With Hopscotch right around the corner, and WKNC’s Day Party at Legends following closely in its wake– how better to promote both events than by give y’all a lil’ insight into our Day Party Line-up!
WKNC’s Day Party description is as follows.
This year has been full of milestones, and WKNC aims to celebrate them all. 2019 held Raleigh’s first ever Pride Festival, was the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and marks ten years of Hopscotch. With this in mind, WKNC’s Hopscotch Day Party aims to promote and celebrate LGBTQ+ affiliated artists from across the state to keep the Pride Party going all year long! Featuring Petrov, Emily Musolino, Juxton Roy, Through the Tallwoods, Black Bouquet, and To Julian, the party will be hosted on Saturday, September 7th at Legends Club. This event is all-ages and supported by the NC State GLBT Center.
This will be a series up until the Day Party, so the questions will be the same, but we can guarantee that every artist will add their own personal flare to each answer.
Petrov, hailing from Charlotte, calls themselves “thicc rocc” which, although a joking title, is rather true. A sensual blend of guitars and smooth vocals overlayed onto a disco-inspired drum line makes it impossible not to dance. Petrov is our headliner for obvious reasons.
- Give us a lil rundown of how your band got formed! When/where/how/why!
Craigslist actually was the original common thread of how we formed. Our guitar players Syd Little and Michael Backlund were in a band in Boone called Borrowed Arts. They both moved back to Charlotte and posted a Craigslist ad about wanting to start a new band. Garrett Herzfeld, the drummer, responded to the ad not even knowing that he had already played shows with them in the past. They all posted another Craigslist ad for a bass player (answered by Matt McConomy, who happened to already be familiar with the dudes as well), and then finally Mary Grace McKusick answered Garrett’s Facebook post about needing a vocalist. She had never been in a band before, but was encouraged by her friend to push through her hesitations worrying Garrett might think of her as not much more than just his good friend’s little sister. But we are so glad she did because she ended up being the perfect fit. And thus Petrov was born.
- What can an audience member expect from one of your shows?
Audiences watching a Petrov show can expect an excitingly punchy rhythm section, dueling yet complementary guitars, and an aggressively entertaining frontperson passionately belting out her feelings on topics important to her.
- Do you see performance as a task or an endeavor? In that vein, what part about performing is most challenging or liberating?
We see performances as a welcomed endeavor. The feeling between performer and audience is irreplaceable. The biggest challenge is definitely between-song banter.
- What does Pride mean to you? How do you embody those meanings in your music? In your everyday life?
Mary Grace: Pride means to embrace anything and everything about yourself. Our song “By All Means” is about me coming into my queer identity and relationships and moments that have shaped myself into said identity. I show pride in my everyday life by being unapologetic and owning the space I take up.
- What are you most excited about during Hopscotch?
Mary Grace: Acne
Garrett: Sunwatchers, Boris, Little Brother - For the tenth anniversary of Hopscotch, what would you ten years ago think about you now?
Hopefully the “us” of ten years ago would feel more approval than disappointment about our current selves.
- Please list some fun facts about your band
The name “Petrov” comes from Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet officer who in 1983 trusted his gut that a nuclear missile alert warning that the United States had launched missiles was a false alarm. His decision to disobey orders by not immediately retaliating went against Soviet protocol, but most likely prevented full-scale nuclear war. So thanks, Stanny.
You can learn more about Petrov by visiting their Facebook page or Instagram (@petrovclt) and, of course, by attending WKNC’s Hopscotch Day Party. It will be held at Legends Club on Saturday, September 7th and begins at noon!
Dance tonight (on Saturday), revolution tomorrow.
https://petrovclt.bandcamp.com/releases
