“‘Not Pretty Today’ is one of our newer songs,” says Stacy Kerber of The Moto-Litas. “We learned it just before we went into the studio, and arrangement-wise, it’s perfect. I like the opening, which I played on the ride cymbal. It’s sweet and pretty. And then we go balls-to-the-wall when I go to the floor tom.”

Kerber describes The Moto-Litas’ sound as “a little edgy and a little poppy,” adding that the band started out playing instrumental surf. Though Kerber and her bandmates originally came together on a bit of a fluke and not with any serious musical aspirations, their endeavor got more focused after Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls heard a few of their tunes. Ray immediately signed them to her hip and well-regarded Daemon Records. Then Kerber and her bandmates headed to the studio and began recording the songs that would become For The Greater Good.

The studio experience, specifically time spent with producer Jeff Bakos, provided a series of valuable lessons for Kerber. “The song ‘Your Love (Ain’t The Same)’ – well, I had all these fills and it was very complex. I prided myself on that,” Kerber says. “But then Jeff said, ‘Leave Neil Peart at home. I don’t want him in my studio.'” Advertisement

While many drummers give lip service to “serving the song,” Kerber approaches her playing open to feedback and clear that her parts should complement the other elements of the song. “I like ‘Cheated’ a lot,” she says of the album’s opening song. “I’m playing mostly on the floor tom, which is very different from how I used to play it. That was Jeff’s idea, and I love the sound. It gives it more of a steady beat, and there’s more separation between that and the guitar. I love the floor tom. It’s so full.”