This series of blogs is called IN PASSING, and in it I'll be interviewing bands/artists I love and trying to shed further light (in the small ways I can) on their music to give anyone who may come across this a reason to listen to them. I want to focus on smaller music that deserves more attention than it gets. All blogs in this series will include an unabridged (yet, slightly edited) interview with the artists and a small write-up from me. As always, send music, shows, suggestions for artist interviews, and anything ever that you want to talk about or see covered to [ fosterhildingmusic@gmail.com ] or DM me on Instagram.
In March of 2025, Dead Mothers Collective documented Partyteeth's release show. A very good friend of ours and talented in a noir, baritone, smokey sort of color, Kurt is a somber and damning poet and one of the greatest songwriters I know. Kiva conducted the following interview with him:
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| photos courtesy of Partyteeth. |
When did music come into your life?
When I was probably ten I wanted to be in a band, but I didn't have a guitar or anything. I was writing out songs with melodies in my head, in notebooks, and I'd memorize them. I had no idea what I was doing. My parents weren't musicians, so I didn't grow up in a music house. Then I got a guitar in fifth grade... sixth grade? and my dad bought me a very difficult guitar to play, like the action was this high up. It was probably 50 bucks or something, it was not a good guitar, but his idea was, "If he learns how to play this then I'll be able to buy him something better," and I just stuck with it. I was designing cassette covers like this in seventh grade, my dad reminded me. A lot of years.
When did poetry become a big thing for you?
Probably middle school, high school. Pretty early. I was fortunate I had a group of friends that all got into it early on.
How does writing help you and how does it hurt you?
Probably middle school, high school. Pretty early. I was fortunate I had a group of friends that all got into it early on.
How does writing help you and how does it hurt you?
I don't know. Personal art is tough, especially when it's dealing with stuff that's painful. This [House In A Sack], in particular, was revisiting a former self and I had some stuff reflecting on some darker times, but it probably evens out in the end. I keep doing it, so the reward outweighs that stuff, and I don't know any other way to cope with anything. Whether I have a guitar or not, I have to do something. That's why I started taking photos, because I had no possessions. I had a shitty Android cell phone. Just to do something.
Does being a visual artist help with your music?
Does being a visual artist help with your music?
A lot of times, no. They just sort of come together on their own. Even the cover that we ended up using was just a photo in my gallery that was recent. Nyle was like, "That's the one," so that's sort of the process. When it feels right, I guess. I don't think I've written music with any of that in my head, necessarily, but they somehow come together.
Do periods of stability ease your anxiety?
No, it's the opposite. I was recently on a vacation. It was kind of crazy, I'm sober now and all these things... I had no anxiety at all, but in regular routine--I've worked the same job for over a year--all these things I'm just vibrating all the time, I'm very programmed. I'm sort of in chaos and not knowing where you're going to sleep the next night. It's still, I don't know if I'd say a struggle, but it's certainly there. It's crazy, I don't know. The mind is a marvelous mechanism for people.
How do you cope with shame?
Writing songs about it, really, being able to sing about it. Take photos of things in my personal life that probably aren't traditionally inviting, visually. I think art, in general. I don't know what I'd do without it. Maybe if I didn't get into art, maybe my life would have been different, but I'm really glad that I did.
Do you think we are doomed by our vices or bound to our faults?
I've learned, in just creating things, we can turn that stuff into something else. I've kind of learned how to do that, but I go down shamed spirals that are very dangerous for people like me. I had one a week ago. A lot of escapism, just disappearing, and that falls in with shame. A lot of the stuff I feel ashamed about is nothing, really isn't. Shame is a big thing for me, and I did talk about it a lot for that reason.
If you haven't listened to Kurt's new album, I strongly suggest you do. Check out everything he does, its all great. Thanks for reading, and thanks for talking with us, Kurt!
Stream House In A Sack.
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