Our Interview with Courage My Love!
Music is one of our releases. Some days, the voices in our head get too difficult to deal with and we need music to help us back to center. Courage My Love is one of those bands that helps us cope with our daily struggles. Their lyrics hit hard and have provided us with inspiration, especially during tough times.
We spent some time with Mercedes and Phoenix from Courage My Love to talk music, touring, scary movies, and Pokemon Go...of course.
NON: Just to start off, where does the name Courage My Love come from?
(Mercedes and Phoenix): We thought about a name for a long time. It's really one of the hardest things to come up with. We really love creepy, old school horror films so this film we saw a while back called Things to Come had this scene where a character said that line "Courage, my love." We liked it and it kinda stuck.
NON: I have crazy memories of the Warped Tour. You guys played the last EVER Warped Tour. Tell us what that was like.
(Mercedes and Phoenix): Playing the Warped Tour is like part of our culture, our history. Some years we just played a few of the dates, and other years we went all across the U.S. So many memories, so actually being part of the very last year of Warped Tour was bittersweet. It was so fun but it's sad that new bands won't get that same type of experience of the Warped Tour. But, being a part of it was really sick.
NON: Since we are talking about the Warped Tour, I saw you guys actually were a part of a Warped Tour Cruise? I get motion sickness, so I couldn't even imagine this. How does that work? You guys play and people can like grab food 24 hours a day? Sounds awesome.
(Mercedes): It was fun for sure. Just being on a cruise with all these great bands. We would just walk around and hang out with other bands. We definitely get the motion sickness thing. We tried all kinds of stuff to prevent it. We tried everything(laughs.) It was crazy because Phoenix actually got summer stroke and had to do a set. But, she did it. I've never seen you so green(laughs.)
NON: I just saw the video for Tough Love. It's awesome. Tell us about the video and the meaning of the song.
(Mercedes and Phoenix): This song was like the last song to be chosen for the album. The album has a theme about a really tough time for us. For me, overcoming depression, my insecurities about everything. I got into this toxic relationship. Getting out of it made me see things clearly. I was blaming myself. But, I saw that it wasn't my fault, it was just make-believe. This song was what it was like in that relationship, feeling stuck like you can't move and can't see clearly. It's like an addiction.
NON: The video was Fight Club-ish.
(Mercedes): Yes! I'm glad that came through. We worked on the imagery of it. Not showing physical fighting but make it look like it. We wanted it psychedelic, like this movie from the 1970's called Suspiria. And it was remade and coming out soon! Thom Yorke did the soundtrack. Can't wait to see it. But, that's what we were going for...the lighting, the brightness, it's hazy and colorful.
NON: You guys love scary movies. Tell us a couple of your favorites.
(Phoenix): So many movies, but I would say Cheerleader Camp and Intruder.
(Mercedes): Suspiria and The Blair Witch Project.
NON: Oh my gosh, such bad memories of The Blair Witch Project. It was crazy scary and I got sick from all the camera motion(laughs.) I'm not really good with scary movies.
(Mercedes and Phoenix): We were born on Halloween, so we are a bit biased(laughs.)
NON: Ok, we are going to take a total left turn. I was scanning your YouTube stuff, and I saw you guys did a remake of "Last Christmas." Tell us about that. And why you guys did a remake for that particular Christmas song?
(Mercedes and Phoenix): (Laughs.) Well, it is a holiday song. But, it shows that the holidays aren't always awesome. It's not all happy all the time for every body. It can be a hard time for people also. It has a deep meaning. But, remaking songs can be tough. There is definitely this pressure to not mess it up(laughs.) There are like classic songs that you just can't touch. Like Smells like Nirvana, you can never redo that. And I don't think anyone would ever even try to do that.
NON: We're curious. If you guys were not in a band. What would you be doing? What would you want your career to be?
(Phoenix): I would definitely record or be a producer. Maybe work in film. I'd love to work on my own movies. But, my life would have to be about doing something creative.
(Mercedes): I would probably write songs or manage. It would be cool to direct movies or TV shows. But, like Phoenix, it has to be creative or artistic.
NON: You guys have done some awesome things. And the industry has changed from when you guys first started. Talk about making that decision about saying, "this is what we are meant to do, doing this as a career."
(Mercedes): When we first came out we were teenagers. You felt like the world was your oyster. You felt invincible. You assume that you are gonna make it, it's gonna happen. We are now in our 20's and it's a gamble. I still have bills to pay, I have to pay rent. But, this is what we love to do. It's how we define ourselves. You always work towards your dreams.
(Phoenix): It's about having fun in life and enjoying it. Doing what fulfills you, it's our identity.
(Mercedes): Loving music and wanting to perform, that never really stops. You never grow out of wanting to be a rock star.
NON: I love your music and I'm sure your fans are curious about the future. What is next for Courage My Love?
(Mercedes): New music is coming really soon! We are actually filming a music video in a few days! It's a really exciting time, it's really hard holding back music(laughs.) But, this music will show our growth.
(Phoenix): We're proud of it, the hard work, releasing it is the payoff after all the grinding.
NON: So how does the new music compare to the last album?
(Phoenix): We experimented with different sounds. The vocals have grown. Mercedes really worked hard. I'm so proud of her vocals, her delivery.
(Mercedes): The production is different also. Phoenix produces on the new music. She is original, and she's growing in different roles. We are more confident in our sound.
NON: We are definitely looking forward to it! Finally, tell us how both deal with your anxiety, depression, or stress.
(Mercedes): The curse is also the cure(laughs.) We get stressed for sure. The only way to relieve all that is to keep doing it. Keep writing. It's cool to have someone say your songs have helped saved their lives and helped them through tough times. It does the same for us! We just keep doing music and and creating.
(Phoenix): Yeah, I find that when I have writer's block, it's when I'm at a time when I'm not feeling myself. I go on runs and walks to get inspiration. I do physical things.
(Mercedes): We are so thankful for what we do. It can add to depression and anxiety, but there is so much more good than bad. Social media can really affect people too. It would be cool to see studies on how social media can affect us. Sometimes, it's nice to just leave and play Pokemon Go.
NON: Whoa, what? You are into Pokemon? What else?
(Mercedes and Phoenix): Oh yeah, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. We game too. We love The Last of Us, Bioshock, and Resident Evil.
We love Courage My Love. Not just because they are gamers like us, but because of their message. Their lyrics speak to us and hearing their own struggles with mental illness give us hope. And with new music dropping very soon, we will wait patiently like the rest of this awesome band's many fans.
For more about Courage My Love, click here!