A spotlight interview with scene queen Nico Mac of NYC's Bad Static, ahead of their appearance at LOUD WOMEN Fest NYC on May 16.
How did you choose your bandname?
Bad Static – It’s from a compiled list of words I came up with after watching Frankenstein
Who’s in the band, and what do you all play/do?
Nico Mac – vocals and guitar, Amy Harris – guitar and back up vocals, Courtney Francis – drums, Keila Bido – bass
Where do you call home (geographically and musically)?
NYC / Riot Grrrl
Describe your sound in three words.
Angsty, Spooky, and Energetic
Tell us about your music
Miss Dirty Fingers is our first album EVER! It’s about immigration, capitalism, the patriarchy, with some spooky themes BUT OF COURSE! Turn it up loud because that’s the only way to listen to any Bad Static record!
Reanimation is a song about dealing with psychosis and feeling haunted by it. I think I pull a lot of ideas from the ways my mental illnesses can manifest, and sometimes i think creating art from it helps me heal. My old drummer wrote the bassline and this song poured out of me. It took 1 minute to write and it’s still my favorite song ever.
What’s your local scene like — and how do you fit in, or stir it up?
It’s amazing! So inviting and warm! Love getting to know everyone because they truly care about the community we’re all building here. I think we fit in because we have similar goals to alot of us in the scene and that’s just to make it welcoming and a great place to be!
If you could rip up the rulebook of the music industry, what’s the first thing you’d rewrite?
LIVING WAGES FOR ARTISTS! and stop talking away our rights to our own art.
What’s the wildest/strangest thing that’s ever happened at one of your gigs?
The Linda Lindas started a moshpit to our song Reanimation.
What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
I think not being taken seriously for some time. My ex called us a gimmick band, boooo! I think just ignoring it tbh! Misogyny is all around us, you can’t let it bring you down.
What’s a dream gig or collaboration you must make happen before you die?
Lambrini Girls!!!! Call me up, I want to make magic together!
Dream lineup: you + three other acts (alive, dead, or imaginary). Who’s on the bill?
Bikini Kill, Lambrini Girls, Destroy Boys and us !
What’s next for you?
We’re on tour now! Let’s Ruin Your Hometown Tour, and we’re going down the US eastern coastline!
Catch Bad Static at LOUD WOMEN Fest NYC on May 16