Rockmommy Marisa Bloom on Her New Single ‘Dairy Queen’ – A Pop-Punk/Rockabilly Masterpiece
by Zack Bloom
For a change, the incredible force behind the blog Rockmommy, my wife Marisa Bloom, goes from interviewer to artist to give us the exclusive backstory on her new single “Dairy Queen.”
This pop-punk/rockabilly song — possibly her best one yet — has been in the works for the past 9 months and dropped May 23rd! It’s also Marisa’’s first solo single release since becoming a mom nearly 12 years ago. While Marisa works tirelessly on this blog to promote artists, pen gear reviews, and give you so much other great content, it’s time for the spotlight to shine on her for a change.
In a journalist ‘fantasy camp’ role, I, her husband Zack, get to dust off my writing chops and conduct the interview.
Zack: Hey Marisa, how’s it going? Have you ever been interviewed for your own blog before?
Marisa: Haha, no — this is a first!
Zack: Before we get into it, how’s Rockmommy going? How has it evolved since its launch?
Marisa: I mean, it’s just changed so much and it’s exploded pretty much beyond my wildest dreams. When I started it was just literally a place for me to get my thoughts out kind of like an online diary. But now I have gear reviews and I interview something like 30 artists a year.
Zack: And you’ve mentioned this before, but for any new readers or anyone who missed it, why did you start the blog in the first place?
Marisa: I was so frustrated that there were so many sites that were devoted to men and music, but none for moms; the only media outlets that existed for women were parenting or gardening magazines or blogs about, you know, home life or wine nights. There was nothing out there — absolutely nothing — for moms whose passion is to make music and who want a creative life. That’s why I started Rockmommy.
Zack: Awesome! This of course brings us to today — one of your greatest passions is creating and playing music, and you have a new single being released, “Dairy Queen.” So let’s get into it. What is “Dairy Queen” about and how did you come up with it?
Marisa: I had gone on a drive in my town (Fairfield, CT) one day last year when it was still warm out. I was thinking about summer and getting nostalgic for the past. At some point, I passed a Dairy Queen on the side of the road. And nothing happened at that moment but a little riff came into my head.
When I got home and had some time away from my kids, I just started noodling around with my guitar and the words just came out of me. It was crazy. The song just kind of wrote itself.
Zack: Interesting. Since you kind of tied it in with nostalgia, did you go to Dairy Queen a lot as a kid?
Marisa: Dairy Queen is kind of a metaphor for the bygone era of my life when I was free and I made road trips all over the south, like when I lived in New Orleans. Dairy Queen also reminds me of summertime, ice cream, and coming of age in my teens.
And also, it’s kind of a song about wanting something you can’t have.
I’ve never admitted this out loud but, I struggle with a binge eating disorder so I don’t drink milkshakes. Because if I did drink one, I’d drink 100. And, you know, sometimes when I pass a Dairy Queen, I want an Oreo Blizzard. But it just doesn’t work for me the same way that alcohol doesn’t work for an alcoholic.
There’s a line I have in the song that goes, “This song goes out to anyone who’s ever wanted something that they can’t have.” And that is an aspect of it too.
Zack: Got it. Is there any artist’s inspiration behind the song?
Marisa: I mean, I love punk and I love rockabilly. One of my favorite artists since my 20s who kind of inspires me because she just doesn’t give a f*ck about, like, what other people think of her is Mary Prankster. She’s a huge one. I’ve always loved surf rock and Dick Dale’s guitar playing.
[SEE RELATED: HOW MEETING DICK DALE, MY FAVORITE GUITARIST OF ALL TIME, CHANGED MY LIFE]
I mean, I love Hole and I love grunge. I love all music, but for that particular sort of summer vibe that I was kind of going for, it’s those first two. They were on my mood board, so to speak.
Zack: So you’ve written other songs before, though this is the first one in a while. How does this compare to some of the others that you’ve written?
Marisa: Wow. Well, this one is just one of those songs where the intro riff and the chorus came to me immediately! Also, I think I’ve developed a lot as an artist. I’ve taught guitar for many years. I’ve played. I’ve taken many courses in songwriting, so I kind of know how to structure a song.
What’s also different is that for this one I workshopped it with my producer, Elaine Rojas. She made me realize that, for instance, I needed another verse that sort of got to the main idea of the narrative quickly, of wanting something you can’t have. And then, as you get deeper into the song, it goes from hopeful and then realizing that that thing [you want] really will never be yours.
Zack: And you’ve written songs kind of all over the spectrum. Some are hard rock, some are punk, some are more risqué… Have you felt any pressure to, more or less, tone it down since you’ve had two kids?
Marisa: Yes! I used to have a different stage name and I used to write songs with titles I’m not going to reveal right here because my kids are probably going to find them one day … but I wrote these songs in my 20s and they were about women’s empowerment, pleasure, and social rights.
I watch the curse words more, unless I’m like in a live setting, and I don’t get too graphic anymore. But also, I don’t think I need to. I think when you write a song and it’s good, you don’t need to shock value as much. You don’t need to drop F-bombs or talk about salacious things to be provocative. You just need a good hook.
Zack: Earlier, you mentioned you worked on “Dairy Queen” with a producer, Elaine Rojas. How did you meet and start working with her?
Marisa: I met her when I started working with Factory Underground. You were like, ‘You need to work with someone awesome. This guy looks great’ when you found Kenny Cash [Head Producer, Factory Underground] for me.
When I went in [to the studio] they’re like, you know, ‘you might want to work on some vocal lessons’ because I came from a deep punk background and I’m used to singing and screaming. But after I took opera in college, I never really developed that part of my voice. So that’s how I met Elaine. She’s a vocal coach and went to music school and brought the best out of me.
Zack: This is different than when we met and you were producing on Garageband! How did this experience compare? How’d you like working with Factory Underground?
Marisa: I mean, I’ve been making music for 20 years, but it is like night and day working with a professional recording engineer and in a professional studio versus GarageBand in an apartment!
I like that, when working with an engineer, every little second and every little sound is critical. I like having my voice comped 80 times to make sure it’s in the right key. To me, a good three-minute song takes time to perfect, and it should. You’re taking three minutes of someone’s time. You want to give them absolutely the best.
It’s also important to work with a studio that’s not going to overproduce you — like auto-tune every little thing that you do — because then it sounds whitewashed; it doesn’t sound authentic. So that’s an important thing to consider too, like when you’re picking a recording engineer or a studio or a place.
Zack: Has this nine-month process of creating and producing “Dairy Queen” creatively opened up your mind for future ideas and projects?
Marisa: Working at a professional studio has definitely opened me up. I have a bluesy alt-rock song that’s coming up next called,” I Want Your Man.” (laughing) Don’t worry, it’s not actually based on a true story!
But it’s fun and it’s totally not in my wheelhouse at all. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d write something that wasn’t punk. This song feels more like Samantha Fish, it feels different than my usual stuff. Writing and recording over the last year has opened my mind that there are other realms and genres I should explore.
Zack: Got it. So will these all be singles coming out, or are you putting a new album together?
Marisa: I am putting a new album together and you heard it here first! It’s going to be called, ‘Wife Material.’ (laughing) The irony is it’s not all about being a wife, it’s about all the stuff leading up to being a wife. But I’ll be dropping a few singles first.
That’s just the way music is these days. When you put out an album, unless you’re a major artist like Taylor Swift, it’s a bad move to drop it all at once. Most independent musicians need more of a slow drip to have sustainability — one song at a time. I’m hoping that “Wife Material” will come out sometime between December 2024 and March 2025.
Zack: Awesome, so you are doing everything that you’re passionate about and everything that Rockmommy encompasses. Do you have a message for anyone else who might be reading this and wants to do the same and how to get started? Maybe they are a mom and they like music, but can’t write a song, or just want to start playing music….?
Marisa: Yes! I mean, I have a lot to say. First of all, read Rockmommy!
Every week we interview and talk about Indie moms like Miko Marks, an Americana artist who took a 20-year hiatus and made her big comeback at 48.
My other advice is to get out there. Network as much as you can, play at open mic nights, and — while it isn’t easy — keep the faith.
Also, try to manage expectations: I can’t go on a world tour right now. I just can’t, and I don’t want to. I’m gonna go to my son’s travel baseball tournament this weekend, and to me, that’s way more satisfying than going on a tour of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New England, New York. You know, that’s just where I am in my life. So just be realistic about what you can accomplish.
Zack: “Dairy Queen,” your latest single dropped on May 23rd. Where can we listen to it?
Marisa: Follow Marisa Bloom on Spotify and on iTunes, all the things. You Can follow Marisa Bloom Music on Youtube. And finally, all of the social media channels I’ll list below.
Zack: Well congratulations on the release and good luck!
Marisa: Thanks, babe. This was really fun!
Follow Marisa Bloom on Instagram @marisabloommusic, Facebook @Marisa Bloom, Spotify @Marisa Bloom, and anywhere music can be streamed!
Zack Bloom is a writer and contributor to Rockmommy.
