Interview with Baby Molly

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

It was definitely my parents, they were both big music lovers. Neither was a musician themselves so there was nothing but appreciation for anything that sounded good. They both had big LP & CD collections and a lot of their early dates were attending concerts. For years my mom played this Kenny Loggins CD called “Return to Pooh Corner” every night to put me to sleep so I think my early development was just infused with music day and night.

I love the ocean and nature so I have this plan that when I finally snap out of this whole music delusion I’ll become a marine biologist. I’d love to work with and study porpoises specifically: orcas, dolphins, whales, seals, etc. but I don’t have any science education and I’ve never even gone SCUBA diving so I’ve got a long way to go. We’ll see if it ever happens though because I’m already 30 and I haven’t done that “grow up and get a real job” thing yet.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

I mentioned my love for the ocean - I try to get out for a walk to see the ocean at least once or twice a week ever since I moved out to Vancouver. It’s super nerdy but I also love birdwatching; I’ve got fancy binoculars that I saved up for, a bird guide book and even a list of favourites that I try to go out of my way to see if they are reported in the area. I play hockey, watch tons of movies and read lots of books too.

Anything that gets your body and mind active is great for creativity in my experience. You can sit down and try to write a song for 4 hours with no progress but as soon as you start cooking in the kitchen you come up with a catchy melody or interesting concept. I read a fantastic psychology book called ‘Flow’ by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi that discusses a similar idea: humans are happiest when they are busy doing something that is difficult enough to require full focus but not so difficult that it seems impossible to complete.

How long have you been making music?

I first took guitar lessons when I was around 10 or 11 and absolutely hated it. I had a very traditional teacher that taught music theory and scales and it was so boring I never wanted to practice. My parents thought it was a waste so they pulled me out of the lessons after a few months. Then a few years later I picked up that same guitar and started teaching myself how to play along to actual songs which was much more enjoyable. From then, you couldn’t pry a guitar out of my hands and I started writing original songs when I was 14 years old.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

I’m based in Vancouver now but I grew up in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It’s crazy to think about how much your environment affects your art because growing up I had a similar style to The Killers or Imagine Dragons who are both from Las Vegas and my hometown is like a tiny Wal-Mart version of Vegas. All the flashing lights, casinos and corruption definitely seeped into the style.

Now that I live somewhere calm and quiet near the ocean I definitely incorporate more natural, organic sounds and even have some lyrics about orcas and mountains on my new album.

Tell me about your most memorable shows, if you haven’t played live what is your vision for a live show?

I just finished a Canadian tour and I had a ton of fun every night with all the people who came out. I think the most memorable from this past tour was the Montréal show. It was my first time touring Quebec and we had a fantastic show in Trois-Rivières the night before. I received a text the morning of the show that one of the other performers was backing out with an illness - keep in mind I’m not famous so I actually rely on the other performers on tour to help attract an audience. Next, I showed up to the venue and the bartender seemed shocked to find out there was a band playing. When I booked the date with the owner, they promised a sound guy to which the bartender assured me was a mistake. So after setting up all our gear on the stage, I have to run to the back of the room and try to figure out how the sound mixing board works (but of course all the labels are in French). Eventually we got it all sorted and it ended up being one of the best shows on the tour for crowd participation and we even had a replacement band come in to cover for the sick performer. It was super fun and everyone was so kind.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

I lived in Toronto for a decade and I love the legacy venues there because they have everything systemized so that everything goes perfectly every single time. I played The Dakota Tavern in Toronto on this tour which was a dream come true. My #1 bucket list venue to perform at is the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY. Because I grew up in Niagara, Buffalo was the closest major city to me so for concerts and events I would travel across the river to the US instead of driving 2 hours to Toronto. I saw so many concerts at the Town Ballroom as a kid and I love the way it’s set up. There isn’t a bad place to stand in the house, you can see the stage from the back of the pit because it’s slanted down and the outer rings are so tight in on top of each other that you still feel intimately part of the show even if you’re up top at the back. So Town Ballroom if you’re reading this, let me open a show there some time so I can cross it off my bucket list!

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Oasis and Box Car Racer just because I would get to see two bands that don’t exist anymore reunite. Purely selfish so I could watch the concert!

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

To someone who is just getting into making music: you’re not a rockstar, you never will be unless you appreciate the individual people that enjoy your music. A lot of people get caught up in numbers: getting 1,000 listeners, 500 audience, blah blah. Those are real people that have spent their valuable time and money on you; you better appreciate that and give your best for every one of them. Whether there are 10 of them or 5,000, they matter.

Advice to my younger self: When you’re on your journey, don’t forget to write home.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

I wrote this most recent album about the unexpected death of my Dad last year so it’s all quite meaningful. I think both the songs “My Brother & Me” and “Like Father, Like Son” are deeply personal songs that show two sides of grief after the loss of my father. One is the anger and selfishness and disappointment felt after a death. The other represents the sadness and gratitude felt for that same person after they’re gone.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

My favourite song to play is actually an unreleased song called ‘All I Wanted’. It is the closer of every show and involves a giant therapy session with the audience where they scream and curse at the top of their lungs to rid themselves of bad energy. The song that gets requested the most is ‘Wristwatch & Dollar Signs’ which makes sense - it was the single and it’s probably the catchiest/danciest song I have. It wasn’t in the setlist on this tour but ended up getting played multiple times in different cities thanks to requests from lovely audience members.

What is your creative process, and what inspires you to write your music?

I’ve been doing this long enough that I can be methodical about it and don’t require inspiration to strike. I keep a note on my phone of interesting concepts, emotions, ideas that I’ll write down whenever I think of one. Once it’s time to write a song I’ll take one of those ideas and focus on how it makes me feel. Then I just sit down with the guitar, start strumming chords, singing gibberish until something sounds interesting!

Do you have messages that you like to get across in your music, if so please tell me about them?

I try not to think about the audience while writing because I have found that when I am very specific about my own experience it ends up being relatable. If I try to be relatable, the lyrics will always be too vague and difficult to connect to. Each song has a different message but I think the overarching theme on this current album is to appreciate the people in your life and appreciate your time here on this earth.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

I’m planning on a lot more touring and hopefully another release this year! If you’re in the UK definitely keep your eyes open for a tour announcement very soon.How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

The best way to keep up with everything is by signing up for my mailing list on my website www.BabyMolly.net. For socials, mostly Instagram @ImBabyMolly but I have Facebook and TikTok (same username) if you prefer those platforms I’m there too!

Thanks Volatile!