Mother Mother started with a lot of hard work and humble beginnings.
The Quadra Island-based indie rock band always knew they had something special, and slowly but surely, audiences have begun to sing the same tune.
The band has come a long way since it was formed by guitar and vocalist Ryan Guldemond and his sister Molly in 2005.
Bassists, drummers, and pianists have come and gone, and while they captured the hearts of many locals, they had little commercial success to start.
But that never swayed its core members.
A fateful visit by Guldemond to see an astrologer a few years back kept them going.
“He [the astrologer] predicted that in 2020 and 2021, things were going to be very prosperous for me professionally,” Guldemond told the Times Colonist.
“I kind of clung to that idea, and over the years, just silently believed in it and tried my best to manifest it.”
Whether or not the stars are the best place to turn to for advice may be up for debate – but in the case of Mother Mother, it paid off big time.
“Out of the blue, this miraculous thing happened. He [the astrologer] was right.”
Mother Mother’s music randomly picked up a new audience on TikTok, the massively popular mobile app on which users create short videos set to music.
The band’s songs, particularly from one of their earlier albums, O My Heart, went viral because of TikTok users.
“It was as organic as it could possibly be…and for that reason, it was all the more gratifying,” Guldemond said.
The band, now featuring Ryan Guldemond on guitar and vocals, Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin on vocals and keyboard, Ali Siadat on drums, and Mike Young on bass, has shot for the moon from there.
After years of putting out full-length albums, they’re releasing their first-ever single this month! Titled “Normalize,” it’s set for release on June 30.
“It’s an anthem for the outcast. We’re very fortunate to look out at you, our FamFam [fans], and see such a wealth of uniqueness. This song is our way of telling our people to keep being yourselves, whatever that means to you,” the band said on Twitter.
In other epic news, they’ll be touring with “Imagine Dragons,” a big-name band who’ve put out many Billboard top 100 singles, such as “Radioactive,” in Europe this summer.
They’re also playing at the Calgary Stampede this month and have many music festivals they’ll be headlining across other continents in the coming months.
Most Islanders may not be planning to jet off to France to watch them play, but don’t worry; they’ll be back. While they don’t have any local shows booked for the moment, the band has always returned to their hardworking Island roots.
They have no plans of letting up anytime soon.
“We didn’t ever pause. We just consistently worked — and that allowed us to greet this lucky moment as though it was ten years ago. We’re just as fit for the stage, just as fit to respond to attention as we’ve ever been.”
The band is definitely “Normalize-ing” locals getting into the spotlight, and we’re glad to see them finally getting the attention they deserve.
