Maggie Gently (she/her) is a San Francisco-based indie songwriter with a fondness for wild schemes and intimate gestures. Maggie is a queer woman whose identity is important to her and the community she creates and participates in. Her new album Peppermint peers around the edges of trauma for a new glimpse at what growth could look like. With songs about eternal questions of commitment and love and the terrifying possibility of being vulnerable and known, this album is about trusting something enough to let yourself get swept away. The nine songs that make up Peppermint reinforce empowering truths that can be hard to internalize or say out loud.
Peppermint was recorded by Grace Coleman at El Studio in San Francisco and Brian Ishiba in Los Angeles, and mixed and mastered by Grace Coleman. The album was produced by Eva Treadway (Pllush, The She’s), who also played lead guitar. Joey Grabmeier (Joy Weather, Maggie’s brother) played drums on the album, and Sinclair Riley (Pllush, The She’s) played bass.
Our interview took place in February, and I got caught up in classes before I could post it. But it works out; Gently’s music has a spring in its step even at its most anxious, making it the perfect jam as winter comes to an end. “Worried” has a meaty hook to it that’s irresistible. In our interview, Gently states that artists have more power than they think they do, and explains how the queer community has embraced her music.
Name a perfect song and tell us why you feel that way.
I have been thinking about this a lot recently, and I think the perfect song is “Fall to Pieces” by Avril Lavigne. Avril is a big influence of mine, and this song is such a great representation of the subtle and melody-driven music I strive to make. I love the lush acoustics in the verses, the layers of guitars are the perfect hit of 90s alternative nostalgia, the drums and leads lift up Avril’s voice so beautifully, and the vocal melody in the chorus is so freaking sticky. The lyrics are kind of cheesy, but it only takes one or two listens to be able to sing along to the choruses and the bridge, which I think is the mark of a cool and catchy song. I grew up just idolizing Avril Lavigne, and her influence has just seeped into my songwriting. I can listen to Fall to Pieces over and over again.
Explain the title of your album.
My upcoming album is called Peppermint. The word comes up in the first single I released last year (“Hold My Hand,” track 3 on the album). The lyric from the song is “I’m at the same party, but it’s starting to feel different/since I started wondering if your kiss would taste like peppermint.” This album follows my debut EP and a few singles that were all kind of downers. I’m still really proud of those songs, but when I wrote them, I was processing a lot of grief, and that came through in the music. This new album came from different place. It definitely deals with hard things like feeling directionless, but even those messages are grounded in love and trust. The song “Hold My Hand” is the most optimistic, the most nostalgic-sounding, and the first glimpse at a love song I’ve released as Maggie Gently. I like Peppermint as a title because it brings me back to that loving place, of imagining what it would feel like to kiss your lover, to see the completion of your goal and the reward for the thing you’ve been dreaming of.
What have you missed about touring?
It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the road, but honestly I miss all live shows, including local San Francisco shows. The energy of playing shows is something I really miss, and I really love getting to know other bands! Hanging out backstage and getting to see lots of awesome live music is a giant perk of touring. I’m heading out to Treefort Festival in March, and I am so excited to be a part of such a cool event. I hope I’m not too rusty!
What do you think you could do to make your music or shows more accessible to a more diverse audience?
I think musicians have more power than we think to make our shows accessible and welcoming. Whenever possible, I like to play shows at venues that are accessible, all-ages, have all-gender bathrooms, and have a calendar of diverse and inclusive music. When I play a show, I am conscious of how many other white people are on the bills, and I try to make sure I’m never the only woman on stage that night. I think I have an opportunity to uplift musicians of color and other LGBTQ performers and bands that aren’t given as much attention because of the whitewashed industry, and I think all bands should be thinking about how people with different backgrounds would experience their music or their performances. My community is a huge part of why I love playing music, and I try to protect it and nurture it however I can.
How do you feel your queer identity ties into your performance style or music?
I think that my queer identity plays a big part in the kinds of community I try to cultivate. I love playing shows with other members of the LGBTQ community, and I think it’s really important for queer perspectives to be represented in music. It’s cool to be a part of the scene at this moment where so many cool queer artists are making such awesome music. I try to listen to music from a lot of different perspectives, and what I listen to definitely influences the kinds of music I create. Queer musicians are just making great music right now and I’m just along for the ride.