Interview: Ottawa Songstress Peach Kelli Pop

Allie Hanlon of Peach Kelli Pop reflects on recording, new band members, and Sailor Moon.

Wearing a bubblegum-pink, puff-paint decorated tee reading “Allie” and signature ponytail, Allie Hanlon’s fun, feminine, and diy-punk aesthetic is seen in everything from her album art, personality, to her music.

After finding a quiet place to interview in the crowded bar, Allie sat down with me in the front room of The Hemlock, the San Francisco venue, just before playing the first show of her upcoming tour.

Every time you tour it seems like you have a different group of people playing with you. How do you choose your band members?

Most of my friends play an instrument, are in bands, or go on tour. So it really depends on who is available. I basically find friends who can take time off of work. Right now I’m touring with a bunch of people that are either working full time in music or in some part of life where they can take 5 weeks off and go on tour.

You’re from Ottawa, but your band has a Californian, lo-fi feel to it. How did this sound manifest itself in your music?

I guess because of the internet, it has been really easy to hear music from different regions. But I try to create music that I’d want to listen to. I’m not sure if that was intentional, but I think I just try to go for a sound that suits the music I was writing. It was also what I was able to do; it was me who actually recorded it, so I didn’t really know what I was doing. The way it sounds is sort of what happened.

Is your recording process still the same as when you started out?

Yeah it is. Usually I will write a song and then record drums, then do the guitar and bass and vocals with percussion over it.

How did you learn all these instruments?

When I was 15 I decided I wanted to learn drums. I’m not sure why, I think I was just drawn to that instrument and it seemed like a fun challenge. I asked my parents for drum lessons and they were really supportive and helped me with that. And then I just tried playing guitar.

One of my friends showed me how to play a bar chord, and I just kept playing with that and started learning all of my favorite songs. So I basically just learned them all myself.

How do you compare the scene in Canada to that in the Bay? Was there a big scene where you grew up?

In Ottawa there is a really good music scene which is probably why I was inspired to start a band and play in bands. There are a lot of really creative people there and that’s how I joined a band and learned about touring. Ottawa has a great scene and so do Toronto and Montreal.

Are there any local bands from those areas that you listen to and would recommend?

Yeah, in Montreal there’s a great band called The Dagger Eyes and they are really kraut punk so really industrial but catchy at the same time.

In Ottawa, there’s a great band called Voicemail who are really new, and it’s also the singer from The White Wires who I play drums for. It’s Ian’s new band, and it’s really great.

How do you like being a part of Burger Records?

When I was thinking about a label that I wanted to be on I sort of liked the idea of being on a label that was really selective, that had a small roaster they would carefully choose. But now that I’m on Burger, I like the large amount of bands and the versatility I guess, and so it’s not what I dreamt up but it’s working really well. And their business ethic and their vision is really great.

I noticed you reference Sailor Moon sometimes? You covered the show’s theme song and sport a Sailor Moon tee on your album cover.

Well Sailor moon has a lot of visual aspects I really like, and when I was growing up I thought it was really great. I guess that it’s funny the characters say really funny things, and I feel like they are an awesome gang of girls.

When I was younger I really liked Sailor Jupiter because she has brown hair, and I have brown hair, and she also loves horses like I did when I was younger. She was definitely the one I aspired to be.

Peach Kelli Pop is an awesome Redd Kross song. Why did you choose it for your band name?

I was trying to find a name that had a good ring to it and I just thought that the song title went with the music I was playing. It was kind of sweet, kind of feminine but really pop and pretty rock and roll.

I was just trying to find something that was appropriate for the sound that we had.

Are there any cities you are especially excited about visiting on the upcoming tour?

We are excited for everything! There are a bunch of cities we always have a lot of fun in, like Portland or Chicago. We are also really excited for playing places that we’ve never been, like Minnesota, and we are playing a bunch of new places. Every show will be fun!

Who is going to be in the band on this tour?

Umm, so this tour there is a really good line up. Mandy Mullins is on guitar who’s been with me for the past few tours, and she’s great. And on bass there’s someone new. It’s Jessica Feeney and she actually just got back from Afghanistan 3 days ago where she has been for five months building planes. Which is really random, but she wanted to tour with us and I’m a big fan of all her past bands. She had a bass flown over to Afghanistan and she learned all of the songs. We are very excited to have her and she’s excited to be back in the states and traveling and stuff.

On drums there is someone new and it’s Shelby, she has played with the Cosmonauts and the Black Belles. She is actually from here but she was living in Nashville for a couple years. And she’s really great too. We have a great line-up of girls this time around.

Peach Kelli Pop is currently touring with her unbeatable lineup and heading to a city near you. Check out the dates below!

10/10 – Chicago @ Jerry’s w/ Palmflower, Joust
10/11 – Milwaukee @ Ground Zero w/ Joust, White Coke
10/12 – Detroit @ Garden Bowl w/ Joust & Junk Food Junkies
10/13 – Cleveland @ Happy Dog w/ Dead Sweaters & Uno Lady
10/14 – Ottawa @ Pressed w/ New Swears
10/17 -Montreal @ Il Motore w/ Le Kid et les Marinellis & Brabazons
10/18 – NYC @ Death By Audio – KLXU/BURGER showcase CMJ showcase
10/18 – NYC @ Don Pedros w/ Juniper Rising
10/19 -Baltimore @ Unregistered Nurse Fest w/ Ex-Cult, Weekend, Disappears, Obnox & more
10/20 – Richmond VA @ Banditos w/ Milkstains +1
10/21 – Belmont, NC @ The Haunted Mill w/ Dave and the Strange & Lisa Doll
10/22 – Nashville @ Stone Fox / Weekend Babes & Churchyard
10/23 – Huntsville @Vertical Records w/ Raidy and the Erasers
10/24 – Atlanta @ 529 w/ Guantanamo Baywatch
10/25 – St. Augustine @ Nobby’s w/ Gauntanamo Baywatch, Memories, Colleen Green
10/26 – Orlando *HALLOWEEN SHOW* @ Will’s Pub w/ Guantanamo Baywatch, Golden Pelicans, Sisters of Suave
10/29 – New Orleans @ Saturn Bar w/ Buck Biloxi, Trampoline Team, Benny & the Jet Rodriguez
10/30 – Houston @ Mango’s – *HALLOWEEN SHOW* w/ key bumpz as Ramones and mikey & the drags as Mummies!
10/31 – Austin – *HALLOWEEN SHOW* @ Hotel Vegas w/ Bad Lovers, White Fang, Memories, Colleen Green, Grape Street
11/01 – San Antonio @ Korova w/ the Rich Hands
11/02 – El Paso @ The Monarch w/ Colleen Green & White Fang
11/03 – Tuscon @ TLMS w/ Tinsels & Free Machines
11/04 – Phoenix/Tempe – TBA
11/05 – Slab City @ Secret Location