Death Spa is a Hardcore Noise Rock Trio coming out of Seattle WA featuring Mia Rose Malone on Guitar/Vox, Levi Fuller on Bass/Backing Vox, and Jonathan Rodriguez on Drums. We recently corresponded through email about their influences, horror movies, the importance of Trans representation, and more.
FANE: Let’s start with a big one. What, or who, from your childhood was the catalyst that made you want to become a musician?
Mia Rose Malone: I can’t pinpoint a specific band or moment that made me realize I wanted to play music. My dad was a pretty great guitarist in a wanky, constantly soloing kind of way, and I’m sure my interest in playing music at least partially came from him, but he was also a monstrous piece of shit and is in no way a musical influence of mine. I hate playing solos.
I started seeing local punk bands where I grew up in Tacoma in my early teens and I remember having an overwhelming feeling of envy of the bands I was seeing. I think probably seeing bands at that scale made me realize it was possible to actually have a band myself.
When we were thirteen or fourteen, my friend and I made a truly bottom of the barrel cassette demo of one “song” featuring a very, very poorly played guitar and two dipshits yelling about cows coming for everyone. We were called Cow. We threw our demo and a really earnest note onstage at Seaweed while they were playing one night and really thought we’d make it.
Levi Fuller: I’ve had many inspirations and role models over the years, but my first teacher, Willie Sordillo, was absolutely instrumental (no pun intended) in setting me on this course. My first instrument was saxophone, and he taught me how to play the instrument and provided my first grounding in theory and improvisation, and fostered an early love of jazz. I moved on to guitar and bass after high school (don’t ask me about that one emo band I played sax in), but the foundation he laid has carried through all these years. Additionally, he was both a professional musician and someone who prioritized being a good person and standing up for causes you believe in, which is so important to me as well.
Jonathan Rodriguez: I remember being viscerally moved by music at an early age. My parents and brothers basically always had sound on. My family isn’t musical in the sense that they’re dedicated to playing instruments, but music was always present in my household and day-to-day meanderings. At social functions in the area I’m from, music and dance are a big deal too. I think being continuously exposed to a wide variety of music really caught my attention and kept me interested. When I heard Maiden’s ‘The Trooper,’ I think that’s what really cemented music for me. It came on the radio, and instantly I felt butterflies. It was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had to this day.
When I got to seventh grade, I had an awesome math teacher who’s now one of my best friends. He’s a huge Maiden fan, and when he found out I freaked out about ‘The Trooper,’ he was kind enough to make me mixtapes of really great music. I think I just got lucky. Music as a practice doesn’t thrive where I’m from, but I managed to surround myself with other people who were interested and had the support and encouragement from my family. I count my blessings. It’s such a privilege to have music and sound as a teacher. It can be humbling, and for me, it’s also the filter in which I perceive my surroundings.
F: Take me through the earliest days of Death Spa. How did this project kick off?
MRM: My previous band Pink Muscles broke up in the summer of 2017. I was briefly in a couple of bands afterward that didn’t work out and I started writing the twelve songs that will eventually make up the first Death Spa LP in like 2018 or so. One of the songs “Pregnant Time Slave” dates all the way back to Pink Muscles.
“. . . COMING OUT AS A TRANS WOMAN HAS BEEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND MOST PAINFUL THING THAT’S EVER HAPPENED TO ME.”
Mia Rose Malone
F: Where did the name “Death Spa” come from?
MRM: Death Spa is a late 80’s horror movie about a health club that kills people. I’ve been completely obsessed with horror since I was a really little girl.
F: The 80’s were great for horror fans. Of the horror movies / franchises you watched growing up, which fascinated/frightened/influenced you the most?
MRM: I loved so many horror movies growing up, but I was always a huge Freddy girl. I had the glove and dressed like Freddy for Halloween. I even won a tv contest from an episode of Freddy’s Nightmares that included a signed Robert Englund photo and the NOES 4 soundtrack on vinyl. I still have both. Dream Warriors was the one I loved the most and it probably still is. The puppet scene really fucking blew me away. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
The movie that had the most profound impact on me, though, was Eraserhead. A friend of mine in middle school let me borrow a VHS copy recorded from TV and that movie changed my life forever in so many significant ways. David Lynch has and will always be my tippy top favorite filmmaker. I get emotional just thinking about the impact he’s had on my life.
Other horror movies that were a huge deal to me growing up were Reanimator, The Lost Boys, Nightbreed, Sleepaway Camp, Night of the Demons, Bad Taste, Troll 2, Suspiria, Friday the 13th 5, The Gate, Evil Dead 2, Hellraiser, Predator, Child’s Play, Demons, Halloween, Cat’s Eye, Maximum Overdrive, The Shining, Fright Night, and Deadly Friend.
F: How did the three of you come together?
MRM: This is actually the second iteration of Death Spa. The previous band played a few shows and recorded a single, but our communication just tanked completely and we broke up pretty early on. I looked for band members for a long, miserable year after that and Levi and I were at long last connected by a friend of his that dug my demos and we immediately got along super well both personally and musically. Levi had coincidentally met Jonathan at pretty much exactly the same time that we started rehearsing together. He played me some recordings of one of Jonathan’s other bands Till the Teeth, and their music honest to goodness blew my face off. Levi asked Jonathan if he was interested in playing with us, and he was, but he was too busy to play with us at the time. After a few months or so, he was able to find time in his schedule. Levi and Jonathan are such incredible musicians and people. We’ve all become close friends. I love them both dearly. I really can’t imagine playing these songs with anyone else.
LF: A friend (actually my old bass player) found Mia’s post on Facebook looking for band members, and said I should look into it, as he knew I’d been looking for a new project. I took one listen and reached out immediately. After a while (and after I’d had enough time to learn her bananas bass parts) we got together in person to play and just clicked right away. I met Jonathan for the first time the following day at my work, where he was a collaborator in a gallery installation. I just had kind of a feeling about him, and asked if he might be up for another project. Eventually we got him into my basement practice space, and we just kept going from there.
JR: As Levi mentioned, I met him during the opening of a gallery installation I had worked on, and we just kind of hit it off. We spoke for a bit, and Death Spa came up. I was intrigued but didn’t think I could swing it at the time. What’s crazy, or perhaps serendipitous, is that about a year prior, I had seen Mia’s posts looking for band members, accompanied by links to recordings. I checked them out and was blown away by the music, thinking to myself if only I had more time. Shortly after meeting Levi, I went on tour and kept thinking about my meeting with him. When I made the connection that the band Levi was referring to was the same band I had seen in Mia’s post, I just kept coming back to the idea that I could find a way to make it work. Maybe I’m a romantic, but I thought it was too much of a sign for me to pass up, so when I got back, I reached out to them, and everything just fell into place. It all felt so easy.
F: “Cracked Eggs/Body Horror” is one hell of a single. These studio recordings sound great. How has reception been so far?
MRM: Awww thank you! That’s so nice to hear. The reaction has been wonderful. Cracked Eggs has been played on KEXP several times and we got a handful of reviews that really blew me away. One of them compared the songwriting in Cracked Eggs to A Day in the Life, which is a mind-blowing comparison I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever see.
LF: I have no idea beyond my own friends’ reactions (and your very kind words), but pretty much everyone seems bowled over and blown away. And I’m in a position where I can just say “I know, right?” because Mia is the primary creator behind all this work. I’m just thrilled we were able to do it justice in the studio.
F: “Cracked Eggs” is also featured on Ball Of Wax 70, a compilation of Trans and Nonbinary artists. Tell me how this came about (the screen printing looks great, by the way).
LF: It was perfect timing that I started playing with Mia and she said “I want to make a compilation of trans and nonbinary artists” not long after I’d received a grant to start paying people to curate volumes of this series that I’d mostly been doing on my own for almost two decades. She took over 100% of the job of lining up artists, getting tracks, organizing the release show, and I just helped coordinate and execute as best I could. And thanks for the kind words! I love physical objects; nothing quite replaces the feel of screen-printed chipboard in your hands.
MRM: I had to leave a job I loved because of some really fucked up transphobia from the founder of the company I worked for and a total lack of support from almost everyone else that worked there. The inciting incident completely wrecked me. I’m still struggling emotionally with all of it and this happened nearly a year ago. The idea for a trans/enby compilation came as a direct response to that situation and my subsequent desire to help lift up my new found community. I mentioned it to Levi and he was super excited about the idea and got a grant that funded the whole project. We just played the release show at a wonderful venue called Southgate Roller Rink. It doubled as a benefit to help get trans families out of states that want to kill them.
F: Mia, you recently (within a year) came out as Transgender and have been openly living as a woman. What has this transition been like for you in your daily personal life?
MRM: I’ve said this before, but coming out as a trans woman has been the most beautiful and most painful thing that’s ever happened to me. The most significant positive change is that within a month of starting HRT, a six year long bout I had with a nearly fatal chronic nausea and vomiting condition completely disappeared and hasn’t returned over a year later. There’s also such relief in not having to suffocate major parts of who I am because of the societal pressures to behave in certain ways when I was forced to believe I was a straight cis man. The enormity of that relief is indescribable. And then I had epiphany after epiphany about different periods of my life. Like, I became obsessed with Barbies and had a Barbie party for my 22nd birthday or how I used to openly wish there were stores for adult men that sold little girl clothes. It’s like this poor girl was screaming at me my whole life to wake up. The most painful part is realizing how much of my life I missed. I came out when I was 44. That’s four and a half decades of my life gone. There’s so much regret and fury and heartbreak. It’s fucking devastating and it will haunt me for the rest of my life. I find some cold comfort in realizing If I had come out when I was much younger, I almost certainly would have been killed or killed myself, I guess. Also, having awesome tits helps ease the pain a little.
F: I can relate to the negative thoughts, regrets, and the anger over lost time. Not easy to keep that stuff at bay. What’s something, or things, you’ve done to get through difficult emotional moments?
MRM: Oh gosh, I’m not really sure. It comes and goes, ya know? I’m sure writing songs about it helps a little. I used to smoke a bunch of weed about it but I can’t fuck with that stuff anymore. Sharing experiences with other trans people helps. Spending time with my kitty helps.
F: Who has been your greatest ally since coming out?
MRM: In August, I fled my home and family to escape an extremely abusive relationship. I was suddenly homeless, had nowhere to go, and I was so emotionally devastated I was barely able to function. At the same time, I had to adjust to being out of the closet completely by myself for the first time, because my ex and I rarely spent any time apart in Kirkland where we lived. When I moved back to Seattle, I could barely walk down the street to get a coffee by myself. After a month and a half, a dear friend of mine found me a place to live with these amazing sisters that keep a room open in their house for people in bad situations. They took me in, helped me move, gave me a room, let me move in my kitty Janey-E, shared their food with me, they’re cool with it if I can’t make rent, they’re super affirming, wonderful to live with, and honestly two of the best people I’ll ever meet. It’s not even a tiny bit hyperbolic to say that they saved my life.
“. . . IT’S HONESTLY INCREDIBLY REFRESHING TO BE IN THE MINORITY AND BE SURROUNDED BY SO MUCH QUEER AND TRANS JOY.”
Levi Fuller
F: What has your experience been like fronting a band now that you’ve transitioned? Are you encountering transphobic bullshit while onstage, finding support and acceptance from the crowd, or something else entirely?
MRM: We’re based in Seattle, which is maybe the safest place in the states for trans people. I’ve dealt with some micro aggressions here and there, but nothing as far as playing shows goes. We’ve almost exclusively played with trans/queer bands anyway. I’ll get back to you when we play with straight cis metal bands.
Playing shows as an out and proud trans girl is such a special thing for me. Looking back, I wore dresses when I played shows in previous bands more than I realized at the time, but I always dressed in the ugliest shit I could find, probably to have a way to indulge in the clothes I always wanted to wear but making it ugly so I could keep an emotional distance from it. Being able to pick out a cute outfit and do my makeup for a show fills me with so much joy. It’s so much more fun than wearing the black jeans/black horror movie t-shirts I mostly wore in the before times. I have so much more confidence in myself. I think my guitar playing has even gotten a little better.
F: Levi… Jonathan, similar question. What has your experience as CisHet Men been like having Mia as a front-woman?
LF: Honestly it just feels like being in a killer band with two wonderful new friends. The three of us have a lot in common as well as many obvious and not-so-obvious differences, and I think we’re all just learning from each other and enjoying each other’s company. (At least I hope so.)
JR: I’d have to agree with Levi. Everything feels so natural. Mia has written these killer songs, and when we get together, we have a great time. But we also get down to work and figure out the best way of realizing her songs that everything else just kind of gets forgotten. Everyone has a lot of respect for one another as musicians, obviously, but more importantly, as humans. Having that groundwork, I think, puts us in a holistic space that allows us to create, or at the very least strive for our best art as a collective, but also recognizing that Mia is definitely doing the heavy lifting.
F: Obviously you’re both LGBTQIA+ allies. Have you had to deal with any transphobic/homophobic nonsense as a result of being in Death Spa with Mia?
LF: Not at all to date, although we’ve been very fortunate so far in playing almost entirely with other queer and trans-inclusive bands. Get back at us after our first shows outside of our progressive little Seattle bubble. As a straight cis white dude, it is honestly incredibly refreshing to be in the minority and be surrounded by so much queer and trans joy.
JR: I haven’t experienced it either. We do a good job of not putting ourselves in questionable situations, and it definitely helps being in a city like Seattle. At the same time, we’re always ready to deal with whatever comes our way and be there for Mia in whatever capacity.
F: When I listen to Death Spa, I hear the love child of the Melvins and the Jesus Lizard. Who would you say are the biggest influences on your sound as a band?
LF: Ahhhh, that warms my heart. Mia is the creative force behind the compositions, but Jesus Lizard and the Melvins were absolutely touch points for me as far as both my bass sound and what I’d love for the live sound of these songs to bring. I don’t listen to as much heavy music as I did in my teens and twenties (or at least I didn’t before joining this band), but that ’90s Touch & Go/Amphetamine Reptile universe is a very happy place for me, as well as some of the brutally brilliant bands I knew coming of age in Boston: Slughog, Bloodletter, Barbaro, Spore, and so many more.
MRM: I appreciate both of those bands, but I wouldn’t name either of them as an influence. My list of influences will always start with Botch. They really changed my whole view of what was musically possible when I was teenager. From there it’s like Lightning Bolt, Arab on Radar, Ween, Goblin, Slayer, Daughters, The Residents, Zeke, The Blood Brothers, Nirvana, Sick of it All, Fabio Frizzi, Britney Spears, Assuck, late period Scott Walker, Steve Hackett, King Crimson, Atari Teenage Riot. I could do this forever.
JR: While I also have a lot of respect for their contributions to music, I’d also say that personally, they’re not my go-tos. I grew up on a lot of different types of music—tons of cumbias and rancheras, which are inherent to where I’m from, a lot of Iron Maiden and metal. It seems like during rehearsals, though, the music that seems to most pop up in our conversations are references to the jazz greats—Coltrane, Miles, all the big names for sure, but also the lesser-known giants too, like Andrew Hill, Albert Ayler, etc. It’s cool. One of the things that most stood out to me upon joining Death Spa is Mia’s organization of meter and rhythm, which is a testament to Mia’s eclectic palette. I’ve had to reframe my approach in how I communicate musical devices like rhythm, meter, groove, etc., which has been a great learning experience for myself.
“WE’RE ALWAYS READY TO DEAL WITH WHATEVER COMES OUR WAY AND BE THERE FOR MIA. . .”
Jonathan Rodriguez
F: If you could musically collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would you choose?
JR: I would love to collaborate with Jean-Michel Basquiat, which may be a little trite. Obviously, he was a great visual artist, but I think a lot of people forget he was in a noise band called Gray. He was an ‘untrained’ musician and, from what I understand, didn’t really grasp the mechanics or techniques of his instruments but was interested in creating sound. To me, working with that sort of freedom from canons and codifications is interesting. It offers a departure from the rigid frameworks often associated with creative endeavors, allowing for genuine experimentation and exploration.
MRM: I would love to work on a score for a horror film with Fabio Frizzi.
LF: Is it corny if I say Mia and Jonathan? I really feel like I’m incredibly lucky to be playing with these two, as I have been with collaborators going all the way back to high school.
F: What is writing a Death Spa track like?
MRM: My process has always been the same. I write and record songs until I have an album’s worth and then find musicians to play them with. I write out the drum parts in Fruity Loops before I do anything else. My brain likes it a lot better if I come up with guitar parts to drum tracks. Then I figure out guitar parts that excite me until I have a basic outline of a song with guitar and drums. I do a lot of back and forth refining between the drum and guitar parts until I’m relatively happy. Then I add bass. Lyrics and vocals are always last. Having new musicians interpret my songs is always pretty dicey. I lucked out so hard with Levi and Jonathan. They’ve transformed these songs into something way greater than I ever could have hoped for.
F: Based on the very personal subject matter, I’m assuming you are the sole lyricist. What has it been like screaming out your truth to crowds of strangers? Cathartic? Chaotic?
MRM: I’ve been writing songs for my whole adult life and these are the first intensely personal lyrics I’ve ever written. It’s a lot cathartic and a lot scary, but I’m getting more confident with it. I remember the first time Cracked Eggs was played on KEXP, I had a weird mix of pride and terror knowing a bunch of random people were hearing lyrics about my transition.
F: Among those random people, though, there are surely some who genuinely “need” to hear them to validate their own experiences. Have you considered the positive impact on others your honesty and visibility provide? Do you feel any sense of obligation in this regard?
MRM: I’ve thought about it a lot and if anything I ever write helps out even a single struggling trans kid, that’s the most amazing thing I could ever imagine. It’s weird because I’m proud of my lyrics and know that they could potentially have a positive impact on people that need someone to relate to, but my self-esteem is terrible and it’s hard for me to think of myself as having that kind of impact on anyone. My brain really hates me.
I don’t feel obligated, no. I wrote what I wrote because I had to get it out of me. I suddenly had all of this stuff I needed to say. I didn’t think about what they could mean to other people until after I wrote them and then it really hit home after getting airplay. I have my fingers and toes crossed so hard that sharing my experiences so bluntly will do some good in the world.
MY DYSPHORIA / ATE MY BODY FROM THE INSIDE / I ALMOST STARVED TO DEATH / I ALMOST DIED
Death Spa “Cracked Eggs” | Lyrics by Mia Rose Malone
F: What is a song you love so much that you wish you wrote it? What is it about the song you most identify with?
JR: My initial inclination is to say that if I had written any of the songs I love, they’d probably suck, or at the very least, not contain some of the characteristics that drew me to the song in the first place. Lyrical content isn’t necessarily what moves me, so I rarely identify with lyrics anyway. However, I’d say the song that moves me the most as of late is Tears for Fears’ ‘Head Over Heels/Broken,’ and in general, ‘Songs From The Big Chair’ has been steadily making an appearance in my household in the last few months.
MRM: The first song that popped into my head when reading this question was Jody and the Kid by Kris Kristofferson. I don’t wish I wrote anything someone else did, but that song makes me ugly cry almost every single time I hear it. I think it’s a perfect song.
LF: Hmmmmmm, for whatever reason nothing comes to mind here. Either my brain doesn’t work this way or I’m just tired and drawing a blank.
F: For the gearheads out there, what’s your current favorite piece of music gear that you own? What’s something you really wish you could add to your rig/setup?
LF: I don’t tend to buy a lot of gear; I have a handful of things that work well for me in various situations, and I’ve stuck with them. Two key pieces of my bass sound are my beloved Fender Musicmaster bass and my Fulltone Full Drive 2 pedal. Having played with one years ago, I am envious of folks with one of the original old green Big Muff Pi fuzz pedals, but I doubt I’ll get around to actually acquiring one any time soon.
MRM: My setup is pretty simple. I have a Tightmetal distortion, Digitech Whammy DT, and a Boss SY300 running through a Roland JC 160 and I play a Les Paul Studio. My favorite piece of gear is that Boss synth pedal. I like it best when my guitar doesn’t sound like a guitar and I can make so many cool sounds with that thing. Having too many pedals makes me anxious, but I’ve always wanted one of those Earthquaker Rainbow Machines.
JR: I wouldn’t call myself a gearhead but I do love my Gretsch hammered brass snare. I’ve always wanted a Vistalite drum kit… ahh someday!
F: When you’re not working on music, what are you doing? Do you have any hobbies? Guilty pleasures? What about them draws you in?
MRM: Movies are my everything. I’m an obsessive movie collector and I spend most of my free time trying in vain to keep up with my collection. My backlog is about 500 movies deep at the moment.
LF: I have a day job I love at Jack Straw Cultural Center, where I get to work with everyone from elementary students to established artists at the top of their game, helping them execute their artistic vision through sound. I also have a delightful and brilliant 8-year-old kid who keeps me and my wife quite busy. So, all that adds up to a pretty busy and full life.
JR: I’m pretty much always immersed in art. When I’m not working on music, I’m usually engaged in more music-related tasks or some form of sound design. Beyond the band, I’m involved in a variety of scoring and interdisciplinary projects, spanning a wide range. I also collaborate with a few other projects – Till the Teeth, Self-Deprecator, Grein, etc. Additionally, I teach in the art department at the University of Washington, Seattle Percussion Works, and the Seattle Symphony Youth Orchestra so I’m constantly surrounded by art and sound in some capacity. I do enjoy playing soccer and other physical activities, I view them as an extension of the same practice and focus required for creating art. So, in a way, it’s a continuation of the art making process.
F: What’s next for Death Spa? Should we expect more singles in the future? Is there an album on the horizon?
MRM: The album is written! We have a few more songs to learn, but we’re going to record everything a few songs at a time over a handful of sessions while we figure out those last few songs. We have a session booked in April and we’re hoping it’ll be out sometime this year.
F: Is there a chance you can give us a little spoilery detail about the album, or is it just too early yet?
MRM: There are twelve songs total. The opener is an instrumental thrash metal song. Kinda. Lori Goldston is hopefully going to play cello on a song and I’m really hoping Colin Marston is going to master it. I don’t know what to call it yet.
F: Any parting words/thoughts?
MRM: Thanks for caring enough about our band to want to interview us, and thanks for the thoughtful questions.
Thanks to Mia, Levi, and Jonathan of Death Spa for taking the time to answer our questions. Be sure to check out their latest single “Cracked Eggs / Body Horror” at death-spa.bandcamp.com
Also, don’t forget to check out Ball of Wax 70, which features a bunch of great artists. all proceeds from the compilation are going to Rainbow Railroad, which is an organization that helps at risk members of the LGBTQIA+ community escape their hostile surroundings. Pick it up at ballofwax.bandcamp.com