Alternative punk-rockers Mannequin Pussy craft truly captivating jams. “I Got Heaven,” one of the band’s most popular songs, is a raging jam of emo, growling vocals, and a mix of heavy and dreamy guitar, with a catchy chorus that is both punk and pretty. Their Friday, Oct. 3, set at Pappy and Harriet’s is sure to be memorable, but the show recently sold out; join the waitlist at pappyandharriets.com. Bassist/vocalist Colins “Bear” Regisford is the latest to take The Lucky 13, via Zoom.
What was the first concert you attended?
Blink-182 on the Take Off Your Pants and Jacket tour with New Found Glory. I think I was 13 at the time. We (recently) played (the festival) Sea.Hear. Now, and they were the headliners, and I watched that set. After it was over, I was like, “blink-182 is still the fucking greatest.”
What was the first album you owned?
The first one that I bought with money that I had for my birthday was the Spice Girls’ first album. When I was that age, two of my favorite artists were Michael Jackson and the Spice Girls.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Wednesday gave me a sneak preview of their newest album, and it is fucking great. I found them during the Rat Saw God era, and I was just like, “This band is fucking amazing; I love them.” Also, I’ve recently been listening to the new Soul Glo record that’s going to be coming out, so I’ve been dancing between those two. As for artists that are out with stuff, I would say Big Boi, which is awesome Bay Area hardcore. Then there’s the band Momma; the new album Welcome to My Blue Sky is great.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Other people are not going to be happy about this, but I’ve never gotten into ska music. I have a lot of friends who love ska. More for y’all, less for me, please.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I’m looking for that Title Fight reunion really heavily. Two other artists I don’t get to see, because they don’t really do too much, is A Tribe Called Quest. I love Q-Tip, and Midnight Marauders is one of my favorite albums. Also, SWV. I’ve always been a sucker for soul singers and stuff, and those harmonies are just insane.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I don’t believe in that shit. I think music isn’t a guilty pleasure, no matter what. I would say a guilty pleasure, which shouldn’t be pleasurable, is if you to listen to any of that fucking white-power music. Go fuck yourself.
What’s your favorite music venue?
One that I’m hoping is in our wheelhouse or future is Brooklyn Paramount. I’ve been to a couple shows out there. It’s just fucking gorgeous. It feels like being in a cathedral, and the sound in there is amazing. It’s a beautiful room in New York.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
The one I picked is from Death Cab for Cutie’s “Expo ’86.” It’s a line that sometimes plagues me because of my inability to just be able to let a good thing be good. The line is: “I am waiting for something to go wrong. I am waiting for familiar resolve.” To this day, it creeps into my brain rent-free.
What band or artist changed your life? How?
It would be when I saw Green Day and blink-182 on the Pop Disaster tour when I was in high school, and that was the moment when I realized that I want to do what they do. It was such a crazy tour, because Saves the Day opened, and then Green Day came out. I definitely left that show being like, “Holy shit, Green Day just ripped that place apart, and I’m going to remember that for the rest of my life,” and I still do.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
For Kendrick Lamar: “I’ve been told that you have a theme for your albums, like good kid, m.A.A.d city was a movie; To Pimp a Butterfly is a poem; DAMN. is a magazine; Mr. Morale is a play; and when I listen to GNX, I think it’s a mixtape to a drive-by,” because all the songs are just so aggressive, and they’re so California coded that when I hear it, it doesn’t really sound like all the other stuff that he’s done before.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy. It’s just a lovely piece. I feel like it would be the perfect song to play me off as they lower me down.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
You’re just gonna have to shoot. I can’t just pick one. I feel like, top albums, there are at least 20, and I couldn’t say one’s better than the other.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
There’s a live album called One Night Stand with Sam Cooke at Harlem Square Club. If you’re on Apple Music, it’s at the end of “Somebody Have Mercy,” and if you’re on Spotify, it’s the beginning of “Bring It on Home to Me,” but mainly, it’s this part where he starts singing about this operator, and how he needs to talk to the operator because he’s trying to get to his baby. When he finally gets to his baby, it ends with this giant crescendo of him being like, “Darling you, you send me,” and every time I hear it, I cry. Sam Cooke’s voice is just unbelievable.