Immediately after hearing the name, “Cyberbully Mom Club”, I felt I had no choice but to listen to this band. With such an amusing and unusual band name, I was not sure what kind of music to expect. I was greeted by a completely unique sound that I now completely adore. They have a very organic and soft sound, thanks to the combination of delicate vocals and gentle instrumentals. I have an immense appreciation for bands that make the kind of music they love, and put their hearts fully into their work, and this becomes evident when listening to Cyberbully Mom Club. I was in communication with the drummer of the band, Sam, and the lead singer, Shari, to find out a little more about their history as a band, and where they are headed.
Most of the band members met because of their mutual enrollment at the University of the Arts located in Center City, Philadelphia. Cyberbully Mom Club was originally created by the lead singer, Shari, and was the lone member of the then- solo band. Shortly after the creation of the band, Sam, Alex, and Peter were added to the mix. I found out that the enjoyable name of Cyberbully Mom Club has no backstory or clandestine meaning. Shari explained that, “The name does mean absolutely nothing. Never intended for the project to get too serious, so the silly name was something that I just decided to write under a song I wrote one day. Then it kind of stuck - and sometimes I wish our band name was more serious, but other times I just think, ‘Who cares’ - it's just a band name, we have fun.”
When I asked about their writing process, Sam explained, “As of right now, our current work flow is the general themes and lyrics of songs are written and created by Shari, but once they are brought into our full band practice they are re-harmonized, rearranged, and adapted to accommodate to our full band sound. Some songs more upbeat, some more technical and flowy.” The band members agreed that bands like Hop Along, Best Coast, Moldy Peaches, and SALES all contributed to the inspiration and influence of their sound. Sam decided that their highest point as a band was having the opportunity to open up for one of their influential (and favorite) bands, SALES. When talking about that show, Sam said, “Shout out to them for being our favorite stars and some of our closest friends. Shari is visiting them in Florida this summer- definitely one of the coolest things about playing music is making great friends like that.”
While this was their highest point as a band, I was curious to what their lowest point together was. Last winter, while they were on tour with Fun Home, their van broke down in Bloomsburg, on the way Pittsburg. It was the final date of their tour, and they unfortunately didn’t make it, and didn’t get to say goodbye to their tour mates. Even though this disappointing turn of events happened, they described that, “...we had to seek refuge in a Red Roof Inn and recorded intimate motel room sessions of our songs. It was snowy and cold on top of everything too, but we definitely made the most of it and had fun together.”
It seems that Cyberbully Mom Club has some big plans for the future. Short term wise, “We do have some upcoming plans and opportunities for touring and/or traveling to do some shows outside of Philly. As for official announcements of a tour... not yet. But, fingers crossed, we can work something out! We would all love to tour like we did this past winter, but we have to make sure it all works with our schedules this summer - we all won't be in Philly so getting everybody together is a little bit more difficult.”. As far as their long term goals go, Sam told me that, “Our long term goals as a band are to expand upon everything. First, we want to record a full band album. We want to tour again. Preferably through the southern part of the states and for a longer time. We also want to link up with other bands and try to be more consistent playing venues (not house shows). Even though we have a soft spot for house shows, of course. We've grown a lot as a band and came a long way though, we all have gotten closer than ever within these past couple of months and playing music together has been so fun and rewarding. We plan to release something special super soon.” I am very eager to see where this very kind group of individuals goes in the future!
*none of the photos used in this article are property of Bass Feeds the Soul, and all credit goes to their rightful owners
Written by Zoe Whitley