[mp3] Interview // The Gary

thegary [mp3] Interview // The Gary

The last time we heard about Austin, Texas, trio The Gary, we heard about my unnatural love of the words “juxtaposition” and “dichotomy.” This time, we get to hear from the band itself. Band members Dave Norwood and Paul Warner were nice enough to answer a few of my questions. Instead of rambling on, here is a track from the band’s latest EP, El Camino. It opens with the solid, solid rock of “Here in the last days.” So without further ado, here are the musings of Dave and Paul:

Introduce yourselves and your band (like a newspaper personal ad).

Dave: MWM seeks two other MWMs for hearty studio tomfoolery and long drives in a van called The Mooseknuckle. Pro gear and chops are optional. Clothing is optional as well, once the bottle is drained.You MUST regret it in the morning, and the regret must be expressed in song.

Paul: MWM drummer playing in band that likes luncheons and lawn sports.

What is your background? Why did you get involved with music? What inspired you originally? What artists inspired you to get into music?

Dave: My dad had a bass laying around the house. I wonder what my life would be like if that bass wasn’t around? I started playing in the mid-eighties, mostly hard rock and metal cover bands. I took to punk a couple of years later. My friend Michael Serpe got me into Naked Raygun, Government Issue, Big Black, Squirrel Bait, Husker Du, Volcano Suns, and so on. Later, we were all about the stuff coming out on Dischord and Touch & Go. As for why I got into music, I’m not sure. Probably because music always spoke to me, consoled and amused me, and I wanted to be a part of it. Music was always a good in for making friends and meeting like-minded people, too. Still is.

Paul: In 7th grade my friend taught me how to play Rock You Like a Hurricane on guitar and it just went from there… mainly metal in the beginning, then punk, and then somewhere in between with Dischord and Headhunter/Cargo. I’m looking forward to the jazz years.

What are the members of the band? Who plays what?

Dave: Trey plays guitar. He’s the cute one. Paul plays drums. I play bass and “sing”.

What is the history of The Gary? Where did the name come from? Does
the name have anything to do with Michael Jackson or the Jackson 5?

Dave: Paul and Trey started playing together in 2005, but it never materialized into a band. Paul started playing in We’ll Go Machete (and still does), and Trey was playing in Sad Like Crazy. Paul and I played in a band called Rossi Mission from ’06 to ’08, and once that fizzled, we started playing with Trey. As for the name, Paul came up with it while we were tubing on the Comal River. He was drunk and insisted our next band would be called The Gary. So it was, so it still is. To my knowledge, it has no connection to the Jacksons or Diff’rent Strokes. We do connect our name to a fellow named Gary Doyle Obanion. Look him up on facebook. He’s a champ.

How do you reach out to fans in other regions? Can you explain the
role of new media/social media in your band?

Dave: I just mailed records to Germany and Croatia today. I’m not so
sure that would’ve happened if not for the internet. It has allowed us to find an audience without having to tour a lot or aggressively promote our band.

What do you do full-time? Work? What do you do outside of the band?

Paul: I’m a web developer and enjoy river tubing and sea turtles.
Dave: I sell print-grade plastics, enjoy river tubing, and I fancy my wife, especially when she’s not mad at me. I also enjoy books. Trey runs a dent repair shop. He also enjoys books, fishing, & his fantastic wife, among other things.

How would you describe your music? Any special and/or interesting genre titles you might subscribe to?

Dave: We follow our noses. We play whatever comes natural to us, regardless of what it may sound like. We’re not trying to sound like anyone in particular, but I think the influences are pretty evident.

What is the writing process like for the band? How do you compose songs (together or solo)?

Dave: One of us arrives to practice with an idea, and if the idea resounds with the three of us, it becomes a song.

What are the ultimate goals of the band?

Dave: Forty acres and a mule.

What are you listening to right now? What bands are exciting to you? What things can you recommend to our readers?

Paul: Peer Amid by The Skull Defekts. I am usually listening to stuff in the noiserock/post-punk vein. Some bands I’ve gotten into recently are Ten Volt Shock and The Megaphonic Thrift.

Dave: I like Joe 4, My Education, Killdeer, whatever Henna Chou is doing, Half Mile Fox Fur, Project S.N.A.R.E., ST37, Pataphysics, Baby Robots, We’ll Go Machete, Whales, Yoctonaut, Post Honeymoon, Shellac of North America, Peter Jefferies, and a bunch of other stuff.

What is your favorite cereal and why?

Paul: It was Fruity Pebbles as a kid, then they started adding too many colors. It was solid with just red, orange, and yellow.
Dave: I like a fibrous cereal, for the sake of regularity.

How do you explain Austin? How is it part of Texas? It seems to be the red-headed stepchild, the city that doesn’t really fit with the rest of the state…

Dave: I live in Dripping Springs, TX. Austin can eat ¼ of a turd. The rest of Texas can eat the remaining ¾.

What does the future hold for the group? When will you be making it up to Rochester?

Dave: I would like to play in Rochester right now. I’ve never been to NY.

Favorite alcoholic beverage and why?

Paul: Brown Ales, favorite is Wolaver’s but unfortunately they don’t sell it in Texas.
Dave: Dripping Springs Vodka. Bulleit Bourbon. Real Ale Full Moon Rye.

[mp3] The Gary // Here In The Last Days