LOCAL LOVE: NEGATIVE/POSITIVE
POSTED:: February 27, 2021
FILED UNDER:: Local Love
Negative/Positive made their WMSE debut on 2017’s Local/Live program back when the group was still fresh from their Girls Rock Milwaukee camper days (where the band originally formed). Back then, Negative/Positive was still finding their sound but had no trouble gaining quick ground with their steady stream of releases and shows.
Since those precocious days, they’ve grown some serious songwriting chops, learning additional instruments and starting up new projects. The now-quartet is at an exciting epoch, stretching their musical boundaries and putting the finishing touches on a new batch of songs (and also staring down the quickly-approaching end of their high school days). WMSE caught up with the band just as they get ready to unleash a new record, starting with the single, “How To Kill A Rock”.
What are some of the biggest changes for the band since Negative/Positive was last on WMSE?
(Ava G) – It’s been a while, but the biggest change has been our new lineup. Our old bassist left in late 2019 and in January 2020, PD and Roxie joined the group for guitar/keys and bass, respectively. It was really sucky timing because we had just started playing shows again when COVID hit, but once we got back to masked practices spread out in Ava A’s basement, we just pumped out so many awesome songs, and have grown so much thanks to the new group. Lots of positive energy and talent all around, even more so than before.
You seem to be pretty busy writing and recording, even with the pandemic – how long did it take to find your groove while working around some of the pandemic roadblocks?
(Roxie Z) – Obviously not having in-person shows was a bummer but just as soon as everything shut down, virtual shows started popping up! We had the honor to play some cool virtual shows, including a set we did for Cactus Club! I’m excited to be a part of a show regardless of whether it’s in-person or virtual!
Have you embarked on anything new, musically, with the extra downtime (i.e. any new instruments, projects, etc.)?
(Roxie Z) – I’ve personally been working on songwriting and learning the guitar.
(Ava G) – I’ve started my own solo project (Aggie Silver) on the side and recorded an EP! I’ve done my best to stay creative and work on a wider range of things like my classical voice repertoire and lyre during the pandemic.
(Ava A) – Since quarantine started, I’ve picked up playing the bass, and have improved a lot in the last year. I’ve also started songwriting for the band more, since my role before was more limited to playing drums.
(Ava G) – Ava A writes some amazing songs.
(PD) – Coming from my synth-laden solo project, 9 A.M., I inevitably tried to bring a bit of that into Negative/Positive. Overall, I felt like the general shift from previous work made it okay for me to experiment a bit. In one of the new tracks, I actually primarily play a sort of synth/organ; I personally feel like it adds to the tone in a certain way.
You’re working towards putting out a new full-length; where did you record that?
(Ava G) – We recorded the whole album at Blast House Studios in Madison, since we won a day of studio time there through the Rockonsin competition this year! It was recorded in two separate sessions, one in October and the second in January, and was honestly such a blast. We worked with Dustin Sisson, who made everything sound so wonderful and obliged all of our weird requests and jokes. Everything was super safe, we all got tested beforehand, stayed masked when we were around each other, and everyone had their own closed booths for recording. We’re super grateful to Rockonsin and Dustin for making the process so rad despite all the roadblocks, and it was overall a super fun bonding experience for all of us.
The first single from that album is “How To Kill A Rock”. What’s the story behind this particular song?
(Roxie Z) – The story behind “How to Kill a Rock” is our deteriorating climate. The song features the point of view of older generations saying, “how can we all be dying if I’m still alive?”, describing people’s disbelief that climate change is real. For this single we’re giving 100% of the proceeds to the Rainforest Foundation, to aid in their mission to protect our rainforests and to protect indigenous people’s rights. We wanted to make a song that not only had lyrical meaning but actually fought against the issue.
(Ava G) – It was really a product of all our rage against the complacency of the people in power, and our push to make whatever dent we can in that (even if that’s just providing a song to scream to).
What plans do you have lined up for 2021 and beyond? What should we look out for?
(Ava G) – Unfortunately, we don’t have much time left before I (Ava G) go off to college out of state, but we’re definitely doing our best to maximize the time we do have still together! The album is our biggest project, but in addition to that we’re working on a music video for the lead single, new merch and as many virtual shows / events as we can do until COVID clears up. Really hoping we can do some safe, outdoor shows this summer, but as for now, stay tuned for the new music and in the meantime, stream and/or buy “HTKAR” to support the fundraising campaign!
Find Negative/Positive’s new single, “How To Kill A Rock” over at their Bandcamp page and also look out for their forthcoming album. Keep supporting (and loving) your local artists.