As we head into a Holiday weekend here in the States, It’s time for all of you to meet- Maddie Ross. A new voice for a new age with something to say and that always gets my attention. For all you fans of Liz Phair , I think you’ll agree with me that Maddie Ross has that unique ability to express herself found in very few and when that voice does come along every generation , they tend to be remembered.
About the song:
I wrote Make Me a Safe Place on a super hot, shitty LA October day in my non-airconditioned bedroom. Maybe it was the sweat and dehydration but the demo was really sexual and painful and dark. It’s a song about enjoying sex and feeling comfortable enough with a partner to let go of all of your pain and hangups, which is a very vulnerable topic for me. It was such a rare performance that we chose to use that demo as the first verse/chorus of the final recording. Then my amazing producer Wolfy (aka Madison Scheckel) helped build the huge, fun, full-band performance.
Fun fact: I play drums on this song! Scott Heiner is responsible for most of the drumming/percussion magic, but we wanted the bridge to sound like a sloppy garage band, so I hopped on the kit. It was the most fun I’ve ever had in the studio.
Sounds like: Courtney Barnett, Liz Phair, Katy Perry
Fave lyric: want me, leave me, screw me, keep me!
Photos by Kerry Furrh:
Meet – Maddie Ross
-for those unfamiliar with your history, can you tell us you decided to give this whole music thing a shot?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer of some kind. I used to write stories and books as a kid, and even wrote a few sci fi novels when I was young. I have also been writing songs for about 15 years, and it’s the easiest way to learn about myself and to share myself with others. I got into the USC pop music program when I was 17, so I got to study songwriting and performance for 4 years. School challenged me and pushed my limits, but by the time I finished the program at 21, pursuing music seriously wasn’t even a question in my mind.
-who would you list as your musical influence?
Biggest influences are Tegan & Sara, Alanis Morissette, Marina & The Diamonds, Rilo Kiley
-whats the coolest thing that’s happened to you as a band since you started up?
We get to record with the most incredible mixer/engineer, Keith Armstrong. He’s worked on everything from paramore to green day to my chemical romance to under oath. Having access to his knowledge in the studio changes the entire recording experience and has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for my music.
-what are your hopes and dreams as a band for the next few years
My current goal is to release music with every new season. These 3 songs are part of a summer EP called Making Out Is Easy, but I want to make content for the fall that feels like Autumn, etc. I don’t want to follow the pattern of disappearing to write music, showing up and dropping an album, and then disappearing again. Steady releases is my first goal.
I also want to make and meet so many new fans. I LOVE talking to people, and connecting with the audience after a show is half the fun for me. So I would say my goal is to make real connections with people who love my music, especially within the LA music community.
-what are some of your favorite albums from the past few years?
Current FAVORITE: Pinegrove. The new Grimes album is a close second. I have listened to it every day since it came out last November. Other artists whose most recent albums I have loved: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Meg Myers, Speedy Ortiz
-Do you see any real use for social media , or is it all just a pain in the ass to keep with?
As a huge music fan, I see a lot of use for it. I love my favorite artists a lot, and it is so important to feel a connection of any kind with the people whose music you love. Social media is also cool because it’s another avenue for me to be creative. I love to make youtube videos with my friends and I love photographing people and doing photoshoots and posting artwork and sharing songs. It doesn’t have to be some shallow thing.
-Do you pay attention to reviews or comments from people about your music or do you just turn that noise off.
Turn that shit off.
I actually got the opportunity to work for my favorite artist Meg Myers right out of college. Her manager/producer, the AMAZING Doctor Rosen Rosen, was my boss, and he worked so hard to get that project off the ground. When we would get denied for a blog premiere or by a radio DJ or something, I would take it so personally and he would be like “whatever! we’ve gotta find the people who like us!” That really stuck with me, because in my mind this is one of my all-time favorite artists, and she was already so successful at the time. It seemed crazy that anybody would not like the music. It was a huge lesson to see that rejection happens no matter what level you are on. It’s not about who doesn’t like your music, it’s about who does.
-If you could tour anywhere in the world , where would you want to go.
I would love to do South America. I speak Spanish decently and there is so much I love about Latin culture. But also, I have barely traveled at all in my life and am DYING to go to Italy and eat pasta pasta pasta.
-Can music save the mortal soul or is just a good backbeat to your life.
M O R T A L S O U L
-Any last thoughts for your fans?
I am so grateful to everybody who takes the time to listen to my music, come out to a show, write a blog post, send me a message on Instagram, etc. It is seriously a privilege. Being an artist is scary at times, but it means the world to me when somebody loves what you do.
