Ghastly City Sleep

Posted by: Ian – Jul 27, 2010

Ghastly City Sleep is a difficult band to pin down. Any listeners who had expected a continuation of members’ previous bands - including such turn-of-the-millenium hardcore and metal bands as Majority Rule, Pg. 99, Kilara, and City of Caterpillar - would have been in for a surprise. Their first EP channeled both hazy ambience of shoegazer bands like Slowdive and the triumphant dynamics of bands like Sigur Ros and Mogwai. Not a band to rest on their creative laurels, their newest record, the upcoming “Moondrifts,” takes another direction, adding a more assertive rhythmic and vocal element to their music. I talked to singer/guitarist Brandon Evans about where the band has been and where they’re going.

Prior to GCS, most of the members were involved with more aggressive music. Was it a conscious decision to break away from that or was that an element that evolved through songwriting?

Yeah, definitely we were hyper conscious (almost frustratingly so).
I feel I have always been playing music in a realm that is far behind my actual musical interests in a linear time comparison, always trying to incorporate in new influences and mold little things into a project in which tons of time and personal life and relationships have been building and invested within. Therefore, everything moves much slower than the quickness of the ear. The moments of "Ooooo, that sounds amazing! what is that?" which will always happen when taking in music with a curious ear - you can't keep up with that with a group that gets together whenever you can squeeze it into everyone's schedules ya know! So in all the previous bands, I think we were always slightly frustrated at wanting to hear or experiment with whatever newness is floating through the cosmos at the moment and filling our ears and our spirits with that youthful excitement and that is really what took those bands, and every band, to their unique level. We were in that realm of more aggressive music for a long time, with so many other styles or flairs that drew us in. We wanted bad to try something different and new to us, but that is scary and foreign as all hell. It took us years and things falling apart to ever get there. You are less afraid to lose something if you've already lost it. HA! It's just how it happened for us. We are still evolving from a very beginner level within whatever style we are moving towards always. It's what keeps us alive and growing now. It's just how this project works. We started from the ground level with that in mind, to always move more towards where we actually wanna be. No matter the interest still happens far too slow - that part doesn't change. And it wasn't and isn't that we don't like harsh music anymore. We love it, it's just we have another calling right now.

-You've had members come and go (I think the first time I saw you guys, there were seven people on stage), but the core of the band is comprised of people with whom you've had musical involvement for over a decade. Is it ever weird to think of how far your music has come since then?

Yeah, I can't really wrap my head around it. I get so attached and worked up due to all the little inner dramas of life, and how extremely difficult it is to keep a band together and functioning. It can get quite utterly sad at moments, you have to focus so much attention on so many things that it can be extremely rare to get to look upon how insanely far all the music has moved along within all our lives. Even on a micro level of just the two records and their utter difference in sounds and styles, and then to know how different "Moondrifts" even is from where we wanna go and be now! Far off ... far out to sea... it's too unreal... like it has nothing to do with me at all.

MORE BENEATH THE BREAK

It seemed like most people reviewing the older material relied on a pretty small pool of comparisons and presumed influences, was it ever frustrating to read one writer after another pile on "post-rock" tags?

Haaaaa. Yeah it was! And still is! But whatever, like I said, we get in our own little worlds so intensely for so long; maybe I just never realized how far off that material was from what we were trying to attain. In the end we accomplished being in a new band from scratch and changing up our styles to something fresh for us. Maybe it was more "post-rock" than I understand? I still think that our music was/is tagged that more because we didn't really fit in a genre and people maybe didn't really know what to say about it, but yet are stuck having to write something about it. But again, I'm attached and a fool! It could follow every single rule of "post-rock" down to the shirt-tag's stitching. I can see the comparisons for sure. I just know on the inside our influences were everywhere. It just didn't have time enough to flourish yet - we were new!

Along similar lines, there's a pretty vast difference between the new record and your first EP, was it a conscious decision to expand your sound beyond that record?

Yeah, we lost Champ right after we finished recording our first EP. That created a huge hole and difference in dynamics at that point, as far as outer influences and the directions we could take. It also meant more obstacles, frustrations, and teachings. Which takes a while to live through, but as awful as it was to endure, it again enabled us to move to a style and flair of music more to par with our interests as we grew. We incorporated a sampler/drum machine and that piece of gear opened entirely new worlds of curiosity and excitement for us! Really it is the root cause for a lot of our band's evolution between albums! And probably the same for the difference of where we are now compared to where the next material will be. That and the loss of more dear friends as members. But hopefully, they will be the blessings in disguise they always turn out (and were meant) to be.

-The new record seems to have a stronger rhythmic drive and broader sonic palette than your earlier work. What were you drawing influence from for this shift?

Like I mentioned, that was our goal once Pat picked up that drum machine. New worlds were there to play with and we loved it! We wanted more of that. Honestly, I think we had envisioned our album to have more of those tones than the organic drums as far as levels and mix and their presence. But things get compromised the more people that get involved and its always for the better no matter what, cos' that's what happened! We were learning and growing within this new road we have taken. We are babies in a lot of this technical world, not knowing how to use instruments fully. So our growth I think shows greatly between the albums, and hopefully will continue in that manner. We consciously wanted sexier, somber-lilting grooves in the beat moods and lay ‘em in heavier than before.

What prompted the record label switch from Robotic Empire to Magic Bullet?

Well, Andy from Robotic said we sucked and that he wouldn't think of doing another record with us! That started it all, then Ben Salies came to our aid and helped to get the album started in production out of his great good-willed heart and we continued on without knowing who would pick up or what would happen with the record. Eventually Brent from Magic Bullet offered. Apparently, Andy had sent him a copy sneakily months and months prior and had sent e-mails to Brent letting him know we still had no label nor plans so Brent called me. Andy plays a big part in making this go down I would say. That, and it was just meant to be. I am friends with both of them, that is why both have gone down. Both labels have released former bands’ albums. Otherwise, neither would’ve bothered probably. That's just how weird this world works! I dunno.

Oh, and Andy didn't say we sucked. He just said he wouldn't release another - he didn't know what to do with us?

-You recently recruited Ryan Parrish [of Darkest Hour/Suppression fame] to play drums for you, is this just for the upcoming tour or is he going to be a more permanent member of your ranks?

Dunno really, we will see. He's an amazing person and dear friend! But as you know he is a busy, busy man of talent. He's doing this tour in July and then our five-week full US tour in the fall. Those two are for sure! Beyond that we haven't thought nor looked yet. Pat quitting is still recent and fresh.

Any further plans for touring/recording soon?

The US tour in the fall, Sept. 27 - Nov. 4 - we end it in Richmond, it's looking like we will play the Silent Film Night, hopefully at least. Sounds chill. Oh, and when we recorded "Moondrifts," we actually recorded three more songs that we didn't put on it. They will probably come out as an EP, maybe with some remixes soon after, sometime next year.

Ghastly City Sleep plays at Gallery 5 on Tuesday, July 27th with A Summer Pledge and Autocue.

http://www.myspace.com/ghastlycitysleep
http://www.ghastlycitysleep.com

B&W images by DeWeaver

by Graham Scala