motel void

“Anxious music delivered by daydreamers.”

MOTEL VOID: You’re from North Carolina. Where exactly are you based? How would you describe the current music scene there?

WINE PRIDE: We originally came up in Charlotte. Most of the guys still live there although I’ve (Aaron) since moved up to Asheville.

Charlotte is a banking city, so the local music scene feels a little smaller in contrast. I think the dynamic makes it feel highly interconnected, like a family.

MOTEL VOID: Could you recommend a few of your favorite local venues and artists?

WINE PRIDE: Our favorite venues Snug Harbor, Petras and The Milestone are owned and operated by local musicians that have history in the local scene. You really feel the passion that goes into each of the shows with owners often getting behind the soundboard to run the show.

There are many great bands/artists from Charlotte. Paint Fumes, Late Bloomer and Woody are our favorites. Alex is in another band, Pleasure House that also rips.

MOTEL VOID: Wine Pride started in 2016 as Aaron Felger’s project, and in 2019 it transformed into a regular band. How did the writing and recording process change?

WINE PRIDE: 2016 was a time Wine Pride was more of an experimental music journal with the focus of explore different sounds and styles, even then the process felt collaborative as friends would accompany me during some of the writing process or offer feedback on some of the demos.

2019 while writing most of the first record most of the tracks came together when we got together to fiddle around. I’ve moved around to Brooklyn and now to Asheville so we’ve had to get creative with how we work together with most of the tracks starting as loops or shitty phone demos that evolve as the guys incorporate their style and tone. They usually end up faster and less drenched in reverb by the time we start recording.

MOTEL VOID: You released your self-titled debut album last year. How satisfied were you with the reception?

WINE PRIDE: The first record was a bit of a nightmare. Most of those tracks were written years prior, but circumstances really worked against us (most notably COVID, the rotating cast of drummers and getting burned by the first engineer). By the time it all came together we were ready to move on. With that being said, I don’t think we expected that record to get any sort of attention aside from our close friends.

MOTEL VOID: Who or what is your biggest inspiration at the moment?

WINE PRIDE: 80s-90s UK Postpunk and Shoegaze. Pale Saints, The Field Mice, Chapterhouse, slowdive, The Cure, The Jesus and Mary Chain.

MOTEL VOID: This May, you released a new EP, “Lost Years.” Can you tell us more about the themes and inspirations behind this album?

WINE PRIDE: Lost Years was a chance for us to recalibrate a bit with Stephen and Alex joining. The collaboration with these close friends really inspired this record to feel more personal and allowed us to be vulnerable. The lyrics were inspired by some of our most recent life experiences (love, aging, addiction, mental health, etc.)

MOTEL VOID: Your plans for the rest of the year?

WINE PRIDE: We’ve been writing the next EP to accompany Lost Years as a part of the next LP, which will ultimately be a trilogy of EPs.