Ep11: Skating Polly on the importance of dedication
How to listen
Press play below OR click for links to
listen/subscribe on your preferred platform.
Transcript to follow soon.
Hey there! Welcome to my conversation with Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse of Skating Polly, recorded on Sunday 20th October 2019. Keep scrolling down for links to everything we discussed in this episode and visit their website to explore their musical world and sign up to their mailing list.
[Content warning: occasional swearing.]
In this conversation, we discuss:
- the all-encompassing nature of making music – planning ahead and thinking in albums
- the importance of dedication as a songwriter
- musical collaborations – what’s it like writing songs with people you admire?
- how making 30 music videos helped them find their audience
- blurring lines – how the immediacy of social media can lead to potentially unsafe situations
- tips for staying healthy and sane(ish) on tour with your family
- how dogs are better than boyfriends
About Skating Polly
Skating Polly is an American rock band formed in Oklahoma City, playing their own inimitable brand of “ugly pop”. Founded by multi-instrumentalist step-siblings Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse in 2009, the band later gained a third member, Kurtis, their brother, who plays drums. A spectacular live force, Skating Polly have released five endlessly creative albums to date, collaborated with rock royalty and toured the world, leaving a trail of sweaty, openmouthed onlookers in their wake.
I had the good fortune to tour with Skating Polly around Europe and the UK in late 2019, and this conversation took place at the Hare And Hounds in Birmingham right before soundcheck.
Visit Skating Polly’s website for music, lyrics and videos and to sign up to their mailing list, and follow them on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Explore their work:
Kelli invites you to check out the songs “Little Girl Blue and The Battle Envy”, “They’re Cheap (I’m Free)” and “Long Ride”, and Peyton adds “Alabama Movies”, “A Little Late” and “Blue Obvious” to the list.
During lockdown, Kelli (and her dog Patsy) starred in this brilliant Pancake Mountain sketch and popped up in this ace new X video for “Alphabetland”.
Kelli and Peyton recommend:
Clairo – especially a song called “Bags”, Lala Lala, Phoebe Bridgers, White Reaper and Starcrawler.
Other things we talked about:
Kelli and Peyton talk about collaborating with Samantha Crain, Veruca Salt (watch “Hail Mary” here) and Exene Cervenka from X (watch “Queen For A Day” here) and share their dream collab wishlist: Kat Bjelland, Starcrawler, St Vincent, Lala Lala and Perfume Genius.
They talk about great experiences touring with Babes In Toyland, Kate Nash, X and Deerhof, and Kelli shares her love for Joni Mitchell and Fiona Apple.
I mention “Digital Minimalism” by Cal Newport yet again (because it’s THAT great).
In the “Petfriend” section of the podcast, Kelli and Peyton invite you to follow @patsypollythepervert and @georgiebutt on Instagram, so their dogs can one day become Instafamous.
This podcast is 100% powered by my Correspondent’s Club. Thanks to every single member for your support!
New to my musical world?
+ Get two free songs music immediately by joining my mailing list.
+ I send a thoughtful email every week – join The Correspondent’s Club on a free or paid tier to receive it.
+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Have a lovely day xo
Podcast
One comment