On the 18th of April, I experienced one of the most energetic, compassionate, and loud concerts I’ve ever been to. It was right here in Menomonie at the Skate Ranch, featuring three bands and an awesome DJ. One of the bands, Diane Selwyn, is based locally; every member of the band is a student at Stout. After the show, I had the privilege of interviewing Diane Selwyn, and asking some questions about their identity, beginnings, and future plans. Here is what they had to say…

Loyal: My name is Loyal Prach, I’m from Milwaukee, I’m 22. I’m the guitarist in the band. And my major is industrial design. And I’m a senior, I’m going to graduate in like 2 weeks.

Broden: I’m Broden Decker and I’m the bassist in the band. My major is industrial design and I’m a sophomore. I’m from Hudson, WI.

Maxine: I’m Maxine Oiknin-Lenzen. I’m the drummer of the band. I come from Hudson too. I’m a freshman, I’m a psych major.

Xander: I’m Xander McFaul, I scream, and I’m a studio art major, a senior, and I’m from West Saint Paul.

Zach: I’m Zach Britebach and I scream and I’m in industrial design and I’m a junior and I’m from Minneapolis, MN.

What genre of music would you say Diane Selwyn plays?

Maxine: We’re like an emo violence band.

Zach: With like a lot of metal core influence.

Maxine: It’s kinda all lumped in a screamo.

Zach: Yeah, it’s screamo. We just call ourselves screamo ’cause that makes the most sense.

Xander: Menomonie rock’n’roll.

Zach: Yeah, that’s what we tell the venues in Menomonie, is that we’re just a rock’n’roll band.

What are some characteristics of the genre that make it different from other alternative sounds?

Maxine: It’s all really like, dissonant and syncopated. Obviously, the vocals really stick out, being super high-pitched screams. It’s different from a lot of other more extreme genres where the screams tend to go lower. And I feel like the big thing to listen for is just differently placed accents and again that dissonance in the, like tonal instruments.

Loyal: I think now that we have all this access to music and everything, like it’s every music genre that will exist or be developed now until the future. It’s gonna be some sort of hybrid; I think it’s like a crazy blend of 13 different genres. ‘Cause I think a lot of our inspiration is 90s emo violence; I think now it’s that, but also mixed into everything else that’s happened between now and the 90s.

Maxine: I’d definitely say there’s a lot of earlier 2000s metalcore influence too, some of the Myspace deathcore scene. Our friend Cameron really has been super hammering in on all of the death core influence, being a bigger graphic designer in the scene.

Zach: He’s helped us write a couple breakdowns or like tweak some of the breakdowns.

Xander: Who’s that guy in the music industry that’s like, “I have no technical ability?”

(All/Many): Rick Ruben!

Zach: Yeah, Cams our Rick Ruben. He’s our guidance counselor.

Maxine: Our manager.

Zach: The vibe checker, yeah.

What is the story behind the name?

Zach: The meaning or the name Diane Selwyn is the name of a character from the movie Mulholland Drive by David Lynch. I just thought it was a fitting name because she’s a really tragic character in the movie. And like, what better name for a band than like a tragic character? Also, it follows that trend of like a lot of a lot of bands in the past have used, like first and last name, or a first name, or a last name as just their band name.

Maxine: Another really good example is Laura Palmer from the early 90s. I don’t know where they’re from…I want to say somewhere in the Midwest? But they’re named after another character from David Lynch Media, Twin Peaks.

Loyal: Did [Diane Selwyn] start when we came back from that show in Eau Claire? When the band started or it technically started with you and Xander like way before–

Zach: September.

Xander: He hit me up way back and was like, “I want to start this screamo band,” and I was in right away. And then we kinda like went through a rotation, and ended up finding the crew we got now.

Broden: Me and Zach also jammed last year a little bit, right?

Zach: Yeah, a bit.

Broden: At the end of the school year. And then, when did [Loyal] start jamming with Zach and Xander?

Loyal: September, or whenever we saw the show in Eau Claire. It was, like, first weekend in September.

Xander: September 20th.

Loyal: Yeah, I remember watching Xander play with Zach, and I initially thought when you were like, “oh, come check out my band,” like let’s play, whatever. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was like, wow, this is really impressive. Like the energy, right? And just watching Zach and Xander play, I was like, this is really different compared to the other crappy jam bands that are in Menomonie. I think you guys had one song written, I was like, fuck yeah. I cannot lose these people ’cause this is such a desert for the kind of energy that you guys approach music with.

Maxine: I remember finding out about the band, Zach made a Snapchat story post looking for a drummer and he said, “we’re a screamo band called Diane Selwyn. I don’t want any of that pussy guttural shit.” Like, “go make your own band if you want to do low screams. We’re looking for this. We want these inspirations.” And I just remember thinking, ’cause I hadn’t met any of them at that point, I was like, “this is so fucking pretentious.” I was talking to my friend Ainsley, and she was just like, “Oh my god, that’s my best friend Zach.” And then I ended up meeting him and we just have really similar musical interests. And I was like, “Oh my god, can I please jam with you guys? Can I please play with you guys?” And I ended up just joining the band.

Did any of the band members know each other before coming to Stout?

Broden: I knew Zach from last year, but I feel like this band brought me way closer to Xander, Loyal, and Maxine. When the school year started, we started jamming regularly. I’ve got way closer to every member.

Maxine: I knew Brode briefly from high school. We were in a couple classes together and kind of similar [friend] groups, but I didn’t know anyone going into it until I met Zach. And then I kind of got to know everyone as the project was continuing.

How many songs do you currently have?

Zach: Like six or seven.

Loyal: We’re planning on recording this weekend. But I like the way that our songs went though, because we were all so fresh. […] The way that we wrote the songs, like every song, if we were to play them in chronological order. You could see how we like all learn together how to be a band. A standard practice for us would be like, “oh, I learned a new chord,” or Maxine learned how to play a new drum part. And then the next practice would be writing a song based off of that. Like, OK, we learn how to play faster, let’s try to fast song. Or we learn how to play a twinkly part, let’s write a twinkly song. Or we learn how to how to chug and have a breakdown. Let’s play it. Let’s make a breakdown song. So, it’s like literally each song, if you were to play them in chronological order, go from like simple, to like more complex and heavy.

How do you think the show at Skate Ranch went?

(Cacophony of “so unbelievable, awesome, freaking crazy, it was so good.”)

Maxine: We had like 140 people show up. It was fucking nuts. Never could have dreamed of such a turn out.

Zach: Especially in Menomonie.

Maxine: Especially in Menomonie.

Broden: The energy there was amazing; People were super supportive. They all understood that this is a big moment for the Big M, you know what I mean? It was just, it was amazing to share the experience with all my friends. And yeah, I feel super grateful for it.

 Maxine: And there was blood on the floor.

Broden: Yeah, blood on the ground.

Maxine: That’s what we’re looking for. It’s that hardcore shit.

Loyal: Having a show in Menomonee specifically too—a small town—Is so awesome because the market’s not so saturated with other things going on. So, like if we were in Chicago or Milwaukee or Minneapolis, whatever, there’s three other shows you can go to. This being the only show in Menomonie, you know, it’s kind of like a desert of creativity. The energy… That was really raw because for a lot of people; It was the first time seeing this kind of music or being in a mosh pit. I remember looking up and seeing nobody with their phones out, and everyone’s just looking at us to play a song. To catch an energy where it was all different kinds of people, and it was a lot of people’s first time. It was really raw. It was extremely raw for everybody. Like having the women’s rugby team there also–

Zach: They never heard anything like that before.

Loyal: Also, like people that don’t even listen to music like that, but can also appreciate it.

Maxine: Someone from my research team pulled up. That was crazy. I just saw her. I was on the drum kit and I was like, “Oh my god, why are you here?”

Loyal: Yeah, it was a good time. In Shining Armor. Who we play with has played almost 100 shows probably and they said that they had never seen a crowd so engaged; It was the most merch that they’ve ever sold, and they’ve been around the Midwest, so it was crazy the crowd that we brought out and the venue that we get it in. Getting the [Skate Ranch], that’s perfect. That’s pinpoint accuracy of the kind of venue you want to play this kind of music at. We’re not playing—we’re not looking to play a theater or, you know. We want to play, like, Dairy Queen, you know, in the Burger King parking lot.

Zach: Yeah, we wanna play at your local business.

Loyal: We wanna play at the YMCA, like that’s perfect. Very 90s-esque I think.

What are some struggles of being a band in a small town?

Zach: If you want to get guitar strings, you have to drive a half hour.

Maxine: Yeah, we had a little secret set at the end of February, and the practice before it, the kick drum head broke through and I had to drive fucking all the way over to Eau Claire and beg every member of the band for money so I could buy a new head. It was terrible. I feel like creativity itself isn’t so much of a desert here, being a college town. There’s a lot of art majors, especially in Stout, and they’re all making really good stuff. But music-wise there’s nothing. The closest thing is Eau Claire and sometimes you would have to go to Maplewood if you need something more than just the bare basics. There are two music stores in Eau Claire, both tiny local shops. One of them doesn’t do any percussion stuff at all.

Zach: Also, trying to find venues to play at is really hard too. You have to, you have to try and go through more organized, professional all roads

Broden: Yeah, we were initially planning on playing here (in Xander’s garage).

Loyal: Yeah, imagine trying to fit one hundred and 40 people here. Yeah, No way.

Broden:  It would’ve been a completely different experience but having the Skate Ranch and having DJ Silky play the set, the jamming beforehand and before the bands play was really awesome. Shoutout Lily, Loyal’s girlfriend.

Loyal: It’s a double-edged sword being here too, because it’s like, there’s not really a community. There’s no instrument store, there’s no other people in bands that we can talk to or ask. But because I think we’re so separated and disconnected from any local scene that our experience is really unique compared. ‘Cause we’re here on our own accord with our little bits of instruments that we have. So, we’re playing, it has to be meaningful, and it has to work because there is not many resources,

Maxine: It’s definitely DIY to the core, being in such a small town.

Any plans for the future?

Maxine: We’re working on releasing an EP. I think it’s gonna be five songs, right?

Xander: Five or six songs.

Maxine: Depending on how the writing process goes. And we’re gonna release that. We’re looking at a CD drop because that would just be really cool to have some physical media out there. We have plans for a tour in July.

Loyal: We’ve got some shows like in Milwaukee and in the Midwest we’re trying to set up now. We plan to play with a set there. Our first set show right now is July 18th in Milwaukee Cactus Club. Which is really great because it’s a small town. I have no idea how the promoter even heard about us, other than we played with In Shining Armor. But we’re supposed to play in South Dakota of all places, which is funny. We have a show a week apart in South Dakota and Milwaukee. We’re trying to see how we can bridge shows in the middle, but I think there’s definitely a tour coming up in the near future for us.

Maxine: And then, because two of our members are graduating, Zach, Brode, and I were looking into just forming a new band afterward too. The guitarist of ImInACloset was really interested in what we were making. They were another band that had played with us at the Skate Ranch; Zach is the drummer for it. We were thinking about getting her over and starting a new project in a similar vein

Any advice for others looking to start a band?

Loyal: You all just gotta be friends first.

Broden: Friends first, band second.

Loyal: I’ve been trying to be in a band for like seven years. This is the first time it’s ever worked out. It was the fact that there was a deadline that made it work. That there was a goal to work towards which made it work out. Being in a jam band, you’re gonna jam once a week and then someone gets busy and then there’s no, you know, fear of embarrassment of not being prepared for something. I think is what made it, kind of pushed it into the next area. Like us just shit-talking, be like, “Oh yeah, well, if we were to play a show in February, you know, will we have enough songs by then?” And like, that was how I think the motivation for a lot of us to just get it.

Maxine: Having that thing to look forward to kind of keeps it in your mind all the time and really makes you a little more motivated to work on it, ’cause like Loyal said, when you’re in a jam band, it’s like, “Oh well, if I can’t make it or if I can’t practice or if blah blah blah, blah, blah.” It’s not like anything’s being lost. There’s no stakes to it. And having those stakes definitely helps. Pressure is a big thing.

Broden: Yeah, the week before the show I remember going to, I’ve seen Loyal almost every day and just being like, let’s go through these parts and go through the structure of all of it. Because like I wanted to know the songs the best I can. I remember just like seeing you almost every day before the show. That way I kind of just, I could play more at the show, and I wouldn’t have to be so limited to the notes that you gave me. And I feel like on the show I did exactly that. I was able to break out of the loop and be creative.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Maxine: Neil Perry.

Xander: Yeah, Neil Perry.

Zach: Yeah. I feel like Neil Perry. Senza…

Xander: Joshua Fit For Battle.

Zach: In Loving Memory. Well, Senza and In Loving Memory for the high pitch like I just ripped the high pitch vocals off of their stuff.

Maxine: I was going to say Jeromes Dream for the vocal too.

Zach: Jeromes Dream also, yeah.

Maxine: Kinda the choppy, math-y accented stuff too.

Broden: I get a lot of my inspiration from when I was introduced to Orchid. When I met you guys, I was like, this is some fucking crazy shit that I would love to play, and kind just like emo violence. Where I get my inspiration from for playing bass is guitar riffs from Matt from Hum, or Tim Lash from Hum as well. I think their riffs are really sweet. But I really, really like seeing niche music that Zach and Loyal or anybody sends to the group chat because there’s a song. What’s it called, behind trees?

Zach: “Behind Trees” by Sailboats.

Broden: “Behind Trees” by Sailboats on YouTube. I remember I heard that song for the first time and I was like “that’s awesome. This is amazing.” The structural change, but the energy’s still there and it pushes through the song. It’s really sweet to hear what you guys like, want to share, and I love that song. That song’s lit.

Loyal: The genre that that we all kind of collectively listen to, like the screamo or like emo violence type of genres. It’s so easy to get attached to them because I think it goes through every emotion in a song.

Maxine: It’s definitely that shit that you could listen to and like mosh in your bedroom and also cry on a different night.

Zach: Yeah, like Poison the Well.

Maxine: Well yeah bro, Poison the Well is fire.

Loyal: I got into playing music in high school because of Aidan [from In Shining Armour]. He put me on to Marietta and that kind of style. It’s like Midwest emo stuff, but he took way off. I went to college he went and started bands, so it was great to talk about playing with him, and we ended up playing on the same stage together. So that’s really, really powerful for me and for him too.

Maxine: I definitely feel like playing the show kind of made the genre almost feel a little more real to me, if that makes sense. Cause for the longest time it’s something I’ve been listening to since mid-high school. But it was just this weird, out their zeitgeist of super extreme music that I didn’t think anyone really listened to outside of their bedroom. Then I met people that liked the music, and I started listening to the music and I was like holy shit. Like this is a whole scene. This is just 40 people in a town that all like the same thing and just start making it and getting to play the show. It was like this is actually something that happens. Which was cool. It was an unreal moment.

Throughout the interview, the group was very upbeat and inviting, and I laughed with the band during many of their entertaining stories. Diane Selwyn is truly a phenomenal band, and I am so grateful I had the honor to speak with them. As Diane Selwyn mentioned, they have plans for shows in the future. To stay posted, you can follow their Instagram page!