17-12-2009Interviews - The Gaslight Anthem

I knew that we wrote the best record that we could have at the time - Rocksnail talks to Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem

After the Deep Elm styled 'Sink or Swim' release the band have moved on from the underground and raw sounding production values and replaced them with a pinpoint sound of crisp guitars, emotive vocals and anthemic rythms. It was this mixture of values alongside a host of personal influences that has seen the band gain comparisons from Alkaline Trio to Bruce Springsteen with numerous others between. None would be over emphatic and whether it's the classic rock vibe on display as tracks such as 'The High and Lonesome Road' or title track 'The 59 Sound' to the punk laden hooks of 'The Patient Ferris Wheel' all managing to form a unique and deeply integral identity.

Sounding now more akin to a stadium rock band as opposed to Lock and Key or The Last Days of April has moved them into the public sphere whilst, and perhaps most promisingly, not outcasting or putting off fans of the original outings. Top this off with a proffesionalism that not many other bands have, Brian Fallon displaying a maturity that couples his staight edged sensibilities in using The Gaslight Anthem as a vehicle for bettering his own life.

The inclusion of a producer and having far longer than the two weeks they took to record last years 'Sink or Swim' have paid dividens. The '59 Sound for the band which also features bassist Alex Levine, drummer Benny Horowitz and guitarist Alex Rosamilia was created from six weeks in the studio with producer and former Flogging Molly guitarist Ted Hutt (Chuck Ragan, The Bouncing Souls) to craft an album that reconciles the band's love for classic rock and soul icons such as Bruce Springsteen, Otis Redding and Tom Petty with their New Jersey punk roots to create a unique musical amalgam that transcends genres and stereotypes. Lyrically its an open and honest personal acount of Fallon's life without ever bordering on the cheesy or cliche. Stories rooted in codes or enigma which arent initially spelled out on first listen keep you hooked but that is something one listen to the 59 Sound can't convey.
We talk to Brian about the recording process of 'The 59 Sound'


1. Aside from the name of your current album, just what is the '59 sound to you?

As of now, it's become my livelyhood...you know? The '59 Sound to me, now, is how I get by day to day. It's a pretty humbling feeling to know that you get to live off a record....

2. Did you expect that with the release of 'The '59 Sound' that things would explode the way in which they have?

Never. I knew that we wrote the best record that we could have at the time, and I was really proud of it. I knew that we were kind of onto to something, but maybe only the beginning of something, I didn't think that it was anywhere close to where it is now.

[b]3. How long did the whole writing and recording process take for the album?

5 weeks to rehearse and record. Writing we do constantly, so it's hard to figure how long exactly.

4. Which track best reflects the feelings you held when writing the album?

I'd have to say my guitar line from 'High Lonesome'. It was one of the harder parts on the record, and I refused to let Ted chop it up in protools, so the finished product I think sounds as frustrated as I was when I played it.

5. How have things changed since the release?

Not much, actually. I have a couple more friends, and I've become slightly nomadic, but other than that I'd at least like to think that I'm the same person I was when we recorded 'Sink or Swim'.

6. How was your recent tour of the UK?

Amazing. The crowds there were unbelievable. As much as I've always wanted to play places like that, I never thought it would actually happen, you know? It was surreal from day 1, and I think it's only starting to set in now that it's over.

7. We hear your extremely conscious of using the band to better a future for yourselves and your families, how does this change the dynamics of touring?

It's part of the reason we're never really home. It's actually not part, it is the reason we're never home.

8. Your live shows are gaining immense respect, I remember one quote where the author said they never believed live music worked being performed live on a TV show until they saw you on The Saturday Night show, I had a similar view and experience with a show you recorded for Channel M in Manchester. Is the live show something you plan and practice for or has it just evolved with time?

It just kind of happens. It's definitely not practiced. I just think it's more of a natural thing. I never think about what I'm doing, I just kind of...do it....

9. You appeal to such a large crosssection of the alternative audience, is this down impart to any decisions you have made or a natural reaction to your sounds?

I think it's what happens when 4 people who don't really share the same musical tastes get together to play. That's not saying that we don't like the same bands or anything. We'll just say our top 10s, may even our top 25s would be rather eclectic.

10. What next for The Gaslight Anthem?

Touring. Then more touring.