Drawing inspiration from legendary punk acts like Blondie, The Ramones, and Green Day, Bad Mary are arguably one of the fiercest and most affecting bands of the modern era. With a sound perfectly blends rhythmic power, soaring vocals, and truly cataclysmic riffs into a sound that is plucked straight from the golden age of punk rock, they’ve become an undeniable force over the past few years.
After impressing fans and critics alike in 2013 with the release of their debut album, ‘Better Days’, the band of Amanda, Mike, Bill, and David have carved their own unique path through the independent circuit and abroad, and today, we thought it was about time we got to know them all a little better.
It’s wonderful to have you here Amanda, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Your band has been making a lot of waves over the past few years, playing Japan and packed-out venues, but where did it all begin for you?
“David, our guitar player, is a professor at Hofstra University here in New York. David runs a band that performs at all the drama department functions at Hofstra. That band has a revolving door of musicians, and one version of that band included me and Mike (before we were dating… that happened a bit later). We were having so much fun, that we decided to start playing outside Hofstra and started a cover band called Madame X. The drummer for Madame X left the band to pursue a career in Florida, so I asked my dad if he’d be interested in playing drums with us. It was awesome!”
“After about a year or so, we started playing around with the idea of writing original music. After a long back and forth we came up with the name Bad Mary and started writing and recording. It’s been a wild ride ever since.”
You’ve cited banks like Blondie and The Ramones as some of your key influences, but what else defines your music?
“The CBGB Era of Punk, as well as the UK era of Punk of the 1970s. Bands like Ramones and Blondie for sure. Mike and I are also 1990’s kids, so Green Day and No Doubt are definitely giant influences on our style. We all have the bands we draw inspiration from, but those really stand out.”
Is having that authenticity what makes a song for you? What’s the most important thing for you when you’re writing a song?
“We want to write songs that we’ll have fun playing live. That’s what it’s all about.”
How do you ensure that happens, do you have a set song writing process?
“Typically, our songs start with either Mike or David writing a skeleton. They’ll give the song to me with the idea for a vocal line, or a rhythm and some lyrics that I’ll work with and usually change a little along the way. We come together and play through the new songs right from the beginning. Since none of us can really write drums well… we kind of just let Bill Mac do his thing and go wild. He’s such a creative drummer and comes up with amazing things that really help to define our songs.”
I know you’ve been working on some new material lately. Can you tell us a bit about your latest release?
“Our new song ‘Light It Up’ is about rock and roll, really. It’s about the energy we get from getting on stage and rocking out. After we wrote a punk-rock Space Opera in 2019, we wanted to take a step back and do something simpler. It’s just a song that starts with a bang and is all about rocking out.”
What’s next for you as a band? Anything special on the way?
“We’ve got some singles coming out this spring! On the 26th of April our first new single, ‘Light It Up’ will be out everywhere. In late May we have a second single, ‘The Floor Is Lava’, coming out. There’s going to be a ‘Rock and Roll Classics: Vol. 7’ another cover EP, dropping sometime in the summer, and lastly, a new original EP, ‘Trash and Glamour’, will release this Fall. All while playing shows, shooting videos, and trying our hardest to get back to Japan as well as tour throughout the world.”
What has been your greatest moment as an artist so far?
“We’ve had a few, but nothing beats our tour of Japan in 2019. Being able to take our music to the other side of the world and have it resonate in Japan was a dream come true. We can’t wait to go back. We have so many new friends in Japan that we want to see and perform with.”
One last question before you go, is there anything you would like to say to our audience?
“We hope you like the new singles, and if you do find us online and say hi! We’ve got a lot of music out there so be sure to check it out! Also, if you’re a performer, keep doing what you’re doing. You’re awesome and we want to see your art!”
With plenty of new releases on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to get acquainted with Bad Mary and their devastating punk rock sound. For more, make sure you check out their website and social media pages below, or give them a follow on Spotify where all their latest releases will feature.
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