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| Stonerpop's new album "Apollo" was released digitally on
December 20, 2018 and will include a physical release in the first part of 2019. Artwork and design by Maudie Michelle. |
Stonerpop presents their latest group of songs, "Apollo", to coincide with the birth of their son of the same name. "Apollo" follows their sophomore release "Physical Business" in November 2017 and their debut "Stonerpop EP" in 2016.
Following their debut, the indie-electro duo from Shreveport, Louisiana, came to be among five finalists nominated for Best Local Band in DeltaStyle Magazine's 2017 Best of the Delta. In 2018, their music video for their track "Headglow" earned Stonerpop an Official Selection in the African Smartphone International Film Festival.
Interview with Stonerpop by Vava Vol
1. Maudie M. can you tell us a little about growing up in Idaho?
I come from southwestern Idaho, which is made up of desert and farmland. When I tell people about my life there I like to bring up the movie Napoleon Dynamite, because the scenic views of yellow land with mountains in the distance are what I grew up seeing. Not to mention the similarities of living in a small town with a small school.
2. Jimmie, have you lived in Louisiana all your life?
I am a native of Louisiana, but I spent a little bit of time in Vegas before returning home.
3. How and when did you and Jimmie meet and form Stonerpop?
I met Jimmie in 2011, when we began seeing each other romantically. He was already in a band and it wasn't long before I became responsible for creating artwork and other materials for the project. I started to learn bass riffs to his songs and would occasionally sit in at shows. However, it took awhile before we thought about forming our own project. It wasn't until late 2014 that we decided that we should write and release songs together, which led to our first Stonerpop EP in November 2015.
4. Were you working with other groups before or is Stonerpop your first musical venture?
Stonerpop is my first musical venture, however shortly after forming Stonerpop, both Jimmie and I played with Noise Artist Ian Quiet in a project called The Ian Quiet Review. We released an EP named "Seance Fiction". Jimmie has been in the music scene much longer than me, playing with both Prestor Jon and Voodoo Trees.
5. Have either of you pursued musical studies or are you self-taught?
I was a band/choir/drama kid throughout middle and high school - so I had formal instruction during that time. It was easy to participate in everything at the small school - there was no real competition, and people had to multitask to have enough bodies on stage. I first learned to play the trumpet and dabbled on piano. It wasn't until after I met Jimmie that I picked up strings, beginning with a ukulele to accommodate my small hands before moving on to bass guitar. Jimmie did a similar stint as an orchestra/drama kid, but in a larger town, in a much larger school. He is classically trained on the violin, but has learned to play anything with a string, and also has great rhythm behind the kit.
6. As the inspiration for "Apollo" was the birth of your son, do the songs on the album reflect your pregnancy and delivery?
"Apollo" consists of tracks that we conceived and created during the pregnancy - whether they were related to our son or not. However, a number of the tracks are directly named and correlate to some instances. It was a kick in the gut to find out Apollo was a footling breech and would have to be delivered via caesarian - hence "Breech" and its aggressive sound. "Solstice" was named because he was scheduled to be taken out on the Winter Solstice but he came up with his own idea and arrived one day early.
7. Bighead is featured on "Kickback". What was his role on this song?
Bighead is our departed friend, Johnnie Hollis III. We have a folder of unfinished and unreleased sketches and tracks, and we thought it would be fitting to mix something to include him on the release. He had been waiting on us to have a child, and him being featured is a way to keep his spirit in the experience.
8. Have you thought about publishing your lyrics on your website?
I have not thought about including them on my website before now - but I do mean to make sure they're in our Bandcamp and SoundCloud.
9. Maudie M, did you design the Stonerpop website?
I am completely responsible for the Stonerpop website design and artwork. I try to update it for each release (but have sort of skipped the "Apollo" design, as we are planning ahead for our next release).
10. Will Stonerpop be performing live in support of "Apollo"'s February physical CD release?
Because the baby is still so young, we haven't scheduled anything directly during the time of the physical release. We do plan to begin scheduling and playing live shows again this year. We will be in New Orleans at the end of August to play a showcase at the CE Music Conference.
11. What can we expect from the upcoming "American Dreams"?
I am very excited about "American Dreams" - it is turning out so well! You can expect atmospheric, spacey dreamscapes and dystopian lyrics. We're looking to release it toward the end of this year.
12. Will you be celebrating Mardi Gras in March?
Not necessarily in March - its widely misunderstood that Mardi Gras is celebrated in the weeks prior to Fat Tuesday (which is the final day of the Carnival Season). There are parades happening throughout February all over Louisiana. We don't have any specific Mardi Gras plans - but I do see a king cake in our near future!
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| Maudie Michelle and Apollo |
"Apollo" Press Release
https://www.stonerpopculture.com/apollo.html
Streaming
https://soundcloud.com/stonerpop/sets/apollo
https://stonerpop.bandcamp.com/album/apollo
Web and Social Media Links
http://www.stonerpopculture.com
facebook.com/stonerpopculture
twitter.com/stonerpopmusic
instagram.com/stonerpopculture
https://soundcloud.com/stonerpop
https://stonerpop.bandcamp.com
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