SNQLX: How did The Sad Hour come together?

THE SAD HOUR: The Sad Hour refers to a Victorian casket adornment clock that was affixed to the time of a loved one’s passing. They believed time froze at the hour they left this world and a new time would begin afterwards. This was known as “The Sad Hour.”

Due to the death of a previous project there was an opportunity to start something new and it revealed itself very quickly. Slowly the members were recruited to join the dark cause. Luke and Chuck were among the original lineup and the first to come into the project. After the original drummer parted ways the band was referred to their replacement Jesse, a music associate of Luke’s.

The role of rhythm guitar is a revolving door of sorts — as we sacrifice our guitarist after every performance to maintain our arcane powers.

SNQLX: The Sad Hour describes itself as death positive art rock. What does death positivity mean to you as a creative philosophy — not just a genre tag?

THE SAD HOUR: Death positivity is a growing social movement taking stigma and fear out of the death process. We strongly feel it is important to openly talk about these things — to not only better prepare oneself for our eventual mortal ends, but to comfortably talk with loved ones in the time that we have and contemplate the hard conversations. So when the eventuality occurs, there are no unanswered questions, and we can each make our own peace with death in our own ways.

SNQLX: “Dust To Gold” is a striking image — transformation through decay. Where did that idea come from, and what were you processing when you wrote it?

THE SAD HOUR: The Sad Hour Society was at one point a group of occultists and alchemists trying their hand at turning not lead but the absence of everything — “dust” — into gold, or something of perceived value. To take tragedy, pain, and the unending horrors and transmute them into strength or power.

SNQLX: What does the Detroit rock scene add to The Sad Hour specifically?

THE SAD HOUR: We are Legion. We have abducted recruits into our ranks to fulfill the archetypal roles the society once had. We look for undying fidelity to the cause and commitment to our ritual needs. Everything must be just so — or the rituals could go horribly wrong. We have been very fortunate to find strong minds and wills to carry out our mission.

Though we have made a conscious effort to spread our message and songs, we have limited our exposure in the Detroit area specifically. We try to be very aware and intentional with where we choose to perform.

SNQLX: Fear is central to this project — “speak to your fears, give you new nightmares.” What fear of your own is The Sad Hour actually working through?

THE SAD HOUR: Everything is fear if you give it the power. We specifically make bedfellows of our demons and our fears to take that power back for our own.

There are of course very real themes of loss and grief that cannot be avoided — but used as a means of persevering. To live for the dead. To carry on in absence and not feel the lack, but to be emboldened to make stronger choices and go after dark desires.

Nothing is promised. And you lose your agency when you let fear decide.

SNQLX: Theatrical dark alt rock lives in a very specific mood. How do you build that atmosphere in the studio versus on stage — are they the same process?

THE SAD HOUR: Yes — theater.

Our songs are written testimony of events that occurred, or claimed to have occurred. These are our history. And rather than reenacting, we do our best to live out the stories in real time — with the original emotions and relics to communicate those tales.

We have our ritual garments that must be worn, and we encourage all those who join us to wear the sacred sacramental colors of black and gold. The gold represents that perceived value we spoke about. The black, of course, is the absence of everything. That is the low cost of admission into our society ranks.

SNQLX: What does success look like for this band — not eventually, but right now?

THE SAD HOUR: To succeed in our minds would be to be known by our devoted — be it many or few.

To share stages with other artists we admire. To release our record of the society’s history and share that with the world. If only the world is ready.

SNQLX: When someone walks away from a Sad Hour set, what do you want them carrying with them that they didn’t have before?

THE SAD HOUR: We aim for introspection — and ideally leave them with a sense of community. We speak to real topics of horror and loss, but we want people to feel there is a real energy here of creative freedom and self expression. To see our group, feel our stories, and take them with them.

We would hope very much that a person hearing our cause would be inspired to join us. There is room enough for all in The Sad Hour Society.

SNQLX: What does this band look like in two years if everything goes the way it should?

THE SAD HOUR: The years have been kind to us in the nearly two we have already been active. We hope to have made our way to all coasts of the US and well beyond if we can help it.

To expand our sound and tell our story — not only in recorded works but visually. If all goes according to plan, we will have a whole discography of music to creep into the nightmares and dreamscapes of all who hear it.