Molly Hanmer & The Midnight Tokers just released their sophomore effort, Get Loose, in September, a re-discovery of Molly’s sonic power and a love letter of sorts to the rock ‘n’ roll and blues of the past.
The album comes to public ears in a time of continued strife, and Hanmer and the Tokers invite listeners to take the advice of the album’s title and Get Loose. We chatted more with Hanmer about creating the new LP, songwriting during a pandemic, the band’s image and sound, and where she and the Tokers are headed next in their musical journey.
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Hi, Molly! How does it feel now that Get Loose is out?
It feels great to share Get Loose with the world! Claudia [Miles, my co-writer] and I are really proud of the songs we’ve written, and it’s wonderful to see listeners enjoying them as well. And of course there’s still a lot of work to do, because we want to make sure that as many folks as possible hear it.
Get Loose came three years after the band’s first album, Stuck in a Daydream. How is the sophomore LP different from, or similar to, the debut?
I think with Get Loose, we as a band have settled into our own sound more. We went a little more rock and blues and a little less Americana. When we recorded Stuck in a Daydream, I was still transitioning from performing as a solo artist to playing with a band. So it was only natural that it had more of an Americana feel. But with the second album, Claudia and I had room to write songs that were more rock ‘n’ roll, which I’ve always wanted.
But we still nod to our folk and blues roots throughout the album. I feel that the band gets to shine a little more on this one, too. I’m thrilled that we get to hear Claudia’s voice on “Get Loose” and “Born on the Bayou.” I knew she had a killer voice and that I wanted her vocals on the record, but I was blown away by how it added another level of power and dimension to the songs.
My voice is a bit softer, whereas hers is rich and deep, so together, they really pack a punch. We’re definitely going to do more of that on the next record. We also added a new lead guitar player, Mickey Madden, to the band. Claudia suggested he come by the studio and lay down some guitar. She just had a gut feeling. And she was right! He rips some solos on “Get Loose” and “Sick of Me”.
So to have those new elements on top of Keith Palmer’s percussion and John Bird’s organ is pretty exciting. Of course, we couldn’t have made this record without the guidance of our incredible producer, two-time Grammy-winner Sheldon Gomberg. Sheldon took our songs and made them into an album. And to have someone who is so talented and respected believe in us and work with us is unbelievable. I think he really took our songs to the next level.
What was the writing and recording process like, and was it impacted by the pandemic in any way?
Claudia and I write the songs together. We’ve been doing so for about eight years now! She’s actually the one who got me to start writing songs and pursuing music seriously. When we met back in San Francisco, I mostly played guitar in my room. I would sing other people’s songs and admire their ability to write their own material, but I never had the confidence to do it myself. I had tried but never finished anything, assuming whatever I had written was terrible.
So Claudia instructed me to just sit down and finish one song, just one. Bad or good, just finish it. So I wrote “Little Song,” which is on my first EP, and she thought it was great. After she taught me how to finish songs, we began writing material together starting with “Gunman,” which we re-recorded for this album. It takes a lot of intimacy to write with someone else. I have never felt comfortable doing so with anyone else. But with Claudia, it comes naturally. I feel very lucky to have that.
We wrote the bulk of these songs in 2018 and 2019, and right as we were getting ready to go into the studio, the pandemic hit. Recording had to be postponed for a few months, but after discussing it with Sheldon and (discussing) how we could do so safely, we decided to go for it. It was such a privilege to be able to still make music and play with the band when live music was not an option.
Get Loose is aptly titled—there are a lot of conversations around self-criticism, fears, and breaking free. Can you expand a bit on what inspired some of the messaging throughout the album and what the songwriting process was like for you?
I think the album is a reflection of the times and trying to survive the unprecedented challenges we are facing individually and as a society. Claudia and I had been thinking about this album since before we released our last one. Those years, 2018 to 2019, felt pretty dark.
We were reeling from the shock of the 2016 election and what seemed like a daily stream of scary news. Life felt different, and not in a good way. But it certainly inspired some introspection. A lot of the songs are about finding yourself and finding hope in a world that moves faster and screams louder than it ever has before. It’s hard not feel bogged down by it all when the internet constantly inundates us with information, but we still need to find a way to “get loose” with a little rock ‘n’ roll.
You’ve said the songs on the album are a testament to authenticity, rejecting convention, and living in the moment. What does being authentic, rejecting convention, living in the moment mean to you?
Well, being authentic means to me being myself, to the best of my ability. Not pretending to be something other than I am for approval or “likes” or success. Living in the moment refers to the practice of mindfulness, being present in this moment, not dwelling in the past or future. In no way have I fully achieved this, nor will I! But Claudia and I both practice this and find that the more we do, the easier it is to write because we aren’t worried about success or failure. Just staying in the now.
So it’s a process of bringing ourselves back into the moment. Of course, in a more tangible sense, rejecting convention and being authentic directly affects the kind of music we write, how we play it and how we present it to the world. If our goal was to be successful, Claudia and I would try to write catchy cute pop songs and we would dress me up in a cutesy way. And maybe not even have me play guitar. But our goal is self-expression, to write and play and sing what we think and feel and love. And we definitely hope others will love it too. People who resonate with the same kind of sound that we do. For Claudia and I, it starts with the blues.
The band’s sound is such a solid mix of an Americana, psychedelic ’60s sound but still feels modern and original. You can really hear the love for those genres and their artists in the music. What resonates to you most about classic blues and rock music?
The feeling. The sound. It’s hard to put into words, of course. Claudia and I both are drawn to the guitar. We write for the guitar. And if you go back to some of the very early “country blues,” like Skip James, Son House, or Robert Johnson, when it’s just guitar and vocal, there’s just so much feeling in the quiver of the guitar strings and the resonance of the vocal. And you hear that feeling when Jimi Hendrix plays and when Kurt Cobain plays even a single note. You feel them before you notice their mastery. Which is pretty extraordinary.
Claudia and I, though from different generations, were both raised on rock ‘n’ roll. I grew up hearing my dad play it, both on the guitar because he was in a band and also just playing records a lot. I think there’s just a feeling of freedom in rock ‘n’ roll. It’s so unrestrained. We both like the feel of it and the aliveness of it. The poet T.S. Eliot talks about “music heard so deeply that it is not heard at all, but you are the music while the music lasts.” I think that’s how both great blues and rock are for me. There is no me. Just music.
Is there anything you hope listeners take away from the new album and your music in general?
Well, for one, I hope they will take the suggestion to “get loose” and let down their hair, metaphorically speaking of course. I hope it will make them feel. I hope it’ll bring them joy. I hope it will make them feel alive. I hope they’ll love it enough to play it on repeat. Our lead guitar player’s cousin said that “Sick of Me” made her feel like she just had sex in a cigarette. So that’s a great start, although we’re not suggesting taking up smoking!
Now that Get Loose is out, what is next for you and the Midnight Tokers?
We will be releasing two new live videos that we shot, and we will be booking a tour in California and Oregon. We hope to do a cross country tour at some point. And we will continue to write.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Yes, I’d like to thank New Noise very much for doing this interview. I really appreciate your thoroughness and the thoughtful questions that you asked.
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Listen to “Get Loose” here:
For more from Molly Hanmer & The Midnight Tokers, find them on Facebook, Instagram, and their official website.
Photo courtesy of Molly Hanmer & The Midnight Tokers and Mary Watson
