LIVING DEAD GIRL– Female-fronted Canadian metal band
Interview conducted on November 16, 2020
by Dan Locke
LIVING DEAD GIRL’s style is a unique combination of Marilyn Manson meets fellow Canadian frontwoman Avril Lavigne, possessing an amalgam of genres including goth, rock, metal, industrial, pop and punk rock. The music perfectly encapsulates Rennick’s personality, which she admits is a dichotomy of “one wears baby pink and Hello Kitty and listens to pop music, and the other a goth girl in fishnet stockings who listens to Marilyn Manson.” The 21-year-old Rennick’s amazing vocal range sees her seamlessly switching from taunting, high-pitched croons, to menacing, harsh barks, to haunting growls with relative ease
What is your upbringing?
Molly Rennick: I’m from a small city in Ontario, about an hour or so away from Toronto–so I just tell people I’m from Toronto to save a step (and it sounds cooler). My parents are restaurant owners so I started working there when I was about twelve or thirteen, which I’m grateful for because I learned pretty young that a work ethic is everything and had the opportunity to begin making money.
Do you feel that your life would have been different if your dad got his way and named you Halen- because he like Eddie Van Halen?
I think it’s a totally badass name, and it would’ve been so cool to have such a unique and uncommon name, but I’m slightly grateful that it’s not my name, only because I can imagine I would get called “Helen” a lot by mistake! And I’d never find my name on a keychain in a souvenir shop.
How did you discover music?
I just grew up around it; as long as I can remember, there’s always been music playing. I was born into a family who loved rock n’ roll and concerts so it was impossible not to pick up on it!
Why did you tell your parents that you would going to be a rock star at 4?
I was the kind of kid that always loved being the centre of attention; I was always performing in one way or another. That, combined with the love of music and singing, had me dead-set on being a performer from the very beginning of my life. I never imagined myself doing anything else; being a musician was the only choice!
How did you start to write music?
I remember trying to write lyrics when I was as young as a third grader…so about nine years old? I loved Avril Lavigne and part of what I thought made her cool was that she wrote her own songs, so I wanted to do that, too—I never liked the idea of somebody else writing lyrics for me, I thought it makes the music so much less personal to the artist. I would just write down lyrics and sing them out loud making up melody lines as I go along.
Describe your music
My music is heavy and dark, with headbanging down-tunes riffs, huge choruses, and catchy hooks. It’s equally as heavy as it is melodic, with inspiration taken from all sorts of places such as Marilyn Manson to Avril Lavigne. I mix screams and growls with high-pitched, feminine attitude.
How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
My dad bought me a kids-sized black and white Fender Telecaster when I was about seven? I think he actually bought it for my older brother, who showed no interest in it, then it just sorts of became mine. We do still have it!
What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model?
I honestly don’t play much guitar now as its kind of went on the back burner for a few years while I focused on transforming my vocals; but my favourite guitar I own that I’d reach for first would be my Avril Lavigne signature “Skull & Crossbones” Telecaster.
What was your first performance at like?
There’s been so many performances over the years I’m trying to think which I would consider my official “first” one- the first time I sang on some silly kids’ audition-style TV show (age 6), the second time I did that but for a different show (age 8), or when I started doing singing recitals that my singing teacher ran (age 10)… those were basically a case of overly confident child who has stage presence, but can’t carry a tune in a bucket. Those were just embarrassing for myself and my parents alike. Fast forward to my very first ACTUAL gig; Molly Rennick solo singing in a bar with a guitar at age 15 or 16—that was fun! It was at a small local bar as part of some weekend-long music festival and maybe 10 people showed up. It went well, other than some technical difficulties I remember them having with the speakers, and the fact that literally no one came, but that’s all a part of the first-few-gigs-experience!
What makes a good songwriter?
I think a good songwriter is somebody who can write songs that the audience can relate to, as well as something that gets stuck in your head. The melody is EVERYTHING; if it’s not catchy, I scrap it and start over. And at the same time your lyrics need to make the audience feel something, and anything that makes them feel like “this hits close to home”, or “this is so me”, is great because people are subconsciously looking for the need to feel understood, so as an artist it’s awesome to be able to make them feel like they’re not alone (in whatever situation it may be.)
Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association?
I do not.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
I would say my first ACTUAL original song would be Worship Me—anything I wrote before that never actually became a “song”, but rather just a pile of lyrics with no music to accompany them. Worship Me was the first original song I ever recorded, and it was Living Dead Girl’s very first single. (Currently not visible on Spotify, YouTube, etc—once the record comes out, everyone will understand why!)
How does the release of 3 independent singles different to your first full length album “Exorcism”?
The first three singles we released were very amateur, I will admit. They were recorded in local home studios and absolutely no hate on them or the people who helped me create them whatsoever, but they weren’t the level of quality I was looking for. The upcoming record I went to LA to write and record with producer Mitchell Marlow, who’s worked with everyone from In This Moment, Papa Roach, Starset, New Years Day, All That Remains, etc. So, the quality of everything from the song writing, to the mixing and everything else is much more “next level” or professional, even, than anything else we’d done before.
Tell me about your latest single “Alive”?
Alive was the very first song I wrote and recorded with Mitch, so it felt only fitting for it to be the first single we released off the record. Alive is such a huge song; the chorus gets stuck in everyone’s heads for days after listening. I remember when I was working on it with Mitch, I just kept telling him “I want it to be huge”, “the chorus has to be big”, etc, and I feel like we totally nailed that. The chanting in the choruses is seriously what gives it that anthem-vibe, and the lyrics totally make it easy to sing along to. It’s the perfect blend of heavy as fuck, and insanely catchy.
What is your favorite track on the album?
I think my favourite track on the album has got to be Stronger. That song is the one that will surprise the listeners the most; it’s really not expected from the sound of the rest of the album. Everything from the lyrics, to my vocal performance in the song make it the closest to my heart.
How do you stay healthy while performing?
I eat very healthy, because I’m the kind of person who, if I don’t eat a salad, some fruit, and drink a ton of water, I get SICK. Like, I don’t get how some people can live off chips, candy and pop because as much as I find those things delicious, they seriously make me feel horrible. So before performing I always try to eat something nutritious and filling (I don’t like to be hungry performing because then there’s no calories in me giving me energy); I also don’t do any drugs or smoke; and I usually only have one drink before any performance. I can NOT perform intoxicated so I save drinks for after I get off stage.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
It hurts my feelings honestly (haha.) I still to this day go out and buy physical CDs the day they’re released, I mean of course I use Apple Music too for when I’m working out or whatever, but I always have a ton of CDs in my car. I just hate streaming so much because I know the artists don’t make very much money off it, and I feel like if I want their product, I should be paying for it.
How can people forget about the origin hashtag # Sharp in a musical score?
I think societies changed so much as everything becomes more digital; I said “pound sign” once to a younger coworker and she stared at me blankly, then was like, “ohh, you mean a hashtag?” Everything’s just different with younger generations than it was for us!
Digital vs. vinyl?
CD!!! Haha. I’d say Vinyl, I love owning something physical to represent the album. I love when one of my favourite artists releases a record and I get to actually hold a copy of it—it feels way cooler than to just download or stream it; I’ve always liked to look through the lyric booklets in the cases to see all the photography since it’s the visual representation the artist chose to pair to the music, so I like to see and appreciate that while I listen to it for the first time.
What is the mental health situation of the world?
I would say it’s at an all-time low, at least the lowest I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. It’s super apparent that people are struggling, you can tell when you interact with them how much quicker people are to anger or become impatient because we’re all just worn so thin right now. Just from working in my parents’ restaurant, I’ve seen firsthand how the general public’s entire mood has shifted this year.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
My current jam would be I’m With You by Avril Lavigne, because the song is about being lost and that’s how I feel right now.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
I’m not very optimistic about the situation quite honestly, so my answer is going to be depressing. The industry’s ruined, I mean look at how many venues went out of business, and think of not just the artists but the crew people, the hundreds of people it takes to set up lighting and equipment; they’ve all been out a job almost a year now. There’s also been no income from touring, which, as we all know is more substantial than anything streaming could ever earn, so artists are really struggling. The economy is fucked, especially the entertainment industry.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
There are some days I work out, walk my dog, cook some great food, and then sing and work on some behind-the-scenes band work. Then there are days I can’t get my depressed ass out of bed. It’s so hit and miss how my mental health is going to be each day; some days I feel creative and manage to find some inspiration to do something cool, and other days I don’t even want to be alive and I stay in bed with my cats watching Disney movies. I’m trying to stay productive and creative the best I can, but it’s important to let yourself rest too so I don’t feel guilty about it when I need to do that.
How was it to play guitar by the candlelight?
John and I were practicing for an upcoming performance when the power went out, so we carried on with a dozen candles lit all around the room and it was super cozy and nice.
How is your Molly Rennick calendar selling?
Not as good as past years since I think many people no longer care what day of the week it is and don’t need a calendar at all, hahaha. But it’s still doing well, it’s been a big hit every year I’ve done it (this is the fourth time now). I have some of the same people who have bought them every year since I’ve started and that’s awesome.
How many cats do you have?
I have two rescue cats; my parents have three rescue cats plus a dog. It’s a petting zoo full of animals that had horrible living conditions, who have now been rescued and are spoiled rotten. They’re my pride and joy!
How did you find out that Rob Halford like your version of “Black Wedding”?
I honestly hadn’t seen it at the time it’d happened; my mom is the one who noticed it! She was just scrolling through Instagram and saw my video, and where it says “liked by, so and so and __ others”, it said “Rob Halford Legacy” (his Instagram handle). She immediately screenshots it and sent it to John and I; he especially was really stoked because Rob Halford is his idol!
You run RockStar Beauty. Do you think you can make it a thing to be The Beauty Goddess of Rock?
I would be pretty stoked about that! I plan on having my own makeup line someday, which stylistically would tie my music and my fashion sense together, so I think that’d be pretty cool to be known for beauty as well as my music.
95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. This includes people who don’t have television and using their computers to do streaming of programs and movies. Which is your favorite streaming channel?
I honestly watch the most movies on a small square TV with a built-in VHS in my room! My WIFI is garbage and my bedroom is the furthest away from the modem, so streaming often lags in my room; my extensive collection of classic Disney VHS tapes never fails to work! But for actual streaming my favourite platform is Disney+. I never got totally into Netflix or Crave or anything, but I use Disney+ probably more than most five-year-olds do.
You are in Canada. Do you think the ban on Tik Tok by the United States will cause any problems in Canada?
I honestly don’t really use TikTok, it makes me feel old (haha). I posted three videos, was pissed off at the lack of music selection, and never opened the app again. So maybe it’ll upset other people to not be able to use it, I know all the younger teenagers I know use it, but for me personally I won’t notice it’s gone (if it does get banned in Canada, too.)
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will include [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only. How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?
Live performances are still allowed, it’s just that you cannot upload a static image with music behind it, like an album cover with a recorded song playing; that’s just so they can keep those sorts of videos for YouTube, and keep Facebook about people engaging. So, I was shocked when I first heard that too, then realized you can still PERFORM music, just not upload recorded music, and I’m okay with that since I never used Facebook for that anyway; I save those videos for YouTube.
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merch to them at the show?
Bands can keep their fans by releasing more music, even if it’s just a single, an acoustic version or remix; releasing any new content is exciting as a fan. Engaging with fans online really helps too, being responsive to comments, questions, Tweets, etc, really keeps people engaged.
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means thinks like playlist on the internet?
It unfortunately is and part of why I don’t think I’ll ever play a local show again—sadly where I live that’s pretty common, and I think it’s unacceptable. I mean, maybe if it’s a BRAND-NEW band who won’t fill the bar, or rather, turn people off from the bar (sorry, haha), the bar still needs to recoup their losses from drink sales and be able to make money too—I get that! They’re a business too and need to make money too. But when it’s a badass band with a draw, charging them to play in your venue is silly. When there’s a great band playing there are tons of people showing up and spending a fortune at the bar; that’s more than enough sales for the venue. The bands themselves aren’t known for being rich and being ripped off in ways like this is partly why; anything that makes it harder than it should be for us, I think is wrong.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
I don’t think I’m prepared for that yet; remember, I watch VHS tapes, buy CDs, don’t like streaming music and don’t use TikTok; I haven’t caught up to liking new technology yet, haha.
If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?
If I couldn’t do music I would probably…. hmm, I don’t know, not enjoy life i guess… Music is my entire life so it’s hard to imagine it without it! My next passion after music would be makeup and beauty, so I think if I wasn’t a musician my next dream would be to be the CEO of a cosmetics company—but I don’t see why I can’t aim for both!
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Thank you for this interview! Everyone check out Living Dead Girl’s new single ALIVE, available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and literally everywhere else you listen to music! Thanks for reading! ♥
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