Hi, everyone! Last week, I sat down and did an interview with Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten of the LA-based bedroom pop band Momma. Another Danger Collective regular, The duo originally met in high school and have continued the band through their college years. They released their debut EP, Thanks Come Again three years ago and followed that up with an LP, Interloper in 2018. The band has developed a small following around the LA DIY scene, and the band has played with the likes of Teeks (side project of Austin Feinstein from Slow Hollows) and the solo projects of both Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad of Girlpool. I've become a huge fan of their music in recent times and I'm glad I was able to sit down with them and learn about their career.
br: Which artists or albums inspired you to start a music career in the first place?
Etta Friedman: I think both of us being kind of nerdy musicheads. we really latch onto music that has a big emphasis on lyricism with simple but dynamic chord progressions or riffs. For me, personally, Kim Deal from The Breeders, Carrie Brownstein from Sleater-Kinney, Liz Phair and Sadie DuPuis from Speedy Ortiz have been super influential in my career so far.
Allegra Weingarten: If I’m being totally honest, Kings of Leon was my first favorite band. I found them when I was in middle school, and they were kind of a catalyst for me in a lot of ways. When I first started writing songs, and I only knew three chords, I would literally write love letters to each band member using their lyrics, and just re-arranging them. When it came to my own songwriting, As Etta mentioned, Liz Phair was one of my biggest inspirations, too. I never heard a woman sing in a low register like that until I started getting into her discography. It made me more comfortable with my voice, and her lyrics have been incredibly impactful in my life. Every time I listen to her album Exile in Guyville, no matter what phase in my life I’m going through, she always seems to be speaking directly to me. I wanted to write lyrics that resonated with other people like her lyrics did with me.
br: I know you guys have both been friends since high school, but when did you guys first meet each other?
E.F.: I don’t quite remember, definitely in a club
or in the hallways of our high school’s campus. Before we were truly friends I remember I saw Allegra at this insane party where three kids jumped off of the roof into a pool. One of them came centimeters away from hitting their head.
A.W.: I think Etta’s right about us meeting in a club. We were actually both in this after school club called Bohemian Arts Society. It was literally 7 people hanging out in this one English teacher’s classroom and talk about music and movies. I remember Etta made me this little box with a picture of Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer on it and a picture of Lana Del Rey on the inside. I can’t recall what it was for, but I still have that box and use it to store my guitar picks. I think that’s how we first started talking, and then we had this sleepover where we smoked weed and watched Cops for like 6 hours. That’s when I knew we’d be close.
br: What is the significance behind the band’s name?
A.W.: Etta can handle this one.
E.F.: There truly is no real significance, I just thought it sounded cool when I was fourteen or so. I made the project when I was still in early high school and in another band. Since then, it’s stuck.
br: I’ve heard you guys are known for some cool live shows- would you say that you guys prefer performing in the studio rather than playing live?
E.F.: I would say I prefer performing live. I think that now, we are honing in on our studio skills by tone chasing and searching for a more hi-fi sound. With live shows, all of our energy and performative nature is determined by the crowd. I think that spontaneity and adrenaline rush is why I’d prefer performing live.
A.W.: I’d say I prefer performing live, too. Without sounding pretentious or whatever, I would definitely consider Momma to be a “live band.” I just think it’s more playful, I like that the audience can see our faces when we f--k up or see the glances Etta and I share when one moment in a song really hits. Plus, playing with Zach (Capitti) live is just an absolute treat. No one drums like him.
br: Can you describe your process for making songs?
E.F.: Allegra and I both being together is the biggest part of our process. I think we feed off of each other in a super proactive and familiar way. For example, Allegra could start with a cool riff or I could start with a cool chord progression and then we’ll both geek out over it for a second and loop the chords or the riff until we find a combination of melody and sound that we are looking for. Weed is also typically involved sometimes… but not always.
A.W.: I think Etta explained most of the process really well. We aren’t really “trained” musicians, so we’re not doing scales or playing anything intelligible when we start a session. As she said, one of us will play a little riff that hits, and the other one will be like, “Wait! Stop. Play it again.”.
br: What’s more important to you in the songwriting process- lyricism, or the production value and instrumentation?
A.W.: I think production value is a lot more important to us now than it was in the beginning. We used to not really care, but now we’re like, “It’s gotta be hi-fi!!!” Instrumentation is also important to us as a band. Momma wouldn’t be as fun for either of us if we weren’t constantly learning from each other. I think Etta and I genuinely have learned to play guitar through each other, one’s progress is always mirrored by the other. Etta will play a riff, and I’ll be blown away, like “f--k, I didn’t know Etta could do hammer-ons that well, now I gotta do that.” We definitely challenge each other a lot, and I like that aspect about us. Having said all that, lyrics are number one-we spend so much time writing them. Sometimes they come quickly, but other times we’ll be in my bedroom for hours with a pen and paper just writing down ideas, thinking through every line.
br: I notice a lot of the lyrics in your songs relate to growing up and a lot of the experiences of young adulthood- what fuels your interest in writing songs of this nature?
A.W.: I think at the time we were writing Interloper, that was just on our mind a lot and was definitely the main point of relatability between Etta and I. We wrote that record almost 3 years ago and we’re trying to get outside of that a lot more. Essentially, we’re taking those same feelings of ‘young adulthood’ but removing ourselves from it. The themes are the same, I guess, but the framing of it is different.
br: I know you guys released a single over the summer, but do you guys have any projects in the works right now? If so, can you tell me a little bit more about what it has in store?
E.F.: Yes, we still don’t know what it’s called yet, but we have a full album in the works for ya!
A.W.: This new record was finished this summer, and it will be out next June. We’re so excited because we’ve been working on these songs for about 2 years, and it’s so so different from our first album. All the details will be shared soon, but all I’m going to say for now is that it’s a concept album.
br: What do you want people reading this to know about your band?
E.F.: Listen to Allega’s side band, Fawning!
A.W.: Everything that Momma does is intentional, especially with this next album.
What music goals do you have for the future?
E.F.: I think our main goal is to keep creating and to hopefully live close together for a long time!
A.W.: Hey, Fender, wanna sponsor us?
LIGHTNING ROUND:
What was the first album you ever bought?
Etta: No Doubt’s Rock Steady
Allegra: I bought three in one day - Tommy James and the Shondells’ Greatest Hits, Tom Petty’s Damn The Torpedoes, and a Kate Bush Greatest Hits record.
Who are your non-musical heroes?
Etta: the Weingartens, the Robinsons, not to mention all my friends and family.
Allegra: My dog Nico and the author, Scott Heim.
Who was the first artist you ever saw live?
Etta: No Doubt and Paramore
Allegra: Jesse McCartney
Who would you most compare the sound of your music to?
Etta: Momma
Allegra: Speedy Ortiz
I'd like to thank the ladies for giving me their time in doing an interview, and I'm really glad I got to speak with them! If you haven't checked them out before, I highly suggest a listen to their music! In the meantime, thanks so much for reading and supporting bazzreviews, and more awesome content is coming soon!
To hear some of Momma's existing music, log on to https://mommaband.bandcamp.com/
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