The Gaslight Anthem

Feb 19th 2008 at The Basement Columbus, Oh

It’s not often you get introduced to a band through their music, spend a little bit of time just getting stoked on it and then very shortly after get a chance to see them and talk to them about it. But that’s just what happened to us. We recently got the opportunity to sit down with The Gaslight Anthem vocalist Brian Fallon at our local basement bar during their tour with The Loved Ones and talk about their new EP, Bruce Springsteen and the font on the Diatribe business cards. After Paddy and I grabbed some overpriced Newcastles, we ventured outside in the frigid Ohio air with Brian to get the 411.

Chris: Alright Brian; you’re on tour with the Loved Ones right now; how’s that going so far?

Brian: It’s going awesome! This is the first tour where there’s a noticeable amount of kids that are coming out for us, so we have our own crowd now and it’s really cool but, who knows, maybe tonight will be the one where there’s nobody here for us.

I don’t know, it’s been really cool. We’re really excited.

Chris: Awesome! Where have you guys hit so far…has it just been a couple shows?

Brian: No, this is like our twelfth show, we’re almost done. We went from all the way to D.C. to Florida, back up to Cincinnati and then Chicago. Last night was Detroit and now we’re here. Detroit’s cold.

Patrick: Yeah, worse than this, I’m sure.

Brian: Our trailer froze and it was bad…

Patrick: So nice and warm in Ohio then tonight….

Brian: Yeah, couple degree’s…two…three.

Patrick: Have you guys encountered any misfortunes or weather related incidents on this tour so far?

Brian: Not on this tour. Uh, we’ve had two trips to the hospital so far. One of the guys had Bronchitis and a lot of not sleeping. I don’t know why, this seems to be the no sleep till Brooklyn tour.

Chris: So you guys have a new EP coming out; I think I remember hearing there’s a setback with it?

Brian: Yeah there are some delays; they’re waiting on some sort of printing issue. I don’t know…we’re trying to get it…

Chris: Yeah, I’m just waiting to get a copy from Vanessa (Mutiny PR) for review. Can you tell us anything initially about the album?

Brian: Yeah, it’s four songs. It’s about home really, because we spent so much time on the road last year that we were just like, ‘well, you know, we’re home for a month, let’s just write some songs’, and that was it. And it came out about New Jersey. So, an EP about New Jersey….in the summertime.

Chris: Speaking of New Jersey…I had a question about that. It seems like there’s just a ton of great bands from Jersey. You’ve got Static Radio, The Measure [SA], Lifetime and of course you guys. There’s just so many great and varied bands from that one place…what do you think it is about Jersey that produces these kinds of bands?

Brian: (laughing) Uh, its desperation. You’re trying to get out…(laughs) that’s what it is. I don’t know man, there’s a lot of good bands in Jersey, I’m not really sure why. I think the bands that come up that maybe aren’t really that good, they get kinda eaten alive…like you can’t get a show so maybe they break up…I don’t know. People just tell them, ‘You’re terrible man, just go home’, so I don’t know.

Chris: Here in Ohio its one thing or another; we’ve got bands like Hawthorne Heights and Integrity, which is a pretty far jump. You know you’ve got like, the Cleveland hardcore and Dayton pop punk or whatever, so…

Patrick: Not a whole lot in Columbus.

Brian: You got the Afghan Whigs from Cincinnati.

Chris: Yeah. Columbus has the New Bomb Turks; that’s about it. That and a ton of great hardcore bands, but I’m not sure how much exposure they get. Ok, when you guys first got started did you have any bands that made you want to play music? Some initial influences?

Brian: Oh yeah. I think Hot Water Music was a big influence for a lot of the guys. That was like the first time I remember putting on a Doghouse sampler forever ago…I heard that song…I don’t remember what the song is called. It’s on Forever and Counting, it’s the second song…that one? I don’t remember at all what it’s called.

Patrick: Chris…He’s the Hot Water trivia master here.

Brian: Yeah, what’s it called; second track Forever and Counting.

Chris: First one is “Translocation”…second one is…

Brian: “Better Sense”! (Acknowledgements all around) I heard “Better Sense” and I had no idea who the band was at all, and I was like ‘this is the best thing I’ve ever heard’, this is what I want to do, you know? That and Springsteen and uh, you know…we figured out we couldn’t really do much else, so we were like alright. Y’know my parents when I was really young were wanting me to take up some sort of instrument and I was like alright…I’ll play the guitar. So I learned how to do it and I got good at it so I thought maybe I’ll try to write some songs. Everybody else throughout high school were trying to figure out if they like sports or were going to college or whatever, and I was like; I’ll be in a band.

Chris: It seems that when I hear you guys I definitely get an older kind of soul influence; would you say that goes along with the Springsteen influence?

Brian: Exactly! Bruce Springsteen is probably the biggest influence on me when I’m writing songs. It’s definitely like, when I sit there and just play on the acoustic and write some songs it usually starts off like that, you know? There’s definitely a lot of Van Morrison, Dylan and those guys too but lately I think the Springsteen…and the reason actually, that there’s so much Springsteen is because Springsteen is an updated format. And when I say Springsteen I mean like there’s a bunch of songs on the second record, The E Street Shuffle, that’s very soul oriented and you could tell by watching those concerts from back then…that’s what he was listening to. He does like the Detroit Medley and they do all these different soul songs and you’re just like, that’s it man. So, it’s just reaching back like that.

Chris: So, Senor and the Queen is getting ready to come out. I was having a conversation with my girlfriend a little bit ago EP’s about how they seem to be a little more prevalent in like punk rock and the independent rock scene. What do you think is the significance of putting out and EP as opposed to just putting out a full length album?

Brian: For us it was more like a transition into what we’re going to do. When we released Sink or Swim we were pretty hard up then and it was like, we’re starting a band and there’s a lot of bands and we’re, y’know twenty four, twenty five when we did that and it was like, if we don’t make it…not make it like as in make MTV, but make it like, ‘people like us, we can go on tour’. And if that doesn’t happen…we’re in some trouble. So Sink or Swim is a real desperate thing for us. And that’s what it was; it was sink or swim. This record was more like, ‘it’s starting to work’; what are we feeling now. We’re not writing because we’re scared, we’re writing because it’s kinda good, y’know? This EP came from a more lighthearted feeling and our feelings about home.

We actually just started writing the follow up LP, which is going to be called The ‘59 Sound and it’s total soul based on the ’59 sound. Y’know, early sixties or whatever, but the ‘59 sound sounds cooler than the early 60’s sound. And now it’s more introspective stuff now that we’re getting older and it’s like you’re starting to face up with yourself.

Chris: So it’s kinda about being comfortable with where you’re at.

Brian: Yeah, well comfortable or not comfortable…you know. It’s like some of my friends got married, some of my friends are getting divorced, some of my friends have kids…it’s a weird thing. And comparing that to the fact that we’re not going to be young forever. That’s becoming real. It’s like, what do you want to do with your time?

Chris: I think that just about sums it up…I was going to ask what’s next for The Gaslight Anthem, but I think that last answer already did it.

Brian: (laughs) Yeah, that’s it…tour everywhere! We’re going to Australia, going to Europe, it’s going to be cool.

Chris: Have you guys toured overseas yet at all?

Brian: Yeah, once. But now we’re going to do all of Europe, Australia, the US and Canada…everywhere. We’ve got some dates with The Bouncing Souls up in this area, actually five dates, and I think Ohio is definitely one. I’m pretty sure it’s Columbus or Cincinnati. So, that’s going to be cool, it’ll be in May…us, Tim Barry and The Bouncing Souls. Good tour man, I’m excited about that one. So, there’s that and in April we’re recording with Ted Hud who did the last Bouncing Souls record. The guy just gets it.

Patrick: It’s funny you mention Europe because we always get great responses from European kids when we do contests or whatever when some of kids in the U.S. are just like ‘eh’.

Brian: They’re just a little more spoiled over here…everything is handed to you, you can get music everywhere. It’s harder in Europe; bands have to find their equipment. You know there’s not a whole lot of instrument companies from like, Germany. You have to get stuff imported, it’s more expensive, you’ve got to find rehearsal spaces and it’s not as easy. In Europe, some people have told me they’ve been like, ‘We’re going on tour’ and people are like ‘You’re crazy, you can’t go on tour’. So, I think we’re very fortunate to be able to do that here.

Chris: Totally. Alright I think we’ve pretty much got it.

Brian: (laughing) Oh, you got what you came for huh?

Chris: (laughing) We’ve got what we came for…you are dismissed!

Brian: Fair enough. (laughs)

Chris: Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us, Brian. Anything you’d like to say in closing?

Brian: Just thanks! Thanks for wanting to do this interview.