BACKSTAGE PASS - *THE MARGARET HOOLIGANS*
- Tamara Jenna
- Jul 7, 2022
- 3 min read
*BACKSTAGE PASS*
THE MARGARET HOOLIGANS
Bala Cynwyd, United States
*ARTIST BACKGROUND*
'The Margaret Hooligans' are a duo from Bala Cynwyd, United States whose sound is uniquely beautiful. They released their latest song entitled 'Red Rider' at the start of June and what a track this is! Implementing elements of garage rock and grunge with Lofi guitar is one of the main things that stands out about this piece! Click the link below to get listening to it! and if that isn't enough, we have an exclusive interview and we've also added the video to share with you! So, let's head backstage and get started!
*BACKSTAGE PASS*
INTERVIEW
What inspired you to create Red Rider? What's the story behind it?
Strontium and I usually work in a very disjointed way when we create songs in that we will have jam sessions that we record on an old two track where we just try to be as creative as possible in coming up with a good riff or groove. He then spends time listening to these tapes and decides which bits are worth developing. We usually meet a second time to flesh out the musical structure and sometimes a vocal melody and some lyrics will come from that.
Lyrics are usually the last thing I work on, and on the particular day this song was fleshed out, I felt pressure to just get it done. I am not quite sure why the story of Little Red Riding Hood popped into my head (I may have been watching Into the Woods with my daughter around that time), but the first line came to me, “They said you weren’t too be trusted” and the rest of the lyrics followed once I decided to follow that storyline. It occurred to me afterwards that I liked the duality in the lyrics, that they were ambiguous enough to also be a metaphor for other traps in which we find ourselves.
How did you two meet?
On the hard scrabble badminton courts of Bluebell, Pa, teaching seven year old girls how to hit a shuttlecock at summer camp.
A question for Mr. Strontium: I've noticed that your identity carries a variety of masks, how has this come in to your creative brand?
Firstly, all the masks come from New Orleans and the freedom and energy of that city inspires our music. Secondly, the masks are a way of not revealing everything about ourselves when it seems that so many others are disclosing the minutiae of their lives for the world to see and then quickly forget. Thirdly, dressing up as characters for our videos is fun.
What instruments can you play? and is there a specific skill that you don't currently have that you would like to learn?
Besides drums and many percussions, Mr. Strontium can play When the Saints Go Marching In on any instrument he picks up. As for a skill to develop, he’d like to be able to consistently hit line drives to center field.
Meg plays the ukulele and guitar mostly. However, she does dabble in the mandolin, tenor guitar, and is now learning the bass guitar with her daughter. Any fretted instrument is pretty much an attraction. We are currently recording new material and it features the tenor guitar.
As for a skill to develop, she’d like to improve her tennis serve and backhand volley.
How did your artistic identity form? You implement a lot of distinct sounds from Punk to Funk. Did you know the direction that you wanted to take or did you create your sound by trial and error?
Without question, everything we do is going to have energy, but the rest is up to chance and the sounds that we are making on that particular day. Sometimes we are influenced by Meg’s choice of instrumentation, for example, we are currently recording a bunch of songs we wrote when she picked up a tenor guitar which has different chord voicings and thereby shaped the sound of the song that way. Strontium has also been creative in his use of percussion during the overdub process - Meg was delighted to hear that our talking drum sounded like a bass in one of our songs.
What do you hope to achieve through 'Red Rider’?
Finally, my mother’s love and acceptance. Just kidding, we have no expectations from the outside world. If anyone, anywhere enjoys a few of our songs, then that’s a positive thing in this world.
What would your ultimate career-changing moment be?
Having Pete Townshend or Roger Daltrey of The Who know that they like our song about them, Pete and Roger, which is due out on Aug. 12.
What's coming next from The Margaret Hooligans?
We have two more singles coming out from our upcoming album Turntable Tribulations which is due out in October, Pete and Roger on Aug. 12 and Feedback on September 9th.
