It has been a busy 2017 for Bruce Driscoll and Parisian-born Marie Seyrat, better known as the indie-pop duo Freedom Fry. Since we changed our calendars their single, "Shaky Ground (Hey Na Na)" hit eight million plays on Spotify, and they've been releasing new songs every other week in preparation for the release of their debut album. They've toured with Belgian megastar Stromae, and have received acclaim for their live performances.
On May 8th they'll heat up Pianos with Dreux and Luca. We caught up with the duo to talk touring, being in New York, and their pizza personalities...
Freedom Fry formed when Marie was a stylist for another band of Bruce's, before that was Marie pursuing a career in music?
Marie: No, I wasn’t seriously pursuing a career in music at the time when we met. I had just gotten back into writing songs and had a few ideas, but it was for fun and I didn’t think I could make a living doing it just because I never learned the technical aspect of recording. And Bruce came along bringing all of his awesomeness, pretty magically actually right at that time.
The French/American connection is clear in your name, what influence does it have in your musical style? Does Bruce speak French?
Bruce: Oddly, in some ways I think I’m more influenced by European bands than Marie. Even though she’s French she tends to be more influenced by American bands from the 70s. We definitely connect over the sonic qualities of French artists from the 60s and 70s, specifically Serge Gainsbourg. I don’t speak French yet though but can definitely understand a lot of it. Especially the swear words.
Freedom Fry has reached number one on Hype Machine multiple times. How has that impacted the band??
Marie: It’s really helped out every time with getting us heard by a bigger audience. We’ve just been lucky enough to have blogs post us and people ‘heart’ our tracks up the charts. It’s definitely very motivating when you get such a response to your music.
Summer is almost here. What are your favorite summer cocktails?
Marie: The classics Moscow Mules, Mojitos, but for some reason we’ve really been into Bloody Marys. We’ve been perfecting them with some skewers. It’s basically like a full dinner in a glass. In Paris I’ve also discovered Spritzes and couldn’t get enough of those.
Do you have a bar or restaurant in New York you like to frequent when here?
Bruce: All of them. I used to live in New York for eight years before we met and started Freedom Fry. As far as restaurants go I love the Carnegie Deli. Broome Street Bar is good. NY pizza and bagels and Polish restaurants. Wow. It’s gonna get real.
If Freedom Fry was a pizza, what toppings would it have and why?
Bruce: Cheese would be negative, right? But you can’t really have a pizza without cheese so I think we’d be a stuffed crust with lots of spicy stuff on top. Chili flakes. Extra sauce.
Marie: I would add pineapple for the tropical vibe.
Bruce: Good Call.
What is your favorite Freedom Fry song?
Bruce: “Shaky Ground.” It’s always fun live and doesn’t seem to get old for me.
Marie: Yup, Shaky Ground!
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