Mike & Hilary on A Pretty Little Podcast Episode 85
Tune in to see Mike and Hilary guest star on episode 85 of A Pretty Little Podcast. They discuss the evolution of the band and the meaning behind the band’s name, creative tensions and balancing different visions as a group, and of course the music. Thanks to A Pretty Little Podcast for having us!
A Pretty Little Podcast
A Pretty Little Podcast is hosted by Allie and Jesi (and sometimes Jamie), who sit down with fascinating guests from throughout the music & entertainment industry to hear their stories, upcoming projects & get exclusive insights into their lives. Listen and follow below.
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A Pretty Little Podcast ep 85 transcript
Allie:
Hey everyone, and welcome to another episode of A Pretty Little Podcast! I’m Allie Violet Vixen Kamero, and I’m here with my beautiful co-host, Jamie Reed.
Jamie:
Hi guys, I’m excited to be here again tonight.
Allie:
We’re joined by Bellwether Ritual, who are known for their haunting sound and immersive storytelling. They’re crafting a musical experience like no other. Let’s unravel the mystery behind the music. Please, please welcome Bellwether Ritual!
Mike:
Thanks, Jamie! Thanks, guys, for having us tonight. It’s been a hectic day, but we’re really glad to be here.
Allie:
Yeah, you were telling us before we started, you got up early today?
Mike:
Yes! I woke up and, uh… I overslept. I didn’t realize the clocks had changed, so I woke up at 4:00AM to watch the sunrise on Bake Up a Knob, which was super cool. But now I’m feeling it—it’s 8:00PM on a Sunday, so, yeah, it’s been a full day. But it was a lot of fun and totally worth it.
Jamie:
That’s awesome! I was at the gym today.
Allie:
Hey, that’s productive! I wish I could be a gym person. I want to be, but I feel like my life’s too chaotic, and I just can never get myself out the door and to the gym. I definitely don’t have the discipline for it.
Hilary:
Yeah, same! I get that, for sure.
Allie:
So how did you guys come together as a band?
Mike:
I’ll start this one off, and then I’ll pass it over to Hilary. So, I started the band in 2021, which, like many other bands at the time, came together because of the pandemic. We all just had a lot of time on our hands. I’ve been in bands since I was 15, but I took a bit of a break to focus on my career. When the pandemic hit, I had all this extra time, so I picked up the guitar again, started looking for people, and we officially launched the band in November 2021.
Hilary:
Yeah, I came in around 2022. I’m not originally from the Lehigh Valley, where Mike and the crew are from. I moved to the area for a job and was looking for a band. I found them the good old-fashioned way—on Craigslist. In this digital age, sometimes you gotta go back to the basics. [laughs]
Allie:
I love that! So, where are you from originally?
Hilary:
I’m a longtime Chicagoan. I wasn’t born and raised there, but I spent my adult life and musical life in Chicago, being in many bands. Then I moved here for work and just happened to stumble into Mike and the rest of the band. The rest, as they say, is history!
Allie:
So, I gotta know—what’s the story behind the name “Bellwether Ritual”? It’s such a cool name.
Mike:
I knew that question was coming! So, funny story, I actually misunderstood what “Bellwether” meant at first. I thought it meant something totally different, but in reality, it means a couple of different things.
