Get ready for Santa Rosa gloom metal, feat. Mr. Weldon

Mr. Weldon Holding a sticker of the logo of his band (Esmond Hoang / The Puma Prensa)

Esmond Hoang, Staff Writer

Have you ever wondered about the talented bands in Santa Rosa? Well, some of those musicians might just be the one assigning your homework. 

Michael Weldon, an English teacher at Maria Carrillo High School, plays the guitar in a new band named Soft Curse. Currently, they have only released one music video called “Ghost Prism.” Their debut album, Liminal Ritual, will be released on June 12.

Liminal Ritual is based on the singer Jonny Andrew’s feelings about his mother passing away. Weldon’s personal interpretation of “Ghost Prism” is based on how “some people [interpret] a spooky ghost, that’s someone haunting you but in a different light, this could be someone watching over you.”  

According to Weldon, making music is “really collaborative,” and everyone gets their “own time to shine.” This can be seen in “Ghost Prism”, where every member gets their own solo. Usually, they get together to rehearse, or just hang out every Thursday. 

The precursor to Soft Curse was State Faults, an older version of the band that Weldon played in. State Faults was signed to a record label and toured all over the world to play shows, but this was incredibly challenging and was not without problems. 

Once the 2019 coronavirus pandemic hit, everyone had to go their separate ways and get new jobs. Weldon then went back to school to become a teacher. When they could make music again, everyone decided on a more casual approach. Thus, they created Soft Curse.

The music of Soft Curse is meant to have more variety than State Faults. According to Weldon, “instead of being pigeonholed into [State Faults],” part of the band’s goal is to create “an opportunity to try different stuff.” His hope is to “still have that fulfillment, but not let it ruin your life and have fun with it.”