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Seven Innings with November Girl
Today's premiere is a strong continutation of the New York-based alt-rock band's trademark to juxtapose delicate vocals with aggressive instrumentals, created by lead guitarist Billy Flanagan, bassist Dylan Davis, and drummer Phillip Brand. Their sweet, addictive sound is like Alice in Chains meets No Doubt, and will have you harmonizing, "I'm stuck, I'm stuck, I'm stuck on youuu," all day long.
Read our exclusive interview with Willa Rudolph below.
What's November Girl's mascot?
A skeleton — like the kind in a science classroom — wearing a cute goth little cheerleading outfit and smoking a ciggy.
The uniform?
Probably a classic situation; I always want everything to be pink, but the boys are much more partial to black.
Where did the baseball theme come from?
My dad used to tell me, “There’s no crying in baseball,” basically like, “Toughen up.” That literally inspired the song. When we started conceptualizing the video, we talked about actually playing baseball, and that scene in Twilight came up a few times. But the baseball of it all is an arbitrary backdrop for the actual themes of the song. It’s just fun.
What's the story behind the song?
“No Crying in Baseball” is about what it feels like to have made a mess of something, like a relationship or a situation, and you’re feeling all sorry for yourself, just sitting there on the floor covered in spilled milk and cracked eggs. But the voice in your head – in my case, it’s my Dad’s voice – says “There’s no crying in baseball!” You got to get up and fix what you broke. It’s that, in dialogue with still really loving and wanting the person you just acted like a fool in front of. The combination of feelings that exist there – shame, desire, frustration, whatever it is… is almost too much.
The song started with a couple of riffs Billy wrote and wove together, I then wrote lyrics and a melody on top of them.
In real life, what's the toughest field to navigate?
Relationships.
The lyrics discuss trivial, mundane things like spilled milk and dropped eggs. When such instances happen in my own life, I honestly cry. How much of an emotional person are you?
I am such an emotional person (double Scorpio w/Aries moon…), but I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff — water off a duck’s back. If you let spilled milk take you down, your life will be so chaotic and all over the place. You have to maintain a little more homeostasis than that to be sane.
There are a lot of girl-fronted, DIY alternative rock bands popping off in New York at the moment and I know you play a lot with them. What is it like being in this scene and how do you imagine it will grow?
I’m the only girl in my band so being in a scene with lots of other girls is really rewarding. I love getting to know other people doing what I’m doing who understand the challenges that present themselves when you’re a chick. It’s nice to not have to try to insert myself into an all-male type of scene.
What's next for November Girl?
We’re working on a couple more singles leading up to an EP! Keep an eye out.
Bennett Coast Talks Growing Pains
Sophia Lucina– Let’s get started. How are you doing?
Bennett Coast– I’m great. Just had an Americano, it’s 9am here, I’m awake.
That’s how it goes. Your EP debuts soon.
BC– It does. And it’s been, like, my creative baby that I’ve been working on for the past four years. It started in a dorm room… and now I’m 22. And since it’s spanned over so much time, it’s shed several skins, gone through several versions– a new level of perfectionism. And I’m ready to get it off my back and out there.
How do you feel about the release?
BC– I’m feeling, honestly, stressed. I’ve gotta plan this release party, and I’ve actually got a shoot in 2 hours for some promo for the merch.
You direct, shoot, edit. So much creative control.
BC– That’s how I work. I get these big spouts of energy, then I rest. I’m in a big burst of energy right now with everything going on.
The thing about big passion projects is that they take patience. Were there ever times where you’re like, “I just want to share this, now.”?
BC– Well, so the first song on the EP is Rouge. I always thought that was going to be a single. I was used to releasing stuff as soon as it was finished. But I kept Rouge, and later I brought it along with other songs to a producer, and that became a whole new finish line for me. It takes others and myself a long time to perfect a large body of work like this, because you want it to be everything you thought it would be. And now I can really stand behind every aspect of it, as something that’s authentically me. A lot to be proud of.
And probably relieving, too.
BC– Oh yeah. It’s definitely a relief to have it off my back. And so many things happened in those years, it’s hard to sum up.
If Rouge is the oldest on the EP, what is the most recent?
BC– "Now I Know You" is the last and most recent song on the EP. It’s interesting how it’s followed me through time – it starts in my hometown, to where I’m at now in LA. Anywhere from living with the person you love, to dealing with your friends graduating college, to those abstract questions that you face when you hit real life.
The stuff no one prepares you for.
BC– Right.
I feel like your music cuts a little deeper than a lot of the others in your genre. It’s a feeling that I can’t really put my finger on. But it’s definitely nostalgic, it feels like an empty suburban parking lot. How do you do that?
BC– I smoke a lot.
[Laughs] Oh, okay.
BC– No, but, every song can be boiled down to it’s melody. For me, I’m trying to find the most emotional melody to start. Then I consider that way I’m saying phrases, the order I’m saying them in, you know.
Like an instinct?
BC– Sometimes the feeling gets clearer after I’ve stepped away from it for a bit. But, yeah, I think part of artistically growing up means learning more about your personal instincts and personal style.
I like that, I like that. The other day I was thinking about how all of the greatest film directors are in their 50s or 60s. I feel like that’s because they’ve gotten to learn their own instincts. They’ve developed this instinct for their own personal style.
BC– Yeah, exactly, they’ve developed their own unique style. They’ve gotten to a point where all of their decisions really reflect themselves.
Whereas, for us in our 20s, we’re trying on different hats to see what fits.
BC– When you’re making stuff in your 20s, you’re often going off of a precedent. So when you create something that’s truly different, you’re being vulnerable. Maybe it’s this really thematically driven film. Not everyone’s going to like it, not everyone’s going to get it.
You have to go through the awkward stages where you’re almost trying on different versions of yourself. A lot of people are scared to do that.
BC– For sure. I remember being in 6th grade, and I wore these yellow pants to school. I’d never seen anyone wear that color of pants before– and of course, everyone made fun of me. But thank god my Mom let me out of the house.
And artistically speaking, it’s hard to take time to see what fits. People are always expecting you to be putting out content. That’s a whole different can of worms, though.
BC– No, but for real though. I’m getting a little worried about what we’re being asked to do as artists and musicians in this modern age. We’re told to always be putting out content. Whether it’s Instagram, TikTok, you know.
It’s hard to make it meaningful at that rate.
BC– It is. We’re told to constantly remind others about previous work, or an upcoming work. And it’s just so much noise. It’s like everyone’s in a room, shouting. It gets in the way of people who are really taking their time to produce something meaningful.
You’re right. Like, someone’s life isn’t going to be changed over a 30-second TikTok. But a carefully crafted, emotionally charged song can be life-changing.
BC– Exactly. And I’d say the key to that is recognizing the ebb and flow of the creative process. Sometimes you need to go into hibernation, say, a social media break, to really hone into your craft.
Which is why I’m so excited for your EP. You’ve also got another music video coming out, for “Now I Know You”. What can you tell me about that?
BC– For me, “Now I Know You” is a three act love story. It’s about how complex and confusing it can be to share your life with another person. And while I’m not in charge of what feelings it might elicit, I’m just hoping people can find themselves somewhere in it.
I’m really stoked. For everything you’ve got coming up.
BC– Thank you, really, thank you. And thank you for setting this up.
It’s been dope, thank you.
Bennett Coast's debut EP "Where Are You Going?" is out now, on all platforms. His music video, "Now I Know You", is available here.
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There's No Party like a BAYO Party
What was your favorite part of the performance?
My favorite part was hearing the crowd know every single word to Jessica. We only just dropped the song 2 days before so this was a really special moment for me.
What was it like performing with that many people all together?
All the guest artists are friends I’ve known for years, so it felt like a big family gathering. I’m really grateful for all the positive energy at the BAYO shows
How can you describe the energy of the crowd of the Summerstage set?
10/10. Everyone brought the best energy. We worked really hard to make the stage and performances feel like a perfect summer day in the Caribbean.
What are you looking forward to next?
Lots of new music and growing BAYO into the biggest global diaspora festival in the world.
