By Keith Walsh
Electronic music artist George Bolton has been a very busy man, having released five full-length albums in the past five months.
Bolton’s project The Screaming Pope takes an innovative approach to music making, combining popular songwriting formats with analog hardware synthesis, digital computer instruments, along with loops and samples from sound libraries. Bolton, who is well versed in the arts of studio-based sound creation and visual arts, draws from both disciplines to create music that is refreshingly, dynamic, and sweetly melodic. The Screaming Pope’s genres are diverse in the electronic music field, ranging from drum and bass, to straight synthpop, to techno, downtempo, industrial, ambient and even rap.
The growing fanbase for The Screaming Pope finds listeners in diverse places. Bolton says: “I have a large following in Central and South America. It tends to be the Techno stuff mostly, not the Latin as much. I think Mexico City is one of my biggest following.”
On the topic of whether his songs are best experienced in a video or audio format, Bolton tells me: “I try to make my music visual. I have a slight case of synesthesia! I believe Andy Partridge of XTC has a very extreme case. I like to leave my music subject to personal interpretation as much as possible, but this is par for the course probably, anyway!”
Bolton is a graduate of The Boston College Of Fine Arts, where he focused on music video production. He still paints on canvas occasionally, though he admits “I don’t have a lot of my old work left. I gave a lot out as gifts to other Artists, but lost a lot of it due to asbestos in the storage area before my last move!”
I suggested that Bolton pick up his brushes once again. As a fervent adopter of digital media, Bolton has another approach in mind: “I got a cheap Wacom tablet, and have been playing with it a bit.”
Bolton has made lots of videos for The Screaming Pope in past months, using whatever tools and footage he finds available. He emphasizes that bands don’t need to have a huge budget or lots of gear to make an effective music video: “Some movies are shot on iPhone now! Get someone with a good eye, and editing chops to shoot a short part of one of your live performances,” he says.” We did some cool videos for Dresden shot on a Bolex Film Camera, just loose live footage, and other footage, and you get the “active” live feel, it doesn’t even have to sync to the audio, kind of like a documentary feel. It’s particularly effective in black and white.”
Bolton’s sound shaping experiences include selling analogue loops, samples and patch libraries way back in the 90s, as well as producing bands and/or making music videos for bands around Boston, including Manufacture, Jeff Hudson of Jeff and Jane, and he played keyboards in Chainsuck, fronted Dresden Danse, and played in the band that would become Die Warzau. Lots of this activity took place at the former studio of Car’s keyboardist Greg Hawkes, Syncrosound, where Bolton was assistant engineer.
When it comes to his recent releases, in addition to sounding awesome and getting lots of play on streamers like Spotify and Bandcamp, they serve a useful purpose in Bolton’s life, following the passing of his father in winter of last years. “Music is the best therapy!” Bolton says. “Art is a close second.”
The Screaming Pope On Spotify
George Bolton On Soundcloud
The Screaming Pope On Bandcamp
finis