Interview with Death Valley Girls’ Bonnie Bloomgarden
What initially drew you to the world of rock music and how did those early influences inspired your sound?
When I was five, I heard Billie Holiday singing, and it blew my mind. I didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl; I just thought it was so cool that someone sang like that, and everyone loved it. I became obsessed with her, and that was the beginning. They told me she was an alcoholic who had to sing to live, to earn money for alcohol, and I thought that sounded so romantic—just having to sing every day to live your life. I was obsessed with it.
Can you recall the defining moment that solidified your decision to form Death Valley Girls?
I was in a very low place, I had just moved across the country, and I had given up music. There was just a huge hole in my life. I didn’t know that it was music, I just felt so empty and lonely. Then once I started playing, I realized that I need music, I need to be part of it, I need to be obsessed, surrounded by all these things to fill the hole. I realized why I needed it after I came back to it.
How did growing up in Los Angeles influence the band’s formation and the creative direction?
Los Angeles is huge and filled with tiny mysteries and magical places, but you almost have to be shown them. It’s exciting with so many little areas and pockets. There’s a million worlds here, and you can pop from one to the other. It’s very artistic—everyone is trying to make art in their own way, even if it seems silly, like working out or whatever. Everyone here is on a mission, and it’s a neat energy to be around.
What were some of the challenges you faced while recording your debut album, Street Venom?
We couldn’t get any shows. No one would let us play any shows for like a year. So we decided that the only way we could get shows is if we had a record. So we made that as fast as possible. We just played for a year, just trying to get shows and then made a record as fast as possible. And it actually did work. It’s very helpful to be able to send people music, rather than an email, just explaining why you want to play their concert hall.
The lineup has changed over the years. How have these changes influenced your creative dynamic?
That’s super interesting. We see this as a spiritual journey and the music as spiritual, like a religion and a healing journey. As we go from record to record, we capture the growth we’ve had. Each new person who joins either teaches us a lesson or brings us sounds we didn’t know existed. It’s cool to be in a band focused on evolving and growing spiritually rather than just knocking out hits.
From: https://retrofuturista.com/death-valley-girls-interview/
