Both my daughter and I are a little startled when Plush bassist Ashley Suppa leans over the backstage meet-and-greet table, points to her patchwork bass, and says, “Uma, do you want to try it?”
Uma looks at me. I just shrug. “Your interview,” I say. “Go for it.”
We are at the Plush VIP meet-and-greet at the Capital Center Music Hall in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A small group of us have already been given a private acoustic performance by the band of an unreleased song from their upcoming album, Mass Hysteria, which is scheduled for release on Sept. 18.
Peter, the band’s tour manager, tells us to wait until after the rest of the VIPs have met the band and then Uma can have her interview. We didn’t realize Uma would get a bass lesson as well!
Ashley comes around, pulls up a short stool, and instructs Uma to put one leg on the stool to prop up the bass. She then brings the bass over and shows Uma how to hold it and pluck the strings. She helps her with finger placement and chats a bit.
The kid is all smiles. Heck, who wouldn’t be getting a one-on-one lesson from Ashley!
This is our second day following the band. Yesterday, an extended power outage delayed their show for about an hour in Fallston, Maryland. But Uma and the band all got to meet up in the parking lot to say hi and exchange hugs and bead charms Uma had made for them all.
(There was also a hearse in the parking lot that Plush did a photo shoot next to!)
So when we came in today, the band greeted Uma like a little sister, all enthusiasm and smiles.
After their lead guitarist quit the band suddenly last fall, just weeks away from a North American tour, Plush has been rebuilding their sound and stage performance to accommodate a tighter, power trio sound — heavier bass, thicker harmonies, lots of pedal work for lead singer Moriah Formica, who now takes lead and vocals.
The result, based on the one officially released song and several they’ve introduced live, is a more metal soundscape wall, heavy and deeper. Here’s their official music video for the first release off “Mass Hysteria,” the very metal Animalistic. We recommend you play this loud!
Back in Harrisburg, the VIP line has all had their turn, and Uma and the three members of Plush — Ashley Suppa (bass), Faith Powell (drums), and Moriah Formica (lead vocals and guitar) — get comfortable. Several members of the crew and even some VIP fans gather on the outskirts to listen in.
This would be Uma’s first face-to-face interview, and she wanted to be sure to remember her questions. So, weeks earlier, she had written them down, and I typed them up on an interview sheet for her, but for the most part she doesn’t need much help. She glances a few times at the sheet but asks the questions as she likes, in her own voice. I turn my recorder app on, place my phone between Uma and the band, and the interview you’ll read below is, for the most part, word-for-word, in Uma’s and the band’s voice.
I step back out of the way, and Uma begins.
Plush opens up backstage about their Mass Hysteria tour, recording new music as a trio, and life on the road
Uma Szczesny: You guys are on a new tour and Major Moment is opening for you guys. How did you come together with Major Moment?
Moriah Formica: We played a couple shows with them last year as well, on the “Find the Beautiful Tour,” and we just really meshed and the vibe was sick. They were willing to come out on this tour, and it just worked out that way!
Faith Powell: We love having them!
Ashley Suppa: They’re super fun; they are just great! Super energy; they get the crowd so super energized for our set!
Uma: What song off the new album is your favorite to play, and do each of you have a favorite song off the new album?
Moriah: Oh gosh, I’ll say mine that we play live are “Severance” and “Animalistic.”
Faith: Definitely “Animalistic” for me too. That one hits so hard, the bridge! I love looking at you guys; it gives me so much energy. I feel like we play off each other; it’s so much fun!
Ashley: I’d say mine is “Mass Hysteria” and “Animalistic!”
Uma: So, Ashley has her own song (Severance) on this album. Are there any more songs like that, and what’s your writing process?
Ashley: I do have my own song, which was super fun! I guess the writing process for the album in general was just us getting into the studio; a lot of demos were prepared. And then once we got there, the studio is like this magical little bubble where things just start to happen!
Moriah: It’s a place where you dig into the foundation a little bit, rip it up, and find the right things to go into a song.
Uma: Your guys’ merch is excellent! Is there any new or special merch coming out for this new era?
Moriah: I will say I do love the new t-shirts that we have with… remember you did the ones with the little wings? That’s my favorite new merch. We were talking about getting mugs the other day!
Ashley: Mug shot mugs!
Uma: We’ve asked Major Moment this question about you guys, so we’re going to ask you as well. Do you have a favorite Major Moment song?
Moriah: Mine is “Promises” or “Not That Broken.”
Faith: I’d say “Promises” too; it gets stuck in my head every day!
Moriah: I know, right? I wake up singing it and go to bed singing it!
Ashley: I was like YES, because we were all going to say the same song!
Uma: For a fan who has never attended a Plush show, what would they expect?
Moriah: I think at least for this new album and the new music we’re playing, it’s definitely a lot more heavy. Definitely, we try to have some [stage] energy. Actually, we were looking at new moves yesterday! (They all laugh.)
Uma: Like the moves in the parking lot yesterday?
Moriah: Oh my God, that’s so funny and embarrassing that you saw that! It’s actually even worse than what you saw in the parking lot!
Ashley: I’ll show you the video in a sec. We just want to have fun and rock out and forget about everything that’s happening outside the concert.
Moriah: Concerts and music, I feel like, is the one place you can go to — and has been from the beginning of time — is the one place you can go to to forget about the outside world and have a good time together as one! As cheesy as it sounds, it’s actually true!
Uma: What was it like driving the hearse? (The band got to drive a huge black hearse in Fallston the day before.)
Moriah: At first it was a little rocky because it wasn’t an automatic, and then I got the hang of it! I can just nap in the back. Maybe it’ll be our new tour vehicle!
The band has to get ready for the show, and it’s nearly time for general admission doors to open. But they all come out from behind the tables first to show us on their phone the stage ‘moves’ Moriah had referenced. The video is hilarious, but they swear us to secrecy!
After a bit, they all give us hugs, and I make sure to take a moment to thank both the band and their management for giving Uma this chance and all this attention. What a night we have ahead of us!
To close out, we’ve posted the rest of the tour dates below. If Major Moment and Plush, or just either of them on their own, come anywhere near you, jump on the chance to catch them. Tickets are reasonable, most views will be excellent, and both bands love and treat their fans well.
Tell ‘em Uma and Dan sent ya and ask them to show you their moves!
Interviews By Uma is a regular question-and-answer feature developed by 11-year-old Uma Szczesny and formatted and managed by her journalist dad. The column and Substack focus on interviews between Uma and some of her favorite musicians, artists, and teachers. Uma is also a kid reporter for Manchester Ink Link and has written for Paperjam Magazine. Her interviews have been published in several media journals and newspapers in the United States and Canada. For more information on Interviews By Uma, to read her archive, or to propose or suggest an interview, email interviewsbyuma@gmail.com
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