thrives on a signature hybrid of off-kilter quirk and mass appeal , skewed further towards the former than the vast majority of their peers .
“ I think this [ album ] really works both angles , maybe even more than any before it ,” Molly opines . “ There ’ s so much quirk to these songs , yet at the same time , they did a really good job of making them sound big and accessible as well . I think our old fans and new ones can gravitate towards it .”
Once again elaborating on his sibling ’ s statements , Ryan adds that “ it wasn ’ t about eradicating quirk ; it was about dialing into the most genuine aspect of quirk and honouring it and accentuating it .”
While that sounding board role has been assigned to various producers over the years , it ’ s also one that Ryan can often rely on his sister to fill , at least in some capacity . “ Molly is a fantastic filter and will respond viscerally to a chorus or lack thereof , and quite often I find myself pushing harder to make certain elements of the songs pop more than they are based on her feedback ,” Ryan shares .
“ I do weigh in from a very early point with ideas and try to help on the writing side ,” she tacks on . “ With a family member , you can be extremely honest ; you understand them and they understand you , and there ’ s more wiggle room there when you ’ re sharing opinions .”
The goals the band members have imposed on themselves for this album cycle include continuing on the tangent of success they ’ ve established to date , but that will never take precedent over being true to themselves and their art , sharing music that they believe in and that people can relate to .
“ The great feat lies in saying big things in a small way ,” Ryan offers . “ It ’ s like when you talk to someone and they blow your mind , it ’ s usually using language you understand , but the message behind that simple language is deep and has many layers . That ’ s what we ’ re trying to achieve in this new phase going forward .”
One of the objectives of that new phase is to further their push into the U . S . market on the back of No Culture . And again , it ’ s a market that has chewed up some of Canada ’ s best and spit them back over the border in rough shape . But the way Molly sees it , Mother Mother is in a favourable position having steadily ascended the ranks of the Canadian music industry on their own accord and largely through their own efforts . They ’ re armed with years ’ worth of trials and experiences and ready to bring the fight .
“ It all feels very natural ,” she says . “ We ’ re just working towards bigger audiences in new places . There are smaller rooms and you have to work harder to go back to the grassroots level of performing , but that ’ s humbling and good exercise . It keeps you grounded and motivated .”
This time , Ryan allows for a short pause before adding , “ Keeps you sharp .”
Despite the pain and strife that went into their composition , Ryan admits he ’ s looking forward to performing these 10 songs for people from a new vantage point – that of having overcome what led to their creation in the first place .
He has “ reintegrated the odd glass of wine ” back into his routine , though says he ’ s “ cautiously navigating ” that aspect of his life and trying to ascertain what value – if any – it adds to his being .
Though it was born of much different circumstances than its predecessors , No Culture will surely appease the hoards of die-hards who ’ ve joined Mother Mother on their journey from their Touch Up-era roots to becoming one of Canada ’ s most innovative and uncompromising pop rock bands .
It ’ s part quirky , part conventional , part undeniably catchy , and as such , it ’ s wholly Mother Mother .
Andrew King is the Editor of Canadian Musician .
GEAR AT A GLANCE
The members of Mother Mother share their go-to live rigs for the upcoming No Culture Tour .
MOLLY GULDEMOND ( VOCALS & KEYS )
KEYBOARD Nord Wave Synthesizer
RYAN GULDEMOND ( VOCALS & GUITAR )
GUITARS Warmoth Parts Black Stratocaster Silvertone Mosrite Copy ( circa 1960 ) Custom-Built Mosrite Copy Gibson Firebird
AMPS Orange Rockerverb 50 Head ( centre dry channel ) Marshall 4x12 Cab ( centre dry channel ) Fender Twin ( x2 , wet left & right channels )
MIDI CONTROLLED PEDALS Eventide ModFactor ( sent to all amps ) Eventide PitchFactor ( sent to all amps ) Eventide Space ( sent to left / right amps ) Eventide TimeFactor ( sent to left / right amps )
ANALOG PEDALS Diamond J-Drive MK3 Electro-Harmonix HumDebugger ( x 3 , one for each amp ) ISP Decimator ( x 2 , one global & one for presets ) Rock Box Boiling Point Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive ZVEX Fuzz Factory
AUDIO SWITCHER Voodoo Lab GCX Guitar Audio Switcher Looper
FOOT CONTROLLER PEDALS Voodoo Lab Ground Control Volume Pedal Expression Pedal Tuner
JASMIN PARKIN ( KEYS & VOCALS )
KEYBOARD Nord Stage 2 EX
ALI SIADAT ( DRUMS )
DRUMS Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute Drums
• 13x9-in . Rack Tom
• 16x15-in . Floor Tom
• 18x16-in . Floor Tom
• 24x18-in . Bass Drum Yamaha Mike Bordin Signature Snare Drum
CYMBALS Sabian Cymbals
• 15-in . Manhattan Jazz Hats
• 19-in . Artisan Crash Cymbal
• 20-in . Artisan Crash Cymbal
• 20-in . HHX O-Zone Crash Cymbal
• 22-in Artisan Heavy Ride Cymbal
ELECTRONICS Roland SPD-SX Sampler Unit
ACCESSORIES Remo Drum Heads
MIKE YOUNG ( BASS )
BASS Sadowsky P / J 5-String
AMP Ampeg Classic Head Ampeg SVT 8x10 Cab
KEYBOARDS Novation Bass Station II Moog Sub Phatty
EFFECTS BOSS TU-3 Tuner Diamond BCP1 Bass Compressor MXR Bass Octave Deluxe Electro-Harmonix Micro POG Darkglass Electronics Microtubes B7K Strymon Timeline Delay Strymon Flint Tremolo Source Audio Soundblox Pro Bass Envelope Filter Dunlop DVP1XL Volume Pedal Radial Engineering Bigshot EFX Pedaltrain Classic 2 Pedal Board Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 Plus
ACCESSORIES Radial JDI EBow Plus D ’ Addario Strings Planet Waves Cables
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