Grab your s'mores, your bug spray and pack your bags as Riot Squad Media is about to take over Northeast Pennsylvania with Camp Punksylvania! The 3-day festival with multiple stages and amazing local acts like The Suicide Machines, War On Women and A Wilhelm Scream, will take place from 1 September until 3 September, tickets are available here. Indie-folk singer-songwriter Sweet Anne Marie joined TGEFM to discuss her upcoming appearance at Camp Punx for the latest installment of our Camp-centric Roll Of The Dice interview series. Check it out below and I'll see you at the campfire!
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! What can you tell us about yourself, your sound and what you stand for?
Thanks so much for the opportunity, It's always a pleasure to be included in features like these! I am from Northeast Pennsylvania and I'm a Gemini sun, Aquarius moon, and Scorpio rising. I play indie-folk music under the name Sweet Anne Marie and my sound has been described as “folk meets alternative rock.”
Although there isn't a strong political or social message in my music, supporting and protecting women's rights is very important to me, one of the cool things about playing Camp Punksylvania is that it's run by the femme-owned and operated Riot Squad Media.
You are gearing up for Camp Punksylvania in the coming months, to go along with appearances at The Fest, Pouzza and more… what does the festival circuit mean to individual artists like yourself?
Its definitely a privilege getting to play these festivals, and its a great way to find an audience that I might not otherwise be able to reach. Plus it's a super cool way to see some awesome bands!
What's the state of the live scene from your point of view? We are living in a “just deal with COVID” world and everything about this timeline is some level of completely fucked. What impact, if any, do the current cultural and political landscapes have on your music?
I started playing shows in 2019 but didn't tour until 2021 so my experience with live music pre-covid is mostly only attending shows. That being said, I think the effects of covid on the live music scene have mostly subsided. I toured nationwide in 2021 and had trouble with shows being cancelled or moved, or not being able to find shows at all, travel was also harder with different state guidelines and mandates. Since then I've toured internationally with little restrictions. I dont think that political or cultural landscapes have an impact on my music in an obvious way, but since my songwriting is usually more about my own life and experiences anything that has an affect on my life would subtlety influence my music.
Any summer camp worth its salt knows there needs to be a lot of different activities to participate in. What activity would you be in charge of if Camp Punksylvania was an actual sleepaway camp? What song are you performing at the end of the season Campfire?
If it was a real sleepaway camp I would be in charge of arts and crafts, God's eyes and friendship bracelets are my specialty, and I'm ending the season with the “Campfire Song Song” from SpongeBob
Camp Punksylvania is a smorgasbord of fantastic acts. Which bands are you most excited to see on each stage?
Camp Punksylvania has such a killer line-up this year I'm stoked for all the great acts, but especially Condition Oakland, Black Guy Fawkes and the Co-conspirators, and Bad Cop / Bad Cop!
Was there anything I missed that you'd like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
I'm currently working on some new music thats going to be out this fall! You can keep up with new releases, upcoming shows, and tour dates on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed's musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he's self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
