MAITA’s childhood obsessions
The many moods and aesthetic modes of Maria Maita-Keppeler; photographed by Tristan Paiige.
Presenting a reflective work of nostalgic affinities, Portland pop phenoms MAITA, lead by Maria Maita-Keppeler along with Matthew Zeltzer, Nevada Sowle and Cooper Trail are one of the PNW's most important and exciting groups as of late. From a trajectory spanning pastoral operas and psalms from Waterbearer, the sharp rocking debut album Best Wishes, various covers, to the advent of the new album I Just Want To Be Wild For You; MAITA deconstructs the old worlds we once knew, the worlds we currently know in anticipatory hopes and praise for all that still can be.
The cold and uncompromising compilation of life complications and lyrical dissertations on discontinuations hit the asphalt hard on “Pastel Concrete”, before launching into a brilliant and chord blazing ballad in an ode to every buzz-killing bastard in the whole wide world. “Road Song” perfectly encapsulates the exhaustion and ennui that is inherent to the cycles of life on the touring circuit, explicitly stated in the biting chorus brutality spiral of “we just wake up, drive, get to the bar, drink, talk to strangers, soundcheck, try to sing, try to sleep [repeat].” Demystifying life’s fantastical mythologies with the mundane and malaise of sobering reality and its corresponding pangs of modern existence; MAITA transforms our collective anxiety of everything into an unflinching rock and roll therapy session. The feeling and free falling fear of hypothetical failures, loss and other assorted humanist humors are entertained in the hyper romantic rocker “Honey, Have I Lost it All” that zaps ultra exuberant beams of unrelenting, unflinching and unfiltered honesty.
Join Maria Maita-Keppeler after the jump in an exclusive trip down memory lane in a series of youthful reflections on the formidable and indelible influences and inspirations of yore:
"Childhood Obsessions" by Maria Maita-Keppeler
Floral flights of fancy with MAITA; photographed by Tristan Paiige.
Limewire
Another relic of the early internet days. The fact that we could own any song in the world for free and without consequences seemed impossible, almost magical. And how could it be wrong if the program could be downloaded legally? The treasure hunt that came with searching for your beloved track yielded some fascinating phenomena such as believing a song was by the wrong artist for years, or hearing a clip of a radio DJ’s voice at the end of a track so many times it became a part of your understanding of the song. And who could forget the priceless pride of being able to assemble an entire album in the correct order and burn into onto a CD?
Neopets
Why do children have such a keen desire to take care of things before they have to? The manufactured responsibility of owning a virtual pet (or three) was so enticing in the early days of the internet. We chose their names and their colors, we bought and sold goods with fake money, we designed storefronts with carefully selected instrumental versions of our favorite songs playing in the background, and we got our first doses of communicating with strangers over the internet. Somehow, the novelty of feeling connected to a world outside of our homes helped these virtual creatures transcend their pixelated forms and become more real and severely important.
Borders bookstore
This was the popular divorced-parent-children-pick-up-rendezvous spot for us. My mom would drop me and my sister off at Borders on her way to work and my dad would pick up us after he got off work, sometimes a couple hours later. I didn’t have to buy books; I could read whatever I wanted for free in one of the plush leather chairs in the aisles. I devoured dozens and dozens of books at Border’s in the years that we used to wait there, drinking hot chocolate from the in-store coffee shop with my precious dollars. There was something special about how new the books felt in my hands, about how clean and unblemished the pages were. It was shinier and newer than the library and you didn’t have to whisper.
MAITA’s tub & tiles style; photographed by Tristan Paiige.
Japanese Sweets
Visiting Asian grocery stores as a child was a precious experience. Everything was more colorful, more creative. There was some inexplicable magic to consuming Japanese sweets, from the way one had to dislodge the marble in the Ramune soda bottle, to the way one could swallow the inner paper wrapping of the Botan rice candy, to the way the retro can of Fruit Drops rang when you shook it. How banal and one-dimensional American treats seemed in comparison! Going to Japan yielded even more whimsical results, with DIY candy meals that needed delicate assembling; candy ramen complete with minuscule candy gyoza to pinch together and candy broth to mix with impossibly tiny forks. I was in awe at the eye for detail and design that went into a morsel that would be eaten in mere seconds.
MAITA rocking the water closet chic; photographed by Tristan Paiige.
Summer Camp
Forced intimacy with strangers on an incredibly compressed timeline—this is the stuff of childhood fantasy and nightmare that can’t quite be replicated in any adult scenario. We were at the mercy of the inherent rawness that came with being away from home during that tender era of adolescence. The potential for drama—both comedy and tragedy—seemed limitless. Somehow despite the structured timeline of a week at camp, we still managed to feel that exhilaration of freedom; from our parents, from our habits, from whoever we were in our regular lives. It was intoxicating, socially acceptable adolescent inebriation and what a trip it was.
MAITA’s album I Just Want To Be Wild For You will be available February 18 via Kill Rock Stars.
Catch MAITA on the following 2022 national tour dates:
February
18 Walla Walla, WA - Billsville House Show
19 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
25 San Luis Obispo, CA - A Satellite of Love
26 Los Angeles, CA - Junior High
March
1 Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space
3 Trinidad, CO - Trinidad Lounge
4 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
5 Fort Collins, CO - Surfside 7
6 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
8 Reno, NV - Holland Project
9 Davis, CA - Veterans Memorial Theatre
10 Bend, OR - Volcanic Theatre Pub
11:Seattle, WA - Barboza
12 Bellingham, WA - The Shakedown
18 Austin, TX - Cheer Up Charlies - Kill Rock Stars SXSW showcase
23 - 3/27 Boise, ID - Treefort Music Fest