MAMA YOUTH - Freedom Fuels Life ! (France - Stoner/Fuzz'Rock - Interview with Tristan).
- Hello ! Can you introduce yourselves and tell us how it all started for you – your introduction to the musical world, what attracted you, what fascinated you, and what made you want to make music?
Hello! What’s funny is that we all come from completely different musical backgrounds. Maxime (guitar/vocals) is really into Thrash Metal , basically anything fast. Me, Tristan (drums) I'm a big fan of Kyuss and Black Sabbath – anything related to Stoner rock. Kevin (bass) has more “mainstream” influences (we’re not really fond of this term), but he’s a big digger of reggae, funk, and hip-hop.
We’re not only attracted to Stoner music: what we love above all is music. If it’s well amplified and a bit dirty, even better!
- Tell us about the band… How did you meet? What is the current lineup? What are your past experiences? And above all: why did you feel the need to form THIS band?
Max has been playing for about ten years in an old-school thrash metal band (Mortal Scepter), but he was looking for something a bit slower in terms of BPM. I played guitar and bass in several local bands (hard rock, psych, grunge, etc.). Kevin came straight from Le Havre when we met him, and he had played in pop, rock, and folk bands there. Maxime (guitar/vocals) and me (drums) have known each other for about fifteen years.
It all started with a conversation in a bar in Dunkirk – "l’Abordage". That’s where we met Kevin through mutual friends. At first, I was on guitar. We went through half a dozen drummers before finding the right fit for our sound. Eventually, I took over the drums, and for the last four years, it’s been working like a charm!
- Describe your sound and explain why we should definitely listen to your band.
It all starts with the RIFF (shoutout to "Stronger than Arnold"!).
More seriously, we all three share a huge love for the soundtracks of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games, which really shaped our musical tastes: punk, rock, hip-hop, stoner, thrash...
We’ve proclaimed ourselves a “Fuzzy Rock’N’Roll” band – because we think it sums up our identity well. But honestly, it goes way beyond that. Some tracks are pure Stoner, others lean more towards punk.
If you’re nostalgic for old-school skate sessions, cassette decks, and cathode-ray TVs, you’re going to love it!
- Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences? How important are the lyrics to you? Are there any messages you try to convey?
Our musical influences? Stoner, Punk, Thrash, Hip-Hop… Actually, a lot of things!
We’re open to everything as long as it has Rock’N’Roll energy and it touches us.
Maxime: I don’t consider myself a poet, but the lyrics do have meaning. The recurring theme is mainly freedom – feeling free and fighting to stay free.
- Tell us about your latest album....
Our first album was made 100% DIY. We set up a few mics in our rehearsal space with the help of a passionate friend. Recorded live in one day. The mixing was done at our drummer’s place, nice and relaxed.
The cover was handmade by our tattoo artist friends Frandries and Santa Lvcia (check out their work, it’s fantastic!). The album is available everywhere: Bandcamp, Spotify, Deezer, etc. (and also from ROUGH TIMES Shop as well now ! Ed.)
We also released it on CD, which you can grab at the end of our shows!
- Any upcoming projects? A new record maybe ?
Yes! We’ve just decided to release a little 2-track EP by September. Let’s see where the wind takes us...
- Your wildest dream with the band?
A massive US tour (FUCK YEAH), sharing the stage with our favorite bands – Fu Manchu, Nebula, Slomosa… – and being booked at Rock In Bourlon (a great indie festival from our area, amazing lineup, and always a good time, even as spectators).
- Your BEST & WORST concert – as a band – and why?
The best: One of our best gigs took place at Gare Saint-Sauveur in Lille. It felt great to be seen as a real band, not just “the local guys.”
It was part of a mini-tour we did with our friends from MYAR (Stoner – Lille) and Stronger than Arnold (Hyperspyché – Limoges). The Lille crowd was amazing, and we’re not forgetting that anytime soon.
The worst: We laugh about it now, but it was a disaster from the start.
We went down to Le Havre for a Music Festival in 2021. Five or six bands, the C3 full of gear. When we arrived, we had to set up the stage with a hungover stage manager. No contact with the headliners until they showed up like rockstars, five minutes before their set – hands in their pockets, big egos on display.
We had to lend them all our backline (in hindsight, we should’ve let them figure it out). Still, we have some good memories from that gig, especially thanks to other bands like our friends from Meeting June (Pop/Punk – Le Havre).
- Your next appearances on stage?
On June 6th, we’re headlining an event organized by our friends from the Dunkirk Skatepark, with VETO (HxC Punk – Dunkerque) and Wine Butterfly and the Dead Dandees (Hard Blues – Lille).
- A few words about your local scene? Any bands you’d like to shout out?
We’ve got a really rich local scene, with loads of bands in our preferred styles. We’re thinking of our friends from MYAR (who you saw with us in Amiens).
We’ve also shared some great moments with Stronger than Arnold on 3 dates (Paris/Lille/Dunkerque).
A shoutout to Jupeaters, Apex Ten, ZÖE, The Baptized... and generally all the local Stoner/Rock/Punk bands who go all out to organize ever more Rock’N’Roll events.
Big up to Antoine from Roaring Tubes for putting together some killer lineups! Don’t change a thing!
- The final word is yours...
Just to note, we answered this interview after a few good pints... Cheers!
Credits :
Band photo : Victoria Carré.
Live photo (B & W) : Mess With Me Photography.
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