Girl at the Rock Shows

I’ve shared out a couple of songs from Mavis lately. From “Lonely Show” to “Holy Shit, I’m Sorry”, there’s just something about this band that I can’t get enough of. I feel like all of the songs that I’ve heard from this band have a full journey in them and that makes the listens as dynamic as they are thrilling. With that being said, there’s something super deep and almost emotional about everything that this band does. It had me intrigued and I was so excited to get to know this band a bit more by asking Pat from Mavis some random questions.

How would you describe your music to your grandma?

I would probably start with asking what the hell she’s doing alive. After that, I’d say “too loud, but we do talk about Jesus a lot.”

Everyone says that every crowd is their favorite, but what city has the best audiences and why is it Minneapolis?

Minneapolis is one of the greatest music cities on earth. The Replacements, Prince, The Dillinger Four, The Hold Steady (technically a New York band, but kind of a Minneapolis-themed flower arrangement.) The small towns of Southern Ontario have a lot in common with the upper midwest. That said, we’ve never been to Minneapolis.

We’re based in Toronto, and Toronto is a very tough town. We kind of categorically don’t like each other around here, so you have to work your ass off to get any kind of audience response. I’ve watched performers come through town and immediately get cold feet because they think they’re bombing. They’re not, that’s just how Toronto crowds are. That climate makes for good art.

Where is your favorite place to write music?

In the middle of an argument two degrees south of a knife fight. Everybody contributes, which means a lot of egos have to bounce off each other. I think any writer of anything will tell you that no one actually enjoys writing and we’re all lying when we say we do.

What’s your go-to coffee order?

A pint of beer and a shot of Jameson whiskey in a place where half the lights don’t work. I don’t drink a lot of coffee, but when I do, I take it black, bottomless, in a small white mug at a Sri Lankan breakfast joint on Dundas Street. I don’t know the name of it. We just call it “Eggs.”

If you could compare yourself to a bird, what bird would it be and why?

I live with my partner and she has two birds as pets. One of them is really old and mean, so I would say that one. At the very least, he’s probably familiar with the songs.

Right now, you have four singles out there. I know they say to never have a favorite kid or pet, but what is your favorite single thus far and why?

Our newest one, Holy Shit, I’m Sorry. We’ve always been proud of that song, it’s been around a long time, and we were happy to finally be able to put it out. It has a kind of new wave thing off the top, but then it travels to a bunch of different places.

You knew it was coming, which one is your least favorite and why?

In a Lucille Bluth voice I don’t care for Gob.

We have our full first album on our Bandcamp, which is… well, we tried. It was a very different band back then. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good ideas on there, but we didn’t know what we were doing yet.

What comes first—the lyrics or the instrumentation?

Neither. Both. It depends. There are five of us and we all contribute differently. These days, I personally come up with the instrumentation and then the lyrics. Then I’ll send it over to our guitarist, BC Booney and he’ll do a rewrite. That almost always means, “do it again but make it really sad.” That said, a lot of it comes together in the room and we all figure it out through the aforementioned fighting.

Favorite lyrics of all time?

BC Booney is our resident pretentious bastard and self-proclaimed “lyrics guy,” so he might have more thoughts on this. For my money, “Farewell Transmission” by Songs: Ohia. “Mama, here comes midnight with the dead moon in it’s jaws.” It isn’t right that anyone should be able to write like that.

Obviously, the modern punk vibe is strong throughout your songs. I’m getting a very Menzingers vibe from “Holy Shit, I’m Sorry” but is there an influence that may not be as apparent that you all felt when writing this song in particular, or any of the songs?

That’s hard to say. I would say for me, there’s a lot of Tom Petty and the Ramones. Mike B likes Bryan Ferry. BC Booney, it’s probably a band no one has heard of called “Earl Coffee and the Howdy-Doodies” or some shit that sounds like he made it up. Mondo’s favorite music sounds like someone dragging a crowbar across a chalkboard. Connor doesn’t talk very much so there’s no way of knowing. Our old bassist, Devon, who played bass on “Holy Shit” has a musical theatre background, so maybe “Hamilton?” There’s really no way to know.

If you were to rob a bank, what would be the song playing in the getaway car?

“What a Difference a Day Makes” by Dinah Washington.

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?

Coldplay, 2009. I dyed my hair blue to impress the girl I was with. We took too much MDMA and I ended up throwing up on my sleeve. It did not work out. Coldplay was 10/10 though.

If a black metal band were to cover “Carolina,” what band would you hope it is?

Mercyful Fate. Next question.

If you could have dinner with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I mean, musicians make a profession of living off gas station hot dogs, so probably no one. That said, I like to imagine that Joey Ramone was a good cook.

Have you ever been able to finish a Rubik’s Cube?

No, and I don’t plan to. I’ve watched Hellraiser and I’ve seen what happens when you finish one of those

What’s the worst concert you’ve ever been to and why?

I’ll never tell. (Chickenfoot, 2009, $80.)

What’s your most regrettable tattoo? Or, if you don’t have any—what’s a tattoo you would want if you were to get one?

No tattoos, I’m afraid. When my friend was in college, a buddy offered him a six-pack if he’d let him try out a new tattoo gun. It was supposed to be a dagger going in one side of his neck and out the other. It looks like someone beat up the Jesus fish. Me? I don’t know. A tramp stamp of a custom license plate.

What’s an old-school fad that you wish would come back?

TV shows where dogs solve mysteries. That, and fentanyl-free uppers.

Out of the four songs you have out there, which line of lyrics is your favorite and why?

We actually have a new one on our instagram page called “Lot 6.” That’s probably our greatest lyrical achievement. It’s a story about a person mourning a parent who’s still alive.

“Tonight I feel you calling

But I won’t get any call

They say Jesus loves the fallen

I say love will kill us all

Love will kill us all.”

I told you we talk about Jesus a lot.

What’s your favorite method of listening to music?

I’m partial to cassettes, but ever since they invented this “internet” thing, boy, I just can’t get enough of it!

What’s on the horizon for Mavis? More music? Tours? A stop in Minneapolis?”

There are a lot of things in the works, but nothing I can talk about publicly yet. We have a show this Saturday in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, and right now we’re just trying to figure out how to turn it into the most chaotic environment possible. Balloon animals? Strippers? I don’t know, we haven’t figured it out.

Who or what is a Mavis?!

Don’t lose sleep over it.

Is there anything else you want my followers to know?

Yes:

There was definitely something fishy about Chappaquiddick.

Okay, okay, I promise not to lose any sleep over trying to figure out who or what a Mavis is but I did seem to fall deeper and deeper in love with this band with every answer they gave me. Like their music, I felt that there was some depth and some mystery behind some of their answers but, at the same time, I felt like this was very much just like talking to some friends over a drink.

I agree that their single “Holy Shit, I’m Sorry” is truly fantastic but I am also so excited to see what’s next as I continue to watch this band grow with time. Want to follow their journey with me? Make sure to follow them on their Instagram (linked below) and make sure to follow their Spotify (also linked below) so you don’t miss anymore magic from this truly amazing up and coming band.

Mavis on Instagram

Shameless Self Promotion:

Join My Patreon Here!

Buy Me a Coffee (Seriously!)

Check out my playlist with this track and a bunch of other amazing tracks HERE!