Interview with Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son.
Our final installment with Bobby Mahoney is here! The talented 19-year-old shares what he’s learned since entering the music biz, his favorite memories with the band and his plans for going solo. Currently, Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son is writing and working on a new album that is set for release this summer with new music videos. But when it comes to sharing solo music, Bobby Mahoney is no stranger; he just put out a personal acoustic EP titled Luck. He’s wise beyond his years and his savvy business methods prove he and the band will do whatever it takes to stand on their own. Read on to find out why it’s important Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son carve themselves out from the crowd.
For part one of Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son, click here.
Do you want to work with other bands and be in the industry or do you want to be the rock star?
I want to be the rock star. Its cliché… but I want to write songs and sing my songs for people. I don’t care if it’s a lavish living. As long as I can support myself by my music I’ll be thrilled. I’ll do whatever to get there. It’s not easy, and I know every band my age will say that as well, but as people get older they’re going to realize how hard it is and the sacrifices you have to make to get there. You don’t have a life.
Tell us about the latest acoustic EP Luck.
It’s five or six songs that I felt would be better acoustic than whole-band. And that’s just because I always think about what I could see the band playing and what I could play acoustic. I was solo before the band and I developed an acoustic following before the band.
Do you think in the future you will take a solo path?
Right now it’s Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son, so we’re kind of one entity. I love playing with the band, plugging in electric guitars and going [crazy] but I also love playing with an acoustic guitar; it’s just about finding the balance. I don’t think I have to restrict myself to one or the other. I think the best songwriters and musicians don’t confine themselves to one thing. If I confined myself to just the band, that would limit me a lot and same with the solo thing, because then you lose out on gigs and stuff. This way, whatever opportunities we’re given, we can do it. It makes us more marketable.
What is one of your most memorable moments with the band?
At our CD release show last June for Friends in Low Places at the Pony, (our second show headlining), we played “Deadbeat Summer” for one of the first times since putting out the video. We released the video a week before the show. At the end of the song, completely unplanned, I had the band stop and the crowd sang it back to me. That was an awesome moment because the song had just come out and people really embraced it.
Another time, during our second trip to Canada, we played a super famous club that the Stones had played in the ‘70s. [There were] like 500 people there and we were on a bunch of Canadian news networks. That was awesome.
What have you learned since pursuing music?
I had a show once and only eight people showed up. It was embarrassing. I’ve worked on this a lot since then because at the time I was like, why am I going to act like I’m playing in front 15,000 people when there are only eight people here and one is my mom. That’s a bad attitude to have. Every time you go out, you have to pretend like your playing at the Garden. Whether you’re playing for five people and four of them are your family or if you’re playing for 5,000 people. That fifth person could be someone, a fan, a connection – you never know.
What makes the hard work worth it?
Being on stage. People assume it’s a rock star life and it’s not. It’s a lot of waiting, a lot of traveling – a lot of bullshit. But it’s what I want to do. That’s all worth it for the hour and a half I’m on stage. However long we’re on stage, that’s what’s worth it. That’s where I feel most confident, that’s where I feel at home, that’s where I’m happiest.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login