Metal Inside(r) Home Quarantine is Metal Insider’s new column during this time of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked artists five questions on what’s been keeping them busy ranging from their favorite movies, food they’ve been eating, music they’ve been listening to and more. We caught up with Matriarchs’ Kay (vocals) and Ben Levi (drums) as they’ve been spending this time focusing on music.
What have you been doing to pass time during Quarantine?
Ben: I have been working non stop on music. We have written new records for Cutthroat, Fate Destroyed, and Matriarchs and are very excited about it.
Kay: During quarantine I have been fortunate enough to still have plenty of video editing work to do. It’s actually picked up a bit more this month, so that’s been keeping me from being too bored. Other than that I have worked on two seperate music projects, one under K Enagonio, and I’ve also been working on a project with Matriarchs, more on that coming soon. I haven’t had too much time to sit and ponder about what’s going on in the world, which has kept my anxiety down. If I didn’t have music to work on I’m sure I’d be in pretty bad shape.
Have you been listening to any music or have any playlists worth checking out?
Ben: Have been rockin the new Trivium Record.
Kay: I discovered a rapper named CHVSE during this lockdown, so I’ve been spinning his album Psycho Therapy on repeat. I even had the fortune of getting him to feature on an original track of mine, called BirdBox, which is out now. I’ve also been listening to a few different playlists on Spotify that Birdbox got added to, like the Scene Daddy playlist or the Workout Metal & Hard Rock playlist, curated by Headbangerz. Telle from The Word Alive has a quarantine playlist as well, and we’re trying to get on that. :p
A lot of people have been spending this time cooking including making their own bread, what food have you been prepping during this time?
Kay: I actually prepared a nice salmon and asparagus dish last week and it was incredible. I asked my dad for his recipe, finally, and I’m so glad I know some basic cooking techniques.
In terms of entertainment, what movies, TV shows, books, or games have been keeping you busy?
Ben: Dead To Me, The Last Kingdom and Ozark have been the stand out series for me. Also I’ve been playing a lot of Streets of Rage 4. LOL.
Kay: Oh! Great question! My friend Jake Munro, from the band Munro, has a brand deal with Shudder.com where you get a month free if you use his code “JakeMunro,” so for the past month I’ve been consuming as much horror content as I possibly can. Recommendations: To Hell and Back, Replace, Patchwork, The Collector (my favorite film), The taking of Deborah Logan, and A Bluebird in my Heart.
What advice do you have for your fans in isolation during this time?
Ben: Don’t be scared. Work On yourself. Be open to new opportunities that will present themselves that will help you grow into who you are supposed to become.
Kay: If you have a passion, dive into it fully during this time. If it’s music, write music, find other musicians online to collaborate with, and put some music out! If it’s photography, practice in your room or back yard. You can still do stuff even if you’re stuck at home. There’s plenty of opportunities for being social (zoom, skype, facetime) or creating content. Document this time we’re living in, because these photos and stories could end up in the history books. You never know.
Matriarchs released the below video for the song “Names of the Fallen.”
https://youtu.be/87-PEhR8Nyc
