EBONIE (METAL & COFFEE)
Q1. Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions! For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you talk about what you do and what kind of content you create?
Hey! It’s nice to meet you! I’m Ebonie (aka Metal & Coffee) and I openly share my opinions of new metal music whether it be through posting a picture of a new vinyl record or making a short video about it. I also like to share my interesting experiences of being both a minority and a metalhead. I’m active on Instagram, Tiktok & Twitch. And it’s been a great way to connect with other metalheads.
Q2. Can you share a little of your backstory and how you got into content creation? What made you decide to take the brave step forward and put yourself out there in the public eye?
My interest in music and being really vocal about it has always been a part of my core. Ever since I was a teenager, my immediate family knew me as “the music nerd”. They would tell me about a new band that I might like and I’d already know who they were. But I didn’t start putting myself out into the world until I became a radio DJ at my college radio station. I started posting my playlists online in 2007. Interviewed a few bands here and there. But I didn’t find my stride until 2015 where I created Metal & Coffee. It was at that point where I let myself just be my whole self and really enjoy the content that I was putting out there.
Q3. What would you say is most exciting and/or gratifying about doing Metal and Coffee?
The most gratifying part about it is forming connections you wouldn’t expect to. Openly sharing my love for music has attracted others who are just as passionate as I am. I can honestly say that I have genuine connections all over the metal world at this point and it’s so refreshing!
Q4. Which artists were most influential for you in shaping your taste or even who you are today?
During my main discovery phase where I was exploring the depths of heavy music, there were a set of core bands that truly ignited my passion for specific genres.
Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and Kyuss are the reason I love all things grunge and stoner.
Sleep and Earthless are the reason for my love of dangerously long psychedelic compositions.
Cave In, Glassjaw, These Arms are Snakes and Refused are why I consistently dabble in hardcore.
And Cult of Luna, Opeth and Porcupine Tree are why I favor progressive and post metal.
Those tend to be the genres I focus on when I’m reviewing music.
Q5. Ignoring the obvious logistical issues with how you’d actually listen to them, for the sake of the exercise, if you were stranded on a desert island and could only have five albums with you, what would they be and why?
Opeth “Damnation” for the times where I need to contemplate my future.
Refused “The Shape of Punk To Come” for my moshing needs.
The Ocean “Pelagial” as a general soundtrack for my desert island escapades.
Roosevelt “S/T” for my solo dance parties.
Sufjan Stevens “Illinois” for all the conversations I’ll be having with the first inanimate object I find interesting. And I’ll probably name it “Rain”.
Q6. What kinds of things do you have on the horizon for the Metal and Coffee project, or for yourself—if you distinguish between the two—in the music space?
One of my goals in the new year is to improve the overall quality of my short form reviews which will include improving my filming setup and video editing skills. But I’ll also be putting a lot of focus into my YouTube channel and doing metal music reactions on my currently stagnant channel.
Q7. Are there some new directions you are eager to take or foresee yourself taking in this space?
Well I previously mentioned diving into creating reactions to new metal releases. So I’m really excited about that. But I also hope to explore interviewing bands though I haven’t fully brainstormed how I would execute that in a unique way.
Q8. Lastly, as we look back on 2023, can you close us out with some songs, albums, and/or artists that stood out to you as real highlights of the year that was?
I actually just did a recap of my Top 10 albums of 2023! And some of the bands included were Entheos, Horrendous, Witching and Empire State Bastard. You can check out my Instagram or Tiktok for the complete list but all of those releases are some of the best of 2023.