 Jon Gutwillig of The Disco Biscuits performs at Legends on Wednesday night. Photo by Tommy Penick
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All information compiled by Emily Melton
The Appalachian: Why did you seek out Appalachian State University?
Marc Brownstein: Appalachian - there are a lot of Biscuit fans in town [here]. I think we played our best show of the year there a couple years ago. Really, really good show. We got a new drummer about four years ago and Boone was where it all started to click for us.
TA: You’re on tour right now. What has been the craziest thing that has happened to you?
MB: Nothing too crazy this tour…One time, our trailer flipped over on the highway and we had to spend two hours picking up every single piece of our equipment. Everything, really, was strewn across the interstate, and everything was fine except for both of my basses being cracked in half, which I took as a symbol that I had done something wrong. I don’t know what I did, but it must have been bad. One of the basses cost me, like, $5,000 and I had never even played it yet. I had just gotten it that day.
TA: What is life like on tour?
MB: It’s confusing, life on tour is really confusing. You play six nights in a row, you’re going from one state to the next and you never really know where you are.
TA: You have some EPs that are coming out soon. When are they due to be released?
MB: The first one is actually coming out next week, sometime in the middle of the week, probably Thursday or Friday. From there, the next two will be [out around] Halloween and Thanksgiving.
TA: How would you describe your fans?
MB: Our fans are really dedicated, really, really loyal and they
like to have a lot of fun. They’re kind of young, on average, right
now, and I feel like they’re just a little hardcore. They like intense
music. I’ve got a daughter so...I can’t be all heavy all the time. I’ve
got to write lullabies sometimes. I’m at home trying to get my daughter
to go to sleep. I’ve got to write some melodies that I can sing at
night.
TA: What about your sound?
MB: I’d say the band kind of sounds like a mix, an urban mix
between an improvisational rock band and electronic music; halfway in
between a jam band and an electronic [band].
TA: I heard you’ve gotten attention from Flo Rida after you played his song on one of your tours. Can you tell me about that?
MB: We played his song, “Low,” in Colorado last year, and I
guess someone got a hold of the video. Then, Flo Rida was on MTV, so
[MTV] played him the video of us playing his song. They filmed him
watching it and then they interviewed him about his reaction to seeing
a band that he’d never heard of. He said that it made him feel famous
to see us playing his song. It made me feel famous to see Flo Rida
seeing us play his song, so we’re all famous now.
TA: What has been your favorite venue to perform?
MB: Red Rock Amphitheatre in Colorado. We played there this
summer for the first time. It’s a natural amphitheatre carved out of
the red rocks of the mountains. Growing up, I had a tape of the
Grateful Dead from Red Rock. I always listened to that performance.
Being a kid, listening to the tape of a band like the Grateful Dead
playing at a venue like Red Rock, you always kind of dream about that.
Like, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if my band ever got to play at a place like
Red Rock?’ And now we do...it’s a dream come true.
TA: How is this tour different from any others?
MB: I think we’re playing better than we have on any tour
before. We have a big set of new songs that we’re playing and I think
it’s giving the tour its own flavor. All the new songs have their own
sound and the whole tour is beginning to take on a life of its own.
TA: What was the process of compiling all the songs on your upcoming release?
MB: It was a lengthy process, I’ve got to tell you. It was three
years in the making. If three years ago we told you what the album was
going to be like, none of the songs that are on the album were what we
thought the album was going to be like. We’ve gone through the process
of writing a lot of songs, and one by one, we’d say, ‘Well, this song’s
better than this one, let’s replace that there,’ and...it was just one
song after another off of the album and into the rotation of live
songs. So, we’re playing a lot of new songs that didn’t make the album,
and then all the songs that made the album, we’re kind of holding off
on until the album comes out.
TA: What is it like to be a father and in a band at the same time?
MB: Being in the band is who I am, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to
do and having kids is the other thing that I’ve always wanted to do.
So, I’m doing both at the same time. It’s not the most convenient
situation of all time, but it’s definitely better than not having kids.
A lot of kids I meet that are in bands are waiting till they get old
and I’m not so sure that’s the right call. I want to make sure that I’m
young for my kids.
Photo by Tommy Penick | The Appalachian
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