Today we’d like to introduce you to Ace Woe.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ace. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was actually born in Oklahoma because my dad had a full-ride scholarship to play football out there. I also have a twin sister, not many people know about that because I feel like our relationship is so normal. The idea that we were born at the same time doesn’t really cross my mind. We have no recollection of the midwest because our family moved back to Southern California—where they were originally from—when we were about two years old.
I grew up in Fullerton, attending school in the Anaheim School District and kinda moving around Orange County for a while. I lived in Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin, Garden Grove and even squatted on a balcony off Rosecrans in La Mirada for a while. I had dropped out of college because I was playing drums in a band and I genuinely thought we were going to make it. We definitely had the talent, but not quite the organizational skills to be honest. Talent can only take you so far. That band evolved and devolved into a plethora of side projects, and eventually I just sorta wound up on my own again—artistically speaking. I’m currently working on a solo project which I’ll release sometime this year. Perhaps in the Summer of 2020.
I moved to LA in the Summer of 2019, mostly living off of freelance photography and journalism work. I know it’s a bit of a cliché to say you’re a multi-hyphenate or “multitalented” in this day and age, but I have a hard time pinning myself down; and that’s a good thing. I’m a musician first and foremost, but I have a passion for the visual arts: photography, videography, album covers, psychedelic patterns—that sorta thing. I’m also a writer and a journalist. I used to run a podcast for an internet radio station called C4OC. I recently picked up some acrylics and paint equipment. I’m a little too all over the place if I’m being honest. That’s part of the reason that I decided to sorta disengage at the turn of the decade and now I’m focusing on my music and my art.
And that’s where you’ve found me. Still wandering, but at least I’m wandering in one direction…
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Define smooth. I dunno. I’m from the middle class, but only because my parents worked their asses off. I’m one of those kids who grew up not really realizing we were poor; but that, in itself, is a privilege. Eventually, my mom and dad started their own business and pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. They also kicked me outta the house when I was 18 and I was homeless for a spell, but you could argue that’s on me—not them. That’s a whole other story I won’t get into.
I try not to dwell on the past or “the pain” so much. I definitely fall into the “struggling artist” category, but that’s probably moreso because I refuse to get a normal job. Not that I haven’t had normal jobs. I reffed soccer for five years, I’ve worked every position imaginable in a restaurant (host, busser, dishwasher, server, cook, etc.), I’ve worked in sales, door-to-door, call centers, I was probably struggling more psychologically than physically or financially.
The most painful part of this journey has been losing my good friend, Adam, in 2018. He played bass in that band I was talking about: the walkers. We were really picking up steam too. He was an amazing musician, had a scholarship to play guitar at UCLA and all of that. In a lot of ways he reminded me of someone like Jim Morrison or John Bonham… He was a wildman. But he was also our Krist Novoselic—talkative, politically-minded, and a badass bass player. We were hugely inspired by Nirvana. It seemed more likely that our singer would overdose before Adam would, but alas, Adam is gone. He died on Tupac’s birthday, June 16th, which I always found to be beautiful in a sense.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Ace Woe story.
Well, I’m no businessman, but I guess financial freedom is a necessary goal. My problem has always been that I don’t really care about money. It comes and it goes. If it were up to me, I’d probably live out in the woods by a stream somewhere in the Sequoia National Park, but the music industry is in Los Angeles. I’m currently looking for a decent agent or a manager, someone who can steer this ship and be a little more business-minded. All of that stuff stresses me out, and maybe it’s a myth or an excuse, but I feel like it stifles my creativity. I just want to produce mind-bending music and visuals to go along with it. That’s what I’m good at. That’s what brings me joy.
I think what sets me apart is my attention to detail; the aesthetics I bring to everything that I do; my appreciation for those who came before me; and my determination to make my idols proud, even if it’s all in my head or some “vicarious atonement”—I’m also quite the perfectionist, but everyone thinks they’re a perfectionist, so that’s not really a remarkable trait. What I’m most proud of is knowing that I’m attempting to create an album that is truly unique, even if it doesn’t chart or whatever. I’m also proud of the circle of creatives that have grown around me, and the mutual faith we have in one another. Namely, different groups of artists and producers who have sorta welcomed me into their folds: Rendezvous Culture, Legendary Beatsmiths, 3rd Eye Tribe. I can’t name all of them, but I know one of us is going to do something big in the near future.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I guess I don’t really believe in “luck” or “karma” in any cosmic sense, although I believe in God. I think “luck” is just a matter of tendency. You put yourself in bad situations or hang out with the wrong people and bad things are going to happen. There will always be wrong-place-wrong-time scenarios, but that would more accurately be defined as “fate,” not “luck.” Call it what you want. I just try to be a positive person and bring good vibes to every room I enter. That’s all I can do.
I’m definitely fortunate to have met the people that I’ve met throughout my life who love and support me. I feel blessed. There’s also a certain level of serendipity when it comes to discovering artists or musicians that inspire you. For example, one of my biggest musical influences has been a guy by the name of Scott Walker. He died last year on March 22nd, 2019, and I never got a chance to meet him or see him perform or anything like that—I would consider that bad luck.
Seriously though, how his music came into my life was pure chance. By all accounts, I should’ve either never heard of him or maybe even despised his sound because it’s pretty unique and as a kid, I never could’ve seen myself getting into his style of music. It’s a strange blend of what they used to call “baroque pop,” with elements of jazz, classical, and the avant-garde. Sometimes his compositions would consist of full-on orchestral movements, and other times it would be two awkward notes held by a string section for several minutes straight. He truly cannot be pinned down. That’s how I like my heroes—defiant.
On that note, I’ll be releasing a cover of Scott Walker’s 1969 album opener, titled “The Seventh Seal,” on the anniversary of his death—Sunday, March 22nd, 2020. My version is co-produced by myself and members of the Legendary Beatsmiths crew that I mentioned earlier: Ilai Lebel and James Goss. So stay tuned for that and stay tuned for my album ‘XOLO’ which will probably come out sometime between July or September. ‘XOLO’ is about a mythological breed of dog from Mexico that is said to guide humans to the afterlife. That’s part of the reason why “The Seventh Seal” fit onto the tracklist, conceptually. It’s a crazy, apocalyptic song inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 film of the same name. Imagine a movie about a knight who plays chess with the personification of Death during the Black Plague.
Like I said, un-pinnable.
Pricing:
- Photography/Cover Art: $30/hour
- Music Production: $100 for three hours is standard
Contact Info:
- Website: genius.com/kingkillmonger
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Ace Woe, Nikki Paige, Lil Raven, Cisco
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