INTERVIEW: Bobby Mahoney on growing up in Jersey
Photo: Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son’s new EP is called We Go On. Photo courtesy of Carina Duffy / Provided by Earshot Media with permission.
Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son, based in New Jersey, have released a new EP called We Go On, featuring the single “Lay It on Me.” The New Jersey rockers are now part of Telegraph Hill Records, according to press notes, and they recently played a two-night stand at Asbury Park’s legendary The Saint. They come to the Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, New Jersey, to open for Bad Luck and Dollar Signs on Thursday, May 19.
The new EP is very much a product of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only was the recording made during lockdown, but the themes behind some of the lyrics deal with “sticking together and finding meaning,” the band said. Throughout its five songs, the EP showcases the alt-rock sound of the band, which has become known as a steady presence in the Asbury Park area and around New Jersey. They have shared stages with Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and The Gaslight Anthem.
Recently Mahoney, lead guitarist and vocalist for the band, exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox about the new recording. He is joined in the band by James McIntosh on drums, Andrew Saul on guitar and vocals, and Jon Chang-Soon on bass and vocals. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can fans expect off the new EP We Go On?
The We Go On EP is an exciting and comprehensive 20 minutes of music. It covers a lot of ground in only five songs. It has some of our ‘classic’ elements: catchy hooks, energetic performances, and loud drums and guitars, while also dealing with more mature lyrical themes, more extended instrumentation and lush arrangements!
What’s it like to play in such a historic Asbury Park venue as The Saint?
I pinch myself every time we are able to play in Asbury, especially a special room like The Saint! We have all grown up playing The Saint, and we even did a release show for 2015’s The Outskirts there, too! It feels like a second home for us, and after the last two years, it is going to be great to be back! Our last pre-pandemic band show in March 2020 was at The Saint with our pals Latewaves! Scott and Meg work very hard for independent artists, but places like The Saint are disappearing all over the world, so we have to do our best to protect institutions like it!
What’s the backstory on how “Lay It on Me” came to be?
Like many of the songs, it came together in a slow burn process over the last two years. This one started while I was visiting France in fall 2019. I took many pictures and wrote a lot of notes. It inspired a few songs, and I am certain that it will continue to inspire others in the future. However, this song was not inspired by some art piece that is hundreds of years and wars old, nor was it a gorgeous building or the Parisian skyline. No, parts of this song were inspired by the very-American cowboy imagery in the extremely-American Disneyland Paris’ Hotel Cheyenne lobby. As an admitted shill for the mouse, I couldn’t visit Paris without spending a day or two seeing the local American theme park. I recognize the blasphemy of this. I will be reconciling these sins for the rest of my life, but I regret nothing and would do it again. (Versailles was better, albeit even less ethical?)
In the lobby of the hotel, they had old western movie posters on the wall, and I wrote some titles and taglines down. Many of our favorite songs were inspired from cinema, and many of the best songs are movies in themselves. “Incident at Phantom Hill” was too good not to note, and “Fistful of Dollars” is a classic.
While reflecting on the ethics of an American theme park in France, and while reflecting on the general idea of what being an American is over the last few years, and wondering what it has ever meant, plays into the second verse. “Flower power and violence” is directly about the protests we saw in 2020 for the murder of George Floyd, the fights many Americans have had to wage on our own soil in order to secure their own rights/freedom in our history — painfully recent history and present. Who the f— is anyone to deny another human being the same rights they themselves desire and demand? “Will we find redemption? / Tune in next week.”
The song ultimately is about recognizing our own boundaries and how much each of us can take on at once without being burnt out, burned or burnt alive.
Did you grow up on New Jersey rock? Springsteen? Bon Jovi? The Misfits?
Growing up, I ate New Jersey rock for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I remember my mom playing “Bad Medicine” off the Bon Jovi Greatest Hits CD when dropping me off at kindergarten! Bon Jovi and Springsteen were, and still are, among my biggest influences as a performer and songwriter. Bruce is still hero number one. As I grew older, I was turned on to groups like The Gaslight Anthem, The Bouncing Souls, My Chemical Romance, and began going to more New Brunswick basement shows, taking in local legends like Modern Chemistry, ROMP, Toy Cars, ManDancing, Semiotics, steve., Deal Casino and more! I take quite a bit of pride in being a small part of the New Jersey rock lineage. There is something in the water here!
What’s the future hold for the band?
There are plenty of new song ideas constantly being worked on and new shows being booked! I am excited to keep working and seeing what we are able to create together!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son’s new EP is called We Go On. They will play Thursday, May 19 at the Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, New Jersey. Click here for more information.
