MyVeronica on Breaking Arms & makeoutclub.com; Halloween UCLA, 10/30

It’s like Liz Phair meets grunge, which might be the bubblegum part.

‘Need2’ out now on Bandcamp.

Bubblegum Grunge act MyVeronica played their first show at UCLA’s Landfair apartments this past Halloween weekend. Songwriting project of Mia Lin, she writes, produces, & mixes her records on her own.

It’s been kind of a laborious 12 months. I broke my arm skateboarding & I’m in my senior year as a sociology major; it’s been hard to write music. I’d pick up my guitar whenever I could & imagine playing these songs for people.

‘Cut It Out’ MV out today. Also on Bandcamp.

The track I played called Makeoutclub was inspired by this pre-Myspace social networking site of the same name. It was this internet subculture community “for indierockers, hardcore kids, record collectors, artists, bloggers, & hopeless romantics” (site tagline). I pieced the lyrics for that song from post excerpts. That one was more conceptual; all my other lyrics come from poetry I’ve written.

I outline songs with drums & guitar chords/riffs, then work on coloring the mix in. Music before lyrics. I wrote full bass & lead parts for the band I played with tonight, which is new to me since it’d always been what I can record by myself.

Aside from MyVeronica, Mia started the webzine/social networking site Youth Culture 2000 with co-founder Melissa Niles after bonding over The Breeders in a UCLA bathroom.

Music by Jacob Sawley.

How has sociology & YC2k influenced your songwriting?

I’ve learned a lot about the way the world’s set up for human interaction… I can’t help but be subversive of the systems in place, & that’s what I try to do with my songwriting. I think the most subversive thing you can do is to be yourself & share your soul with people, as cheesy as that sounds. I don’t play by the rules if I don’t have to.

Who was on your turntable while your arm was healing?

Liz Phair, she’s been my biggest inspiration this year. I’ve been calling her Elliot Smith for girls (haha), she has a song for everything I feel. I have a theory that every indie artist is either directly or indirectly inspired by Joni Mitchell & Liz Phair. No escape, if you’re not directly inspired you’re inspired by someone who’s been inspired by those two.

Also some shoegaze; Slow Dive, MBV, etc. I take inspiration, but I never want to sound like my favorite bands. I don’t look to replicate, I filter inspiration through myself to figure out my own sound.

Lastly, why do you play music?

I’ve been writing songs since high school & ever since I started, I haven’t been able to stop. I don’t think I could ever not play music. Feels like what I have to be doing. So I’m indulging in it.