REVOLT WINE CO.

Q: Save Ferris has been a staple of the ska & punk scene since 1995! Back when the band started out, what were your biggest challenges and how did you face them?

A: Well, you know, I was like 19 when I joined the band. Probably within a year of being in a band we got signed, and we were getting played on radio everywhere, and we were touring everywhere. I just really hadn’t found my voice yet as a person. So, that might’ve been my biggest struggle: not really knowing how to ask for what I needed. I wasn’t insulated. I didn’t have a lot of protection around me. It was very easy to get lost in that. Not in the ego part of it, but the insecurity part of it. Coming back now, I’m almost 50. If I haven’t found my voice, I should probably find a new career. I have so much respect for these other artists that start out so young, and they really seem to have their shit together.

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Q: When you say, “your voice,” do you mean your voice as an artist or your voice to stand up for yourself?

A: It’s kind of both, but not really both. Singing has always been where I feel most comfortable, and most suited for this world. I feel if I’m singing, I have a reason and a purpose for being here. It’s the other stuff that comes along with that. The business stuff, and having to be a boss. Like, literally boss people around. I’m not good at it. I just want everyone to like me. So, getting my needs met, and also things that were important for my own self care was difficult for me to ask for. I just didn’t know how. I just wanted everyone to like me, and I didn’t want to make any waves. The truth of the matter is the people who didn’t like me weren’t gonna like me anyway, no matter how nice I was to them, and the people who did like me were always going to like me. I’ve learned how to mean what I say, and say what I mean, but not say it mean. I don’t really bring my gender into conversations often, but at that time in the 90’s the gender struggle was very real. So, learning how to communicate with people of the opposite gender took some nuance sometimes. Every once in a while you meet someone who just automatically treated you with respect.

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Q: You guys did a live album at The Belly Up in 2021, and now you’re playing here tonight. We love San Diego venues. Is this your favorite?

A: Well, I can say this place always sounds good. They’ve always spared no expense when it comes to staff, crew, equipment. Everybody knows what they’re doing. I’m assuming they like their jobs because they’re really good at it. It’s always been like that here. So, this is a great sounding venue. So many props to the new here. I love this place.

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Q: Of all the places music has taken you over the years, what are some of your favorite places?

A: Playing Indonesia. We went to Bali in the 90’s, and that was pretty awesome. And then being able to go back – we played Bendung, and then going to Bali, and then doing a vacation with the whole band for 10 days was just this incredible experience. For me it was spiritual, and wonderful, fun, and funny. I’m always amazed when we sell out a show somewhere, so playing venues that wouldn’t even book Save Ferris at one point, like The Glass House in Pomona. There was a time when they wouldn’t even book me. And then selling it out tomorrow night is pretty rad. When I brought the band back, there was just a lot of controversy around it. Needless controversy. Being able to sell out the House of Blues in Orange County is sort of rad because you think maybe it is about the music and the performance. It’s funny because my expectations of these shows were so low that I didn’t even plan costumes or order enough merch because I thought, “nobody wants to see Save Ferris.” Then I was like, “wow, I think both shows are gonna sell out. Oh man. I need to go shopping.” I’m almost afraid to get too excited about it. There’s also going to be shows in places where nobody shows up. Touring is weird like that. It’s strange. You sort of never know. You’re playing a new city maybe you’ve never played before. In between the big shows you have to book little towns, and those little towns really humble you. You gotta work for your dinner. You gotta win them over.

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Q: When the band went on a Hiatus in 2019 you took on other pursuits in the music industry. Can you tell us a little bit about those experiences seeing music from the other side of things.

A: I feel at home on that side of it as well because for me, I just like the sing, and I’m a trained singer. So, to sing backup for somebody is just as fun as singing lead sometimes because you get to experience new kinds of songwriting and new styles of singing. I like it. It’s a challenge. Go in and sound like this person because you’re ghosting their voice. We were just talking about the Used records I sang on. I’m like, “I’m the singer for Save Ferris. How did this happen?” But it’s really cool. It’s a cool little thing.

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Q: REVOLT Wines is all about rejecting the norm and traditions, and being yourself. How have you stayed true to who you are over the years, and reject things like imposter syndrome?

A: mposter syndrome – that’s very easy for me. I feel like every once in a while I really have to put myself in check. “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, Monique. You’re doing alright.” Not ordering enough merch, or not getting costumes for the show because I thought nobody was gonna show up. Let’s just enjoy this and be prepared for the next time. Because who knows? It could be getting better. It could be going up from here or it could be normalizing. In 25 years, my experience has been that the universe has never not provided for me. I’ve always been cared for. So, as long as I just make sure to be present and practice acceptance constantly instead of trying to change everything all the time. That’s not necessary. Sometimes I like to sit back and just take a nice breath. But, every once in a while you have to just say, “fuck you.”

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Q: What advice do you have for young artists that you wish you knew in 1995. Any advice for women getting into the music industry?

Make sure you find your people. The people that you want around you are the people that tell you the truth. It’s very easy to be surround by a bunch of people that tell you what you want to hear to your face, and then as soon as you walk away they say what they really mean to someone else. So, it’s important when you find those people to hold on tightly to them. Do whatever it takes to maintain your friendship. Those are the kind of friendships that you want. If you come from a good family with a lot of support, you need to stay very close. Stay very grounded with that. All of the most successful female artists that I know of are people who had a support system from the beginning. Learn how to communicate. Be a good communicator and learn how to read people. If you can read people then you can understand what their language is, and how to communicate with them to get your needs met. We have to be able to protect ourselves. There’s a lot of situations that can happen where you’re around people that maybe aren’t the best for you, or maybe not the best thing for your career to be in a certain situation. You have to be able to say, “this doesn’t work for me,” and not beat yourself up about it. That’s the worst part for me.