Thunderpussy frontwoman Molly Sides is as dynamic as they get. With a voice like Grace Slick and a stage presence like Mick Jagger, Sides is a force to be reckoned with on wax or onstage.
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This month (June), Sides, who identifies as queer, is celebrating PRIDE month and working on completing Thunderpussy’s next album. As if that wasn’t enough, she’s also working on some solo material, traveling from her home in Seattle to her childhood home in Idaho and staying light on her feet all the while.
We caught up with Sides to talk about PRIDE, her musical adventures, and more.
American Songwriter: What does PRIDE month mean to you?
Molly Sides: PRIDE is a celebration of all your parts. Every part. And continuing to paint your color wheel of life and appreciate it. Lifting each other up. I’ve been thinking a lot about how—for instance “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. We are all full of color. And I love the idea that we’re continually filling in the color wheel of self, of spirit. The more we celebrate each other’s wild, weird intricacies and individuality, and uniqueness, the more we fill in each other’s palate and portrait. We do it together. We do all this by seeing each other and celebrating each other’s differences. Staying curious is important. I love PRIDE because we can fly our freak flags as much as possible. Bring out that vibrant wildness!
AS: Do you have a favorite story when it comes to PRIDE—something personal, or a story of someone else’s journey?
MS: I think I’ve always been me—but I never put a label on certain parts. I’m just Molly. But to be able to walk down Broadway during PRIDE the first year I moved to Seattle and seeing everyone celebrate their bodies and their spirits, I felt, “I am me, here!” I was absorbing the whole environment, instead of walking down my hometown in Idaho and just being “Weird Molly.” Finding a tribe before you know it, seeing all the color, rainbows, and sequins—that didn’t happen in Idaho. I’ll just never forget walking down Broadway Ave. and thinking, “Here I am.”
AS: Last I heard, you’re working on a new album with Thunderpussy. Can you share any details about that forthcoming record?
MS: We’ve been working on it for the last year with Josh Evans, who we worked with in the past. He’s incredible, he’s a wizard. There’s really something special about working with Josh because he hears the whole body of work. And he has a really beautiful way of holding space to experiment, enhance the songs and songwriting but also to listen to everything. All the voices. And just lift it up. It’s fun! It’s fun being in the studio with him.
But yeah, it’s been a journey. We’re almost done with the album—we’re hoping to release something by fall 2023. And by spring 2024, we will have a full release of sorts. But I’m really proud of where this body of work has landed after a few years of swimming through murky waters. It’s a different album in bloom, for sure. Different from the last, which makes sense because we’re very different people. I’m excited about this body of work because it feels like it stays true to our “tongue-in-cheekness” while exploring a range of emotion.
AS: How was touring with Alice in Chains this year? One memory you’d like to share?
MS: So much laughter. Getting to know them better, and getting to discover them on the road every night felt like a true gift. They are hilarious and so much fun.
AS: You’re also working on some solo material. Care to shed any light on that?
MS: I believe I can. They are song seeds that I haven’t made enough space to explore until this last year. And it has been incredible to invite artists that I admire and who inspire me in a room to explore these seeds and see how they grow. It’s been a nice outlet to also experiment with harp playing and see how strange I can get. To see what atmospheres I can create with that instrument. And I get to work with the likes of The Black Tones, Lauren Brown from Kolars, and more!
AS: What are your hopes for yourself and the world over the next 12 months until the next PRIDE?
MS: A heart awakening. It’s mind-boggling to me that we all have hearts and we don’t use them more often with a knowing of innate goodness. But yeah, just a heart awakening. And listening. Fucking love, man
AS: What do you love most about music?
MS: It’s medicine. It’s movement. It’s connective tissue.
Photo by Sarah Craig / Courtesy Molly Sides
