The Pack A.D. are a female rock duo that play relentless, pounding rhythms along with screaming guitars and snarling, heartfelt vocals. As the Pack A.D., guitarist and vocalist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller are good friends that make even better music together. They released their first few records independently, honing their craft with non-stop touring. All the work has paid off with a new release, “Do Not Engage” on Nettwerk Records which features 11 blistering songs that continue to expand their range of hard rock anthems. I caught their spirited live show Friday night at the Pike Room and managed to get a few minutes of Maya and Becky’s time to tell me more about The Pack AD.
MCB: How long have you known each other?
Maya: 8 or 9 years. We became fast friends and then fast band mates.
MCB: You’ve played played Detroit before. Is this your first time playing Pontiac?
Maya: Yes, first time in Pontiac. But we like Detroit, especially downtown. We recorded part of the new album in Detroit.
Becky: We mixed the record here too. We were by Tiger Stadium so we got to watch a game.
MCB: Your last e.p. was a best of from the last few years. How did you pick the tracks?
Maya: It wasn’t that hard to pick them. I think there were a couple people that had their say on what should be on there. But I think we got what we wanted.
MCB: There’s been a progression of your sound over the last few years, is that apparent on the ep?
Maya: Well, I don’t think we can’t not sound like us. Maybe my drumming has gotten better.
Becky: But there is definitely an evolution in our sound. It still sounds like us.
MCB: I really like your videos!
Becky: That’s because Maya came from a bit of a film background.
Maya: It seems natural to make videos for our records, and we both like telling stories. We like being goofy, too. Most of our videos are very comical.
MCB: The one I really like is “Take” where you re-create a Gary Numan video (my favorite artist).
Maya: I was on YouTube watching videos for songs I love and I had never seen this one. After seeing it, I thought this video was the best video I had ever seen, so I suggested to Becky that we copy it.
Becky: It was our best homage to Gary Numan. We’re big Numan fans!
Maya: And we got approval from Gary Numan to do it.
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MCB:Have you had other members in the band?
Maya: We started as a 4 piece, but it didn’t really work out. We split off and started playing as a 2 piece and never added anyone since. We’ve had thoughts of hiring a bass player.
Becky: I think that’s the most we would ever do. There’s probably some fear it would change the dynamic we have to let someone else into our weirdness.
MCB: You used to tour non-stop…
Maya: We used to, but that’s kind of changed. Last year we only played about 18 shows because we were working on the album. So this is the first time in a while we’re doing some heavy touring.
MCB: Touring seems like a necessity these days…
Maya: Sure, just to make some money, because no one is buying records these days. You have to keep yourself out there or people forget about you. Touring is viable and hard.
MCB: Where’s the most exotic place you have played?
Becky: We played Bogata, twice. It was interesting. We were staying a block away from the venue so we thought we’ll just walk over. But we were told “no, it’s not safe.”
Maya: Our hotel was guarded by dudes with machine guns. It was pretty intense. At the airport I’ve never been security checked so many times. I kept thinking about “Brokedown Palace” which is why I’ll never go to Thailand.
MCB: Becky, how long have you been playing guitar?
MCB: Becky, how long have you been playing guitar?
Becky: 11 years. I probably learned “Smoke on the Water” first, after that I learned “Where Is My Mind” by the Pixies.
Maya: Drummers don’t get that kind of excitement learning their first song.
MCB: A lot of people think raw, bluesy rock is a guy thing..
Becky: Yes, it’s just not as common because it’s okay for little boys to grow up to be rock star idols and women don’t really get that. I started playing guitar as a hobby and didn’t really think of it going anywhere. But it’s gone well so far. We’re making a living at it, which is more than anyone could really ask for.