Today we’d like to introduce you to Abbie Marie
Hi Abbie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I knew I wanted to be a pop star starting when I was 5 years old. My kindergarten teacher asked us all what we wanted to be when we grew up, and I immediately said I wanted to be a pop star. I had already been taking ballet, tap, and piano lessons for a couple years. I also loved doing shows with the community theatre in my small hometown. I joined band and orchestra so I could learn more instruments in middle school and decided I needed to start writing my own music. I tried my hand at writing a pop rock song around this time and ended up recreating “sk8er boi” by Avril Lavigne, just with cheesier lyrics. I decided then and there it wasn’t for me and fully committed to being involved in theatre. I was always a part of a musical all throughout middle school and high school. I did my first professional show in high school. It was “The Wizard of OZ” at Children’s Theatre Company. I then went on to pursue my BFA in Musical Theatre at North Dakota State University. In college, we took a yearly trip to see theatre in Minneapolis. This is where I saw a production of “Hamlet” at Wayward Theatre Company. The second the show ended, I opened my notes app and started a “dream theatre bucket list” and listed Wayward at the top of it. This show made me fall in love with theatre all over again. I found a new appreciation for what it means to be able to connect with an audience while telling a story.
After graduation, I moved to Washington, DC. I was cast in a workshop for a musical at The Kennedy Center and I worked for Netflix’s Bridgerton Experience. It was a dream come true. After the Bridgerton Experience closed, I moved back home to Minneapolis and was cast in Dave Malloy’s ‘Ghost Quartet’ at Theatre Elision. This show combined all of my favorite things: acting, singing, and playing instruments. The actors all accompany themselves throughout the show. It was such a challenging and beautiful experience and it reignited the passion I had for playing music and creating with a group of people. After ‘Ghost Quartet’ closed, I joined the cast of “Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story” at Wayward Theatre Company. This is where I met our guitarist, Tim McVean. As it turns out, I had seen him as Hamlet in Hamlet when I was in college. He is also a co-founder of the theatre. I sang in this production and after the show closed, he asked if I wanted to join his cover band. Of course I said yes! Being in this cover band is what introduced me to our bass player, Micah. Micah is a musical genius and I am still in awe that I get to make music with him. We performed as a cover band in a show called “Mixtape” at Bryant Lake Bowl. This is an evening of stories, music, and live painting. It is magic. Wayward Theatre does this show a couple times a year so be on the lookout for that – you don’t want to miss it. After the second time I did Mixtape with the band, I asked them if they would maybe want to play music for real with me. They said yes! I decided I wanted to do a concert for my birthday that I called “Abbie Marie’s Pity Party.” Tim looked at me and said that Pity Party would be a great band name. The rest is history. We have performed at a few venues around the twin cities including: Day Block Brewing Company, Can Can Wonderland, and The Amsterdam. We will be performing at Green Room in mid-November and at The Garage in December.
Being able to start performing on stage at such a young age has made this transition to focusing on being a part of a band so much easier than I thought it would be. It scratches the performing itch that theatre did, but I get to create my own schedule and write my own music. I wish little Abbie could see me now. I can actually write original songs and not just rip off Avril.
It is still so crazy to me that I not only got to work at my dream theatre, but I also get to write and perform with some of my favorite musicians. This is just the beginning for us and I am so stoked. I am the luckiest person, I swear.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of my biggest struggles is trusting myself to write the music. It’s so vulnerable in a way that I’ve never experienced before. Being in theatre, I was used to being handed a script that someone else had written and running with it. Having to write something myself is so scary. It’s very challenging to share a new song idea. I so easily get into my own head and tell myself that my lyrics are dumb or that the melody doesn’t sound good and that no one is going to like my songs. Being able to get out of my own head has been so hard for me. But, once I am able to let go and share what I’ve written, I don’t remember why I was so scared.
Other than that, we’ve had a few drummers come and go and we’ve loved them all! They just have their own things going on in their lives. For a second, it felt like we were constantly searching for another drummer. We now have Bryan who we love! He is making his debut at Green Room in a few weeks. He rocks!
I honestly feel that we have been so fortunate as a band. These are struggles most bands go through. Everyone struggles with being scared to share what you’ve written.
We have our own studio space so we can go and make music whenever we want to. That’s something a lot of bands don’t have, and it isn’t something we take for granted.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the lead singer of the band ‘pity party.’ I also play keys and synth. We have only been an official band since March 2024, so we are just starting this journey. We have already headlined at Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul! We also just released our first single, ‘therapist.’ It’s on whatever platform you use to steam music, so give it a listen and a save! We are working on so much more music that will be out soon. I never thought I would be able to say this, but I am so proud of the music we create and how we sound and how we collaborate with each other. It’s something so special and it just gets better and better.
I’m also so proud of the covers that we perform. We do a really kick ass cover of ‘Movin’ Out’ by Billy Joel and ‘Black Sheep’ by Metric. We are able to take something iconic and make it our own. It’s awesome.
I am the lead singer of the band ‘pity party.’ I also play keys and synth. We have only been an official band since March 2024, so we are just starting this journey. We have already headlined at Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul! We also just released our first single, ‘therapist.’ It’s on whatever platform you use to steam music, so give it a listen and a save! We are working on so much more music that will be out soon. I never thought I would be able to say this, but I am so proud of the music we create and how we sound and how we collaborate with each other. It’s something so special and it just gets better and better.
I’m also so proud of the covers that we perform. We do a really kick ass cover of ‘Movin’ Out’ by Billy Joel and ‘Black Sheep’ by Metric. We are able to take something iconic and make it our own. It’s awesome.
What were you like growing up?
I kind of already touched on this in the first question, but I was extremely creative growing up. I was always working on a show or I was in dance practice or in a piano lesson. I was dedicated. Being able to start doing this at such a young age set me up for success now as an adult. I remember before bed every night I would look at my mom and say “I can’t wait for tomorrow.” I am starting to feel that way again. I can’t wait to perform more and create more. I feel like being in this band has helped me reconnect with my younger self. I have wanted to put my all into music since I was 3 and I finally get to do that.
Pricing:
- tickets are typically $10-$15
Contact Info:
- Instagram: pitypartytheband
