Composed of three talented Vans wearing east coast ladies, this band’s garage rock sound and playfully vocalized anthems are reminiscent of late 2000s pop-rock. Yet, when I caught their performance at the Moroccan Lounge, I was surprised to learn just how hard these women can go. On stage and in front of the crowd they are right at home, laughing and joking with the spectators. Ally, Abby and Victoria were all perfectly in sync on their respective bass, guitar and drums. To truly appreciate their sound and charisma, I suggest checking them out live. Seriously, go do it.
Until then, enjoy this brief interview I was able to conduct with them during the culmination of their hectic US tour!
- Who were some of the musicians and artists that you looked up to while you were growing up? “Green Day, Michelle Branch and Fefe Dobson.”
- What are your desert island albums and what do you love about the album and artist? “Dookie, Nevermind, Only Everything by Juliana Hatfield.”
- You’ve said that your sophomore album didn’t conform to the traditional standards of the music industry. Can you describe what this entails for those of us music outsiders? “For us, SNAFU is a new start, one marked by self-determination and perseverance. In the music industry there’s no shortage of people ready to blow smoke up your ass or who think they know what’s best for you. So often these are the same people who see something they like, put it in their pocket and then forget about it ten minutes later. Eventually, they’ll put on a new pair of pants, and you might be left sitting damp in the dryer for a while, unsure of how to get out! We got out.”
- What has been your favorite country and/or city to tour in? What is the first thing you check out when you visit a new city for the first time? Food, bars, museums, art? What city is the weirdest or most unique? “That’s a really hard question to answer because there are so many vibrant and supportive music scenes all across the country. We obviously love playing in the Northeast and New England because that’s where we’re from and where we came up. Chicago is cool, Salt Lake City is always interesting and very beautiful.”
- Do you consider yourselves as continuing the riot grrrl movement in punk rock? If so, can you talk about the importance of feminism and counter culture in this genre? “We appreciate riot grrrl and its cultural influence, and feminism is obviously massively important. We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the efforts of the many women who came before us. But it’s not why we do what we do. We play music because we like to play music.”
- I watched your music video for the song “Cherry Picking.” It’s exactly what I wanted. I was wondering what the creative process is like for making a music video? Did you come up with the concept? Or was it pitched to you by a producer?? “The video is a play off of The Ramones video for “I Want You Around.” Director Eliel Ford came to us with the concept, we loved it, and so we made it. The girl in the video is actually someone I used to give drum lessons to back in Western Mass.”
Check show dates here to see if they are coming to a city near you!
Article and interview by Jenny Lee.