HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – APRIL 29: Monique Powell of the band Save Ferris performs at the Back to the … [+] Beach Festival at Huntington State Beach on April 29, 2018 in Huntington Beach, California. (Photo by Harmony Gerber/Getty Images)
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In 2003, following the release of two studio albums via major label Epic, third wave Orange County, California ska act Save Ferris called it a day.
Following neck and spinal chord issues and radical surgery, frontwoman Monique Powell relaunched the group ten years later. The comeback fulfilled a promise to her father, who passed away shortly after the release of the 2017 Save Ferris comeback EP Checkered Past.
During the ten year layoff, the music industry underwent massive upheaval in the internet era. Following lawsuits with former band members, Powell took ownership of her group, reemerging in a vastly different landscape with a keen eye on the business side and more creative control than ever before.
“I get to make all of the decisions now. Because I own the band. There’s no one telling me, creatively, what direction I have to go. I’m not on a label. I’m my own label. I’m my own boss. I’m my own designer,” Powell told Forbes. “Don’t get me wrong, it takes a village. My husband designs all of my shirts and he does all the merch. I have great management. I have amazing booking agents. So I’m lucky – but I also get to choose now what’s right for me and what’s right for the band and what’s right for our stage performance. It’s very fulfilling in that I finally get to express this side of myself.”
I spoke with Monique Powell backstage at Riot Fest in Chicago about adjusting to a quickly changing music industry, her music and her art and what the future holds for Save Ferris. A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows below.
So the band went away initially in 2003 right as the music industry was starting to undergo pretty massive change. What was it like bringing Save Ferris back in 2013 and being introduced to such a radically different business model?
Monique Powell: You are so correct. So much changed in ten years. I feel like the seal had been broken on the time capsule and someone let me out. Because it was such a huge learning curve. I had to learn how to do stuff really quick. And I made a lot of mistakes. I didn’t know what I was doing.
No one wanted to manage me at the time. They were like, “You’re too old and you’re not relevant anymore.” That was in 2013. And, six years later, the band is… I mean, we’re playing Riot Fest! Who ever thought that we’d be doing something like this? Or headlining the Santa Monica Pier.
It’s been a really incredible experience.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – APRIL 29: Angelo Moore and Monique Powell of the band Save Ferris perform at … [+] the Back to the Beach Festival at Huntington State Beach on April 29, 2018 in Huntington Beach, California. (Photo by Harmony Gerber/Getty Images)
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When the band started, before you signed to a label, you had started your own, right? Did some of those experiences wind out helping you down the line as you reentered a much more DIY music industry?
MP: I was hoping they would… but they really didn’t!
We released our first EP on our own imprint. Starpool. We worked very hard in the beginning. And what it did was it reminded me of how much work you have to put into this. So I just applied that.
Save Ferris has a new live album out. How did that come together?
MP: That was recorded on the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles in 2016. And it was probably our biggest headlining show to date. There was between 20 and 30,000 people there. Our drummer at the time was like, “They got a great board recording. We have to hear it…” And he was sort of the man behind making it happen.
I’ve read that you’re working on a new studio album. Where are things sort of heading at this point? How has the band’s sound continued to evolve?
MP: It’s our first full length in eighteen years. So I’m praying it’s spectacular. We’re all praying it’s spectacular. What’s another year, you know? (laughs)
With the last EP I put out [2017’s Checkered Past], I didn’t really know what our fans wanted. Because Save Ferris went through so many different musical incarnations that it was like, “What do you guys want to hear?” I know what I like. And music has changed a lot in the last ten years.
So we did five songs, each representing the different faces of Save Ferris. We did a song that was kind of quirky for old school fans. There was a punky song and a reggae song and then a song that sounds more current. And of course fans were like, “We like the quirky one!”
But this album will have something for everyone. And hopefully it will be timeless. Because it’s going to sound modern but also have some throwback to it musically. I’m a huge fan of the second wave of ska so I’d be happy to have some of that in there.
Monique Powell of Save Ferris poses alongside her artwork at Riot Fest. Sunday, September 15, 2019 … [+] at Douglas Park in Chicago
Photo by Philamonjaro Studio
You’ve got an art installation here at Riot Fest as well. How did that come along?
MP: Well, I’ve always made music and I’ve always loved and collected art – and made things but never called it art. And then my dad got sick in 2017 and, in the process of it all, I started documenting my experience and making art around it.
Emily, who is the founder of Punk Rock and Paintbrushes, saw some of my pieces online and said, “You need to put those in a frame.” And I was like, “But it’s not art…” And she said, “Yes, it is.”
I can’t believe people are actually buying it. It’s definitely been a very humbling experience. The fact that people are moved by the images means a lot to me. I flew here on my dad’s birthday and most of the pieces have already sold.
On Instagram, you can go to Punk Rock and Paintbrushes, or you can go to any of our pages on Instagram, and we’ll get in touch with you.
I read an interview you gave where you cited female comics like Lucille Ball as influences. I know you’ve dabbled in fashion. Having seen the set today, I felt like all of that was in there. You’re sort of playing a character on stage. When you tour now, does it kind of feel like you’re bringing all of those creative worlds together in the live show?
MP: Absolutely. And I get to make all of the decisions now. Because I own the band. There’s no one telling me, creatively, what direction I have to go. I’m not on a label. I’m my own label. I’m my own boss. I’m my own designer.
Don’t get me wrong, it takes a village. My husband designs all of my shirts and he does all the merch. I have great management. I have amazing booking agents. So I’m lucky – but I also get to choose now what’s right for me and what’s right for the band and what’s right for our stage performance.
It’s very fulfilling in that I finally get to express this side of myself.
