Interview With The Bad Bees! (@TheBadBees)
We recently had the chance to chat with the members of rock band The Bad Bees. In the interview, they talk about forming as a group, their new EP “Big Pretty”, image as artists, and more!
- How did you form as a band?
I think it all came from a desire for something more. We all grew up together, went to school together, and in our youths spent time playing and creating music. Everyone went their separate ways after high school. Once we all began settling into our adults lives, we found ourselves gravitating to one another again to bring a more creative feeling to each other’s lives.
- How did you come up with the group name?
It’s actually a pretty uneventful story. I keep saying that we have to make up something fantastic, but I suppose the truth is something special in itself. Way in the beginning when this thing was just getting started Brandon and I (Jake) were on our way to play an acoustic set at a bar in Philly. On that ride we started spitballing ideas for names. The Bad Bees was suggested by a friend who was along for the ride and we’ve been making bee puns ever since.
- What is each members role?
It’s an interesting group dynamic. A system of checks and balances is how I like to look at it. For anyone who’s seriously tried to work in a band, you know that its alot to deal with. We’re extremely lucky that everyone involved is committed and has their own ideas of what should take priority. So at any time there is someone pushing the group to improve our live performance, or work on our social media presence and so on.
- What was the recording process like for your most recent EP “Big Pretty”?
We got the tracking for all 5 songs done in 3 days. It was a fun 3 days but we certainly had our work cut out for us. The tracks are super full sounding. We really took our time this round to make sure changes are happening at a good exciting pace. In hindsight we probably could have wrote in a little more room for breath but the EP took on a life of its own.
- What is your favorite song off of the EP?
Karma Suits You ended up being my favorite track from this batch. As mentioned the EP as a whole comes at you hard pacing wise. Karma Suits You is the fourth track on the EP and its got an awesome chill vibe. It gives the ears a nice break before the last big dance.
- What has the fan reaction been like to the EP so far?
So far the EP has been very well received. It’s been great being able to play out these past few months and have something new for folks to go home with and enjoy.
- How is it different from other music that you’ve released in the past?
Big Pretty is the groups 2nd EP. We’ve grown a lot as writers since our first release, Face Paced Space, and really wanted to experiment this round with making the tracks as full sounding as possible. We incorporated a lot of synth sounds and even had a friend play violin on some tracks to try and reach that goal.
- Will you be going on tour anytime soon?
It’s been decided that we’re going to give ourselves a little more time before hitting the studio again. We’re thinking that’ll be sometime this fall. That leaves us the summer to go hog wild with shows and touring so yes we’ll be out there.
- Do you have any other upcoming projects?
We’re really eager to work again with our good friend Antonio Esposito (@aces_imagery). He’s been our go to guy for the visual creative side of things. Being that our next EP might not be out for sometime there’s been talk of doing some stand alone videos for singles we may record in the next few months.
- What do you think makes you stand out from other bands?
Above all else I think we really try to make an effort to just not be assholes. For us it’s all about the music, no egos. This all started from a common bond over making cool sounds and we try to let that speak for itself when we talk about our image.
- What are your goals for 2018?
We’re super pumped about this new music that we’re making. We want to keep pushing ourselves as writers and so we’re intentionally giving plenty of time to allow this new material to come alive in a natural unrushed way. And our biggest plans for 2018 will be seeing that process through for all the months leading up to the recording date sometime next fall.
- What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?
Jt is a brewer, Brandon enjoys MMA, Bryan is an outdoor enthusiast, and Jake has a borderline unhealthy addiction to the game Destiny.
- Where can fans listen to the EP?
It’s out on Spotify and Apple Music. You can also find it on Bandcamp and Youtube.
- What are your social media accounts?
https://www.facebook.com/thebadbees/
https://www.instagram.com/thebadbees/
https://twitter.com/TheBadBees
Check out their music video for their single “BooWho” below!
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