Potty Mouth – SNAFU

By starrymag | March 4, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) 90’s grunge influenced pop rock

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Veruca Salt, Juliana Hatfield, Weezer, Garbage, That Dog, Green Day.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “22.”

 

Abby: I wrote it on my 22nd birthday! That year a lot of my friends were graduating college and deciding where they wanted their lives to go next, so I kind of felt this second-hand pressure to also take my life path to the next level. I also felt like twenty-two years old was more of an “adult” age because when we first started the band, I was only seventeen years old. So, I felt like I had a reputation for being the “kid” in our band. I was worried that by turning twenty-two I would lose this novelty factor I had and would be seen as just another college-age young-adult in a punk band.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

Abby: I think people identify with the feeling of being forced to grow up. You can always be young-at-heart, but at a certain point there is this pressure to figure out what you’re doing with your life – which is fine, that’s just part of life. But I think it’s important to remember growing up doesn’t mean you have to let go of the things that made you happy and excited as a kid.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics? 

 

Abby: They usually happen at the same time. Once I figure out a melody based on the first few lines of a song then I can spend more time thinking about lyrics for the second verse or bridge parts. I usually come up with a general idea for a song and demo it out at home and then send it to Ally [Einbinder] and Victoria [Mandanas] to see what they think before we jam it out at practice.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music? 

 

Abby: We’re there every step of the way. We basically co-produce our music. Every engineer we’ve ever worked with has always given us suggestions and advice, but at the end of the day we decide how we want to sound.

 

Q) You recently opened for Third Eye Blind! What can fans expect from a live Potty Mouth performance?

 

Abby: Yeah! I love Third Eye Blind! Opening for them was a dream come true. Our live show is loud and energetic! We love to play hard and move around a lot.

 

Q) What songs off your upcoming album SNAFU are you looking forward to performing live?

 

Abby: All of them but “22,” “Liar” and “Fencewalker” the most.

 

Q) Preorders of the album come with a comic book written by Abby. What sparked this idea?

 

Abby: I posted some drawing I did on Instagram and then people started asking for a comic! So, when we we’re trying to think of something special to come with the album it was pretty obvious. It felt like a fun way to give people a little inside look into the world of Potty Mouth.

 

Q) With the release in March, how do plan to celebrate?

 

A) We have a record release show planned on March 1 at The Factory in downtown Los Angeles! We’ve put together a line-up we’re really excited about: it’s us, The Aqua Dolls, Ariel View and Guppy. It’s going to be a rager!

 

Q) Ally and Alex started their own label! Tell us what drove you to undertake this incredible feat and why it was so important to include an LGBT friendly policy?

 

Ally: Alex actually started Get Better Records ten years ago and I only recently jumped on board to help the label grow. Originally, Alex started the label as a modest DIY effort to put out music for their friends’ bands. Since then, the label has grown into a politicized effort to challenge the cis/white/male punk hegemony by releasing music made by those who exist outside those dominant categories. There simply isn’t a need for more punk music made by cis white men. History has given us enough of that. Get Better Records is doing our small part to give representation to those who have been historically underrepresented in punk music culture.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you? 

 

Abby: Boston is always fun because it’s kind of like our hometown show. We formed in Western Mass but would play Boston all the time. Chicago is also one of my favorites. We always have a great crowd there!

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

Abby: Annie Clark!

 

Ally: Shirley Manson!

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

Victoria: I’ve been getting into Dusty Springfield. Her music is great for driving. I love “Spooky.”

 

Ally: I love Cherry Glazzer’s new album Stuffed & Ready. I saw them for the first-time last year at Coachella and was blown away by how tight and powerful they are as a three piece. We’ve started to play more live shows as just the three of us, so it’s really inspiring and honestly informative to see how other bands do it in a way that still sounds full and energetic.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

Abby: It’s the best way to show who you are and what you’re about. Now people can really get to know you and keep up to date with your life/process. It builds a stronger connection between artists and fans.

 

Ally: Is there any other option anymore? I found out about the first punk show I ever went to because someone handed me a flyer on the street when I was fourteen years old. For better or for worse, that’s just not the reality we live in anymore. Social media is the easiest and most effective way to get information out there and promote yourself, with the added bonus of allowing you to engage with the people who care enough to keep tabs on you.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

Abby: I hope you love the album as much as we do! And come see us live, we’d love to meet you!

 

Ally: Thank you, thank you, thank you! This album has been a long journey for us, and we’ve put a lot of hard work into it but none of it would have even been possible without the support of the people who care about our music. It’s why we’re still here.