Getting to Know… Mama No Likey | Interview

In the 471^st Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from rock band Mama No Likey. 

“Our sound is something analogous to AC/DC meets the Red Hot Chili Peppers meets Joan Jett.” Ladies and gentlemen, meet rock band, Mama No Likey!  In our Q&A, we get the inside scoop on the band’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and current and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know… Mama No Likey: Interview No. 471!

For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes Mama No Likey distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Our sound is something analogous to AC/DC meets the Red Hot Chili Peppers meets Joan Jett. What else do you need to know?

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Mama No Likey form, and what were some of your goals or visions early?

The backbone of the band is Will (drummer) and Troy (guitarist). They met at a studio one day and just clicked. And then they met Hannah in the same studio about a year ago, and she fit in perfectly. We wish we had something juicier for you (laughing), but that was the formation. The juicy stuff happens when we’re developing new songs together. We have such a good creative chemistry and try to elevate each song as we develop them.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?  

At first, all we wanted to do was gig. A bunch. And we did that last year. But then we started to really like our own sound, so earlier this year, our goals changed to releasing music on streaming platforms, to share it with the world. We just started doing that earlier this year and have a bunch more that we’re planning to release. We’re also trying to figure out how to promote it. That’s another new and entirely different goal for us now.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences, and how are they influential?

Absolutely, we have a bunch: The Beatles, Oasis, Rage Against the Machine, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Hendrix, Funkadelic, Avril Lavigne, Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, etc. But like we mentioned above, AC/DC is a big one for us. We talk about them a lot. Not in how they sound. We’re not trying to sound like them per se, but we use them as a model for creating elegantly simple music. That’s the key for us. We’re trying to create music that is fun and easily accessible to people like AC/DC.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

We showed up to a gig in Hermosa Beach one night at 7pm. We were told that we were going on first at 8 pm. But once we arrived, they told us that we were going on last at 11 pm. So, what do we do? Obviously, we go hit one of the bars to kill time. And after a few hours and many tequila shots, all of us were feeling it pretty good (laughing). When we finally went on well after midnight, we were completely out of it. Halfway through the set, Hannah stops a song and tells the crowd about this cool new song that we have, and asks Troy to start playing it. He looked at the rest of us like, “WTF?” We had no idea what she was talking about because everybody speaks tequila differently (laughing). Then we realized she was talking about the opening guitar riff to “Fire Me Up,” which is amazing. We all love that song. The problem was, Troy had just played it for us the prior week, and it wasn’t yet a song. It was just a cool riff. It didn’t have a structure or even a name. Everyone was confused, and we all started cracking up. Thankfully, the crowd that stuck around that late was understanding.

To this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

We have a full set of about 10 original songs that we’re playing now, but our favorite right now has to be “Fire Me Up.” We all think that song represents us and our sound so well, and so far, crowds have seemed to really enjoy it too.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left-of-center we should know about Mama No Likey? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Troy is from the Central Coast of Australia, but Hannah’s Australian accent is better (laughing). Just joking, just joking. Hannah is from Missouri but used to go to summer church camp as a girl and pretend she was from Australia and developed this amazing accent – regardless of what Troy thinks (laughing).

What is Mama No Likey currently working on or promoting that you can share? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure.   

We’re super excited about our next song coming out. It’s called “Kings and Queens” and is a story about embracing each other during these politically challenging times, not forgetting people’s humanity in this hyper-politicized world. And there are no kings. Each and every one of us are the kings and queens. We just shot the video for it last week and will be releasing everything hopefully, later in July or in early August.

Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward.