Artist Spotlight on Dolly Cash
The Nashville Musician chats with Melinoe Macaria Mourningstar
Welcome Ghouls, Demons and Fellow Wyrd Ones! Today I am here to present a debuting Artist, Dolly Cash! An artistic soul expressing himself with a purely unique blend of Gothic Waves, Appalachian Folk and Hollywood Undead Like Alt-Rap. Not quite nu-metal. Not quite Goth. Not quite country. And not necessarily pop. All created by Mark Erin, the Man within Dolly Cash. To be honest, I was not sure what I would think of his music or his style. Part of me felt my Elitist Cunt Rising from the Dead. But we are here to Grant Wishes, and Make Dreams Come True, not Tear anyone Down for being outside of My (or Your) preferences. However, I have an Oath of Transparency with my audience, and I must express my Truth. So, with that, (not to Scare anyone) I will say that I had a roller coaster of emotions and sensations experiencing Dolly Cash and his Discography. The Highest of Highs and the Lowest of Lows. Mark expressed that he was still finding himself within his art and his music as Dolly Cash. That can be quite apparent as you flow through the eclectic sounds within his list of singles. I think it is absolutely vital, and so, so important for us to “fail” as artists as we develop our Authentic Stamp of Impact on the World. Finding yourself and allowing yourself to experiment, imperfectly as an artist, is crucial for success. Which does not mean that I find any of Dolly Cash’s work to be a failure. If anything, I find Dolly Cash to be remarkably courageous, and a huge success, for putting himself out there and sharing his experimentation with us all. Dolly Cash is a blend of sounds and concepts I have never heard being combined. I would go out on a limb to say that whatever sound Mark is creating through Dolly Cash is far ahead of his time.
As I dove into the list of songs available on Spotify, I Personally LOVED “Damn Haints” featuring Miriam Benjamin. I was absolutely not the biggest fan of Bon Iver, and to be honest, I am not sure if I could ever be a fan of that style. However, just because I don’t like it? Doesn’t mean you won’t. I would personally desire Dolly Cash to create more works along the lines of“Tennessee Witch” and “The Revelator.” I love his voice with more gothic tones and country lyrical themes. If my opinion matters to anyone, I would want to encourage Dolly Cash to focushis creative endeavors down that path. I can see there being a phenomenal album from Dolly Cash with an Emo/Alt/Goth/New Wave sound, filled with Appalachian Folk Magick/Country subject matter. (Not so much a country sound. Unless Dolly Cash goes more Southern Gothic) Equally, I want to hear more duets with female vocals mixed in with his masculine essence. Whether with collaborations, sampling, or interpolation. I love the duality of masculine and feminine elements within Dolly Cash. His collab with Miriam Benjamin? Damn near perfection. If Dolly Cash wants to walk down a more Punk Path, I would suggest avoiding the Rap Poetry lyric/vocals and lean more into aggressive shouting. To be honest, outside of potential rebellious lyrics? I don’t see Dolly Cash within the Punk Scene. However, Dolly Cash vocally has a lovely masculine melody that is perfect for the Goth Scene. As well, instrumentally? I found myself grooving to the beat and ready to put on my Platforms and Elvira Deep V. I would love to see Dolly Cash perform for a Fascination Street Goth Night here in Nashville.
Overall, I want to encourage Dolly Cash to continue to express himself, and continue refining his distinctive sound. He is at the brink of self-discovery and self-mastery. I don’t see him as an artist trying to fit in and create music for any other purpose, than Love and the Experience of Music. I could feel Mark wearing his Heart on his Sleeve. Sometimes when artists have their heart out there, they find the safest avenue to display it. I wouldn’t say that is the case for Dolly Cash. There is nothing safe, nor average about the work being done, and the art being created. I believe Art must be Dangerous. And true Authenticity is an Acquired Taste. Dolly Cash, do not make yourself palatable for anyone. Not even me. Thank you for sharing your Heart, Your Art and You Insights with me. Thank you for allowing me to tell my Wyrd World about you. I genuinely look forward to your future creations. And please grant me a front row seat to your first Goth Night Performance.
Interview with Dolly Cash
We havent’t had a chance to see you live yet. Do you have any upcoming shows?
I actually don’t do live shows, I work full time as a firefighter, so trying to line up shows is hard, but I’m super grateful!
Tell me a little about your beginnings. Where are you from originally?
I grew up in Abingdon, VA. It was a small historic town in South-Western Virginia, in the Appalachians. But after graduating High School, I bounced around the US in the army. Maryland, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Afghanistan. It was in North Carolina, more specifically Fayetteville, that I began to hone my music skills. The community within the city was very rooted in the arts. I’d crash on my friend’s couch and cut songs with like 5 or 6 different people. They would put on cool local shows and really push each other to create. I got out of the Army in 2016 and moved back to Abingdon. After a year of couch surfing and job hopping, I applied to go to The University of Tennessee. That’s how I ended up in Knoxville. While here, I met my wife, and realized Tennessee was now home. While here, I got back to my mountain roots, fell in love with mountain music, as well as the Goth culture. I believe traveling to the US and war-torn countries has given me an appreciation of where I live.
Where did “Dolly Cash” come from?
Dolly Cash came about during the pandemic. I’d been doing Pop Rap for almost 5 years up until this point and needed a change in direction with sound and imagery. You can’t live in East Tennessee and not know the name Dolly Parton. So, using her first name just seemed like a natural move. The Cash part comes from family lore that we were related to the Johny Cash family. It took me a few years under the new moniker to see that I could start making music about the area I grew up in, and it didn’t have to be country music.
What Genre would you classify yourself as?
It’s hard to put an exact genre, but I would have to say Goth Pop. I like to blend Dark Wave, Post-Punk, Rap, Alt-Rock. When I first started the journey, I was listening to guys like Colter Wall and The Cure. This past year I’ve really been inspired by Mareux, Dead On A Sunday for their darker energy, but lyrically guys like Ian Noe “Off This Mountaintop” is top tier Appalachian music, also Spit Shine/ Lost Dog Street Band/ Benjamin Tod, encouraged me to understand and write honestly about the life I’d lived or seen, or heard about.
What are some of the core philosophies within your music?
Be truthful. You don’t have to write about everything you’ve lived, but if you do write about a real topic, do it honestly. There’s a song on my upcoming EP by the name of “Luna Tic”. The theme is about a guy who visits a strip club and falls in love with a dancer. In my early life I can’t tell you how many nights, and how many checks I wasted on trying to get just “one more dance”. It’s that kind of living that I try to bring to my music. I want to paint scenes, people to hear a song and be teleported to the setting.
Another example would be the track “Head Lice”. The story takes place in a small town that closes by 9 PM. A lot of young people living in rural America, can relate to the boredom this produces, but what I do for this track, is take the listeners into the mind of a serial killer who is running rampant in the Bible Belt. The reason I do this is because there is so much darkness in the underbelly of places like Knoxville, and the Great Smokey Mountains. The problem is, all we ever hear about is the beauty, tourism, moonshine tours, etc. I want people to really see the recipe that makes up this pie we call Mountain Life.
The creation of “HellBender” came about two years ago, when I decided to write a project based on Appalachia. The Hellbender name is given to a specific breed of large salamanders, and specifically Eastern Hellbenders can be found specifically in Appalachia. It is a fun play on words for me, about the beauty and brokenness of the region. We live in a polarizing world where everyone is quick to turn on their neighbors, be it sexual preference, religion, and political ideology. Growing up in Appalachia, I’m used to stereotypes. People thinking we Boink our cousins, and drink Mountain Dew instead of water. But I’m here to say, we’re intellects, creators, kindhearted folks. That doesn’t mean we are without flaws though.
I grew up in the church, and as I’ve grown, I’ve seen how people especially now a days, are quick to weaponize religion. This was how the basis for “Cult Leader for a Day” came about. I decided to write from a first person POV, of a hardcore conservative who believes the government was coming for their family, and the steps he’d take to protect them. I used vocal samples from David Koresh sermons, as well as news coverage from the WACO siege in the 90’s to further paint the extremes the government is willing to go as well as how violent fanatics can become.
I’m a goofy person, and love to be silly but during the writing for this project at times put me in a dark headspace. But I counterbalanced that with a dark, yet silly song “All-Star Special” about a “typical” night at Waffle House. The week we recorded the track; I was midway through a super gnarly sinus infection. If you listen to it, you can hear how nasally my voice sounds, and at times I’ve considered recording it again, but the more time passes. The more I like the absurdity of it.
Where can people connect with you as an artist?
You can find me on Instagram or Spotify I have so many creative ventures, that I decided not to make a band page, in fact I’ve been on a social media hiatus for almost 2 months now, after going viral on TikTok several times last year. I got so consumed by posting that I decided to enjoy life outside the screen.
It was a true privilege to witness an up and coming artist who is still figuring themselves out. No matter how “figured out” I may seem along my creative path, I believe that the True Gift of Art is received through the Becoming. I hope Dolly Cash continues to evolve into himself and his sound. I hope we all are Brave enough to try a whole assortment of mediums, sounds, themes and expression within our lives. Including taking a chance on an Artist whose sound is unlike anything I have ever heard before. May we never settle. May we never fear failure. And may we always Create from the Spark of our Soul.
Live Deliciously. Love Authentically. And Always, Stay Wyrd!
-Melinoe Macaria Mourningstar
Photos Courtesy of KB Wilder
KB Wilder is a photographer based out of a rural town in Tennessee, who travels all over the world, working with musicians, cowboys, and brands. “I don’t do coffee shop meetings. I want to sit in the bed of my truck and eat tacos from a gas station food-truck and talk with you all afternoon as the Southern summer sun sets. I want to talk about your album and plan our photoshoot while we fish and my dogs run around, getting us muddy. I can’t take overhearing one more Nashville tech bro talkin’ about his million dollar deals in a coffee shop with nowhere to park my truck. I reckon that’s about all you need to know about me and working with me.”
-KB Wilder
Holler at Her!
@kbfromtennessee
www.kbfromtennessee.com
kbfromtennessee@gmail.com
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