December pt. 2
A conversation with BOYSCOUTMARIE, shows we're looking forward to this week, submit January shows
A conversation with BOYSCOUTMARIE and Jojo Sommer
Watching BOYSCOUTMARIE play is like witnessing a forty-minute very-loud secret. The first time I saw them at Ridgewood’s Windjammer, they opened with a cover of Bjork’s “Army of Me” and I couldn’t shake the smile from my eyes. I assumed they were New York natives, or at least had been playing together for the better part of a decade. But I was wrong- they each come from a different state and didn’t start playing music together until 2022, meeting thanks to a friend found on Tinder and binding for music’s greater good.
Staci, the unmistakable vocalist, bassist, and guitarist hails from Orlando, joking that she came out of the womb singing but only picked up a guitar during lockdown. Billy, the drummer from Omaha, was surprised with a kit for his tenth birthday, and similarly, Judah, the other vocalist, bassist, and guitarist from Chicago, was gifted a guitar when he turned seven. A roller coaster of a band, the three seem to share a brain in how they giggle and bounce around the stage, equal parts ferocity and humor. I spoke to the Melody Machines for the first installment of Gunk’s Q&A column in a conversation that has been edited & condensed.
Do you tend to write songs together or individually?
S: We are kind of just one big communal conglomerate of writing music. B: It really varies. One of the beautiful things about this band is I think we all feel really comfortable to bring stuff in as far as things we're creatively interested in. We all feel like there's room for our voices to shine.
Do you have a favorite venue to play in the city?
B: I love the basement venues, they are always really fun. S: Yeah, The Tubs is really sick, and also has a really good sound system for being so DIY. My favorite venue right now is Rubulad.
If you could organize any four band-bill of your dreams that you were also playing on, what would it be?
S: *within seconds* Dolly Parton, Turnstile, Ween.
B: It’s hard to argue with that, honestly. I think those three capture particular elements of who we are.
J: Yo, we got Dolly on the bill, bro. It’s at Bar Freda.
What is next for BOYSCOUTMARIE?
B: In December we are going to Detroit for a little one-slash-four song EP. Technically it’s four songs, but it’s really one that bleeds together. This one is wild for us because we’ve been working on this song for over a year and it’s still constantly changing.
J: I don’t know if this is the question, but I can speak to what maybe our future goals would be: have enough money in royalty checks to have a nice RV and renter’s insurance so that we can just tour permanently. S: We are going to get so rich that we can take care of ourselves, and all the rest that isn’t taking care of us or our immediate family can go to the people that need it most.
What are three of your favorite things right now?
J: Sudoku, composting, Johnny Paycheck
B: Six Flags, my new cymbal, kalamata olives
S: “Sh-Boom” from the Cars soundtrack, unionizing, the keyboard to “Boys Club” by Ween
*BOYSCOUTMARIE is not affiliated with or an endorsement of the Boy Scouts of America
shows we’re excited for this week:
12/11: newly announced dirt buyer @ billys record saloon (RSVP here)
12/12: leah rando, annie collette, kid lake, pearjuice @ the broadway
12/13: dolly, raavi, margaux @ babys
12/14: leslie bear, mallory hawk, chirag dave @ sundown
12/14: youth large, gobylenne @ rubulad
12/18: dead gowns, h.pruz, wyatt davidick, avery friedman @ purgatory
12/21: eliza edens, mei semones @ Down & Out (503 E 6th St) *free show*
finally, you know what to do,, smash that purchase on GUNK’s comp for Palestine, and then share it with everyone you know. all proceeds split between anera and palestinian youth movement.
you wanna help us with distro sooooo bad
(thegunkyard@gmail.com)