We’re spoiled. We have at least 30 traditional music venues in the core of the Bay without getting into moderately concealed DIY spots, bars that just legally have a stage that fits a four piece, and the festival scene. That said, I am confident you still aren’t going to enough live music. To further convince you, here’s one that should be welded onto your calendar this week.
Madi Diaz is clearly trying to overwhelm us in the best way possible. Her latest record, Fatal Optimist, entered the world in October bringing a set of songs that sit you down into a worn sofa and sing to you from a few feet away. One month later, Madi has gifted us a surprise release of songs that had been in her head along with anyone else that has turned on a radio in the past 26 years. Enema of the Garden State is now available on Bandcamp, offering the full blink-182 album in the same minimalist close quarters style as Fatal Optimist. Recorded in tandem while in New Jersey all the proceeds of the cover album will be benefitting Defending Our Neighbors Fund who help provide legal services to our immigrant neighbors throughout the country.
West Coasters have a few more chances to catch Madi on stage in the upcoming week with folks in the Bay needing to head straight towards The Independent on November 18th. The possibility of hearing “Good Liar” and “Aliens Exist” in the same place and year should really be all you need to know. But, to seal the deal, make sure you’ve done your homework by reading on… This interview was edited for length and clarity.
DangerVenture: If I did my math right, you’re about two months in on the road. Do you have anything at the top of your list for how you stay sane?
Madi: Well, it’s gonna sound really basic but I make sure to drink a lot of water. I really do, even though we’re in a sprinter [van], I just drink as much water as I possibly can. And, I actually have been lifting weights four days a week which makes me feel like something crazy is being accomplished. I just feel like a total muscle gym bro. Then I kind of do my best to keep a very steady lifeline open with my two best high school girlfriends and we check in almost every day, which is cute.
This is weird, but we’ve been thrift shopping in almost every city. I don’t know how we managed to do it, but we’ve been getting into each stop in a fairly decent amount of time and we’ll hit a Goodwill situation.
Are you not filling up the van with too many goods?
Well, I will say that I think I’ve probably collected about 5 lamps at this point and all are part of the stage decor so we’re not too bogged down yet.
Do you have anything that’s on heavy rotation right now?
Okay, I’ve actually got a couple things. Rosalía’s new record is absolutely everything that I’ve been needing so badly. It feels genuinely nourishing in a really real way for this moment that’s happening right now. There’s a country singer named Cam, her new record has been on constant repeat. And then there’s a comedian named Jordan Jensen who just released a Netflix special. And I’ve made the guys in the van listen to it twice. It’s so good.
Building a set list, how do you work in the Fatal Optimist songs that people need and appease the dude yelling “Dancing in the dark” and “Let’s Go” in the back corner.
Wow, I haven’t encountered that dude yet. I think the thing about this most recent record is that even throughout all of those eras the songs have always started very stripped down, very barren, like raw acoustic guitar, and so it’s been really validating to tour like this and discover in real time that it weirdly still works and translates because this record is literally just that.
I just released this blink-182 Enema of the State cover record, and it was such a fun project to do because it continues to illustrate the point of – if it’s a crazy amazing song you don’t need a whole lot, you know what I mean? It’s just gonna be able to stand on its own two legs.
You mentioned the Blink record had been back in rotation. Had it just snuck back in? Had it never left?
It never leaves. I’ll get into a rhythm where, for some reason, it’s the only thing that I can listen to. Like, when it was 2020 – peak COVID – my two records were Caroline Polachek’s Pang and Waxahatchee’s Saint Cloud and that was it. Those were the only two things that I was listening to for probably half of the year. Weirdly, Blink will make a reappearance like this. So I was running on the river every day listening to Blink, and then at some point I was just holding a guitar and just started ripping through one of the songs.
Did you have to fight the urge to do anything more with them?
Well, that was the thing, as soon as we started to put them down on tape it cannot take me more than 30 minutes to do each one. So, whatever happens, happens and I didn’t even recut anything.
Until we felt some urgency and decided that we wanted to put it out because of SNAP benefits being rescinded, and with everything that’s happening with ICE, [we said] let’s just put this out now while we’re in the holiday season and while people really feel inspired to give and want to help each other. Before that decision and trying to decide when, how, what does it look like, and where does it live blah blah blah, I was like…man…maybe I should do “Wendy Clear” one more time. Or, “The Party Song” all while I am definitely out of breath.
So I assume when you are recording your own music you have to fight the urge to just get stuck in the studio?
Absolutely. I’m a perfectionist, I’ll say something like 100 times in a row until I don’t even know my ass from my elbow anymore, you know?
Was there anything that led you to that nonprofit specifically?
Yeah, my mom is a first-generation American citizen, and my dad is a first-generation American citizen. My mom is Peruvian and we have a lot of Peruvian and Spanish relatives and it’s scary right now. It feels scary just saying that when Diaz is in my name. We can say whatever we want about the rules that are standing in place, but clearly they don’t really mean a lot to these people that are just, they’re basically acts of terrorism in our country, in my opinion, and I woke up.
I took a quick break between tour legs at home, and I woke up with my feed being flooded by food scarcity with the SNAP benefits being rescinded and just more crazy ICE terrorism, and I just lost it. I’m pretty much usually in a constant state of moving. I’m trying to stay about a half a beat or a full beat ahead of myself so that it doesn’t catch up to me because if the grief catches up to you, sometimes you’re just down, and I am in a lot of grief over where our country is right now.
When you’re writing songs do you already have a certain instrumentation in mind?
I feel like it changes every time. There are some that feel very obvious to me and then there are some that are a little bit more elusive. This record specifically, I think I set out knowing what kind of record I wanted to make at this kind of point in my career. I’ve always wanted to do something like this record but have always felt the need to dress it up one way or another based on what’s just going on around me. This time I really tried to just remove… Those external factors? Yeah, man. Shut off the pop noise and as much as I like…love pop noise…it’s my favorite kind of cotton candy, that’s all I want. You can’t have sugar 24 hours a day. Yeah, not all the time, you know what I mean? And this record is definitely the health food store version.
I would love to know if you have a Madi Diaz approved listening environment for the record.
I guess just be alone. For me, it feels like a very headphones-on record. I feel like you could probably be anywhere as long as you’re alone with your headphones. Let the world be the movie that you’re watching. It’s not a throw it on in the car, roll the windows down, and pick up your girls and head to the… it’s not that. Maybe if you’re driving alone, really anywhere, as long as you’re alone.
Being no stranger to the Bay, do you have anything on your must see-eat-do list when in town?
I always just love being near the water and doing a quick run down near [the Embarcadero]. Spending a couple hours trying to run around there, get a crazy cup of coffee somewhere, and then just walk by the water.
How does one mentally or physically prepare for a Madi Diaz show?
These shows have been really special because it’s just been very come-as-you-are. I’ve had people show up being like, “this is what we decided to do for our bachelorette night!” Like, what? Are you crazy? What is going on? That’s the group of girls who throw on the record, blasting from the car, the unsanctioned listening environment! I know, I mean, y’all are clearly my type, but… it’s just so interesting. Or, my favorite is seeing couples that come to my show and are in each other’s arms and listening, these are not those songs. They’re not like baby-making songs. But a lot of people will show up by themselves, it’s been very come-as-you-are, and it’s really sweet for that reason.
I actually had the opportunity to sing with Lucy Dacus last summer and she spent this tour officiating marriages. I was very caught off guard with how emotional I got watching people get married at her shows, and I was thinking, okay, people go to her shows for this. If they go to my show, I’m gonna get whatever it is so I can get you divorced. I’ll just annul the marriage and she’ll officiate the marriage. You gotta corner the market. Yeah, we got to corner the market somehow and we could package that easily. It’ll be a one-stop shop. So yeah, I feel like it’s a little something for everybody.
Words: Mike Chouinard (DangerVenture)
Photo Credit: Allister Ann
