GIRL MOSH! Mac N’ Toss Discusses Industry Standards and More
Interview ★ Kenzie Gay ★ @kenzwrites
Here at Love Street Magazine™, we have always strived and done our best to highlight women in rock - we are a rock publication founded and run by women, after all. During one of my weekly deep dives for fresh talent, I stumbled across a trio from DC that, in a nutshell, is the embodiment of what I’ve built and what I try to maintain here at our magazine.
Mac N’ Toss is a rock band from the DC area composed of 21 year old Arkansas-native Devon (guitar/vox, they/she), 21 year old ‘military brat’ Mac (bass, she/her), and 25 year old Virginia-native Annie (drums, she/her). As the group approaches their one year anniversary with plans on a debut album, we sat down and talked about inspirations, sexism, and purpose.
Mac N’ Toss
Last year (2024) was a big year for women in pop music. Since standards and energy vary by genre within the industry, what is your opinion on how women are treated/approached in the ROCK side of things?
Women in rock are treated as posers. There’s a double-standard that expects women to be soft, welcoming, inviting, but simultaneously in rock music, we are not “hard” enough or “gritty” enough to be rockstars. Women in rock are often oversexualized when they are front-women of male-dominated bands, but the second your band is all women, your band is not taken as seriously.
You just recently debuted last April – how has the (almost) first year been for the band?
It’s been a wild ride, originally with Devon and Mac songwriting together. A year after we initially started the band, we found our current drummer, Annie, who we love. Over the years, Mac N’ Toss has been developing 8 songs for our debut album, and we are in the process of finalizing them all now. The singles we plan to release before we release the album are: Feminine Reverie, Good Try, For the Better.
Who are some women in rock music that you admire or who have inspired you?
Some women in rock that have inspired us are Joan Jett, the Cranberries, Hole, Alanis Morissette, Stevie Nicks, and L7. In terms of lyrics and message, we would add Fiona Apple, Florence + the Machine, and Mitski even though they’re not rock artists.
Since you have nothing out on streaming platforms yet, how would you describe your sound to our readers who have never heard you play before?
We would describe our sound as angry. Just kidding, but not really; our genre is alt rock and indie rock meets riot grrrl with a side quest of melodic metal. All of our original music speaks to the femme and queer experience; it is anti-misogyny protest music. As much as our music is art, it also activism on issues, such as rape, domestic violence, reproductive justice, and generally calling out ignorant people.
What do you love most about being in a rock band?
We love our collaborative creative process. As musicians with 40+ years (collectively) of music experience in various instruments, we do not feel the need to have hierarchy in our band. Each band member is a valuable contributor. We like it that way, and it won’t ever change.
On Tiktok, the band’s bio states “professional man haters” and even more so on Instagram, the group’s bio says “because who needs more men in rock music?”. Clearly, you have a stance on representation. What do you think it would take to see more women in rock bands and other areas of the music industry?
We absolutely think there should be more women in rock music who form girl bands. Bands like ours are still very much in the minority, despite women making up about half the population. The term “man haters” is not an actual statement on how we feel about men — of course we don’t hate all of them — but rather it’s a statement on how women have historically been treated worse in comparison to them, especially in the music industry. Simply put: you don’t need a man to make music, and that shouldn’t even be considered as a revolutionary or controversial idea. In terms of improving representation, we are big advocates for building community. We want our shows and music to be safe spaces for women and queer people who feel they don’t belong in rock music. Whether our fans are seeking to make their own band or just there to sing along, we want them to GIRL MOSH! with Mac N’ Toss.
If there is one, what is the story behind the band’s name?
Devon here! We love to clarify that Mac did not come up with the name Mac N’ Toss. Mac and I had just started writing more and I was itching for a band name. I was doodling in a class and thinking about apples (my longtime favorite food) and it hit me: Mac N’ Toss… like Macintosh! I drew an apple with a bite taken out of it and a little worm and sent it to Mac with the name and that was it!
Mac N’ Toss logo & its original mockup
Who are some modern rock acts, big or small, that you really enjoy and/or take influence from?
We love Evanescence, Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Destroy Boys, and Courtney Barnett. Some smaller acts we love are Witchsister, FINAL GIRLS, Modest Goddess, Cherub Tree, and Berra.
What are your plans for the next year or two? Are there any new projects on the horizon?
RELEASE HER (the album). We are excited for our upcoming and future shows, too. The next two shows are Feb 6 at the Pocket and March 22 at Death Punch bar in DC! We can’t wait to record our music this summer and finally give our fans what they’ve been waiting for.
