A 411 Underground Summer Series Interview in Partnership with Flashwounds: Bad Seed Rising
Bad Seed Rising, photo by Aaron Marsh
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Bad Seed Rising ~ hailing from Baltimore, MD ~ is the youngest band ever to be signed to Roadrunner Records. Francheska Pastor (vocals), 18; Mason Gainer (guitar), 14; Aiden Marceron (drums), 13, and Louey Peraza (bass), 17 ~ released their third EP, A Place Called Home, on May 5, 2015.
The band came into being as a result of each of the [future] members participating in an after school performance-based music program called “Let There Be Rock Music,” which provides music lessons and a platform for youth to develop their talent by playing in cover bands. These young rockers, the future Bad Seed Rising, eventually decided they were ready to branch out and explore their creative side by taking it a step (or two or three!) further and forming an original band in order to write and perform their own music. But they never expected what would soon follow!
Since their formation, they have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they’ve got what it takes to make it in the tough music industry (that eats up and spits out artists twice and three times their age!) and working hard and non-stop to climb the often daunting ladder of musical success; they’ve been so busy that Francheska hasn’t even had time to get her driver’s license since it was a choice between that and touring alongside Adelitas Way in support of RED in late spring and in support of Adelitas Way on their first headlining tour this summer… and since we all remember what an important milestone it was to get our licenses, it’s pretty clear that Francheska and the rest of the band have their priorities straight and are not afraid of the sacrifices success will require.
Photo by Caitlyn Willard
During the last week of July ~ which was also the last week of the band’s tour with Adelitas Way and 4 days shy of her 18th birthday ~ I interviewed Francheska and, although excited about the final tour stops (and especially the show on her birthday), she was torn between a feeling familiar to many performers, sadness over a tour coming to an end, and the anticipation of going home to spend time with the family she hadn’t seen in weeks and wouldn’t be with her for her birthday. We chatted about everything from the band’s beginnings to performances, going back into the studio to turn A Place Called Home into a full length album (check out the video for “It’s My Time” here), what it’s like touring with Adelitas Way, and what these young teens do during their days off on tour and on those long drives. (And shhh… she also shared some info on upcoming tours that are in the works and that have the entire band pretty stoked!)
Photo by Caitlyn Willard
Listen to the full interview with Francheska on 411 Underground here!
Photo by Caitlyn Willard
In addition to being the youngest band in history to be signed by Roadrunner Records, Bad Seed Rising has enjoyed, and are very thankful for, all of their accomplishments to date, including having their song “Bad Seed Rising” (off their debut EP Charm City) featured in the summer blockbuster movie Spy, playing at major festivals like Rockfest and The Baltimore LoudFest and alongside some additional major names like FW faves John 5, Charm City Devils, Saving Abel, H.E.D pe, Alien Ant Farm, Shinedown, In This Moment, Trapt, Breaking Benjamin, and the list goes on, and walking the red carpet at this year’s AP Music Awards in Cleveland. We are eagerly awaiting what the band has in store for us next and you should be, too! Stay up to date on the latest news from this remarkable group and find out how to get your hands on their music by visiting their official website…and stay connected with Bad Seed Rising via the social media links below!
You can catch Bad Seed Rising in action live on September 30 at The Masquerade in Atlanta, GA opening for Issues’ hometown show. Head over to Ticketmaster to snatch up your tickets before they’re gone!
Editor’s Note: To read the articles containing the full transcripts of each of our past 2015 Rock Is Alive interviews, just enter 411 into FlashWounds’ home page Search!