Toronto’s The Holy Gasp return with the video for “Out of the Hands of the Wicked,” an award-winning live action puppet musical drawn from their critically acclaimed 2003 orchestral album …And the Lord Hath Taken Away. Rooted in good ol’ fashioned southern gothic, porch-stompin’ devil music, the track blends old time-y folk Americana, gospel fervor, and theatrical storytelling into something at once darkly comic and deeply human.

The cinematic counterpart for “Out of the Hands of the Wicked” has already racked up an impressive string of accolades on the festival circuit, including Best Music Video at the Regina International, Best Film Music at the Paris Film Art Festival, Audience Choice Award at Tiny Mountains Film Festival (Australia), and a Best Film Score nomination at Blood in the Snow. As Grimoire of Horror predicted, “it is the creativity and the memorability of [Benjamin] Hackman‘s performance as Pa that are going to win this short some awards” – and they were right!

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? The video itself tells the story of a family of southern dustbowl puppets. After a harrowing journey home from hell, their patriarch, Pa, boasts of his triumph over evil and how he came to lock the devil in his heart. Against the protests of his family, Pa then must return from whence he came to save the ones he loves from the hands of the wicked. But though his family may be safe from evil, how far does any one man get with the devil locked inside his heart? 

Me and the folks in The Holy Gasp had been having a gay ol’ time making videos for other tracks off our album, …And the Lord Hath Taken Away, and had already made two live action videos (In Amsterdam and Havel Havalim) and two animated videos (The Algonquin Bridge and Devil Oh Devil), and just really wanted to work in a medium we hadn’t worked in before and answer the call of that very basic artist desire: to try something new and to be playful and creative. The call-and-response vocals in “Out of the Hands of the Wicked” were already musical theatre-esque and we just thought it’d be fun to work with singing puppets. What more can I say? It all looked fun.

2.What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)? 
Storywise, the script was inspired by southern gothic literature – in particular the works of Flannery O’Connor and Tennessee Williams. Visually, we mainly drew from the Kansas scenes from The Wizard of Oz, John Ford’s film adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath, and Roy Stryker’s “Killed Negatives,” which I hope readers will spend some time with if they haven’t already, as they offer a remarkably intimate insight into the hardships of American life in the 1930s, and are some of the most gorgeous documentary portraits I’m aware of in existence. 
As for the design of the puppets themselves… character design is always, in a sense, the invention of a new species. Kristi Ann Holt was given quite a bit of freedom to concoct a new species as she saw fit, within the broad strokes of the visual references she was provided. We knew we wanted to stay away from cuddly fun fur muppets – both because material costs were still, during pre-production, affected by COVID and therefore prohibitively expensive, and because we wanted to explore the full scope of puppetry as a theatre form and medium, and not feel relegated to what-we-think-of-when-we-think-of-puppets. I confess I can’t remember Kristi and I discussing what the puppets would actually look like, only their mechanism. I think it was a process-oriented journey for Kristi in which she discovered the genetic makeup of each puppet as they revealed themselves to her through the process of making. I wish I could remember this part of the process better. I’m gonna call Kristi later and ask her. In the meantime, readers should reach out to her directly and ask her more about it:  https://www.anarkiti.ca/

3.What was the process of making this video?Quite difficult, I should say. Puppets can be vulnerable artifacts with delicate mechanical structures, and compelling puppet performances often require exuberant gestures, highly expressive movements, and a bit of overemphasis in lieu of moving eyebrows, lips and cheeks – all those things that physical actors have at their disposal but which many puppets do not. The consequence of this is a lot of broken puppets, which, in my experience of our one-day shoot, frustratingly caused so many delays in production that it was hard for me to feel like I was able to maintain a flow of creativity, and many scripted and storyboarded moments had to be cut for time and budget. That’s indie filmmaking, though, and in the end, extraordinarily talented puppeteers and editors made a piece of art I’m unquestionably proud of. Contrary to what I said in an interview in Blood in the Snow, I would work with puppets again, but perhaps less of them. I encourage readers to explore what can be accomplished with low budget puppet productions, so that we can all learn more about what is possible for the independent artist working and creating in this beautiful artform.

After a 20-year hiatus, Andrew Spice returns with With Animals, a powerful reclamation of identity and emotion from the depths of trauma and detachment. Anchoring the record is “Junk,” a raw, defiant indie anthem that takes aim at the emotional erasure caused by psychiatric medication and the quiet rage of wanting to feel again.

Produced by two–time JUNO nominee Matthew Barber and featuring acclaimed musicians Mike Tompa, Marshall Bureau and Devon Henderson, With Animals is a deeply personal collection of songs about survival, self-reclamation, and the radical strength of vulnerability. Piano-driven and poetically potent, the album traverses themes of sexual violence, emotional isolation, queerness, and the healing power of animals. Its most biting track, “Junk,” turns gut-wrenching experience into something electric and alive.

“During the difficult time when I wrote these songs, I sought help through psychiatric meds,” Spice says. “‘Junk’ is about realizing that they were erasing more than just the pain, and the fight to feel like myself again.”

Midnight Channel unleashes their boldest, most emotionally raw track yet with “Celebration,” an overwhelming, unrelenting jazz composition that captures the chaos, beauty, and relief of simply surviving. Propelled by frenzied percussion, free-form improvisation, and a deep spiritual core, the song is both abrasive and serene – a noisy yet peaceful meditation on being alive.

“‘Celebration’ is celebrating that you’re still here. There’s nothing more important than that,” shares bassist Matthew Erdmann.  “It’s about overcoming dark times/suicidal thoughts and accepting yourself. It’s about celebrating missed opportunities, as well as the ones you’re risking everything to take. It’s also about celebrating the end of another album, which always leaves me feeling empty but at peace.”

Written as both a personal anthem and a collective ritual, “Celebration” draws inspiration from church hymns, Pharoah Sanders, Cecil Taylor, and Zach Hill – a spiritual jazz piece meant to feel emotionally overwhelming at first, but comforting the more you sit inside it. The drums are chaotic but compressed, letting the melody float above like a breath of air. “If you separate the drums and melody,” Erdmann notes, “you’d have two completely different songs.”

At its heart, the track celebrates being in the present moment. 

“This single is for the freaks,” Erdmann adds. “We chose it because it hits people over the head right away – that this is what we’re doing, and we’re not sorry for it.”

Combining her multifaceted musical talents with her Colombian roots and stunning stage presence, Esther Anaya is a DJ, singer/songwriter, music producer, and classically trained violinist whose innovative performances have captivated audiences worldwide. With over 20 years of musical training and more than a decade of professional experience, Anaya has forged a sound that blends classical roots with pop, Latin, and electronic music, showcasing electric violin, curated DJ sets, and live vocals that resonate across four continents.

This fall, she’s set to release her next dance single, “Baseline” alongside Snoop Dogg, on September 14th. Her upcoming music spans main stage progressive EDM, radio-friendly dance tracks, and sensual afro-house rhythms, all poised to hit global playlists.

Anaya’s career highlights include supporting Rihanna and Kanye West, opening for Maluma on his European tour, collaborations with Lil Yachty, and performances at major festivals such as EDC Mexico, Coca-Cola Flow, and Baja BeachFest. For the past three seasons, she has served as the official DJ for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, performing at SoFi Stadium and appearing at marquee sports events including Super Bowl 2023, Pro Bowl 2023, F1 Mexico City 2024, Anaheim Ducks games, and the PGA’s Waste Management Open 2025.

Her journey from classical conservatory training to the global music scene underscores her versatility, creativity, and dedication. This artistic fluidity has led to branded partnerships with Cadillac and iHeartMedia and DJ residencies at Zouk Nightclub Las Vegas and E11even Miami, where she has shared stages with David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Zedd, DJ Snake, and others.

Esther Anaya is a force in music—a genre-defying talent whose next release promises to electrify dance floors worldwide.