“So I did some shrooms and nitrous, some mind-altering drugs, and did an homage to Iommi. But I’m sure he had way better drugs,” Matt Pike. Photo by David Howard King
“I think places like New York [City] are overrated. I think that you can be a creative individual in the middle of nowhere,” Patrick Kindlon. Photo by Kiki Vassilakis.
“There’s been a lot recently about music and touring and how it really affects mental health. You get on stage and do what you love every day, which is a blessing. It doesn’t mean you aren’t going through the same hardships everyone else is going through on a day-to-day basis,” Brad Schultz.
t’s a lot easier to deal with things when you know someone is going through the same thing, that understands it themselves. When I was younger Moriah was one of my first inspirations, now I’m playing shows with her,” Madison VanDenburg. Photo by Kiki Vassilakis.
“For the big shows, there are a couple hundred people upfront who are stage diving, who know every word to every song, even the newest songs,” Gregory says. “There are certain moments where, if a show’s going very well, I can step away and let them take over,” Kory Gregory.
“Still, there is the music, the exhortations, the care and warmth that she has stoked for decades. When words fail, there is always music,” Mike Hotter on MotherJudge.
“I was itching to get this stupid thing out. I was like, “Let’s go.” Then two days before the release I was a wreck. I couldn’t function at all. I’m so close to it all, it is all so close to me and it deals with these super personal experiences—to submit that to the world to judge and potentially invalidate was super scary,” Kristin Hayer.
“As a person, I’ve always been really guarded, especially in interviews. I’ve kept this mask, this persona up. This record kind of broke down those walls and helped me talk about it all, open and candid,” Mike Shoes.
“There’s a foundation that’s been built and nobody wants to mess with any of those elements. And I know it’s really important to [us] to bring in a hardcore punk mentality. That way we bring that liberal approach and that way we can break the mold,” Mark Whelan.
“We do our takes live, rather than doing everything perfect,” he says. “That’s what is making rock suck; these edits mean that no one feels like they have their own identity. Rock isn’t dangerous and loose anymore,” Marc Labelle. Photo by Mike Savoia.
“When I moved to Albany, it was the first time in my life that I felt like I was around people who wanted the same things, or thought the same things,” Emily Sprague.
“I’d really like to help the established artists figure out the sound that’s in [their] heads,” Heimel says. “That’s something I always thought I excelled at—if somebody has an idea, we’ll figure it out,” TJ Hemel. Photo by Bryan Lasky.
“Trusting yourself and knowing that saying no is OK and making sure the people around you know that you saying no is OK and should be respected takes a long time to learn but it’s so important,” Lydia Night. Photo by Kiki Vassilakis.
“Being black means you need therapy. There were no self-help books about surviving as a black person in America. The only thing that helped black people survive was black music,” M. Lamar. Photo by Richard Lovrich.
“I was thinking about the lyrics and sort of, what it’s like to grow up as a girl. Were there things that were inherently joyful? All I could think about were bad things or uncomfortable moments specifically related to being female,” Arielle O’Keefe.
“After college, I started playing with these singer/songwriters like Olivia Quillio, MaryLeigh Roohan, Caroline Corrigan and these really, really talented songwriters in Upstate New York. And learning how to be supportive musically and not, like, a soloist,” Meg Duffy.
