Streets Of Laredo are currently getting ready to release their debut album Volume I & II. We caught up with drummer Dave for a chat to find out a bit more.
Can you introduce yourself and tell me a little about the band?
I’m Dave Gibson and I play drums in Streets of Laredo, we’re made up of 5 New Zealanders & a couple of Americans based out of Brooklyn, NY. We’re a bit of a family situation – my brother Dan is lead vocalist, my wife Sarah sings & plays drums, and the rest of the guys are brothers from a different mother.
How did you get started?
My brother Dan had written a song called I’m Living for our other brother’s wedding – he asked Sarah & me if we’d like to join him so we did. We started writing songs together and immediately we felt like it kind of worked. We played one proper show at a bar called the Whiskey in Auckland, then (insanely) jumped on a plane and moved to NYC. We’ve been here ever since and have collected members along the way - now we’re a 7 piece.
You’re currently getting ready to release your debut album Volume I & II, can you tell me about your writing and recording process?
It’s always been pretty DIY with us, calling in favors from friends, working songs up on Logic or whatever in our apartments, doing deals to get into studios for a few days, etc. We did the majority of this record when we were back in New Zealand on holiday a while back. We booked out a couple of days at The Lab in Auckland to record drums then used smaller, makeshift rooms to finish it off.
Were there any tracks that were more of a challenge to get down?
Yeah, the opening track Everything to Everyone was really difficult. That song ended up going through about 3 iterations before we settled on the final recording. I was very close to giving up on it but very glad we didn’t.
Which track are you most proud of?
I love Laredo as it really tells the story of our move to NYC, I love Everything To Everyone as it’s a very different song to the rest of the album and (as I mentioned) was about a very unfaithful mistress…and Homeless, that breaks my heart every time.
Any interesting tales from the studio?
The studio is the best of times & the worst of times. It’s where the rubber hits the road. When things are going great, there is nothing quite like it but when things are going tough it can be a dark time.
What has been your best experience in the business?
When we were just starting out, Sharon Van Etten turned up to one of our early shows at Rockwood in NYC…she sat right in the front row and it really freaked us out as we’re big fans of her work. After the show she gave me a ginger flavoured toothpick.
And what’s the hardest thing about being in the business?
Finding credit cards with high enough limits on them to rent vans.
What inspires you?
Travelling mostly…and ginger flavoured toothpicks.
Who are your role models and idols?
Some buddies of mine – Tyson Kennedy, Julian Currin, oh and The Pixies.
