A Hypnotic Hangout: Mommy’s Little Boy

‘Wasting All of My Time’ on Valentine’s Day

February 14 is the day of love, and it also happened to be the day that Mommy’s Little Boy released his first full-length album. Jake Derting, from Denton, Texas sat down with us to discuss his album Wasting All of My Time. 

In 2018, he released his first self-titled EP, Mommy’s Little Boy. This EP was his way of introducing his music to the world. His most popular song “She Cries”, just recently hit 2000 streams on Spotify, so check that out if you haven’t already.

The Sound of Mommy’s Little Boy

The “She Cries” singer gets a lot of his musical inspiration from artists like Roy Orbison, Current Joys, Lala Lala, Surf Curse and a local Denton friend, Ian Salazar. Throughout a lot of the songwriting process, Jake listened to these artists and gained a new perspective on what sound he wanted to create.

Jake described that he gets his inspiration for his music from observing people in his life and putting it in his perspective. He said that “The way I write is that I perceive things and I watch people’s lives and then I can write about it from my perspective”. He went on to talk about how he had lived with some friends from college this past semester, and how all of them were individually going through stuff. He took it as an opportunity to put himself in their shoes and write about those experiences.

In his song “Wasting Time”, Jake incorporated an acoustic guitar with multiple pedals and pitch shifter to get different sounds from the same instruments. He’s been passionate about music from a young age and has the ability to play many instruments.

When we asked about how he would define his genre of music, Jake said, “I don’t think that I could really put into one genre.” He described his music as a mixture of Dream Pop, Low-Fi, Bedroom Pop, and Punk. With this new album, he has been able to shape his sound into his own and now when you listen to his music, you know it’s a Mommy’s Little Boy song.

“Things Are Great” and so is “Oatmeal”

Two of the most influential songs on Wasting All of My Time are “Oatmeal” and “Things Are Great”. Jake relayed to us that after working for hours recording different parts of what was originally a nameless song, he was craving oatmeal and the name of that song was born. We all shared a laugh about our mutual love for oatmeal. He continued to say that he poured out all of his “angst” into this song and it easily became one of his favorites off of the album.

He saw “Things Are Great” as a song that he could go somewhere with. He used this particular song to shape not only his sound but his message.

A Wake-Up Call

When we asked about why he titled the album Wasting All of My Time which was pulled from his song “Wasting Time”, he described that he had an awakening and decided to settle down. He went on to say that his first record was just for fun, and nothing too serious. With this new album, he discovered that this was a true passion of his and he dedicated more time and effort into it.

A Message from Mommy’s Little Boy

Jake is super proud of this album and he wants his listeners to know that you shouldn’t waste your time doing things that you aren’t passionate about. He hopes for people to listen to his music and become inspired to not give up on their goals and aspirations.

He laughed and sat back in his chair. He stated, “Actually I have been filming a music video for Things Are Great and it should be out in a couple weeks!”

Keep an eye out for any new projects and releases from Mommy’s Little Boy. Check out his music on all music platforms! We want to thank Jake for taking the time to have this interview with us, go check him out!!

Heart Eyes

Hello! Happy (late) Valentine’s Day! We have a special blog post for you all! We had a lot of fun shooting these pictures and thought that it would be fun to include a list of our favorite love songs as well as our favorite “f*ck love” songs, enjoy!

Britt

  • I Can’t Think of Anybody But U- Vista Kicks
  • Flower Power- Greta Van Fleet
  • Head Over Feet- Alanis Morissette
  • One Day (At A Time)- John Lennon
  • Green Eyes- Coldplay
  • Soul One- Blind Melon
  • I Would (Stripped)- COIN
  • Warm Ways- Fleetwood Mac

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  • Walk Away- Kelly Clarkson
  • Babe I’m Gonna Leave You- Led Zeppelin
  • Human Leech- Willow
  • I Fall Apart- Post Malone
  • A Change of Heart- The 1975
  • What Kind of Man- Florence + The Machine
  • Everything I Own- Bread
  • From the Dining Table- Harry Styles

Jen

  • Loving Is Easy- Rex Orange County
  • Love and Some Verses- Iron & Wine
  • Gimme Love- Vista Kicks
  • Butterflies- Kacey Musgraves
  • Intertwined- dodie
  • Only Angel- Harry Styles
  • Leather and Lace- Stevie Nicks
  • All My Loving- The Beatles

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  • Never Gonna Happen- Lily Allen
  • Blue- Marina and the Diamonds
  • You- Dodie
  • Dead to Me- Kali Uchis
  • She- The Monkees
  • Heartbreaker- Pat Benatar
  • I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)- Susan Egan
  • List of People (To Try and Forget About)- Tame Impala

More Like Galentine’s

February 14th is a day to celebrate love, even platonic love! There is no love stronger than the love you share with your best friends! Spend this day with the people you love the most and if you feel like it, you can listen to these songs while doing that. We hope you guys enjoyed this post and as always, stay groovy ❤

All the love, Britt & Jen

‘Fingers Crossed’

When we found out that COIN was playing in Atlanta on their upcoming tour, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see them. We got home from our classes, changed into our best outfits and headed down to Georgia. Listening to music with the windows rolled down, cruising on the highway as the sun was setting, we had a good feeling about this one.

Play it Cool

When we arrived, we waited in a line that wrapped all the way down the block and struck up a conversation with some cool people with the same interests as us. When we entered the venue around 7:15, we raced to get a decent spot on the left side of the stage.

Tessa Violet was the opener and she created a welcoming and energetic feel with her songs. She transitioned from her sit single “Crush” into some slower acoustic songs that had the crowd swaying back and forth with their arms raised. Tessa engaged with the big crowd and retold personal stories in between songs.

“…so keep on dancing”

The members of COIN made their way to the stage around 9pm. They made a grand entrance with their hit song “I Don’t Wanna Dance” which ironically had everyone jumping up and down and dancing. They played through songs off their albums “HWYKIYNT”, “COIN”, and their singles “Cemetery”, “Growing Pains”, “I Want It All”, and “Simple Romance”. And let me tell you, these guys had everyone dancing their asses off. There was something about the energy of the crowd mixed with the energy of the band that made that venue feel indestructible.

The lead singer of COIN, Chase created a special bond with the crowd. I believe that even people way in the back or on the balcony could feel a connection with him, which I think is insane. He sang to all parts of the crowd and made sure that no section was left out. There has yet to be a concert that we’ve been to that had that same type of energy throughout the whole venue. There was a time in between songs where he asked how everyone was doing and then proceeded to say “This is a safe place. A safe place to cry. A safe place to dance.” You could literally feel the love and appreciation that they have for their following. It was something so special.

“How Will You Know If You Never Try?”

They ended the set with “Fingers Crossed” and made a lasting impression on the crowd. After the crowd started to disperse, we headed over to the merch table. There was a line for Tessa’s merch and also the chance to meet her and take a picture with her so obviously we got in that line first. When we went up to meet her, she complimented our outfits and thanked us for coming to the show. We took a picture with her and Jenna struck up a conversation with her about Dodie. I found it so admirable that she spent the time meeting and having genuine conversations with everyone waiting in that line. She was such a humble and down to earth person and if you haven’t listened to a lot of her music, you should! (Plus her hair is super badass!)

After meeting Tessa, we went to the COIN merch table and picked up T-shirts and vinyls (of course). We gathered up our new goods and headed back to the parking garage and prepared for our drive home.

“Heart Eyes”

This was our first time seeing COIN but it probably won’t be our last. The environment in the Buckland Theatre was insane and it really opened our eyes as to who COIN is and how well they perform. If you EVER have the chance to see them, please take the time to do so, they will definitely make it worth your while!

Laid Back with The Jacks

“Hello My Friend”

1/2/2019 Atlanta– The sun was shining and we were en route to Atlanta.  The night before, The Jacks graciously responded to a comment we made about their “house party” show. They DMed us the address, and asked us if we wanted to come. Of course we couldn’t pass up the opportunity, so like always we hopped in the car and drove. 
   We arrived around 2PM, and we were escorted to the open backyard. We walked down the porch steps and walked closer to where the stage was set up. The party host, Alex was so sweet and accommodating. He was shocked that we had driven so far to see the band, and promised to make it worth our while. 
    He introduced us to Tom (guitar/ vocals), Josh (drums), Jonny (vocals and guitar), and Scott (bass/vocals). The band was just as excited as us about being there. 

“Shake it up baby now”

The guys made their way to the makeshift stage and started playing their set around 3:30. They opened with “Holy Roller”, played through some of their unreleased songs, and covers of “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”, “Hey, Jude” and “Twist and Shout”. They kept the crowd energized and on their feet through the duration of the show. Jonny engaged with the crowd by getting off the stage and sharing the microphone. We made connections with the guys while they were performing and we never missed a beat. They finished the set with an encore of “Twist and Shout” and had everyone twisting in their shoes.

The Dirt (on our shoes)

After the show, our shoes were muddy, the sun was setting, and the crowd had dispersed. We met up with each of the guys and struck up an intriguing conversation. We were curious to know what was next for their career. They mentioned that they recently got signed to EDGEOUT Records (a record label under Universal Music Group). Thanks to their new record label, they were able to participate in the Superbowl performances. Jonny explained that because of this big milestone in their career, they will be releasing new singles soon and are planning on going on tour in the upcoming year.

Josh was curious to know where we had discovered them. We explained that Vista Kicks had mentioned them and we were interested in learning more about them. We did our best to persuade Scott to go on tour with their pals, Vista Kicks. Scott asked us where we were from and was open to any suggestions on venues to play at when they come back around. We mentioned that we recently went to a concert at the Radio Room in Greenville. We continued the conversation talking about psychedelic rock bands.

In our conversation with Tom, we found out that they cover songs that fit in their genre of music. “We do this because if the crowd isn’t familiar with our music, it gets them interested in our sound.” He then added that they do like to add their own twist to the songs that they cover. For example, he mentioned that he loves covering “Hey Jude”, because “It’s one of the best songs ever written and we love to add our own spin to it.” “

“Hello, Goodbye”

The sun had set and we were bidding our farewells. We thanked Alex and his roommate Murphy for the billionth time for hosting the party, and made our way to say goodbye to our new friends, The Jacks. We had mentioned the blog in our previous conversation and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a picture with them. They were more than happy to, and thanked us again for traveling down to see them. We bid our farewells and promised to see them again soon!

“…a little taste”

If you have never listened to The Jacks, you definitely should! These guys create some badass rock and roll music. Their music is influenced by the 1960’s and 1970’s rock invasion. Keep an eye out for any new music they will be releasing and if you ever have the chance to see them (even at a house party in the middle of Atlanta) you should take that opportunity!

Thank you guys again for inviting us and being so down to earth and genuine! This will be an experience that we will never forget!