Fawkes and Friends: Patrick Windsor (Black Mail House)
We’re back again–twice in one week, making up for lost time. And we have a few more special episodes coming up. Also coming up: more dates where you can see Black Guy Fawkes (and sometimes Ed): Saturday, 9/14/24: Dangerously Delicious (Baltimore, MD) with The Great Dying (free show!) Thursday, 9/19/24 - Sunday 9/22/24: hosting the Cowboy Chords open mic daily at Lost Evenings Friday, 9/27/24: Bright Box Theater (Winchester, VA) with Meager Kings and Joey Harkum (tickets available here) October 2 - 12th: a house show tour with the P-Nots (Colchester CT punk) hitting Oregon WI, Ringwood IL, Chicago IL, North Canton OH, Charles Town WV, Washington DC, Fallston MD, Poughkeepsie NY, and Orlando FL (email, DM, or ask a punk for more info) Today on the show is Patrick Windsor from Black Mail House. After they ooh and aahh over his dog Mila, Ian and Ed talk to Patrick about his evolution from metal to dark power pop in his band Black Mail House, the influences from his father’s record collection (which he still has), and other inspirations. Ian and Patrick get into a discussion on time signatures in music. And because Black Mail Houses album “Catacombs” is going to be your new spooky season album, the discussion gets into spooky season (right in time for Halloween) and why Los Angeles is the best city for it. And of course, the quickfire game gets unhinged, and delves into the idea of Muppet yacht rock. For over two decades, Patrick Windsor has been recording, writing, and performing music nationally with a taste for music of all genres.Starting by learning the best of Seattle Grunge licks, Patrick went on to study Jazz, Rock, Metal, Bossa Nova, and jumped into the realm of Electronic music as well. He studied Jazz Guitar Performance at Northern Illinois University, but ultimately obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Music and New Media Technology. After graduating magna cum laude, he continued to perform and produce music centralized in the Chicago area. He also taught private guitar, bass, piano, ukulele, and saxophone lessons. While in Chicago, Patrick performed with several bands. He fronted the rock band, 48sin, recording one full-length album and several EP’s. The track, “Sipping Down the Barrel of a Gun,” was picked for Guitar Center’s Fresh Cuts Volume 3, and again the song, “Hymn,” was featured on Volume 5.During the same period, he played guitar for the rock outfit, egostatic. This band performed regularly at Chicago staples like The Metro, and also played live on Chicago’s alternative radio station Q101. The band’s track, “Radio Flatline,” was featured in the first episode of the Showtime series Californication.In 2010, Patrick began playing guitar for the experimental rock band,Tub Ring. He recorded guitar on their final album for The End Records, Secret Handshakes, and toured in support of this album. In 2017, the band reunited for another LP, A Choice of Catastrophes, with Patrick contributing guitar, piano, and song-writing credits. As his time touring with Tub Ring ended, Patrick created Internal Empires with previous band-mates. This metal band released one full-length vinyl LP, and several EPs. They played regionally in the Chicago area, sharing the stage with bands like Every Time I Die, Norma Jean, The Bled, and more. Songs from their debut full-length, “Corruption of Reason,” were featured in the Unstable Ground documentary, “Skull World.” After moving to Los Angeles in 2016, Patrick began writing and recording with a range of artists. He co-wrote the song “Play to Win” on Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers’ album, “Eastwest Sessions,” earning a placement on Billboard’s Blues charts. Patrick’s current project, Black Mail House, is a power-pop band heavily influenced by pop/rock music of the 1960s and 1970s. He is the principle song-writer, while also arranging all horn and orchestral parts. The band’s song, “Don’t Leave Just to Have More Songs That Say I Love You,” was used in the Shudder exclusive film, Lucky (2021).Patrick is well-versed in all styles of guitar playing, as well as music production and recording. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Taking inspiration from 1960s and 1970s Rock 'N Roll, Black Mail House crafts songs with lush arrangements and harmonies. The debut LP, "Resurrectionist," features themes that are sometimes sweet, sometimes dark, but always filled with pop hooks. For fans of Harry Nilsson, the Beatles, the Zombies, and anybody that wants to keep Power Pop alive in contemporary rock music. More info at https://patrickwindsormusic.com/ For more Black Guy Fawkes, check out Music | Black Guy Fawkes (bandcamp.com)or https://asbestosrecords.bigcartel.com/. He’s also on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, etc as Black Guy Fawkes–spelling is extremely important here and, not surprisingly, he’s on music streaming services as well: Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon. You can probably find Ed drinking in a karaoke bar or in the crowd at a punk show. The show also now has a playlist of music from guests that have appeared, and guests who will be appearing, and you can check that out on Spotify as well: Fawkes & Friends: The Playlist - playlist by Ian Robinson | Spotify