They’re Boston’s most unlikely supergroup. Composed of veteran musicians, each coming from a different musical background, Bodega Girls formed in 2008 to create the one genre of music that none of them had ever attempted: electronic dance rock.
Jake Brennan was a roots rocker. Evan Kenney played punk and noise. Jay Cannava was known for heavier music. And Mac Carroll still raps on the side.
A surprising detour in sound from their previous bands, Bodega Girls deliver catchy hedonistic electro-rock. Stumbling from the straight and narrow, their music is a sweaty mix of sex, drugs and dancing. Their party anthems focus on decadent nights and unapologetic morning-afters.
“Evan and I hung out for awhile before we found ways to get creative. Eventually, we found creative ways to almost kill ourselves with drugs and alcohol,” says Brennan. “We were making music, but none of us could play drums. Honestly, that was the necessity that became the mother of invention. I never even listened to electronic music.”
Kenney says the sound is “different from everything we were used to playing, but it’s also a merger of everything we grew up loving.”
It’s hotter when it’s live
With a handful of videos and five singles available online, a full-length vinyl release looms on the horizon. But it’s their energetic live shows that have come to define the Bodega Girls experi-ence. And with the recent addition of Car- men O’Connor, a self-proclaimed “hot mess” and sassy lead singer, Bodega Girls performances are even wilder.
“There’s an energy there when the instrumentation is all live,”?says Kenney. “I recently watched an electronic band plug and unplug cables onstage during their entire set. … We provide more of a soulful rock show.”
