Today I got to have an awesome interview with Grey Gordon of No Sleep Records. Grey and I met through playing shows in Indiana and he has always been a big inspiration to me in music. We talk tour plans, veganism, and Gucci Mane.
RD: To start off, what has been new in the world of Grey Gordon?
GG: Not too terribly much. Still just playing shows, writing songs and hanging out. I am actually working on finally getting together a full band set, so I'm pretty psyched on that.
RD: How have things changed for you and your music since you were signed to the No Sleep Team?
GG: No Sleep has been a really positive thing. The primary difference is just the level of exposure. Being signed has helped me network in totally new ways, and my music is reaching people it never would have reached before. That's the dopest part of the whole experience. It's amazing and surreal to me that some kid in Russia is psyched on what I'm doing. I have Chris and No Sleep to thank for that. They've been nothing but supportive and awesome to work with.
RD: Do you have any full tour plans in the near future?
GG: Yep. I'm actually hitting Germany, Austria and Switzerland for 17 days this November with a band called Marathonmann. Couldn't be more stoked about that. After that, I'll be trying to plan some things on the US front for 2014. Definitely expect some extensive touring next year.
RD: Tell me a little about all the projects you're involved with
Well, besides my solo endeavors, I play in a hardcore band called Parasitic Twins. Hardcore will always be where my heart's at, and I'll never not be involved in it. That band is basically just old school stuff with a slightly different twist on it. The new stuff is sounding halfway between Poison Idea and Fucked Up, which I'm very excited about. We're currently writing for a full length. I'm also working on a mixtape with my man Matt Riefler. Hip-hop is another one of my great loves, but we're taking our time with that. It'll be out for free sometime this winter most likely. Besides that, I'm working on a still slightly secret collabo. I won't say much about it, but I will say it's with the guitarist of one of my all time favorite emo bands. That's what I'm most excited for currently. Can't wait to be able to drop more details on that.
RD: Tell me a little about The Wickerwolves, who have been making considerable ripples in the pond that is the Midwest.
GG: I just joined an incredibly ill band called The Wickerwolves. They've only been playing for about 6 months, but they're absolutely mind blowing. I can say with confidence that they're writing some of the best contemporary emo in the Midwest right now, and I don't think it's going unnoticed. I actually overheard Taylor from Daylight talking them up at Bled Fest, so that's pretty sick. So yeah, I just joined as their rhythm guitarist. I'll basically play shows with them whenever I'm not playing shows with my other projects. They're grinding really hard, playing tons of shows and writing for a full length, which is going to be next level. Hardest working kids I know, and they're all only 19 and 20. Seriously inspiring. Plus, the vocalist/bassist is my little brother Tate, so I'm really fucking proud. Watch out for these guys.
RD: How has being a member of the hardcore community helped or hindered your progress as a solo artist?
GG: I don't think there's been any degree of hinderance whatsoever. I've been attending/playing/booking shows for a decade now, and I've met a lot of incredible people along the way. When I decided to do this solo project, there was already a built in network of support thanks to my involvement in hardcore. Of course, any scene or community can be fickle, and I've seen hardcore ebb and flow over the course of the last 10+ years, but ultimately it's still my home. I still go to shows every single week. I still mosh really hard. I'm still inspired to tears by the power it has to move and unite people. I can say nothing but good things about what it's done for me and my music.
RD: How, if in any way, has veganism and the straight edge impacted your music?
GG: I'm sure it's fairly obvious to anyone that being vegan and straight edge are huge components of who I am. I don't think there's any way they couldn't impact my music. I've written songs addressing those topics, and I'm sure I'll write more in the future. Personally, the vegan straight edge is a fiercely political facet of my identity. At the end of the day, I think that people are people, and goodness takes many different forms. Some of the best, hardest working people I know smoke weed every day. However, ultimately, I would say my take on XVX is fairly militant, albeit is a somewhat unique fashion. Those concepts are intrinsically bound to my leftist political/economic beliefs. Besides which, they've allowed me the clarity of mind and focus to stay my course in the face of adversity, which may sound cliche, but is very true. Sometimes I hate addressing these things in interviews, because it's hard to properly get across how multifaceted my views on this subject are. For example, I fully support the legalization of narcotics, and I think it's horrifying how the drug war has been used to oppress and imprison America's working class and minority communities. Furthermore, I think the rhetoric of morality spewed by a lot of straight edge kids is disgusting and supports the legacy of Western sexual oppression, heteronormativity and patriarchy. Don't get me started on this "slut free" shit. Have sex with whoever you want to. I'll stop before I ramble, but I'll just say this: if you really want to know my views on this and how XVX has impacted my life and music, find me after a show and let's talk.
RD: What band or artist would you say has impacted you the most, or what artist has inspired you to do what you are doing musically?
GG: Well, the band that initially inspired me to make music was Nirvana. I grew up in a house where music was the norm, and my dad actually raised me on hardcore. He booked shows and was a hardcore kid in the 80s, which rules, but discovering Nirvana when I was 12 is what made me realize that creating music was what I wanted to do more than anything. Honestly, it's hard to hone in on a single source of inspiration, simply because my musical tastes are so varied and extensive. I mean, my favorite album ever is "Illmatic" by Nas. I do have to shout out Ben Barnett, who does a project called Kind of Like Spitting. I don't think I'd make the music I do if it weren't for his records. He's also become an amazing friend. Other than that, I'm just really inspired by the bands and people I share stages with. That's what keeps me constantly striving.
RD: Who is your go to band for listening right now?
GG: Lately, Superchunk and Nada Surf have been some go to bands. Drawing a lot of inspiration from that era of music during the process of writing for this full length. Honestly though, 90% of what I listen to in my spare time is hip-hop. Lately, it's been a lot of Gucci Mane, Rich Homie Quan, Young Thug, Serp, Lil Ugly Mane, Killer Mike & El-P and Pac Div.
RD: What album of 2013 (so far) are you either most excited for or think will be the best album of the year?
GG: The newest Run The Jewels hasn't stopped spinning, which is a collab between Killer Mike and El-P. I think they're the best team in hip-hop right now. I'm also really excited for the new Into It. Over It. I think Evan is one of the best songwriters out, and he's a genuinely good dude. Much love for him. I'm sure his record will be one of the best of the year. I'm also always following and loving everything Deranged Records puts out. I failed to mention it earlier, but lots of shit by Deranged never leaves my listening rotation. Creem and No Class both put out perfect records in the last year. I'm hoping to see more ill stuff from that camp this year.
Shouts out to Grey for this interview, and make sure you pick up his new EP "Still At Home Here" over at No Sleep Records
https://store.nosleeprecords.com/artist/grey-gordon
Also check out his music over at
http://greygordon.bandcamp.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment