Review Fix Exclusive: Masha And The Spanks’ Miesha Louie Talks Goals And More
By Patrick Hickey Jr.
Review Fix chats with Masha And The Spanks’ Miesha Louie, who discusses the band’s origin, creative process and goals for the future.
Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?
Miesha Louie: I’ve wanted to play music since I was a kid. The genres changed as I grew up but the idea was the same. My first real taste of the music industry was putting on all ages punk shows in my small town in the East Kootenays of BC. My bandmate and I booked the shows, so we also got to open! Being so close to the Alberta border, we played with a lot of Calgary bands, which is how I initially connected with my now local music scene, but we also grabbed some bigger bands like DOA and Mad Caddies. After high school I moved to Calgary I dived into the local scene with assorted punk projects before starting the Spanks.
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Louie: I use voice memo a lot. I record guitar riff ideas with my voice, or even lyrics, when I’m walking my dog or my babies and then review them all later when I get some time in the jamspace. Then I’ll make a new little voice memo demo and send it to Sean for his input and ideas. I typically develop the lyrics and vocals on my own, but we collaboratively write the music and then back up vocals and whatever other extras there are.
Review Fix: What inspires you?
Louie: I get inspired by a lot of proto-punk music like MC5, The Stooges, The Runaways. I love that it’s simple but wild, and I just really love a good hook. A great live performance always gets me fired up too. I write a lot about my life and experiences, and which has changed pretty drastically over the last couple years. I’m a mom now. The world I come from and the world I brought my babies into are two things that have become very important to me.
Review Fix: What does music mean to you?
Louie: Music has played a huge part in my life since I was a kid. It’s expressive, it’s an outlet, and as such it connects people and their shared experiences, and at the same time it opens eyes to different experiences and information. Even when I’m taking a break from creating it, music is always playing in my home.
Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?
Louie: I would say garage rock, coming from a punk rock background.
Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?
Louie: We like to make really big sounding records, and don’t sweat it that on stage there’s just the two of us. Our stage show is definitely more raw and aggressive. Both are loud, though, and we’re always tweaking our stage set-up so we can do more than you expect.
Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?
Louie: I Want Fire is really steeped in the frustration of the early stages of pandemic. It was meant to be the end of my maternity leave and we had a super busy spring and early summer lined up with festivals and short tours, but instead there was just more being stuck at home. And like, really stuck at home, not just stuck in our city. It definitely came from a place of wanting something to get fired up about.
Review Fix: What are your goals for 2021?
Louie: Oh man we really want back on the road, back on stage, but it isn’t looking great for touring artists right now. I guess a goal I’m working with right now is to use this time to fine tune my gear and stage set-up so we’re ready to go the second we can. And we’re writing, always writing, because who knows how long this whole thing will last.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Louie: We’ve got another single coming next month, and then the full album release on April 16! We’ll be hosting a live stream at one of our favourite local spots, the patio at Broken City – maybe if we’re lucky we can have some semblance of an audience? Any normal year we’d be touring coast to coast with this new record, so we’re going to have to get creative!
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Louie: Thanks for taking the time! Check out our new music on Bandcamp, or wherever you stream!
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