Alex Marr & Tess Meckling - Sugarfungus
Alex & Tess talk about their indie rock band, Sugarfungus; and the band's first EP, Letting Go, Moving Still.

On the Rhythm Changes Podcast, Alex Marr & Tess Meckling talk about their indie rock band, Sugarfungus; and the band's first EP, Letting Go, Moving Still. Alex plays bass, and Tess sings, in the five-piece band.
Thank you to 12TH ST Sound for sponsoring this episode. Get going on your next music project today at 12thst.ca/booking.
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We talked about:
- How Alex got the bass sound for Sugarfungus. My favourite track is "Retrospect", but the bass also pops out from the first notes of the first track, "Catch and Release"
- How the band members cross over and bring in their own songs, even bringing parts to other members' instruments
- Which of the songs arrived fully formed
- Tess' shifts in vocal register from one song to another, and whether or not she intended to do it
- How Sugarfungus decided which singles to release ahead of the EP release for Letting Go, Moving Still
- The oddity of their most successful song to date having a non-traditional form
- What their first editorial playlist placement felt like
- The value Alex gained from a consulting call with Music BC
- What happens in the workflow when one song goes from each band member to the next, collaborating online
- The asynchronous production style in Sugarfungus, which would be the envy of some software development companies
- Ivan Barbou and his work on the songs' demo tracks
- The local bands who are the biggest influences on Sungarfungus
- The band members who curated their artist playlist on Spotify, Sugary Fun Tunes
- The arrangement choice that Alex and I agree on as our favourite across the EP's track list
- Why the severe jazzheads are coming for Tess, and where Sugarfungus fits into Tess' journey as a vocalist
- What Alex and Sugarfungus will do with the FACTOR Artist Devleopment grant
- The meaning of the EP's title