Behind The Lens: RW Hellborn

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Where do you go—physically or mentally—when it’s time to write your music?

There’s no one set place, or time, but a lot of inspirational moments happen anytime you’re doing something that increases your heart rate. I frequently come up with a random line or riff after a particularly good workout, or after a particularly good show… but no matter what it is, I always have to "go somewhere else" to get it. You can’t write songs about real life experiences if you never have any… so I guess the answer is I’ll go anywhere I can… both physically and mentally because it’s not a "when it’s time to write," it’s always time to write.

Describe your spirit animal—what does it represent about you as an artist?

That’s not a question I expected to be asked, but I do actually keep a Magic: The Gathering card of it in one of my hats… and that’s an Ancient Brass Dragon. Far from the strongest, and more interested in hoarding knowledge and experiences than gems and gold, they’re both the most social and the most humble, and have a unique appearance compared to most other dragons, which is certainly easy to identify with as an artist who never exactly fit into any of the expected molds, and just wasn’t "into what everyone else was into"; whether it be music, Dungeons & Dragons, or Professional Wrestling, I’ve always been a little outside the mainstream.

What’s one thing about life you wish someone told you sooner?

You don’t have to stop reaching for higher goals just because others around you aren’t reaching for themselves and you don’t have to settle for anything less than what you’re willing to give up to get it.

What do you think is currently missing from the music and entertainment industry?

Oh, well that question is simple… More rock and roll songs about rock and roll things written by me! Ha!

What instruments or sounds would you like to experiment with more in the future?

It’s been a very long time since I’ve played piano, so I’m definitely interested in getting some in somewhere. I’ve also got some songs in the works that will need some harmonica, maybe some saxophone… When it comes time to record again we’ll see what the songs call for. 

Netflix is creating a project about you—what’s the title, genre, and story behind it?

Punching Above My Weight a Fantasy Mockumentary about a magical mishap involving a ‘failing-forwards’ musician who finds themselves in increasingly more ludicrous situations in front of increasingly larger crowds of people.

What song of yours feels like summer—and what makes it connect with that energy?

Well, I suppose it really depends on what kind of summer you like having… but I’d say the closest one would be Another Round, the b-side from my single The Long Way that I released last year. It’s about living on the road (best done in summer and definitely not in the North East in January) and the closest thing to an “everybody’s invited to this party” song that I have for now.

What’s been your highest achievement in your music career so far?

Getting to continue to work with, and learn from Eddie Spaghetti in the production of these songs. Having someone with his expertise to push me to advance myself and has been an ongoing achievement. Having a Mentor/Apprentice type friendship in music, especially in Punk and Rock & roll isn’t exactly common.

What’s your favorite song off your latest project—and why does it stand out to you?

Bad Times - it’s the oldest song on the EP, in its previous state it was written at the same time as the last Riverside Odds album, and was an early one written during the pandemic. Scott Hall was being inducted into the WWE HoF for the second time, as part of the NWO, so clips began popping up from his individual induction in 2014, the song title a reference to his now iconic line at the end of his acceptance speech "Hard work pays off. Dreams do come true. Bad times don’t last, but bad guys do." And that just really stuck with me at the time after dealing with not only the isolation and craziness of the pandemic, but still recovering from surgery in January of 2020 as well as my son being hospitalized for a collapsed lung in February of 2020. 

What’s your message to fans right now—and where can they connect with you?

No matter what else is going on around you, you’re still allowed to allow yourself to enjoy living your life when you’re not taking care of business.

You can connect on any social you can find me on; Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Youtube, Discord, Twitch, all @RWHellborn669.

You can also stream my music on Soundcloud and BandCamp along with the other major streaming services