Baby Molly comes to us from Toronto, in the province of Ontario, in the nation of Canada.  I met him back in 2017 in Nashville at CD Baby's DIY Musician Conference, and we had interesting and useful conversations... and this happened again in Nashville in 2018... and again in Austin in 2019... and then the pandemic crushed conferences, music and otherwise.  

Baby Molly plays guitar, among other musical talents... but you know what?  Let's learn all of that in the interview after the picture... and let the record show that I left the Canadian spelling of some words as-is.

 

 

1.  Let's hear the elevator pitch for your skill set and genre. 

Baby Molly is just a typical millennial. Reminiscent of Beck, Say Anything, Front Bottoms or Green Day, I just make fun pop/rock music about the downfall of society and the paradox of being alive. We can't afford to live but we don't want to die either. With my tongue FIRMLY in cheek, it's just music to rock out to, make life a little more fun and a little less pointless. 

I don't have an "elevator pitch" really so I hope that makes sense. "LISTEN TO MY MUSIC PLEASE SO I CAN EAT!!!! Or Don't I guess?" is what I wish it could be. 

 

2.  You've had an official change in artist name since Belladonna, your last album release.  Does this change come with a new approach to making music?  If so, can you talk about that in detail? 

It does! Molitor is my middle name (Named after 1993 World Series MVP Paul Molitor, no joke) but I always found myself correcting pronunciation, explaining the name to confused faces, etc. So even though I no longer go by a REAL mononym, this music is 100% more me. I had been performing under the name Molitor since I was 17 years old when all the cares of the world, pressures of being cool/hip/stylish/attractive mattered so much. Even though I was being original and creative and enjoyed my music, it always felt like hard work. A stretch to fit into trends, remain cool. I wanted to be the hot, clever, sunglass & leather-jacket wearing frontman. The Julian Casablancas, Pete Doherty, etc. But that's not me! At least not anymore (I did kind of have that vibe when I was younger). So now I just write lyrics as honest as they come: literal journal/diary-style lyrics. Earlier in my life, I'd try to find clever ways to say things - I had cool lyrics like "Your effervescent efflorescence Belladonna brings me to tears". Now, I have a song where the title and chorus are just literally "I'm broke. I want to be happy but I need some damn money". I think it not only works out because I'm really excited, proud, happy with my new music for the first time in a while (I think 2014's #lonelypeople_Music EP by Molitor was the last time I felt this way) but it just flows out of me. I can grab a guitar and a song will come out that feels like Baby Molly. It doesn't need weeks of production, re-writing, editing, and borderline alcoholism to get it to be moody, cool and sad enough for a Molitor release. It's just me. I developed a little bit of a character around it so that it's still marketable in the 21st century, but you can't survive without doing that really. But the character is more me than my old character even, sarcastic, witty, sad but hopeful. My angst has dissipated and I wanted a clean slate to reflect that. 

 

3.  What was the first album you can remember buying with your own money? 

The first one I vividly remember is A Lesson in Romantics by Mayday Parade. I bought it in a mall in New Brunswick, Canada when I was living with a family there on this, like, exchange program thing through the YMCA. I spent some time there and then their child spent some time with my family in Niagara Falls. I remember it so well, it was pre-Covid and record stores used to have headphones hanging up at the end of each aisle where you could listen to some CDs before you bought them. (Note from Mike: I miss this era of music store goodness.) I just picked this one because it had a cool cover and it really changed my life forever. I listened to 4 or 5 songs in the store because I didn't want to take the headphones off. Then, because I was on this exchange trip, my parents had given me a little spending money for food and emergencies but I ended up spending like 60% of it on this CD. It remains one of my favourite albums to this day and is probably the direct lineage to how I write songs. Super emo, but still fun and well-crafted, plus dual lead singers and overlapping vocals has been a mainstay in my songwriting; nobody did two lead singers as well as Mayday Parade on this album, to me. 

 

4.  Tell me about the last concert you saw. 

Concert? One sec, let me search the dictionary for that term.... Oh, yes! I remember those. It was one of those things where multiple people were indoors and enjoying the music that they love together. According to my memory, the last one I saw was in November 2019 when I was living in LA. I got to see Max Bemis of my favourite band Say Anything perform a stripped down solo show with just an electric guitar. It was amazing. Everyone knew every word and it wasn't a full band show so it was more intimate than any other Say Anything show. It was great, the crowd was singing so loud that you could just barely hear Max over the crowd throughout. His wife and kids were there too and because it's such a small venue, when his wife Sherri was singing with him on stage, you could see their kids peeking out from the green room and waving at them. It was adorable. I miss concerts, but if it's the last one I ever see, that's one of the best I've been to. 

 

5.  What artists do you consider to be your biggest influences?  

Max Bemis/Say Anything and Mayday Parade as mentioned above are huge. I take notes from so many artists that it's really hard to say. There's a fairly obscure band called The Veils that have a song called "Begin Again" - that is probably my favourite song of all time. The originality and boundaries pushed by Childish Gambino and all of his music are always a guiding light. The Killers, Kanye West, The National, Taylor Swift, The Front Bottoms. Green Day was my favourite band growing up and I knew every word to every one of their albums so undoubtedly people would probably find a bit of them in my songwriting. 

 

6.  I totally took this question from someone who interviewed me previously.  You can't control the way other people hear your music, but if you could make someone aware of a specific thing that sets your songs apart, what would that be? 

This. Is. A. Tough. Question. I don't want anyone to be aware of a specific thing but I think songs speak differently to people depending on their mood, personality, the weather, their surroundings, what they ate that day, etc. SO my only wish if I could ask one thing of each listener it would be to actually listen. There are a lot of very talented musicians and artists that make background music for studying, reading, elevators, etc. I am not one of those artists. I am arguably the LEAST subtle artist that has ever lived so if I could ask something of a listener it would be to actually listen. If you love it, that's amazing, if you hate it that's great too. I appreciate that you took 3 minutes of your life, time is the most valuable thing in the world and I am endlessly grateful that you gave me a shot with some of yours. 

 

7. Your podcast DUET OR DON'T is about to be introduced to the world. What's the premise? 

DUET OR DON'T! The game show/just for fun show where each week I have a brand new songwriter, artist or musician on and after having a very brief chat about our lives and how we're feeling, we write and record a brand new song, from scratch, live on the podcast for anyone to listen to. There is a time limit, of course, no one wants to listen to a 3-week long podcast. But the rule is that we need to come up with a brand new song and present it, warts and all, after the timer is up. Then, together we decide, is it good or bad? Do we love it or hate it? DUET or DON'T? 

 

8.  What's next for Baby Molly? 

BABY MOLLY PRESENTS: I MISS MY FRIENDS - AN EP FOR THE AGES, OUT FEBRUARY 19, 2021.

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Right up there at the top of the post, I link to the Baby Molly web presence, but here's that link again. The new podcast will launch shortly, and the first guest songwriter might be someone you know.  (They call that "a tease" in the radio industry, kids.)  Here's the Baby Molly YouTube Channel.  You can also shake a rattle with Baby Molly on social media via Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Baseball is back.  It was back in Taiwan and Korea a few weeks ago, and in those places, you can actually go to the game in person, but hey... I'll take empty stadium baseball on TV.  I love baseball.  (What, you thought I was all about music all of the time?)   One of the things my wife and I like to do is go visit different ballparks and watch a game.  I like to get to the park very early - basically right when the gates open - so I can stroll around and look at the architecture.  If the teams are taking batting practice, I like to watch batting practice.  I enjoy the atmosphere of the park on game day.  

There are 9 ballparks currently in use where I have seen a game.  In reverse order, from least favorite to favorite, here are my ballpark rankings:

9.  Rogers Centre, Toronto
Let the record show that I love the city of Toronto.  We have made some good friends there.  We have had outstanding dim sum there. That said, of all of the ballparks I have personally visited for a game, this is my least favo(u)rite.  First, the things I like here... there is a retractable roof on what used to be called SkyDome, so games really shouldn't be rained out.  When the roof is open, there's a view of the CN Tower from the ballpark.  The concourses here are all kinds of spacious, there is plenty of room to walk around.  The drawbacks... well, they aren't playing the games on real grass, that's too bad.  Also, it's a big round dome... even when the roof is open you feel a little like you're indoors.  The stadium lacks character.  That said, we have always very much enjoyed our visits here.  We have been to a few games here, and since we've had multiple visits, we've tried different seats.  We've had seats directly behind home plate, back a few dozen rows... and we've had seats way up high, like these:

 

The Rogers Centre (that's how they spell it in Canada) seems to be easily accessible with public transportation, but we didn't get to the games that way.  We've always stayed in hotels less than two or three miles from the ballpark, and we always walk here.

 

8. Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
Let the record show that I do NOT love the city of Cincinnati.  Too many one way streets.  Public transportation isn't great.  Parking isn't the easiest to find, and it costs more than I enjoy paying.  Ok, that aside, maybe the park is nice?  Well, it has character... it's outdoors and a grass field.  The sight lines are ok, there aren't any bad seats... but I don't like the way the lower level has a long slope, it just feels strange to me compared to the other ballparks I've been to.  The way the architecture is done here, the higher decks feel quite far from the field.  Also, the food options here weren't great the last time I visited.  The Ohio River is quite lovely out there in right field, however.

 

 

7. Comerica Park, Detroit
The Tigers play here. You can't miss that when you come to Comerica Park, as there is a massive statue of a tiger out front.  There are other statues of other tigers pretty much everywhere.  After a bit in the park, I kind of got the feeling that they might have overdone this motif a little.  I mean, I guess I understand it... after all, there are some other large felines across the street, so maybe folks get confused.  I found it very easy to drive here and very easy to park, and those are positive things in my book.  Now, it's been many years since I've visited, but the thing I remember most about the concessions was the abundance of Little Caesar's pizza, which makes sense, as the ball club and the pizza company are owned by the same people.  

 

 

A brief comment on the Tigers fans.  This is an old franchise.  The Internet tells me it was founded in 1894. Some baseball legends have played for this franchise, although some of them were not particularly decent human beings.  (Looking at you, Tyrus.)  A proud and storied franchise, but they suffered many years of being quite terrible at baseball.  When I visited Comerica Park, the Tigers were coming out of a long period of being awful, but nobody knew that quite yet.  (These pictures are from 2006, and they happened to win the pennant that year.)  I remember sitting behind an elderly gentleman at the game... he had a spiral bound score book... it was clearly meant for the entire season.  He had been a season ticket holder for decades.  Now, maybe it had something to do with where I had chosen to sit, but I remember that the fans near me were particularly knowledgeable on this day, and since they were Tigers fans, they were clearly long-suffering as well.  They weren't quite a friendly as the fans in Toronto, because of course nobody is a friendly as Canadians, but I enjoyed their company.

 

6. Nationals Park, Washington D.C.
Other than Sean Doolittle, I don't have very much affection for the Nationals, as they play in the same division as my favorite baseball team. The park is ok though.  It's very easy to reach via public transportation.  If memory serves, it's right at the end of one of the city's subway lines.  You leave the station, and then it's just a brief stroll to the park.  Much like many of the more modern ballparks, there does not appear to be a seat with a bad view here. You can get a half-smoke at the ballpark, which you should do when you go to Washington.

 

5. Miller Park, Milwaukee
The people of Wisconsin are different.  I had never seen tailgating at any baseball stadium until visiting here, the land of beer, sausage, and cheese.  Yes, folks come out early to the game and hang out in the parking lot drinking and grilling.  One drawback to this ballpark is its location.  It's not really close to anything interesting in the city.  It's not easily accessible by foot or by public transportation.  Other than that, it's a lovely experience.  I had my first (and only) experience with Spotted Cow here. I don't remember exactly what we ate, but I am certain it was some type of sausage... I mean, it's Wisconsin.  Miller Park features a retractable roof, and we had the opportunity to see it in action.  It was a somewhat humid and sunny day when we got to the ballpark, and even with the roof open, I had the odd feeling of being indoors for some reason.  A weather system was going to move through, so during the game, the roof closed.  After the rain moved away, they opened the roof again, and we could see the clear night sky.  

 

4. Coors Field, Denver
When you watch baseball on television, folks always comment on how spacious the field is here.  Due to the altitude, the baseball travels farther in Denver when it is hit, so the fences are farther away from the plate than in the other ballparks.  You geometry experts out there can explain this better than me, but this results in a larger area of play.  Indeed, when we got to the park, I could see that the playing field is vast, easily larger than any I've ever seen.

 

In the first picture, look at the upper deck of seats.  Do you see what appears to be a purple line near the top?  Every seat in the rows there is painted purple (whereas the other seats in the park are green) to indicate one mile above sea level at that location.  The park is a thing of beauty, quite comfortable, very friendly staff, and it appears there are good sight lines no matter where you are.

There are plenty of beverage options here, though the most abundant are Coors products, which shouldn't surprise anyone.  There are plenty of great food options in this park as well.  I can't comment on how easily one can reach this park via public transportation, because we headed to see a game here immediately after getting off the airplane... we rented a car, drove straight to downtown Denver, parked, and strolled a mile or so down to the park.  (Parking was abundant and cheap, but that might have been because we arrived somewhat early.)

 

3. Citi Field, New York (Queens)
I am no fan of the Mets, who inhabit this place, but I very much love this ballpark.  First, it is incredibly easy to get here.  The ballpark is right next to a subway station, on line 7, more or less across the street from the tennis complex where the US Open is played every year, and quite close to the place where the alien crashed through the globe thing in the first Men In Black film.  The park is ten or eleven years old still very much has that new ballpark feel.  The Jackie Robinson Rotunda entrance is a glorious way to introduce yourself to City Field, and the abundance of brick brings some elegance.  

For both of my visits here, I sat at club level.  It's elevated, but the architecture of the stadium is such that there are seats on that higher level that have you closer to the action than lower level seats in many other ballparks.  (Looking at you, Cincinnati.)  I was amazed how clearly we could hear the ball pop in the catcher's mitt from the club level seats, just below where the broadcasters are located.  Another great thing about club level is that tickets there get you access to some restaurants and bars that are not accessible for every ticket holder.  These areas have comfortable seating, specialty drinks, good food, and delightful air conditioning... oh, and there are monitors everywhere, so you won't miss any of the game action.  If I blindfolded you and dropped you off in this area, you would have no idea you were at a ballpark.

Also, Shake Shack.  Yes, I know that this is a chain now, and they're expanding everywhere, but that wasn't always the case.  My first Shake Shack experience was here, and I very very much dig.  Also, you can get one of David Chang's delicious Momofuku fried chicken sandwiches, and you will not regret it. Really the only drawback is the proximity to La Guardia, so you hear planes overhead pretty much all of the time.  That's a small price to pay for a great game day experience. 

 

2. Marlins Park, Miami
I have been to Paris (the one in France) twelve times... maybe thirteen, I have lost count.  I have been to Florida (the one in the United States) exactly once, and it was to go to Opening Night at Marlins Park a few years ago.  If you are into baseball, you're probably thinking that nobody goes to games here.  Yes, that's pretty much true, and for me, that's part of the charm of Marlins Park.  We went on Opening Night, and the game wasn't sold out.  If you're not going to sell out on Opening Night, you're probably never going to sell out.

It's really a shame that people don't go to games here, because this is a beautiful park.  As typical with modern baseball venues, there does not appear to be a seat here with poor sight lines.  The park and its surroundings have a ton of pastel and bright colors, and you can see they're really leaning into being located in Miami.  Just about everything inside the park is labelled in two languages, as you would expect for a stadium in a multilingual city.

What a unique place.  When we visited, they still had the home run sculpture, which many people found to be "hideous", but I thought it was a quirky, interesting large piece of bric-a-brac.  Well, the new ownership didn't like it, so it's gone.  The park also used to have fish tanks behind home plate that contained live fish, but I'm not sure if they are still there.  From the outside, Marlins Park looks sleek and futuristic, perhaps like a spaceship parked in the neighborhood.  Marlins Park also has a retractable roof, which is necessary to combat the high heat and humidity of South Florida (as well as the pop-up thundershowers).

 

If you can figure out how to navigate the bus system in this town, you can probably get to this park easily.  That wasn't the case for us, we had some transportation adventures in the city, but managed to get to the park eventually.  The food options here are solid, and it's Miami, so there is plenty of Cuban fare in the park.  Whenever it is safe for us to travel again, I strongly recommend taking a brief baseball vacation here.  Tickets are cheap because demand is low.  In future baseball seasons, check the schedule for when your favorite team is playing in Miami, and head on down there to see them.  You won't regret it.

 

1. PNC Park, Pittsburgh
When you visit Pittsburgh to see a game, I recommend that you stay in a hotel downtown, within a few miles of PNC Park.  On game days, many of the streets in the immediate vicinity of the park get closed to vehicular traffic, and become pedestrian-only means of ingress to the stadium. Walk across the Allegheny on the majestic Roberto Clemente Bridge,  and pause when you get to his statue to take in the atmosphere of game day. 

 

If you don't happen to stay downtown and get yourself to the game under your own power, no worries, despite the pedestrian-only streets in the neighborhood, it's a friendly place to drive and park as well.  Once you get to PNC Park, you'll notice that there are great views of the field from everywhere.  I've been to enough games here that I've sat close behind home plate, I've sat in the highest level, I've sat halfway up on the first base side behind the dugout, and a few other places.  The views of downtown Pittsburgh and the action on the field are great from just about everywhere.

 

 

 

As far as keeping yourself hydrated and fed, well, on many of my visits there was a particularly LOUD vendor who you could hear from several sections away shouting "LEMONADE!"... I hope he's alive and well.  In a nod to the Eastern European immigrants in the area, you can find tasty pierogi at a few of the concession stands.  There is a pierogi race once a game between innings, similar to the sausage race in Milwaukee and the president race in Washington.  You can also get a fantastic Pittsburgh staple, a Primanti Brothers sandwich, and wash it down with an ice cold Iron City. (Yes, it's an expanding chain now, and there is even a franchise near me, but I refuse to go.  A visit to Primanti Brothers is one of the things that makes visiting Pittsburgh special for me, and I don't want to spoil it.)

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That's it.  That's my list.  There are some other ballparks that I have walked around (Petco Park in San Diego), or driven by on the highway (Fenway Park in Boston), or strolled by with friends (Wrigley Field in Chicago).  Currently on the list of places I wish to go visit for baseball:  Target Field in Minneapolis, Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City (which will be accompanied by a trip here), T-Mobile Park in Seattle, and Oracle Park in San Francisco.