We recently connected with Bobby Spencer and have shared our conversation below.
Bobby, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
When I was younger and I was in my band back in Washington, DC, I played the drums and did backup vocals. I knew the drums like the back of my hand, and I was able to play any style that was asked of me. Whether it was for that band, which was a hybrid of 80’s synth pop and modern alternative music, or even playing for larger churches in the area, I never really doubted my learned skill. This was from many lessons and years before these opportunities, and more patience even so.
Before I moved to Nashville, TN I started to step into a heavier and more aggressive vocal technique called “Screaming”. I had always loved heavier styles of music and always wanted to learn how to scream, and once in and while I would give it a go; man that sounded awful though. This was because I wasn’t actually practicing and instead, I was just “yelling” with force. I was less familiar with this technique, so the ground felt more like muddy sand whenever I tried. My throat hurt after a few tries and I knew I just wasn’t connecting something to the science and technique behind the craft. I remember my various vocal coaches telling me not to do this because I would destroy my voice. I remember the desire tho, and I knew what it felt like to sing, and how it felt to hit the notes, and I remembered what was thought about what my throat was physically doing when I sang. One day I was listening to a podcast where a vocalist was referring to when he started to learn how to scream, and that one day “it just clicked”. This was such an encouragement to me, and I didn’t want to throw in the towel due to “professionals” telling me not to once more to “save my voice”. I once more (every time I drove in my car) put on some heavy music and practiced screaming. I began to picture my vocal folds vibrating and how they would close tighter and open like wings as they started to create the sound of my screams. It was finally happening, I was beginning to learn, and like the vocalist from the podcast, it was starting to click.
Now in Nashville, TN, I started my band, Hollow Wake, where I sing and scream. Using different vocal techniques I blend both “clean” and “harsh” vocals, creating a sound of my own making that captures the essence of my lyrics. Looking back on my journey with my screams encourages me. It reminds me that there is always a start to a passion. I have had many people compliment my screams and some have even asked how I do them. If you or anyone you know wants to start learning how to scream, start small. Don’t think you’re going to connect to it right away. It will take time, it will take patience, and it will take a lot of rest in between takes.
The one thing I would like for you to take away from my story about going after your goals is this. Some people will tell you not to, and though they might mean well, and think they are correct based on their own experience or the experience of others, they don’t ultimately know who you are and what you are capable of. Trust in your instincts, and trust in your failings as well. These will help guide you to your passion if you walk hand in hand with them in grace. Continue to strive, and one day I hope for you as well, whatever it is, it clicks.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
For those that don’t know much about me, I’ll start with this… Hey, what’s up? I am Bobby Spencer. I grew up in the Northern Virginia area right outside of Washington DC. I grew up in a family of four including my Dad, mom, brother, and myself. I remember music was always playing in my home, whether it was classic rock, country, or Celtic music that my mom played every Saturday morning to help start her day. I look back on those sonic memories with love and gratitude because they inspired a creative and peaceful state of expression. When I was younger I wanted to play guitar, but the strings were too hard to hold down, and with each strum, the “chord” being played sounded terrible. This was discouraging, and I hated that I couldn’t play what I wanted. One day I asked my parents if I could learn the drums, and thankfully they braved that journey with me…because oh boy, it started rough. Through their patience with my awful playing and practice, I grew, and now have been playing and writing drums for going on 24 years now.
I started playing in my church’s youth group, and this was my first introduction to what playing in a band could look like, and the responsibilities it would take. I was hooked, to say the least. As my music taste changed over time I found Punk-Rock, Hardcore, and then “Screamo”/Post-Hardcore. I loved the screaming, the intensity of the riffs, the power of the double bass pedal, and the blend of clean vocals at times. It was almost like a magical experience for my ears and only further pushed me in my love for music, skill, and admiration for the scene. In 2008 I played in a Synth Pop/Alternative band that blended 80s power pop with modern influences. It was incredibly great fun and we played a lot of memorable shows including opening for The Plain White T’s on our second show as a band. Talk about nerves on high alert.
After about 5 years with that band, it was time to say goodbye and we parted ways in both respect and friendship. I moved to Nashville, TN, and received my Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design shortly after I was offered a job where I created sports-themed graphics for the NFL, NHL, MLB, and some Collegiate teams. It was during this time I met Josh Overton (The guitarist in Hollow Wake). We were in about 3 bands together before our band now. I started on drums in the first and second, but for the third (that morphed into Hollow Wake today) I was singing and writing the music alongside him. We did this for about 2 years, including during Covid, so it was the perfect time to hone in on my writing and guitar playing. Moving to Nashville, TN was the best move (pun intended) that I could make. I met my gorgeous wife, Zhaklina, have met and made great friendships, and now even my parents and brother have moved here. Getting to live a life as an adult with the same people who inspired me when I was younger to follow my musical dreams is nothing short of remarkable.
Fast forward and I am now the lead vocalist and frontman of Hollow Wake. A band where I get to play and write heavier music like what I grew up listening to, and that inspired me. I am incredibly blessed by the members of this band that words are just not enough. Josh, Jake, and Gabe are some of the raddest people you could meet and incredibly talented musicians in their own right.
Something I am very passionate about is mental health and mental health awareness. It flows from my lyrics and is a way that brings me a cathartic sense of healing and purpose. It’s within this outlook and expression that I truly hope connects with the listeners and hopefully inspires them to see themselves as beautiful, created wonders of life, and accept themselves in grace and love.
I am thankful for the steps I have taken in life, the friends I have met, and the bands I have shared the stage with.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson that I had to and still am unlearning is that “I am not good enough.”, “I don’t belong.”, and “I don’t deserve goodness.” I grew up in a family that was a mixed bunch, (to say the least). We had a history of chains in hurt, co-dependency, and PTSD from traumas that were all from a loss of love and non-acceptance in their own mental health. My parents were born into it, and not that they meant to, instilled some of these feelings onto me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents, they raised me in strength, love, and acceptance, and my mom was the one who took me to therapy when I was only 11 years old.
I grew up in a Christian household and still hold the core values in those teachings to this day, and I am very much impressed and thankful for their willingness to do what they needed to do so that my brother and I could feel as safe and cared for as they were at the time able to provide.
While growing up, I was unfortunately bullied by my friends, and that hurt the most. I always felt like an outsider, and it wasn’t fun to feel like I didn’t even belong amongst my peers. If you are feeling this way too, my heart goes out to you. I didn’t get their humor, I never liked shooting each other with airsoft guns, and I wasn’t trying to be an alpha male like they were, and throughout all of this, I felt alone. Now looking back I see that I was an individual among carbon copies of what boys feel men are, and I can have grace for those friends’ inner childs. They were also hurt, they were also striving for acceptance, and ultimately they also had no idea or clue what they were doing in life.
That said, though I can have grace and find peace in that, it still doesn’t exclude the lessons I learned from them. It still doesn’t take away my past, and the amount of expectations and letdowns I had in what a friend is supposed to be and what a friend I needed. It honestly wasn’t until I moved away to Nashville, TN that I realized how incredibly hurt and how much damage was done to me through their actions and words. The lies I would hear, feel, and tell myself are still trying to drag me down into the abyss of confusion and inner hatred. This is why it is so important for me to grow in acceptance of myself who I was, and who I am today. I have found healing in this, and though it can hurt to look back, it’s in the looking forward that I enjoy, while still trying to stay present in whatever life throws my way.
I have gained a new authority over these thoughts through the connections I have made with my friends, my loving and supportive wife, and myself. All of my family members (wife, mom, dad, and brother) are all in therapy and I have never had a better relationship than I do now with either of them. I am so thankful for their bravery in this and their ongoing support for my own self-healing. I have started to learn that “I am good enough.”, “I do belong.”, “I do deserve goodness.”, and most of all, “I am enough.”
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My main goal is simply to create and enjoy what I am creating. That said, I believe we each have a responsibility to share what we have learned with others, which has helped us grow in kindness, grace, and love throughout history. There are so many healing journeys I have been on, with so many different roads and even heavier hardships. Whether it is within my lyrics, my artwork, or simply me reading a book, I always want to learn and grow as healthy as I can. I enjoy seeing the cathartic elements within art, and lean toward the thought of “What is this artist trying to connect with?”. It doesn’t mean I’ll agree with everything of course, but it is fascinating to dive into a creative journey with a mindset of “what if?”, and “What can I learn from this?”, and “How can I grow from this moment or lesson?”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hollowwake.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearehollowwake
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyspencer/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoRd4A3inyHDcRGBC_x8TYA
- Other: Graphic Design business: https://www.genuinecreativeart.com/ Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imbobbyspencer/
Image Credits
Genuine Creative Art Ashley Reys Photography Derek Jones Photography