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CRYPTOPSY

vocalist collaborates on a pair of children’s books during the pandemic

IT seems that Matt McGachy has been living two lives. In one, he is the lead vocalist of death metal staple Cryptopsy, where his vocals anchor songs like “The Knife, the Head and What Remains.” The other is spent in early childhood education and, since the beginning of the pandemic, as a collaborator on children’s books. Both of these lives might have a future. ¶ The idea to write children’s books came to McGachy and his wife Jessica Buckingham during pandemic walks with their 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. Buckingham also helped McGachy launch his now successful podcast Vox&Hops. McGachy provided guidance throughout the book project based on his 15-year career in early childhood education. ¶ “My wife and I wanted to collaborate on a book for a while, given my background. So, that’s where it stems from,” he explains. “There was such a crazy positive reaction from my friends and the people I worked with, and even people in the early childhood education world.” ¶ Today, We’re Staying Home is about a family discovering the joys of things you can do at the house during social isolation and the power of family bonds. The book came out after the first six weeks of the pandemic

in the hope that it could inspire positive dialogue about frightening world events and sudden changes.

“We wanted to avoid explicitly talking about the virus and focus on children’s day-to-day experiences instead,” Buckingham says. “We first imagined the books as tools for our own children, to help create a new sense of normalcy and trigger spontaneous discussion about how they were coping with the situation.”

Recent collaboration Hidden Rainbow (Jeannie Banh illustrated both books) encourages children to express their emotions through art, something McGachy says he “does this all the time in Cryptopsy.” McGachy says his family loves literature and reads to their children nightly. Both books are direct and engaging, much like the couple’s favorite children’s stories.

“My wife and I have been together for 18 years, and by now we know how to collaborate,” McGachy says. “I’ve also learned through my years in a band to listen and be patient and pick your battles. We appreciate literature and tried to make sure every word in there is a meaningful one.” An activity guide is available for Today, We’re Staying Home, and one is in the works for Hidden Rainbow.

The books are available via print on demand in the United States on Bookshop.org, which helps raise money for local bookstores. (“It’s also available on Amazon, but we would much rather people go to Bookshop and give a helping hand,” McGachy says.) In the meantime, Cryptopsy are finishing their first full-length album since their selftitled 2012 effort. McGachy didn’t rule out bringing a few children’s books to sit on the merch table next to a pair of Book of Suffering EPs when touring resumes. “If the interest is there, it might be very cool,” he laughs. —JUSTIN M. NORTON