Screwtape Is Not Who We Thought They Were

Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com.

This was an easy pick.

Screwtape is band. And their first proper release will be out this summer. And it will be good. Bam. That, caballeros y damas, is (one of) the exact recipe(s) for being selected as Artist of the Week.

Screwtape's name sounds like they'd make rap music. Their name can be interpreted as a derivative of DJ Screw's iconic Grey Tapes legacy; their most famous guy, Nosaprise, is famous for being a rapper; etc. Really, they mostly make blippy indie rock music (their name can be interpreted as a derivative of a famous novel; their most famous guy famously played the guitar at a recent HPMA award show; etc.

So we reached over to talk about things, the least of which include jabs at Limp Bizkit, a demon working in hell, racism and the worst penis enhancement company in the world.

Rocks Off: Tell everyone everything they need to know about Screwtape in exactly six words.

Screwtape: Swag, swag, swag, swag, swag, swag.

RO: Cool. Now, explain a bit more fully what it is that Screwtape is.

ST: We're a band. We play rock music and we play hip-hop music --not at the same time, like Limp Bizkit or some wack shit like that. We try to stay true to whatever genre we're in at the time.

RO: As rockerly as you all are, your most punk move might've been picking a name that will absolutely bury you in Google's search index. Why, oh why, would enterprising young men do such things? It seems akin to starting a computer company and calling it Micro Soft.

ST: Fuck Google, we chose that name for a couple reasons: First, it sounds gangster as fuck. It also represents us well. People hear the name Screwtape and assume we're talking about DJ Screw and grey tapes.

That is one side of it, but the name Screwtape comes from the C.S Lewis novel The Screwtape Letters and is the name of a demon working in hell. It doesn't get more epically rock then that, so we felt it fit us well. A name with different meanings, a band that plays different types of music.

RO: Micro Soft, by the way, sounds like the name of the worst penis enhancement company in the world.

ST: Says you. We're buying stock in that.

RO: Was there any concern that you all might be seen as being a bit blasphemous, you all taking and twisting Screw's name as such? Or did you all see it as being something creative and interesting and, ultimately, something Screw would've appreciated?

ST: Nah, not blasphemous. We are Houston. We love our city and rep that shit. I like that our name is somewhat misleading. People come to expect something when they hear our band name and it's completely different than that. It catches you off guard. Never judge a band by its name.

RO: Finish this sentence: When you come to a Screwtape show, you will absolutely...

ST: Enjoy your life more and look extremely attractive to the opposite sex.

RO: Finish this sentence: A good example of how I'm just a tad bit racist is...

S: Well, our band has a black guy, a Salvadorian and a gringo in it. We're kinda like the Rainbow Coalition of music. Isn't Jesse Jackson a tad racist?

RO: Seriously, how disappointed were you all in The Hangover 2?

S: That shit was dope, I especially liked the part that was exactly like The Hangover. Sequels suck in general. Name me one good sequel? Ghostbusters 2, maybe. The Indiana Jones trilogy possibly, but those were ages ago.

RO: If you could only use one song to try and convince people why they should listen to you, which would it be? Why?

ST: Well, our songs are really different from each other so that's hard to say. I guess it would probably be "Friends Like Foes" or another one called "What's Goin On," both on our upcoming project, Dust It Off, Make It Shine coming out this summer. They're both on the opposite sides of the musical spectrum. It's a good example of what we do.

Find Screwtape on Facebook or listen to them on Bandcamp.

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