Meet The Whigs - By Zoë Moon
On a hot and particularly humid night in Austin, Texas, the talented, hard working; energetic trio from Athens, Georgia recently played a packed and very sweaty gig at one of Austin Texas' favourites, Antone's. Owning the stage at first beat, they had the audience's undivided attention by 2nd song - 'Like A Vibration'. Half-way through their set with 'Already Young' - one of the bands current favourites to play - they had a following. This band doesn't waste any time. Highlight of this gig, for myself, being their final song (the last, but far from least), 'Need You, Need You', from the band's second album released earlier this year, 'Mission Control', a must have for your collection. While you're at your favourite record shoppe, pick up The Whigs first album, 'Give Em' All A Big Fat Lip', as well - an irresistible title. During 'Need You, Need You', with so much raw energy in one song, I half expected the band to throw the bass through the kick drum, and smash the keyboard to bits. When lead singer/lead guitarist, Parker Gispert, sat his guitar down on the stage, I had truly hoped he would have a Hendrix moment and set it on fire. With high petrol prices, I imagine all of it goes toward seemingly endless touring. First time I met The Whigs, they were about to embark on an eighteen hour drive to Cincinnati. I had just witnessed their kick-ass performance at The Mohawk, during this year's SXSW (South by Southwest).
This band has the energy at live gigs - amazingly at all their gigs - that gets you thinking, 'What's gonna happen next?' Answer: The band will be making their first trip over the Atlantic, to the O2 Wireless Festival, and a hand-full of club gigs - as listed below.*
The band sat down back stage for a post gig Interview for R13.
R13: What was your first paying gig as a musician?
Parker Gispert: "My band in high school was called, Mildred. We played Phish and Widespread Panic covers. And we had a 45 minute set. We had three songs and I had a alarm clock on top of drums. I was the drummer. And we would just start, and play for 15 minutes. Start the next song play for 15 minutes; we start the next song . . . We got paid like 20 bucks or something stupid."
R13: Where did you play?
PG: "We played at a place called, The Shakedown Street Club."
R13: In Athens?
PG: "In Atlanta. It was named after The Grateful Dead Jam"
Julian Dorio: "I think mine was with this band, The Whigs. Our first show was in Athens at the now non existing DT's Down Under, and don't think we even thought about getting paid. We were just trying to play a handful of songs, and then naturally they pay. That was a nice, a nice surprise. That was my first, was my first one I think."
Tim Deaux: "I was a freshmen in college. I had a roommate who basically forced me to accompany him. He would just sing, and play harmonica. Somehow, he got this gig at this bar called Rumors, which was actually a bar / laundry mat that was on the grounds of a trailer park. He made me come play guitar with him. I think we got paid like 10 bucks a piece, or something like that. We got free beer and stuff - which was great because I was only 18. It was a lot of fun."
R13: What do you want people to walk away with when they leave your gigs?
JD: "Hoping they'll just have a lot of fun. They'll always know they can come to a show and go out and have a good time, and dance and party with their friends. I'm not going to say every song's fast, but it's kind of an uplifting occasion, I think."
PG: "Yes, that and also they should know that we're up there leaving it all out there. Not giving 80% or kind of trying, or worried about looking real cool, and standing still. We're jumping around and killing ourselves and working really hard."
TD: "Hopefully people come away almost as sweaty as we do every night. Antone's is a sweaty place. It's great."
Michael Ian Cummings (Mike), of The Dead Trees, (who played before The Whigs) joins in the conversation . . .
MC: "How about the new album? Well, I really. . . When we recorded the new album. This is Parker, by the way."
(roar of laughter)
R13: The song Technology, from you're first album, who wrote that?
PG: "Hank, our original bass player, had the riff. I wrote the music for the chords and I wrote the words."
R13: What were the lyrics about?
MC (pretending to be Parker): "It was about the baby boomer generation, and how they're all going to be entering a real state of instability. When their social security all comes up, you know. . . And like, they're starting to go into retirement now. It's kind of a big deal. We should talk about it."
(Judging by the roar of laughter from the room, this probably wouldn't have been Parker's answer.)
R13: What's your favourite song off the new album, to play?
PG: "It changes. Right now it's, 'Already Young'."
TD: "It does change, it does change. We don't play the title track every night. 'Mission Control' is one of my favourite songs to play. Yeah, 'Mission Control'."
R13: You've played a few venues now in Austin. Which is your favourite to play?
PG: "As frustrating as the show here was . . . "
TD: "This is a cool venue. Antone's is good. You (R13) mentioned The Mohawk, and it's an outdoor thing. It was pretty fun."
PG: "Stubb's is always fun."
TD: "Stubb's outdoor and indoor thing. Austin has a lot of good venues. Austin Music Hall was huge - a little bit overwhelming, but it was very, very, very nice; comfortable."
R13: "What's your favourite mexican food restaurant in Austin?
PG: "Maudie's. We just ate there a couple of hours ago, as a matter of fact. It's Great."
R13: I was reading your blog this morning. How long have you been writing it?
PG: "Like a week and a half. Just got started. I'm trying to do it everyday. So far I'm on it pretty good."
R13: You're playing the Wireless Festival, in London. Are there any other gigs planned while you're over?
PG: "Yeah, there are. Yes. We're playing a festival in Belgium, and we just announced Fuji Rock in Japan we're playing"
PG: "Are there any other confirmed yet?" (question to JD)
JD: "I think they said we're gonna do some more stuff while we're in the UK. We're hoping also to put in a bunch of club shows . . ."
R13: Your guitar, when did you get that? It's very cool.
PG: "Thank you. I was a senior in high school. And I got it for four hundred dollars - which was a lot of money."
Member of The Dead Trees (will remain unnamed): "Oh, is this run, wait, . . . wait you're not gettin' this are ya? You don't know who I am. F**k this." (exits room full of laughing people)
(You really have to check out The Dead Trees.)
PG: "Yeah, I got it when I was in high school. I got it from this place that's kind of a mobile home in Atlanta called Atlanta Vintage Guitars, and I'd like to go on record in saying that the guy who owns that store is a real asshole, and I'm never going in that store again. Julian and I drove from Athens one day to check out amplifiers. And he wouldn't let me plug into any . . . 'oh, you can't just play it.' . . . Well I guess I'm not gonna buy anything. I mean if I don't know what any of them sound like. Basically treated us like we're street bums, punk kids."
R13: You made the first album in a frat house with no air-conditioning, is that right?
PG: "That's right."
R13: In Athens, Georgia. That must have been grueling.
PG: "Yeah it was pretty hot. Julian, do you want to talk about that?"
JD: "It was supposed to have AC. There was none. So, like the Georgia, the Georgia summer sort of baking in this mansion. But it was fun. 'Cause sort of the idea was to have a lot of fun, try to make a record that way. We didn't have the money for studio and time and all that. So we tried to sort of rethink all of it. We lucked out with a house for free, got some equipment with a little money we had, and recorded like that. It was great. It was a lot of fun. We made the record for near to nothing. That was kind of the, the only way we could do it. But that sort of . . . reminded us that you don't have to have tons of a money to make a record. It was fun."
R13: How was making the second album compared to making the first?
JD: "Different. It was incredibly different in the sence that we were in a studio in Los Angeles. And everyone (who's who) . . . has basically recorded there. And we had to work with Rob Schnapf, who's this producer that we look up to. And we really liked his records and the artists he's worked with. So we were you know beyond excited. But you know it was similar in the sence that it was fun and that we had a great time making it. And that was again the idea like to just have a good time and that'll yield the best results. . . It was fun. It was a privilege to work there so."
R13: So what did you guys listen to growing up?
JD: "I listened to all my father's vinyl. And just kind of classic great . . . I guess classic rock is what it is. Everything, from obvious stuff like Beatles and Zeppelin, and Kinks and Stones . . ."
R13: I read that you're a fan of Mitch Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
JD: "Yeah, yeah listened to a lot of Jimi Hendrix growing up. And, of course I had no idea I was going to be in a trio at the time. But it is always fun to watch those old great trios, even Zeppelin musically is a trio. And, The Who, . . . just sort of amazing to watch musicians like that. And those drummers are like, they're almost like front men in a way. Even though, they also have great front men. It's not that they're, you know . . . There's always full, like equal parts in those bands you know. Everyone's a force."
TD: "Like Julian I grew up listening to whole bunch of my parents' music. Tons of Beatles. A lot of Zeppelin, of course, and the good classic we all love. My mom actually was performing when I was very young. She was singing; playing guitar in small bars. And she would play mostly country/western stuff . . . Emmylou Harris and Karla Bonoff. Willie Nelson, Neil Young; Patsy Cline. So sort of her influences were sort of that country, country/western kind of stuff. Then again by the time I was in like 5th or 6th grade is when the whole like gangster-rap craze sort of hit. I couldn't avoid that. Still love rap a lot."
R13: Which artist?
TD: "I have to say my favourites, the sort of things that have stuck, I would have to say Tribe Called Quest; De La Soul. Sort of the great, that great 90's hip hop, still kind of has that longevity. I feel that a lot of sort of gimmicky stuff has passed on, but Tribe Called Quest is still probably one of my favourite groups of all time."
PG: "I listened to a bunch of pop-metal. In high school I got more into like northwest stuff like Modest Mouse, Built To Spill, Pavement, and Death Cub For Cutie - all that stuff. Before that, back in my teens, I listened to the radio just like what was on the local rock radio station in Georgia."
R13: What was on the local rock radio station in Georgia?
PG: "It was like Hootie. Yeah, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, you know Alice in Chains. Seattle stuff was coming out when we were in junior high and stuff. Which is pretty important year for rock in every kid's life - junior high school."
R13: So what new bands do you guys like, or newer I should say?
JD: "Well, we're on tour with The Dead Trees. They were just walking in and out of here. They're . . ."
PG: "They're amazing."
JD: "They are one of our favourites. We're really happy to be on tour with them"
(Parker takes a few pictures.)
JD: "There's a band from Louisville, KY called, Wax Fang, who we've toured with and become good friends with. They're, they're incredible. Probably our favourite band out there. And from home, Dead Confederate. A friend of ours is in Dead Confederate. They're great. Trying to think of anybody else we listen to right now."
TD: "A lot of stuff on the stereo in the van. We're driving a lot everyday. Listening to a ton of different things new; old."
R13: What keeps you awake driving?
TD: "I found myself putting on a lot of . . . Recently, tons of good driving music like Metallica is on rotation a lot lately. Kind of gets you fired up. Parker bought some good CD's the other day, we've been rocking to. He bought Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Green River' - Which is a really good driving record, too." (Laughs)
JD: "So good he got a speeding ticket."
TD: "Yeah, I actually . . . totally. It was Fogerty's fault. I definitely got a speeding ticket because I was getting really pumped that about the music. Parker also bought the Grateful Dead's 'Shakedown Street' record - Which was one of my favourites back in high school. I hadn't listened to it probably since high school. So, it was a lot of fun when he put that on the other day. It was a nice surprise. Awesome."
R13: So you drive a lot.
PG: "yes."
R13: What keeps you awake? The same things?
PG: "Sunflower seeds."
R13: Powered by sunflower seeds, you'd never know.
TD: "We're really excited about eventually getting over to the UK."
PG: "Never been across the Atlantic. I'm so excited to be going. I can't wait!"
Post Interview:
R13: Cool boots.
TD: "Thank you. I got these at a great shop back home in Athens called, Minks. It's on Clayton street. Everybody that hears this should visit Athens, have lunch at The Last Resort Grill, and then go next door to Minks and buy some boots."
Confirmed UK gig dates as of yet *
July 1 - The Roadhouse - Manchester
July 2 - 100 Club - London
July 3 - Zodiac - Oxford
July 4 - 02 Wireless Festival - London
July 12 - T in the Park Festival