Blondie records, which I loved. As I got older, I dove further into those two bands and started discovering contemporary bands on my own. I’ve had periods in my life where I’ve gone a few years without playing music, but I’m always much happier when I am in a band. And Goddamn Wolves is the best situation I’ve been in so far, so it’s really a joy.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

I read a lot, listen to music and attend live shows. All of these influence my music, whether it’s getting inspired by a great bass line or coming across a phrase or word that strikes me and might end up in the lyrics of a song down the road.

How long has your band been around? Also, please tell me about the dynamic of the band of what brought you all together.

Goddamn Wolves formed in 2018. Chris and I had been in a band together previously and wanted to keep making music when that band ended. Chris suggested that we ask Drew to join us and he turned out to be the missing piece we had been looking for.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

We are based in Raleigh, NC. I’m not sure how much that influences our sound, but we have a great music scene here and we’ve met a lot of great bands that we like to play shows with like Ooze Box and Thirsty Curses. We’re hoping to do a split release with Ooze Box later this year, where we’ll cover each other’s songs.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

The name “Goddamn Wolves” is from a line in the Throwing Muses song “Mania.” They are my all-time favorite band, so it’s pretty cool to have that as our name.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

Laura: One of our most memorable shows was recently at a club in Chapel Hill, NC called The Cave. We played with a band from Charlotte called It’s Snakes. We are big fans of their band so it was great to meet them, see them play live and hang out. We’re hoping to go to Charlotte and play with them again later this year.

We’ve also played two shows with Ooze Box at their family’s farm, which is a ways outside of Raleigh. The last one was in late November. It was a lot of fun, but also quite cold when the sun went down and it was time for us to play. That was definitely memorable!

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

My favorite place to play is the Pinhook in Durham, NC. We really want to play the Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, Motorco in Durham and Kings in Raleigh. Also, we have a great annual music festival here called Hopscotch. We’re really hoping to get a show for that this year.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Blondie (Gary Valentine era) - Throwing Muses - Goddamn Wolves. And what the heck, let’s have it take place in Paris.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

My advice would be the same to both: Don’t lose sight of why you started playing music, which hopefully is because you love it and not to “make it” whatever that currently means. Don’t take it too seriously - have fun, don’t get competitive and treat everyone the way you want to be treated.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

I’ll say “Seven Days a Week.” It’s a great song and the first where I contributed part of the music and lyrics (the bridge in this case). I’ve done more of that since and it’s really an honor to be able to work with Chris on that level. I’m such a fan of his writing, that I get a bit of impostor syndrome, but it’s also extremely fun!

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

I really love one of our older songs called “No Show.” It has a great groove, and at the end it gets very heavy with all three of us singing together. It’s very powerful and feels like a really strong band moment.

One of our newer songs, “Older, Slower” has been going over really well live - I think that may be the most requested right now.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

Most songs begin with Chris bringing in the basic song. Drew and I add our bass and drum parts and it builds from there. Lately I’ve contributed vocal melodies and lyrics to a couple of songs and have broughgt in several songs that I’ve written, so it feels like we are reaching new levels of collaboration, which is great.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

I don’t think we’re really a message band. We are political as individuals but that doesn’t really bleed into the songs. I can’t speak for Chris but when I’m writing I start with a phrase or line that I think sounds cool or is meaningful and then I build from there, but it could go anywhere and usually does.

Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?

We recently made our first music video for our song “Older, Slower.” We did it with director Clayton Herring who is also in the band Thirsty Curses that I mentioned earlier. We got to be towed on a trailer in a 1948 Ford Coupe - it was awesome!

We also just released a song called “Nowhere.” And on May 3rd, we’ll release the B-side to that single, which is called “Feints and Alibis.”

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

We’ve started playing some regional shows here in the South. Our first is in Richmond, VA on May 3rd. We’re joining the tour of a band called The Hollow Truths for a couple of nights - first Richmond and then Raleigh the next night.

We’re also hoping to release a full album on vinyl. We record at a studio here in Raleigh called Found After Dark, which we love. We recorded our last few singles there and are looking forward to getting back there as often as possible.  

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

Our Instagram is the best place to keep up with us: https://www.instagram.com/goddamnwolves/.

Thanks!

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