Hey, friends! 

How was your weekend? I had a pretty laid back weekend. Mainly, resting on Saturday and Sunday and getting caught up on some writing projects.

I did get the chance to get out Friday night and catch the Death from Above show featuring The Beaches at Saint Andrews Hall in Downtown Detroit. I brought Elijah (17) along with me because he’s also a big fan of indie rock. Did you go?

Going to the show brought back fun memories of when I was in college and attended a lot of music shows in Nashville. Ah, those were the days!

 

Two Things

1. It was my first time visiting Saint Andrews Hall. (I’m new here, remember?)

2. It was also my first time watching The Beaches’ perform live.

I had seen a video of their new song “The Late Show” (you can watch the video HERE) and I really loved it so I was excited to watch the ladies play.

The Beaches Band
The Beaches performed at Saint Andrews Hall on Friday, November 3, 2017
The crowd at Saint Andrews Hall loved The Beaches!

 

Seeing An All-Female Band Will Empower You

The Beaches rocked the stage Friday night! All I could think was, “These ladies know how to rock!” Elijah and I loved their performance. I also really loved their 60s/70s fashion style. I was definitely feeling their vintage look.

As the title of my post states, “There’s something empowering about seeing an all-female band perform.” Why? I think Jordan Miller, The Beaches frontwoman and bass guitar player, describes it best:  

“I think being a woman in this industry you’re a rebel and you’re playing against the odds. And that’s kind of what rock and roll is all about.”

During the show, I told Elijah I wanted to get a mini-interview with the band to feature on the blog. It almost didn’t happen, though, because it took me a while to find them. Saint Andrews Hall was packed! As soon as I spotted  Jordan, I hurried to ask her for a quick interview.

Jordan was very kind to agree to an interview, and we went into the ladies room (because it was the only quiet place with the concert going on) to do the interview.

 

Interview with Jordan Miller from The Beaches

What are your musical influences?

JM: We’re mostly influenced by 60s and 70s guitar rock so the Beatles, Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Tom Petty, Blondie, The Pretenders. And we’re also influenced by a lot of 90s guitar rock bands like The Strokes and Blur and Oasis.

GLD: Speaking of the 60s, I noticed that your style kind of seems to resemble that. Very cool. I like it.

JM: Thank you.

GLD: Is that how you would best describe your style?

Yeah, I’d say late 60s and 70s is sort of our style. I think it’s important that your look pairs well with your music. So even if we dress a little differently, like when we’re separate, when we’re together our style is very much an embodiment of our music and our identity. And that’s rooted in 60s and 70s style.

GLD: Do you guys do your own style or do you have a stylist?

JM: We do it ourselves.

GLD: Very cool.

JM: Well, I mean, for our album we had a stylist go find stuff, but we were very involved with picking the items out ourselves and making sure it reflected, you know, us.

“I think the more present females are in any kind of industry, especially music, the less challenges other women will face.” — Jordan Miller, The Beaches Band Member

GLD: Are there certain stores? Certain brands?

JM: We do a lot of vintage shopping and a lot of thrift shopping. One of the cool things about going on tour is going to thrift stores in small towns where you’re driving through cause a lot of people will not shop there unless it’s a necessity. It’s sort of sad. But we get to pick through people’s really cool things that they don’t’ want anymore.

GLD: I’m a big thrift store shopper. 

JM: It’s the best. I think our style, if you had to say something of it, it’s like 60s and 70s mixed with ugly clothes. (Laughs.) Cool ugly.

GLD: What are your fall fashion must-haves?

JM: I’d say some ugly turtleneck sweaters, some bell bottoms, and a good belt to pull the look together.

GLD: What about shoes?

JM: Doc Martens are basically all I wear because I have size 11 feet. The other girls ( Eliza Enman-McDaniel and Leandra Earl) wear Vans and Converse, and my sister (Kylie) wears lots of low black heels.

The Beaches | Photo courtesy @thebeachesband Instagram | Photographer Maya Fuhr

GLD: I really like the song “The Late Show.” 

JM: Thank you.

GLD: What does it mean?

JM: Late Show? When I first heard the riff the girls put together I thought, “this just sounds like a late night party or a late show” so that was the first thing that came to my mind. And then I thought about just going out in Toronto, being young, and having fun. And then the verses are just about a couple of party experiences. Yeah, it’s not a metaphor for anything really. It’s just about being a kid in the city.

GLD: As an all-female rock band, do you find challenges in the music industry?

JM: Not really. I mean, I think it’s gotten a lot better over the past few years. I’ve been in a band for about ten years now. First bands, I was much younger. And when I used to play, we used to have people saying, “Aw, you know, that was really good for a girl band.” Or “I didn’t think you guys would be good because you’re all girls.”

I never hear that anymore, and I think that’s because there’s a lot more female verses, especially coming up in the indie music scene…I think the more present females are in any kind of industry, especially music, the less challenges other women will face.

So it’s great to be in an all-girl band to encourage other girls to form their own bands. The more voices that are present the less of a stigma it is. If anything, it can be a little of an advantage because people will remember you being an all-girl band.

 

The Beaches Are:

Jordan Miller: bass guitar and vocals

Kylie Miller: guitar

Eliza Enman-McDaniel: drums

Leandra Earl: keyboards

The Beaches new album Late Show is out now. Check out their tour dates here!

 

Special thanks to Jordan Miller for taking the time to interview with Good Life Detroit!

*Feature Image courtesy The Beaches Instagram | Photographer Maya Fuhr

 

 

Get the look!

 

 

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Nordstrom | Dr. Martens Pascal Boot, $134.95

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Also, check out: 6 Questions with Zuri Tibby and Getting to Know Apropos!

Written by

Jennifer Hamra

Freelance creative Jennifer Hamra created her blog Good Life Detroit in 2015 after relocating from Tennessee to Southeast Michigan.

Inspired by her love for personal blogging and photography, Jennifer likes to share her favorite Detroit things, from cool places to visit (the hidden gems are her favorite!) to the amazing people she has connected with over the years.

When she's not busy juggling family life and her creative projects, you can find her at an art gallery, community event, farmers market, or spending quiet time at home with a good book and cup of tea.

Jennifer lives in the metro Detroit area with her husband Travis and their six children.

Connect with Jennifer on social media @goodlifedetroit on all social media platforms or via email at [email protected].