Hidden Gems: Meet HOLY WATER of Syndicate Salon Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to HOLY WATER.

Hi HOLY WATER, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
hello, my name is JACOB DESROCHERS. The name I go by as an artist is HOLY space WATER. HOLY WATER started in 2022. I’ve been playing in punk rock and hard-core bands for about 30 years and somewhere around 2018 2019 I really wanted to start riding and recording my own electronic music. I’ve grown up listening to bands like Depeche Mode Nine Inch Nails KMFDM. I started getting gigs as a DJ playing at bars and really found an affinity towards House music and early 2000s in the electro. Bands like Justice and Daft Punk. The only problem was that I did not know how to produce electronic music. I bought some analog gear, some keyboards and drum machines and started to Frankenstein beats and baselines together. Eventually, I invested in some digital equipment and upped my production game, learning recording programs like Ableton and ProTools. It took me a couple years to figure out how to produce music myself that was at the taste level and sound quality that I was aiming for. And 2014 I got clean and sober. This changed my life in every way. What I learned was it wasn’t drugs and alcohol so much as it was the underline emotional health issues. Music is my outlet for all the pain, rage, resent, and loss that I’ve suffered in my life. I had a hard time letting go of superficial accolades that I had gathered from playing music performing and touring in my old bands, and sort of used those successful moments to arc over any flaws that I felt I was hiding from people. If you got to know the real me, you wouldn’t really like me. I believe a lot of musicians come from a very deeply insecure place and have a huge radar for feelings. That is why they’re able to translate their emotions into musical form and why other peoples relate to that truth so well. There’s things that I say in songs that I would never say at the dinner table. So Art music and songwriting became a vehicle of healing for me. I also grew up Catholic, which gave me a ton of shame and guilt and negative feelings about who I really was deep down because I had always felt different. But it also gave me my first lean and into music. I took piano lessons from one of the nuns at the Catholic school. I went to and I quickly learned that the black keys were much more sad than the white ones. The Minor notes for the more sympathetic sounds I should say. How this applies to HOLY WATER is a very strong connection with a spiritual layer of life for me and my music. I am not deeply religious, but I definitely understand. Understand that this world is not about me. I also understand that I have little control over what happens day today and the best practice is to try to be a good person and serve others. The way I help grow and heal is through writing music. The music may be dark and heavy, but what it’s uncovering is a confrontation with death. Living life to the fullest so that I never have to look back and feel like I regret my choices. There’s plenty I I regret, but I wouldn’t change a thing because there’s so much value in learning from one’s mistakes. HOLY WATER for me is a sonic realization of how I feel and how I can translate to help relate it to others through lyrics and sound design. I listen to pieces of music until I hear something that makes me feel something. Then I will take a piece of a song, stretch it out and start making music around it, the nucleus always comes from a few notes and a specific sound that’s repetitive and almost meditative.. I no longer seek fame, glory or finances through music. I only seek to perform well to sound the best that I can and deliver the truth at all costs. The ironic part is that all anybody wants to hear anyway is great sounding music and the truth.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
it is definitely not been a smooth road. There’s been many speed bumps and many challenges along the way. I’ve dealt with death, drugs, alcohol, loss, heartbreak, physical, and emotional pain. I don’t think it’s anymore or any less than anybody else’s pain, but it’s definitely provided me a few scars and it’s definitely helped build my resilience and ability to survive and THRIVE. Basically I think it’s really important that people go through things so they can value life and its truest form. No one provided me a few scars and it’s definitely helped build my resilience and ability to survive and THRIVE. Basically I think it’s really important that people go through things so they can value life and it’s truest form. No one rides for free. I have four children that are 25, 2118 and 15 free girls and one boy. My oldest son was born two months after my father had died. I was also currently at the Apex of my career and my old band that was called lonely kings. My world got turned around very quickly and what used to matter didn’t matter anymore and what really needed to come as a priority in my life made everything that I was afraid of so much more apparent. Being a dad scared the living shit out of me. After losing my dad, I was so afraid to get close to anything cause I was afraid I would have to say goodbye when I didn’t want to that unrequited feeling that only love can give you. You start to form walls and push people away so they don’t get close so that you’ll never get hurt. This is a lot of what I talk about in the music. I have a new song called love is paranoid, and that sort of about that same thing where it’s easier to keep people at a distance than to bring them in Clothes. Funny thing is that’s where all the good stuff is is behind the vulnerability. As humans I think it’s only natural to avoid paid at any measure, but my journey has been to Not to try to avoid love.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Syndicate Salon Studio?
my other business is a hair salon called Syndicate salon studio. I’ve been a hairstylist for over 25 years and I can’t say that it didn’t save my life. It provided me a creative people loving community atmosphere that was able to help me support my family. Some of the relationships I formed at work are much like relationship relationships I formed with band members. Creative, strong independent people can be a pain in the ass, but they are the best kind of people to have in your corner. They make life more interesting and they love hard. I’m extremely grateful for my care Career and Hair. It has brought me so much humility and growth throughout my life.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I think it’s important to realize that every step you take to push forward into your hopes and dreams as a positive step. You can’t quantify dreams. That being said the results from your dreams are what need to be fostered and managed as far as expectations are concerned. The work is the reward. It took me a long time to learn the journey and rock ‘n’ roll is more about the journey than it is about a quest for fame or for glory or for money. Everything I learned about commitment I learned from rock ‘n’ roll. If I work half as hard as I do on music and any other aspect of my life I find success. I started playing music when I was 15 years old and today I am 54 years old that is 39 years of rock ‘n’ roll. I’ve never looked back. I’ve never quit and I always take at least one step forward every day. Some people play music because they want to and I believe some people play music because I have to. If it wasn’t for rock ‘n’ roll, I don’t know if I could be able to handle just being a regular civilian without some long drive or some filthy green room or some club packed with people wearing all black clothes and it’s filled with smoke. I live for all of those moments and appreciate the time and opportunity to explain a little bit here.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holywater.music?igsi=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/s/pMMB5j1

Image Credits
photos by Aaron Sumano