Jay Draper & The Subterraneans Interview 24/06/2025
MM: Tell us about your band .. your influences and what took you down this genre of music
The Subterraneans is a studio-side project for me to explore other musical ideas and collaborate
with other artists outside of my main band, The Scarlet Fever. It was originally started by myself
and collaborator Justin Minister in 2016 when Scarlet was on a break. Justin and I created the
first album, Behind the Night, together with a handful of guest collaborators. Since then, it's
mostly been myself and whoever seems interested in working on a track with me at the time. My
main influences tend to be artists like Bowie, Eno, Iggy Pop, Pink Floyd, Joy Division, and Gary
Numan, and the overall sound tends to be very post-punk inspired, but I try to incorporate as
many influences and sounds as I can from track to track. I also tend to be heavily influenced by
the people I'm working with as well as whatever books I'm reading or movies I'm watching at the
time.
MM: Are there any themes or messages you aim to convey through your music?
It really depends on the song, but my music tends to explore existential themes like identity,
purpose, and autonomy as well as social commentary about the modern life we've built for
ourselves and whether it truly serves us or not. I swear I try to write songs that feel more fun and
less serious all the time, but as someone who thinks too much and has a difficult time getting out
of his head, this is what tends to come out of me. It's usually less expensive than therapy
though, so there's that.
MM: What can fans expect from you in the near future—new music, tours, collaborations?
Well, I just put out a new album called Dollhouse about a month ago, so that's still fairly fresh,
and I'm already hard at work on a third one for hopefully next year. On top of that, Scarlet Fever
has been working on their third album as well, hopefully, to be out later this year or early next.
As for shows, Subs tends to be mostly a studio thing at the moment. We tried putting together a
live act for it, but it kind of all fell apart over the pandemic. I'm hopeful though that once Scarlet
has the new album out, we'll be putting out a string of shows to promote it.
MM: Are there any dream venues or festivals you’d love to play?
I'd just love to play anywhere outside of Canada really. Europe would be a dream. I feel like
what I do would go over much better there and I'd love the chance to see more of it. Also,
although I'm iffy about playing the States right now with everything going on there, I do have a
lot of family and friends down there who rarely get to see me play, so I'd still love to tour it one
day as well. If there are any festivals in Europe or other places around the world that would like
to book Scalet, I'd love to build a tour around that.
MM: What’s been your most memorable live performance so far, and why?
Scarlet once did a show at a venue that used to be called the Mod Club. We were opening up
for a fairly bigger band called the Birthday Massacre, and it was probably the biggest audience
we'd played to. I was nervous about it the night before and didn't manage to sleep even a
minute that night, so needless to say I was feeling pretty wretched by the time we were going
on. I was convinced I was going to bomb in front of about 5 or 6 hundred people, but somehow, I
found the energy, probably from pure adrenalin, and was even crowd-surfing by the end of our
set. I was so high from the experience that I couldn't even sleep that night either. Another
memorable one would be when we opened up for the Sex Gang Children. It was a big deal for
us to be supporting such a cornerstone of the goth rock community. After our set, Andy Sex
Gang found me backstage to tell me he thought I "killed it" and I heard later from people who
talked to them how impressed the band was with us. It was a badge of honour that I still wear to
this day.
MM: How do you prepare for a show, both mentally and physically?
Insomnia I guess lol. Other than that, just things like regular rehearsing, ritual sacrifice, and
bathing in virgins' blood. The typical stuff.
MM:What emotions do you hope to evoke in fans when they watch your band live
Excitement and a sense of a shared experience between the band and the audience. I like
Scarlet Fever shows to not only be something dynamic to watch but also something for an
audience to engage in. I feed off of the energy of an audience. If they're getting into it then it
energizes me, which I hope in turn energizes them. This is why I try to go out into the audience
as much as I can to try to break down the barrier between band a fan a little.
MM: Do you have any favourite pre-show rituals?
Other than the blood sacrifice and virgins' blood? Does moving gear count? Because I end up
doing a lot of that.
MM: How do you handle criticism or comparisons to other bands in the scene?
I'm an artist, so you know, not well. But I've been working on it, and I feel I'm much better than I
used to be. Artists tend to be an insecure bunch from my experience and when you put a lot of
yourself into your art, criticism of it can feel very personal. It comes with the territory of being a
creator though so working toward a thicker skin is always advisable for anyone who wants to do
it. It's like I've always paraphrased, 'You can't please all of the people any of the time'. There will
always be someone who doesn't like or doesn't get what you do.
MM: What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a band, and how did you overcome it?
For Subs, it's probably just getting people to listen to and engage with the music. Promotion is
often the hardest part for most artists, I think. Most of us would probably rather put music out
and play shows and not have to worry about anything else. Just sit back and hope the music
finds its audience, but with the sea of music out there right now it's easy to get lost in the noise if
you're not shouting about what you're doing loud enough. For Scarlet, it would probably be just
keeping a steady lineup and regular shows and rehearsals. We're a 6-piece band, so scheduling
things can turn into herding cats sometimes. Also, it often feels hard to capitalize on any
momentum we get when lineups keep changing and issues keep derailing things. It can
sometimes feel like 2 steps forward and 1 back every time we do something.
MM: Where do you see the band in five years, and what’s the ultimate goal for your music?
For Subs, hopefully getting 5 more albums out with at least 1 being produced by Brian Eno and
Iggy Pop doing guest vocals on a song. For Scarlet, probably the same thing, but with a world
tour that ends with me combusting on stage and going out in a literal blaze of glory.
MM: Last song you listened to?
Other than my own stuff I've been working on? Probably It's Just A Little Bit Of Everything (That
Brought Me Down To This) by Steven Jesse Bernstein
MM:Tell us why we should check out your band
Because I have dirt on you and if you don't it's all coming out. Don't test me.
MM:Final Words for your fans our readers
Check out my new album Dollhouse, out now on CD, digital download, and streaming.
Jay Draper & the Subterraneans
Bandcamp:
https://jaydraperandthesubterraneans.bandcamp.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Jaydraperandthesubterraneans
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jay_draper_subterraneans
The Scarlet Fever
https://thescarletfever.bandcamp.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/thescarletfeverca
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thescarletfever