A Chat with Bad Bloom (01.04.21)
Merge The Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage with a dash of Interpol and you have Bad Bloom. Hailing from New York, the husband/wife duo are breeding a new brand of rock for the 21st century. We speak with Kate Rogers and Jay Trovato about their upcoming EP Leave, online collaboration, coping with the pandemic and much more.
OSR: What drew you to music?
Kate Rogers: I’ve been drawn to music since I can remember. In fourth grade, my elementary school music teacher pulled me aside and asked my parents if I’d like to enter voice competitions – I had no clue I could even sing. After that, I picked up the trumpet and played in concert bands. When I was 16, I picked up the guitar, then bass and went on to play in bands and study music in college. I live and breathe music, love to constantly learn, write and perform.
Jay Trovato: I can always remember being obsessed with bands from a young age. My dad always bought me records and introduced me to bands. When I picked up my first guitar, I knew I’d never put it down.
OSR: What can you tell us about your EP Leave?
Kate Rogers: Leave is our second EP and was written completely by me and Jay. We wrote most of it during lockdown. It’s about wanting to escape, whether physically or mentally, from your day-to-day. It feels relevant to how we’ve all been feeling this past year with so many ups and downs – it’s sure been a rollercoaster!
OSR: Which is your favourite track and why?
Kate Rogers: My favourite track is ‘Paperwork’. I wrote it in 2018 and it has evolved so much and when I listen to it I still get emotional.
Jay Trovato: ‘The Tide’. It’s so different from the rest of the songs, a little heavier but also somehow fits with everything else.
OSR: What about your least favourite?
Kate Rogers: If we had a least favourite we wouldn’t have put it on the EP. ? We are happy with how all of them came out.
OSR: Leave was recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic so did you face any challenges regarding production?
Kate Rogers: Our production process was actually really interesting. We were able to demo and record live drums remotely with the help of the amazing drummer Emmett Ceglia and our producer Mike Abiuso from Brooklyn studio Behind The Curtains Media. We spent a few days laying the groundwork and then Jay and I travelled to Brooklyn to record the guitars and vocals. After that, we finalised with backup vox and synth remotely as well. It was really cool to see it all come together and be able to work through hurdles to get it done safely.
OSR: What are your thoughts regarding online collaboration between artists?
Kate Rogers: I actually just did a completely online collaboration with another artist, Wax Practice. It’s an electronic project that was done entirely through emails, Zoom calls and GarageBand. Producer/musician and friend Steve Woodzell and I worked closely on a song, ‘The Volume’, that will be released on April 14th. It was really excellent to work totally remotely with him on a genre of music I never really dabbled in. I think the lockdown really gives musicians opportunity to connect in a way they never thought possible.
OSR: How are you coping with the pandemic and being in lockdown?
Kate Rogers: For the first few months, Jay and I were living in a one-bedroom, tiny apartment in Queens, NY. It was a crazy time because things were really scary in NYC. We hardly left that apartment during those months, but we really were able to focus our energy creatively. That was the time when we solidified/demoed out our songs for Leave and also did a ton of cover songs to occupy the time.
We moved to Rochester, NY, during the summer which gave us a ton more space and access to nature. We’ve been able to build out our studio and enhance our music collection a bit more. I’m so thankful we have had each other during this time!
OSR: Can you recommend any indie bands for our readers?
Kate Rogers: Shy Tooth, indie-rock from Rochester. They just released a great summer vibey album Ultrasuede.
Jay Trovato: OLYN, instrumental tracks with nature-infused vibes from LA. We collaborated with them on ‘The Tide’ at the very end of the track!
OSR: Do you have future plans?
Kate Rogers: We plan to play shows as soon as possible and try and tour. We’d love to get out on the road and travel, UK and Japan would be first on our list! Also, we’ve been writing a ton, so we’ll probably head to Brooklyn and record some more tunes in the near future.
Thanks to Kate Rogers and Jay Trovato for speaking with us. For more from Bad Bloom check out their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
