- [Narrator]} This is a production Of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

(rock music) - Welcome to Levitt In Your Living Room.

I am your host Apolonia Davalos.

We love kicking off each episode with gratitude.

So first a sincere thank you to our sponsors, Dan and Arlene Kirby, the South Dakota Arts Council, and of course, the Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation.

The Levitt Shell Sioux Falls is part of a national network of outdoor Levitt music venues and concert sites dedicated to strengthening the social fabric of communities.

Presenting a broad array of musical genres and cultural programming, Levitt venues bring together families, friends, neighbors of all ages and backgrounds.

Learn more at levitt.org.

Now our blood is fire.

As we dive into neon thoughts because summer never dies with The Foxies.

Electrifying stages at Sundance, Bonnaroo, South By Southwest, Levitt At The Falls, and touring this summer with Billy Idol.

Rock and roll is very much alive.

Introducing the goth disco genre, preaching empowerment, we are hyped to welcome The Foxies.

- Oh you just gave me chills on my kneecaps.

(woman laughs) - Thank you all for being with us today.

We are so excited to have you in studio.

- Thank you.

- Yeah, thanks for having us here.

- That was the best intro.

- I will be your ultimate hype woman any time.

- Always, please.

- You guys are amazing.

So this is our first time meeting you for, especially for those watching, how was The Foxies found?

How does this beautiful connection come together?

- I think it was complete kismet, honestly.

Like we all did our own thing.

We have tons of different musical backgrounds and stories.

And one day I started a musical journey in Phoenix, Arizona in 2014, but I didn't have a band.

So I had an opportunity to move to Nashville in 2016, found this dude, found this dude, and then we became The Foxies.

- It's a very slimmed down version.

- I know, I was really proud of myself, - Yeah, it was good.

- It's usually not that short.

(women laugh) - Well through that process, music is therapy, right?

There's a lot that goes within our minds, our hearts, our journey, even what brought you together in Nashville.

Do you have a story of how music has been a healing instrument in your life that you can share with us?

- I think it's just literally bleeding your emotions on paper.

Like the cool thing about writing songs and what we finally found together, this past year, is the fact that there are really no limits to what you can and can't say.

It's your platform to preach.

And to tell people how you feel and bring light to certain situations and mental illnesses and all that other stuff.

So I think, yeah, that's a really big thing for me.

It's like freedom on paper.

- I think there was more of that in the last year.

- Yeah, than there's ever been.

- I feel like we've all, probably at least the three of us, we're such big fans of music.

It rivals our musicianship, I think, our fandom.

But over the last year all we really could have done was just write and create stuff.

- And listen.

- Yeah, it became our therapy.

- And so did you hear throughout that process, as you're releasing music, continuing to share, where you also hearing from your fans too about the effect that your music was having on their lives?

Do you have a story you can share with what they've reached out to you and said about how much their music has made a difference for them?

- I mean, I think everything that we read has been something that's made us very, very happy and reminds us why we do what we do.

For example, when we released Timothee Chalamet, that song, I mean, that was like in the middle of the darkness of the pandemic.

And we just wanted to release that song because it kind of was an escape for everybody's reality.

And people brought that up in comments and messages.

They were like, "this allowed me to escape What was really going on in the world right now."

And we were like, "good, dance.

Dance for three minutes and forget everything if you have to."

- Yeah, that was a time when a lot of people were writing about the pandemic or writing about, you know, just the trials and tribulations, whether it be the whole community, the whole world, or just use individual.

- Which was cool.

- Yeah, which is good and we needed that, but, you know, we heard so much of that and we were in this place where we just wanted to put out something that kind of had no meaning really in a way, but just kind of like, "let's just have fun."

- But in reality, it was a big meaning.

- Yeah, there was more depth for sure.

But to us, it was just like, yeah, "let's just have a good time and throw out a really good, fun tune."

- And so for this new album that has come out, how has this been a different milestone for you than the previous tracks that you have released?

- "Growing Up Is Dead", wow.

What do you feel?

I'm gonna let you start this one.

- Wow.

- What do you feel, Rob?

(women laugh) - Well, it's kinda funny because we wrote the majority of the record in LA on a writing trip.

It was supposed to be just like a short trip and it actually came out to be a full EP and we loved all the tunes.

We had way more than we needed actually.

- Yeah.

- We had to actually go and slim out a lot of the songs, but you know, the title "Growing Up Is Dead," It just kind of shows just our attitudes and personality where there's so much pressure on an individual to grow up and be a certain way or the American dream or this dream.

I think we're just kind of laying that to rest.

Like the "Summer Never Dies," these logos, these things that we're saying to these people, this is something more than just like a certain path.

There's freedom.

- I think that like with every piece of work that we release is a different metamorphosis into who we are supposed to become.

And the biggest inspiration for me on that is David Bowie.

He would release so many different pieces of work and he would look different, he would change his aesthetic, he would change his being because simply he was just bored of who he was before.

And he hadn't reached who his top self was, you know?

So it's like, I think with all of our EP's and singles, we're getting a little bit closer to who we are supposed to be, but we're supposed to be that person at that moment.

So it's a very transcendental moment for us.

And each time we release something, it's a learning situation and it's a time of growth too.

- I think there's something there where it's like, it would set the time.

If you asked us that question, maybe a year ago, we would've said, "well, we finally feel like we know who we are," or something And I don't think that's incorrect, but I think that, like what she's saying, is there is this perpetual or like, I guess it's a continuous nature to what we do where every time we put something out, hopefully, we just feel like we're maybe a little bit better at doing it, you know?

And not that one thing is weaker, but that was a moment that we captured as is the next thing that we'll do and the thing that we did last month or something.

- Yeah, it keeps it moving in a way.

I mean, it gets stagnant when you're kind of in this place, writing the same stuff and it's just helpful that we're always growing and changing and it's not like you meet this place.

We're just kind of always changing.

- Yeah.

- It's 'cause we're artists, we're never satisfied.

That's literally our downfall.

We're never satisfied.

- Right.

- That's true, yeah.

I mean, if you talk to anybody, who's someone older than us, I remember a piece of advice.

Somebody says, "never stop growing, never stop learning."

And they say that's how you keep your mind moving.

And it's so true.

You keep everything, keep yourself growing mentally and physically.

Puts you in a good place.

- You kicked us off with our first song we're gonna introduce, "Summer Never Dies," before we take a listen, is there anything you want to about that number?

- To me, I feel like "Summer Never Dies" is finding that time capsule that you buried when it was your favorite summer ever.

And you're finding it many, many years later and you're like, "I relive every single moment."

And whether it's with one person or my best friends that is that's basically the ode to them and being able to relive that.

- Wow, we're gonna enter a time capsule.

Let's listen to "Summer Never Dies."

♪ Ice cold, heart in a cage ♪ ♪ Hasn't beat since '98 ♪ ♪ I tiptoe like everybody's watching ♪ ♪ So cut me open, won't you cut me open?

♪ ♪ We can never, we can never, never, never ♪ ♪ Be friends again, friends again ♪ ♪ So rest in peace to you and me ♪ ♪ Bittersweet, the memories, and history ♪ ♪ 'Cause ♪ ♪ Tonight I'm taking my chances ♪ ♪ Black light, tongue-tied and romancing ♪ ♪ No time, we're stuck in this moment ♪ ♪ Summer never dies when I'm with you ♪ ♪ Pink skies in your eyes, I'm helpless ♪ ♪ I know you know you're my weakness ♪ ♪ No time, we're stuck in this moment ♪ ♪ Summer never dies when I'm with you ♪ ♪ Summer never dies ♪ ♪ Keep out, don't do it twice ♪ ♪ I can't help when the wrong feels right so I ♪ ♪ Tiptoe like everybody's watching ♪ ♪ Heat waves don't come around often ♪ ♪ We can never, we can never, never, never ♪ ♪ Be friends again, friends again ♪ ♪ So rest in peace to you and me ♪ ♪ Bittersweet, the memories, and history ♪ ♪ 'Cause ♪ ♪ Tonight I'm taking my chances ♪ ♪ Black light, tongue-tied and romancing ♪ ♪ No time, we're stuck in this moment ♪ ♪ Summer never dies when I'm with you ♪ ♪ Pink skies in your eyes, I'm helpless ♪ ♪ I know you know you're my weakness ♪ ♪ No time, we're stuck in this moment ♪ ♪ Summer never dies when I'm with you ♪ ♪ Summer never dies ♪ ♪ Summer never ♪ ♪ Summer never dies ♪ ♪ Summer never dies ♪ ♪ When I'm with you, I come alive ♪ ♪ Summer never dies ♪ ♪ When I'm with you, I come alive ♪ ♪ Tonight I'm taking my chances ♪ ♪ Black light, tongue-tied and romancing ♪ ♪ No time, we're stuck in this moment ♪ ♪ Summer never dies when I'm with you ♪ ♪ Pink skies in your eyes, I'm helpless ♪ ♪ I know you know you're my weakness ♪ ♪ No time, we're stuck in this moment ♪ ♪ Summer never dies when I'm with you ♪ ♪ Summer never dies ♪ ♪ Summer never ♪ ♪ Summer never dies ♪ - Thank you guys so very much.

- Ah, "Summer Never Dies."

What a great song, who does not have fun with that?

I have to ask, the music video for this, with the zombie, how did that enter the creative atmosphere?

- I think that whenever we have band meetings in the studio or on the phone or we're talking about what to do next, somebody usually has like a random idea or a bunch of them.

- Did you point to me?

- I mean, I'm just pointing in this direction.

- Oh, it's very random always.

- And it might be me.

You know, I think like you throw stuff against the wall and something sticks.

And as long as you're not precious about which ideas are going to stick, the best one probably will.

And that one's stuck for the time that we were working on the video.

- I mean, Ryan, our director who is my best friend and a roommate when I lived in Brooklyn.

He was living in LA at the time and he was like, "I'll do a video for you guys.

Free, let's just create something cool."

And he was the one was like, "it would be really cool if we had a monster in this video" and we're like, "that's dope, but one of the songs that we're going to be releasing is called 'Little Monsters' so maybe we shouldn't do that, but we can have a zombie."

And he was like, "all right."

- Yeah, I think we went from monster to Grim Reaper and then we were like, "Grim Reaper's could be really poorly done.

Let's not do that."

But in a way, I was like, "man, the Grim Reaper.

Dead, death.

'Summer Never Dies.'"

And then we were like, "maybe just a zombie, it's kind of quirky.

Everybody loves zombies."

Zombie craze in America, I guess.

- Yeah, there is.

Who does not love, you know, it's a whole thing to its own.

- Hocus Pocus Billy.

You remember Billy from Hocus Pocus, the zombie?

- Yeah.

- Oh my gosh.

- That's what we.

- Yes.

- Mhm, our Zombie's name is Zilly in the video.

- It stems off of Billy.

- You guys are perfect.

(group laughs) That is so cool.

Your music and all that you create is truly for everyone.

A time capsule, indeed.

Yes.

So with your genre of music, this goth disco, how did this come about?

Can you explain to us a little bit more what that means?

(women laugh) - This one's funny.

- That's another one of that like kinda.

I always call it, yeah.

- Throw word vomit to the wall and see what sticks.

- There's truth to it though.

- Yeah, it's music that makes you want to dance, but it's not so shiny.

You know?

It's like if The Cure was falling in love or if Morrissey was buying flowers for a woman, you know?

It's just like, "okay, this is a vibe.

I like this."

You know?

So that's how we came up with goth disco, but that was just kind of like the vibe that we were in at the time.

I mean, ultimately in our veins, it's glitter punk, it's cotton candy with a side of edge.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

There's also this debate about, "is rock dead?"

Right?

That's kind of taking place.

And what are your thoughts on that?

And are you the muse to re-enliven the rock in a new prime.

- That's nice.

I mean, we would be honored to carry that flag, you know?

But I think music is so for us, at least for me, it's so fluid.

So I've heard people say that rock and roll was dead.

And I do understand that as a genre, it's not what's "happening" right now, but I hear great rock and roll music all the time.

We tour with great rock and roll bands.

I feel like we make some of my favorite rock music.

And even the thing about goth disco or glitter punk, I don't really know how to describe what we do, but I know that we're really serious about doing it.

So when it comes to rock and roll, it's like, this sounds just about as rock and roll as anything I've heard.

So I haven't heard that it's dead.

I mean, maybe it's just like, you gotta look a little harder to find it.

- I think that's the biggest thing.

It's like, there are bands that are bringing rock back because for a very long time, rock was sleeping, you know?

It was like the full rock and roll was sleeping and now being rock just basically means standing for what you believe in and being able to use your voice and being serious about what you do.

Whereas before, rock and roll was "sex, drugs, and rock roll."

You know?

Like now it's like, "okay, we stand for something, join us."

- Yeah.

And it's interesting hearing you guys say those point of views.

I mean, there really are bands that have kind of stuck around through the time.

And it's interesting.

I use this example with a lot of my friends when we're discussing music and the shifts that it goes through.

But you think about the pop radio when we grew up and it was anything from Michael Jackson to Backstreet Boys to Third Eye Blind to Creed.

Any of those and it was everything, you know?

You could go from pop to indy to like some digital rock with any of those bands.

It's so crazy.

And now you have very specific channels, playlists that's only rock and roll or this and that.

And then you can't get that variety that you used to.

You know, you'd throw it on the top playlist and it would be everything.

Now it's like top playlist is the new rappers of the day.

So it's really interesting.

- It's very interesting how music just continues, like you said, evolve and constantly changing.

Which you as artists, grow with it and kind of make it your own.

You really can't put anything in a box.

- That's one thing I love about now.

I feel like you used to maybe be able to do that, but I think genre seems so fluid.

It feels almost like a word that's gonna get outdated.

- Oh yeah, genre as a whole?

It's just music, right.

- You're just trying to just put things in aisles in stores, but come on.

I mean, there's country artists doing songs with hip hop artists and pop artists doing songs with R and B artists.

And I don't know, when you music, when you do it, that's what it is, you know?

- Yeah.

There's those major crossovers.

So really, music is just reaching everybody.

- Truly.

Yeah.

- Thank God.

(woman laughs) - We just want to make good songs.

Whether it's rock and roll, indie, goth disco, Whatever you want to call it.

- We just want to make people happy.

That's the biggest thing.

We want people to be seen, be heard and feel seen and heard, you know?

That's what we want.

- So "Screws" is another fun song of yours.

What was the inspiration behind this one?

- You said it really good on the phone to somebody yesterday and I can't remember what it was, but you said it's the song of embracing our individuality as who we are as humans.

I'm weird.

We're all weird, which is why we get along.

- I'm not weird at all.

- I think last summer, when we were writing that week, Julia and I were feeling like, "this is such a strange thing that we're doing."

We're trying to write music that everybody's gonna hear.

We want to be a band that everybody knows, but we're, we're pretty in touch with how, just kind of bizarre we are and how not really up the middle we are as people.

We're so much more mainstream musicians than we are as human beings.

I feel like that's the song that came from that.

We're alternative to the mainstream.

(group laughs) - Alternative to the mainstream.

- We're pleasant, but we're kinda weirdos.

- Yeah we're pleasant, but we'd rather be sitting on our butts, doing nothing, watching TV by ourselves.

- What's TV?

- What's TV?

You know what?

Let's get weird.

We're gonna watch this, "Screws."

♪ My screws are loose, I think that I ♪ ♪ Swallowed a few and made you lie, oh ♪ ♪ Or maybe back when I was five ♪ ♪ 'Cause I've never been like all of the other guys ♪ ♪ Or anybody else, I'm talkin' to myself ♪ ♪ The liquor on my shelf is makin' faces at me ♪ ♪ My screws are loose, I know that I ♪ ♪ Got more to lose before I die oh, yeah ♪ ♪ I bought myself some roller blades ♪ ♪ So I could learn to rollerskate, oh ♪ ♪ Just like I did when I was ten ♪ ♪ Now both my wrists are broke again, oh ♪ ♪ It's a quarter-life crisis, I'm talkin' to myself ♪ ♪ The liquor on my shelf is makin' faces at me ♪ ♪ My screws are loose, I know that I ♪ ♪ Got more to lose before I die, oh ♪ ♪ My screws are loose, it's not a drill ♪ ♪ Don't wanna take your crazy pill, oh ♪ ♪ Sometimes it's kinda crazy 'cause it's like beep bop ♪ ♪ Into my brain ♪ ♪ Beep bop into my brain, beep bop into my brain ♪ ♪ My eyes sometimes hurt when I lie ♪ ♪ Awake in my bed, I don't mind ♪ ♪ Beep, beep, bop into, beep, beep bop into ♪ ♪ In my mind, all the time, I don't mind ♪ ♪ My screws are loose, I know that I ♪ ♪ Got more to lose before I die, oh ♪ ♪ My screws are loose, it's not a drill ♪ ♪ Don't wanna take your crazy pill, oh ♪ ♪ My screws are loose, I know that I ♪ ♪ Got more to lose before I die, oh ♪ ♪ My screws are loose, it's not a drill ♪ ♪ Don't wanna take your crazy pill, oh ♪ ♪ Hmm ♪ ♪ You good?

♪ (audience applauds) - I just love each and every number.

You guys bring such fun and there's also so much thoughtfulness to your lyrics as well.

So thank you for that.

Your music is definitely something you need to listen to more than once to kind of pick up all the different things that you contribute.

So you have a tour coming up with Billy Idol this summer.

How did that opportunity present itself?

- Our manager flexed, he flexed hard.

He was like "Billy Idol time."

I think that's how it happened, right?

- Somebody knows somebody that knows somebody and says, "Hey, I have this thing."

And they needed an opener and we needed to add some shows in a spot when we didn't have any gigs.

We're the luckiest people on earth for that.

- I say, Charles and I talked yesterday and this is just new to me, but you remember when he asked us like, who you would love to tour with, right?

- Yeah.

That was one of Julia's choices.

And he said to me yesterday, because there's one that I won't even mention that's literally one of my favorite bands of all time that has been in the talks.

And I'm like, "yes, Lord.

Yes."

I'm like, "whatever, let's go for it."

So it's, it's crazy.

Charles is just making those phone calls and making it happen so.

- Well, it also just shows that like, when you believe in something and you're passionate, you won't let anything get in the way.

So, and Billy Idol, we're coming for you.

- Billy Idol fans, we're coming for you.

- It's time.

- And you know what I would like to mention, be sure to check them out, thefoxiesband.com.

You want to follow their journey as they continue to create, make music, tour with Billy Idol.

They've going to be in probably in a city near you.

And want to thank our sponsors for this opportunity of bringing them here with us today.

Dan and Arlene Kirby, the South Dakota Arts Council, and of course, the Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation.

So another question for you guys, and we touched on this a little bit, but there is a wonderful creativity through visual storytelling through your art.

And so has there been an idea that you have introduced to your audience through videos and things like that that just kind of blew you out of the water on that artistic perspective?

- That is a really good question.

You're thinking of something.

You've got words on your tongue.

- No, no.

It's just interesting because Julia is such a visionary.

it's like here's where it lives and then this is where it comes to fruition, you know?

'Cause I do a lot of that stuff, but I don't know.

It's whatever goes on in her brain, that that stuff is, it's amazing what comes out of there.

- It's weird.

It's going back to like the whole "Screws" thing when very individualistic and unique people don't understand, but it's like they do.

And even if they don't, they work to understand.

And I think that that's the biggest thing and why not only do our songs are that they're cohesive, but they're cohesive with our visuals too.

And he's really big on that.

He's like everything has to be cohesive and I'm like, "cool, I'll think of something random and then we'll figure out how to tie it together."

But at the same time, nobody wants to see the same stuff.

Like remember "Learn To Fly" by Foo Fighters?

That was a freaking amazing music video.

Nobody had ever done that stuff before.

So that's a huge inspiration of mine.

Where it's like don't take yourself too seriously, do something cool, don't be afraid to push boundaries or push the door open just a little bit more.

If it's a bad decision or it's a bad idea, they'll say it's a bad idea.

It's okay.

- Creativity is weird.

I mean, I think we're working towards this thing that we can't necessarily describe, but we know it when we hit it.

So with the music, I certainly feel that.

And then I think with the visual stuff, I certainly know when I see it.

Maybe I'm the weakest at verbalizing it, but when I see something, whether it's a piece of art or a video or whatever, I'm like, "oh yeah, that's that's for The Foxies.

That's it now."

And it's the same with the music.

A lot of times it becomes very yes or no and there's nothing really else you can say about it, which is hard to communicate to people, but when you see it, it's there.

- You know.

And you did a thing on YouTube, "The Foxy Features," right?

Was that just you or is that other people kind of bringing their ideas to the table?

- We collaborated on that one.

- We collaborated with some people.

It kind of filtered and started from our ideas.

It was like our little puddle.

It was like a little, "okay, this is what we kind of want to do.

You bring yourself into it."

You know?

But we definitely, it was like, co-writing.

It was "co-producing with other creatives."

(woman laughs) - I love that.

- Yeah.

- So tell us about the song "Overrated."

What is it?

This is a new one, what is this one about?

- No, this is all you girl.

- Okay, cool.

Well, we wrote this one together.

We wrote this with a team in LA called The Gifted.

Just kind of showing how quickly life can pass you by when you're living in the technological world or social media, how everybody works to be this certain way and they're never really in tune with how they actually feel.

- Spot on.

- Thanks.

- We we're talking about specifically TikTok, which has given us and so many other artists, a platform, a foot in the door, and so many great things.

But I think what we were wrestling with that particular week was like, "oh my God, you put something on the internet and by the end of like 48 hours later, it's old news."

And that was kind of where that song came from.

We felt old, like that is so quick.

- It's just like fighting to live for the instant gratification, which is not the reason why we do what we do.

We want longevity and it's like now everybody's living in that "I want it.

I want it now world."

But I mean, you're gonna burn out faster than you started.

- Yeah, it's true.

It's a pitfall.

- It's also interesting 'cause someone who did get sucked in really hard into the music side of social media, as a musician, it's really easy to take a 15 second capture and make it seem like the best thing ever and really not have the rest of the package.

And you know, we were an established band that has toured and then now we're trying to pick up this other piece called social media, you know?

That we're trying to do and it's really interesting.

So for us, it's almost like we've seen this part of the music side of it, it's almost overrated to dive into that.

They're people, so.

- Everyone's instantly overrated.

- Yeah.

Well, we've got a lot to think about.

Ladies and gentlemen, "Overrated."

(high energy rock music) - I'm so thankful for how your music continues to cause reflection.

Self-reflection and your notes or your thoughts about social media too, this instant gratification, or we are all overrated.

Maybe we just need to spend more time with ourselves.

This needs to grow, you know?

- [Julia] Self-love.

- Self-love, mhm.

And so through your musical journey, and on that note about this constant social media grab and addiction, if you will, how important have relationships been in staying connected with everyone that continues to keep your music authentic and establish that long-term sustainability that you were talking about?

- I mean, thankfully technology and social media is great because it allows us to keep in touch with our friends and we call all the fans, friends, like there's no such thing as a fan.

That does not exist in our world.

Everybody who joins us and likes our music is instantly part of the family and we want them to know that.

So social media has been wonderful with that, but it is very, very difficult because there is a certain sense of, I'm gonna say the word, shallowness, that you put on, you know?

Like you read something and you don't really get to take it in because you have to read the next thing two seconds later, two seconds later.

And then you finally get that message where it's like, you finally get that moment to sit and think, and you're like, "oh my God, we're doing what we're supposed to be doing.

And it might be really difficult, but we need to try to focus on every single message the same way that this person hit us or that person hit us."

So it's a beautiful, bittersweet symphony.

(woman laughs) - [Apolonia] Bittersweet.

- Yes.

- Speaking to the relationships of this band, through COVID and being able to see these guys every day, and whether it be in the toughest times over the phone or Skype, it's been great.

You know, like we've been able to write, we all have crazy dynamics, you know, brother and sister, best friends, closest friends.

This is the group right here.

I mean, other than one other person, I've probably talked to these two every day, multiple times a day, on a regular basis.

So it's like, yeah.

I mean, relationships are super important.

And if there's anything that we like to emulate to our friends and our family, our Fox Nation, as we like to call them the.

(man laughs) - [Apolonia] Love that.

- The Fox Nation, it's that like our bond is the same bond we want to have with you, with everyone out there.

- Right, it's so easy to use the internet to share that with people.

And that's where anything can be, maybe besides music, everything can be maybe too much of a good thing, but that's great.

And we get the reaction right away.

People get to see it right away.

That's cool.

- It's because we actually mean it.

There's a lot of people that use that, but there's like a depth to it that we're actually present.

Every one of us is a very present person.

If you were to reach out to us, we would actually message you back.

- Stop anything.

- Right.

- Yeah, it's important to us.

It's valued rather than just like, "Hey, cool, thanks for being here.

Follow."

'Cause that's a ploy and it stinks.

The shallowness, we talked about, it is ploy that people use that.

- So with our next song, "Little Monsters," I love how each song is really a cause to pause, and hear the message that you are sharing.

What are we to receive through "Little Monsters"?

- This one was really, really awesome because it's funny talking about TikTok again, you spend a lot of time seeing these videos that basically kind of hit you in a way that nothing else has before.

And one of those was this video of this woman saying, "this is what OCD intrusive thoughts is.

This is what it means to have OCD intrusive thoughts."

And she started naming all these things.

And I was like, "that's what I've been dealing with since I was a kid."

And I never knew the word for that.

I never knew what I was dealing with.

I thought something was wrong with me.

I thought that I needed to go to a therapist, so I went to a therapist when I was in fifth grade.

That scarred me.

But I mean, therapy is great though, do it.

I do it.

It's those moments where it's like, "oh my God."

I had this revelation and we had a writing session the next day with our guy, Connor Thuotte.

And he had this beat and it was such a cool beat.

And it was so weird.

And I was like, "this needs a talking verse and it needs a really, really weird chorus."

♪ Little monsters all in my head ♪ And then it was just like, little monsters are my little OCD intrusive thoughts.

So it brings light to the situation that people have, those things and it's okay.

You're completely normal.

- I think a lot of people, whether if you have that specifically, we all have that inner monologue.

- Mhm, yeah.

- Just constantly hitting you and people may not suffer to the same scale degree or just the anxiety that gets to it.

'Cause there's times where I hear my own self all the time and it's like, "man, don't say that about yourself."

You got to either tune them in or party with them, you know?

Or tune them out and party with them, whatever.

- And that's the Little Monsters, you just gotta party with it and you gotta realize that the reason why you are thinking these things is basically because you are a very in-tune person and you're a good person.

- Turn them into fuzzy monsters, not those creepy looking ones.

- They're nice little fuzzy monsters.

(group laughs) - [Apolonia] A good zombie.

- Yeah, good zombies.

(group laughs) - Zilly.

- Zilly, Zilly.

- Where was that one?

Yeah, it was "Little Monsters."

- "Little Monsters," all monsters.

- All monsters, yes.

- Oh yeah.

- What was that other movie too, with the monster that would come out underneath?

- "Monster's Inc?"

- No, no, no.

It was the other one.

- But I do love Monster's Inc, though.

- The older, like 80's one.

- Was that "Little Monsters?"

- It was just called a "Little Monsters."

- [Apolonia] Oh, yes.

That's right.

- He was blue and had this weird face.

- And if they got in the light, they'd shrivel up.

- [Apolonia] That's right.

- Such a good, I'm getting chills.

- [Apolonia] I got chills.

I got chills.

- We're bringing you back in that time capsule again, guys.

(woman laughs) - We're all in a journey together.

- We're all little monsters, that just threw me back to cartoon days.

- You see, all the good things are coming up.

This is great.

So everyone, lets encounter, but not be afraid, just embrace your "Little Monsters."

♪ I'm feeling like it's not right ♪ ♪ Something, I don't know why ♪ ♪ Catch the end of life ♪ ♪ In the headlight ♪ ♪ I wanna hide under tables ♪ ♪ Cause I'm a little unstable ♪ ♪ Maybe a case of paranoia ♪ ♪ Maybe a case of paranoia ♪ ♪ Yeah, I'm a little unstable ♪ ♪ So I drive fast in my car ♪ ♪ Going nowhere but I'm far ♪ ♪ Little Monsters ♪ ♪ All in my head ♪ ♪ Little Monsters ♪ ♪ Tell me am I dead?

♪ ♪ Little Monsters ♪ ♪ All in my head ♪ ♪ All in my head ♪ ♪ Lick one side of my mouth ♪ ♪ Lick the other, even out ♪ ♪ Sensation satisfaction ♪ ♪ Put it away, or you're gonna get hurt ♪ ♪ Wipe it down, or you're gonna get hurt ♪ ♪ 5 or 10 times so don't get hurt ♪ ♪ 5 or 10 times so don't get hurt ♪ ♪ 5 or 10 times so don't get hurt ♪ ♪ So I drive fast in my car ♪ ♪ Going nowhere but I'm far ♪ ♪ Little Monsters ♪ ♪ All in my head ♪ ♪ Little Monsters ♪ ♪ Tell me am I dead?

♪ ♪ Little Monsters ♪ ♪ All in my head ♪ ♪ All in my head ♪ ♪ I don't what I like ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ ♪ Little Monsters ♪ ♪ All in my head ♪ ♪ Little Monsters ♪ ♪ Tell me am I dead?

♪ ♪ Little Monsters ♪ ♪ All in my head ♪ ♪ All in my head ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ ♪ I don't know what I like ♪ (audience applauds) - Oh, I'm just so grateful to be introduced, especially this is a treat to hear your new songs that have not yet been released.

So this is a wonderful, rare treasure.

So thank you for that.

Is there anything in terms of artists or just the Foxie Nation, the family that looks to you and your music, is there any other words of hope or direction, advice, wisdom that you would like to share with us?

You know, looking forward as you're constantly getting into the cycle of life.

- [Julia] You start this one.

- Well, I mean, I think one of the things about we've talked a lot in this interview about social media and technology, and I feel like one of the drawbacks and pitfalls to that stuff is just how much you can get bombarded with it.

Even when you're not on the platform, it can kind of cloud your focus.

Something that always grounds me is just either going back to the self-love or the self-care and trying to prioritize other people's needs as much as possible.

I feel like when I think about my friends and my family and my band mates, that's when we're at our best.

It's when we're treating ourselves with respect and we're also just thinking about other people.

I know that those are the kinds of people I try to keep around.

Far be it from me to give anybody advice on how to live their life, but that always seems to kind of bring me back home.

- I think for a message for the family, the Foxie family, and this is something that I try to preach all the time or just stress all the time.

It's just the fact that life's hard, but it's so much better if you just talk.

Talk about it, be completely honest with who you are because there is no shame in showing who we really are on the inside.

Whether you deal with mental illness or you're confused about sexuality or anything like that.

Just open that little bad boy up and just show your colors.

It's a lot easier that way.

- This is tough, 'cause I'm a mild workaholic.

- You are.

- Yeah, just a tidbit.

But I'd have to say that, since they touched on such personal standpoint, I'd have to say work hard for what you want to do.

Whatever industry you're in, just work hard at it.

And I'm not saying overwork yourself like me, that's a personal choice, but the only way you're gonna get there is to go ahead and do the work, educate yourself, learn.

I mean, if you were to look at my YouTube, the most unreal things.

I was looking at ways of building, instead of getting a tour bus some day, I was like, "man, I'd rather just build us a really cool bus."

I went to sit there and mapped it out.

And I was like, "this is cool."

- [Julia] School bus with a shower.

- Yeah.

I mean, but it's just things like that.

You overlook it and you're capable of anything, literally anything, Just go out and do it.

- Yeah, I like that.

- That's awesome.

So aside from the drummer, you're an engineer, architect, visionary?

- [Julia] Everything.

- Everything?

- [Jake] Very multi-talented.

- [Apolonia] I think you're giving drummers a good name.

- I definitely am a man behind the curtain, sometimes.

(group laughs) - Well, thank you all for joining us.

Be sure to check them out.

Thefoxiesband.com.

Give them a follow on social media.

As they said, discipline, work, self-care, speak out, be yourself.

This world is big enough for all of us.

And what better way to do that and explore that then through The Foxies' music?

As we are all now, apart of The Foxie family.

(group laughs) I would like to, again, thank our sponsors.

The South Dakota Arts Council, Dan and Arlene Kirby, and the Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm your host Apolonia Davalos and I love you.

(rock music)