Life & Work with Tanya Venom

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanya Venom.

Hi Tanya, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story can’t exist without mentioning my twin! Despite our extreme shyness, (literally diagnosed with selective mutism) my twin and I would write little songs, jingles and commercials all the time growing up! That innate musical love would come to evolve into me picking up the flute in the school band, and then at 13 deciding to start learning the guitar thanks to what felt like a whisper from the universe. My twin, Tye, having chosen to play the bass clarinet in school, started taking bass guitar lessons as well! We both soon became obsessed with these instruments and the awesome world of classic rock and metal music they came with. We came to discover that writing music was a rare and unique way that we could express our emotions in a safe way. At 16 we formed a classic rock cover band with a pair of seasoned performers – a singer/rhythm guitarist and drummer – and we performed in bars all around the metro Detroit area. As a recovering selective mute, performing music live felt like the one place I could access all of my most primal emotions, and in the songwriting I was beginning to do, I felt free to express the words and feelings that I kept locked up inside of me. Performing live pulled me out of my shell and brought me the greatest joy. Witnessing that joy spread to crowds of people every night, one day like a switch turning on, made me realize, THIS is what I need to do for all of my days to come. So after graduating high school with honors, my twin and I applied to Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and to our great excitement, we both got accepted! I studied film scoring and guitar at Berklee and formed a rock band with Tye with a singer and a revolving wheel of drummers while we were there called, Flight of Fire, which would go on to win several music awards and other exciting accolades. After Tye and I graduated from Berklee, also with honors, we wanted to head in a heavier musical direction and take on a more leading role and so in October of 2019 we formed our current heavy metal power trio, Stormstress, alongside the powerhouse drummer from Europe, Maddie May Scott. In this group, I finally was ready and excited to sing my own lead vocals! Now, I am the confident frontwoman of Stormstress, playing lead and rhythm guitar while also singing lead vocals, harmonies and even harsh vocals!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been treacherous though full of wonders. Being a young woman in the rock and metal scene came with a lot of emotional abuse that I am just now beginning to unravel with professional help. Before my twin transitioned to male, we were always involved in all-female bands. We heard just about everything you would guess that an all-female band would be subjected to, like rival bands falsely claiming that “we slept with the producers” when our band won the opportunity to open for Bon Jovi in Detroit, mansplaining our own musical gear to us, constantly comparing us to other ‘girl bands,’ assuming we were only “with” the band, or that we were backup dancers for one of the other bands and the like. Guys would brag at us about their achievements and assume our music was going to be light and mellow and that we were precious babies who knew nothing of musical skill. I kind of hate to say that it made me a bit deviously excited when those guys would pass judgement upon us like that before even hearing us because it was so satisfying to be so kind and coy to them and then proceed to drop all of their jaws when we would go up on the stage and bring the thunder and skill level they never expected. In addition to sexism, we also faced adversity in the form of toxic band members and music industry agents who threatened us, belittled us, and aimed to control us. I am happy to say that now that we are aware of what is and what is not healthy and professional behavior, we have attracted much more kind and supportive people into our circle! So while it has been a bumpy road, I know the universe put me on this path to grow and I am grateful for who I am now because of it.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am proud to say that thanks to my education at Berklee and my variety of real-world experiences, I have a wide range of musical abilities and specialties! First off, I am so proud to say that my work as a guitarist has been recognized by my all-time favorite guitar company, PRS Guitars, who inducted me into their PRS Pulse Artist Program which has provided me with an amazing amount of support, validation, cred, and the ability to connect with so many other fabulous players! I am the most passionate and most known for my guitar and vocal performing skills as well as my songwriting abilities as the frontwoman of the metal band, Stormstress. I also perform in a rock duo with my twin called “Venom and Mayhem” where we write and perform rock arrangements of songs from a variety genres for entertainment services such as parties, weddings, events and bar nights. On top of that, I offer myself as a guitarist and/or vocalist for hire for other artists on tour, guitar and vocal session work, songwriting/guitar/music theory lessons, as well as arranging, composing, film scoring, and jingle writing work. Last October I started my own Patreon community called “Castle Venom” where I like to share my knowledge and adventures by posting inspiring hot tips, musical advice, behind the scenes pics and vids, guitar videos, vocal covers, provide songwriting assistance and more! In a world full of naysayers and pessimists, I would say the biggest thing that sets me apart from others is my highly contagious positive attitude 🙂

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My journey towards taking my mental health and general wellness seriously was kickstarted around late 2019 or so, when a dear friend of mine passed along this book called “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. This book really helped open my eyes to the amazing powers of the mind and it’s ability to manifest great things into your life. Once the pandemic of 2020 hit, I for the first time since I was a kid, had ample free time to actually look at the state of my mind and my life and I started getting into other books and things related to this topic. Weirdly enough, I recognized “The Secret” book as something that had been lying around my childhood home so it feels like it finally made it’s way to me at just the right time! After that, I got into some other really great and inspiring books such as “The Universe Has Your Back” by Gabby Bernstein, “Excuses BeGone!” by Dr. Wayne Dyer, and “Ask and It is Given” by Esther and Jerry Hicks. Next, I intend to read “Daring Greatly” by Brené Browne as recommended by my psychiatrist! As a touring musician, I spend many hours at a time in the car and so I started getting into a few podcasts that have been so incredibly inspiring as well! I started with “Love Your Life + Law of Attraction,” by Jennifer Bailey and then discovered “Let’s Talk About Mental Health” by Jeremy Godwin, which have both been majorly positive influences on my life! It’s so validating to know you are not alone in your struggles and to have the empowerment of that validation to go on and be your best self is something I had no idea I needed so badly. Learning how to be my true self against my anxious fears of judgements and criticism has been monumental in improving my self worth which directly extends to my ability to thrive as a musician.

Pricing:

• Session Rhythm Guitar: $100 per full track
• Session Guitar Solo/Leads: $50-$75 per track
• Session Lead Vocals: $100 per full track
• Session Harmonies/Backing Vocals: $50
• Patreon Member: $6.66 – $50 / month (free option also available!)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stormstressband.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanya_venom/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanyavenom
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/stormstressband
• soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-190222842
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/tanyavenom

 

Image Credits
Live Photos by Metal Icarus Images White Background Photos by Fuel Heart Productions