Ex Hex is a new rock trio that will its debut album later this year. The band’s seven-inch single, “Hot and Cold,” will be released on March 18 on Merge Records.
Dive staff writer Stephanie Zimmerman spoke with bandleader Mary Timony about the band, some of its visual aesthetics and her own musical background.
DIVERSIONS: Can you tell me a little bit about the name Ex Hex?
MARY TIMONY: Originally, I had named a record that I did, a solo record, that name just because I liked the way the words sounded, and I guess when we were trying to name this project – you know honestly it doesn’t mean anything.
Originally, I just thought it was a cool band name. And, I don’t know, I just liked the way it sounded.
DIVE: Can you talk about the artwork on the new seven-inch?
MT: That was done by my friend, he’s a Belgian graphic designer named Tim Colmant, and he’s just awesome.
I love his work. And it was something that he’d already done, and asked him if we could use it.
He’s also designing our T-shirts and this tote bag, and there’s actually going to be a feature on him on this design blog called Sight Unseen.
It’s going to be about him and also will talk a little bit about him designing for us. Anyway, I just think he’s really great, and I’m psyched that he let us use his image.
DIVE: So, you’ve said that you studied classical viola and played in the jazz band in high school?
MT: Yeah, I went to the local arts high school — public arts magnet school in DC.
DIVE: Do you still do any of that in your spare time?
MT: No I don’t. I mean, I teach guitar, so I have a little bit of a foot in that sort of world – but I mean it’s mostly rock guitar that I teach.
But no, I studied, when I was growing up, classical music like viola, and then I took jazz guitar lessons in high school and also classical.
But then I just was like “I’m going to play rock music,” and then I just kind of left that behind. I do have to go back a little bit now that I’m teaching.
I mean I teach mostly rock music but I do draw from those worlds just a little bit but not a whole lot. I think I’m just a rock ‘n’ roll musician, basically.
DIVE: Do you think your classical and jazz training affects your style of music at all?
MT: I don’t know. I guess if anything I was focused on trying to be a good player when I was young.
I definitely am not one of those people that learned how to play the guitar from playing in the band – it was the opposite.
Playing the guitar in the band was a whole other world that was hard to learn about.
diversions@dailytarheel.com
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