Iowa hard rock band Widow7 recently released an awesome new single, “Wake The Dead”, and a great music video to go along with it. This band seems to be quickly making a name for itself, consistently releasing killer new tunes and also being invited to some very prestigious national festivals. I feel like Widow7 is ready to take off, and you don’t want to miss the ride!
Widow7 is from Des Moines, affectionately known as “Slipknotville” after the legendary heavy metal band Slipknot. Members of Widow7 include: Mark Leon (vocals); Seth Peters (bass); Shane Mills (drums); and Jayson Kempf (guitar). Seth was kind enough to answer some questions I had about the band and their music.
The band was started in late 2020 and did their first show in April 2021. The members had all been in separate bands and were looking to start fresh. Jayson, Shane, and Seth were working on original music and some covers and were seeking a singer. Mark had just moved back to Des Moines from Texas and had a few really good demos – one of which was “Shadow Me”, the band’s first single. He was seeking bandmates to help bring his ideas to fruition. The other three quickly learned how to play the demos, so when they finally had a meeting with Mark they were able to convince him without a doubt that they were the guys to take his ideas to the next level. Their first show in their hometown sold out, and their second show was a label showcase in Los Angeles. Since then it’s all been an incredible trajectory to touring nationally and playing America’s largest festivals.
Widow7’s songwriting is a team effort. The band decides what message or lyrical content they want to portray, and then pick a musical vibe to reflect that message, whether it’s sad, upbeat, angry, angsty, hurt, happy, or sometimes ironic. A lot of the lyrical weight is carried by Mark, along with their producer Evan McKeever, and Seth will add ideas when there’s a gap or something in particular that’s needed. Once the lyrics and vibe of a song are established, the band heads into the studio and tosses around musical ideas until they strike a nerve, and then they build on a musical or lyrical hook. The band definitely aims to get their message across in their music, but they also want to leave it open to interpretation so the listeners can decide what it means to them.
“Wake The Dead” was produced, mixed, and mastered by Evan McKeever. Seth told me that Evan has pretty much been an unofficial fifth member of their band since they started. He acts as a mentor, idea generator, producer, and engineer. Seth said much of the band’s success is due to having Evan on their team. He shared that it’s been a really amazing experience working with Evan because a lot of their ideas align and they all have similar writing styles. “It works very well when we’re all in a room building off each other’s ideas. That kind of cohesion and efficiency is hard to find,” Seth said.
As soon as I heard the opening chords of “Wake The Dead” I knew that I was going to love it. It’s one of those songs that you know right away is going to be a banger because of its high energy. It’s heavy, but also upbeat. Mark Leon has a unique voice that is strong and powerful. This song is written perfectly. The catchy guitar riff throughout the song mixes well with the bass and drums in perfect unity. The bridge features a breakdown with hard vocals by Mark. This is a song that keeps you moving and banging your head!
Seth told me that the band writes a lot of songs about mental health, society, and the world around us – a lot of observations they make in their every day lives. “The state of the world provides a lot of inspiration, whether it be good or bad.” When I listen to “Wake The Dead”, I hear a song about mental health and the inner demons we all have inside ourselves. Seth shared that for him, the song encapsulates how society has driven everyone to have anxiety, worry, and panic. He doesn’t think our minds are fully ready for the technology we all use or to cope with the rat race we’re all in on a daily basis. That’s Seth’s personal interpretation of the song, but he admits that his bandmates might have their own slightly different ideas.
The music video for “Wake The Dead” was directed by Eric DiCarlo. Seth told me Eric was fantastic to work with. They flew him to their hometown back in March and shot the videos for both “Choke” and “Wake The Dead” in one day. Seth said it was a very grueling process, but well worth it. “Wake The Dead” was filmed in an abandoned area that appears to be frozen in time and very creepy. Seth said they wanted the video to have an eerie vibe. Also, the space being locked in time symbolizes how we get locked inside our own minds with all of our misconceptions, demons, regrets, and thoughts of the past. When I saw the mannequin body parts in the video, they seemed to me to be symbolic of how we’re all broken in some way. Seth told me that interpretation was spot on!
Recently, Widow7 performed at two major festivals, Louder Than Life in Kentucky and Aftershock in California, and earlier this year, Welcome to Rockville in Florida. Upcoming shows for the band include:
10/20 – Maloney’s – Council Bluffs, IA
11/18 – Basecamp – Lisle, IL
12/16 – Skyway Theatre – Minneapolis, MN
Widow7 plans on traveling back and forth to Nashville in upcoming months to create a lot of new music for the rest of this year and 2024. They do have two songs being mixed and mastered that may see light this year yet. We can expect new material from Widow7 all next year.
“We’ve been kind of building our base these last couple years playing shows all over the country, but we’re very excited to take that up a notch with more and more material to give to the fans,” Seth told me. “We have a lot of great things coming down the pipeline and appreciate everyone so much for being here with us for the ride!”
You can find Widow7 on Facebook, Instagram, Linktree, and YouTube.
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