Motown/Surf-Punk Group Bad Buddy Release Peppy New Single “Q.B.”
Bad Buddy is the musical collaboration between Emily Bachynski (vocals, guitar), Andrea Vissia (guitar, vocals), and Geoffrey Hamdon-O’Brien (drums). The band is a genre-defying musical spectacle, casually time traveling from wartime boogie-woogie bops, to glitterball heartbreak slow dances, to eye-gushing punk bloodbaths.
The Edmonton band which launched their career in 2016 has been described as putting on “… a totally raucous and amazing show all around: psychedelic surf, punk, pop, you name it – though above all it [feels] like something NEW” (Edmonton Journal), and the proof is in the performance. The electric energy of the live show is amplified by the exceptional songwriting ability possessed by the band. Self-identifying as “Motown-surf-punk,” Bad Buddy commands attention, painting powerful, sonic pictures drawn from real-life inspirations.
“Cheerleader? Nah, I’m the Q.B.,” Andi Vissia sings on “Q.B.” The quarterback is the star of the football show – the main event, baby! “Q.B.” marks the first co-write between Andi and Bad Buddy’s main songwriter, Emily Bachynski.
Andi wrote this song during a significant period of change when she was feeling insecure about her abilities as a musician and felt judged by people who she thought were going to be supportive.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Emily: Heyoooo this is Emily and Andi here from Bad Buddy – a four-piece band that we tend to describe as “Motown-inspired surf punk.” We’ve found it difficult to really pin down a genre that we feel accurately describes what we do, as we tend to stylistically jump around with our music. For some reason just saying “we’re a rock band” doesn’t sit quite right. We’re gearing up for our LP release (Bad Buddy II) happening June 21st from our home here in Edmonton, Alberta, and are super excited to finally be able to share all the stuff we’ve been working on with the world!
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
Andi: QB is the first single off our upcoming album and it’s also the first co-write we’ve ever done in Bad Buddy. It definitely has a surfy vibe but there’s also a lot of straight up, chucking punk guitar on the verses and then the chorus opens up with Motown inspired backing vocals. Writing the first half of this song came really quickly and then I didn’t really know where to go with it, so I took it to Emily. It’s a song about being really fed up with being underestimated, by other people and honest, by myself. I’ve been in this industry since I was a kid, and my experience with being a girl/woman in a male-dominated industry has been met with a surprising amount of, ‘oh she’s hear because of a man or her male partner,’ or having to prove that I’m not just big hair and a full face of makeup – I’m here because I want to be, I work hard, I like the art I’m creating and I think others will too. The music video is a sassy, sparkly response to having tasks or opportunities literally taken out of our hands.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
E: For me songs kind of lurk around until I pay attention to them. There seems to be something that happens when my body is distracted that frees my mind up to wander into song land where they just kind of strike me – the lyrics and the music usually come to me all at the same time, almost like I’m listening to a song I’ve heard before. I’m pretty sure like 99% of my songs are written while I’m driving, but sometimes they’ll pester me awake from a dead sleep, at which point I’ve learned to immediately record a little voice memo because I can’t be trusted to remember anything and have to capture the songs as they arrive. From there I usually just workshop them in my head until they’re “done” and then, in the most backward fashion, that is when I pick up the guitar and try to make it something concrete that I can share with the band and we can start kicking it apart and trimming unnecessaries, arranging parts and ultimately curating the whole vibe of the tune. There’s no real method to the madness, it’s kind of like I’m just beholden to the song and have a compulsion to see things through.
With Q.B. however, Andi and I delved into uncharted territory together by co-writing the song. It was a really amazing experience, as my personal songwriting process is typically done in complete isolation from some sort of hidey-hole. I think as an artist it’s not easy to collaborate with just anyone. It’s a vulnerable exercise and so there needs to be that foundation of trust and respect to be able to communicate well, and I trust and respect the SHIT out of Andi, so it was an easy game!
A: I get what Emily is talking about to a certain extent. I also tend to write from an isolated place, I hear a song in my head, usually with some lyrics attached to it, maybe the beginning of a verse or chorus. And then I sing it into a voice memo on my phone – once I think I have a good starting off point I pick up the guitar and piece it all together.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
Yes! QB was released with a music video that was directed by Emily with videography by our pal Sam Brooks. We will be releasing our second single in late April with an animated music video and the album is set for June 21st and will include a third, animated music video. We are also playing some Alberta dates the last weekend of May to celebrate the release and gearing up for a summer playing festivals. Emily and I also designed a bunch of new merch that dropped on April 5th, the main album design is by Jake Clark. Definitely follow us on Instagram – we do most of our sharing on there.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
E: I think for me the moment we got our first album in the mail and I got to hold it in my hands was an unbelievable highlight. I remember just feeling like “wow, this is the realest shit I’ve ever done.” The creation of music is such an amazing, and often tedious process. Taking an abstract concept, just a few thoughts floating around in a few people’s heads, and turning it into something physically solid, something concrete that you can share, is and always will be extremely special to me.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
E: Sick, this is the best part – I love pumping up all my buddies because they are amazing and are always grinding it out big time – Lucas Chaisson is phenomenal, The Denim Daddies just released a record, Shaela Miller just dropped a great one too, Bad Ham is brand new and definitely one to watch out for – they’ll have music out soon.
A: YAY! Yes, I second all of Emily’s suggestions and I’ve been on a pop binge lately so I gotta add VISSIA and Sarah Klang (Sweden). Also Thunder Queens, SunGlaciers, MoxJet (I don’t think they have a release out yet), and Kue Varo.
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