The Gaslight Anthem
Posted by Steven Robertshaw on 11-Jan-08 @ 05:39 PM|
HQ: New Brunswick, NJ NOW PLAYING: Sink Or Swim (XOXO; xoxorecords.com) THE STORY SO FAR: The Gaslight Anthem are a band in a hurry. Only three months after forming in 2005, they hit the road hard and cut a demo that caught the attention of XOXO Records, where they promptly signed. This year, TGA released Sink Or Swim, widely lauded by fans and critics alike largely due to the band's fondness for a scruffy blend of Americana a la Billy Bragg and Woody Guthrie and modern, rough-hewn punks like Against Me!. A follow-up concept EP titled Señor And The Queen is already set for release this winter on Sabot Productions. "We write all the time," explains vocalist/guitarist Brian Fallon, "whether we have a record coming out or not." WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: Aside from their raucous and earnest punk, the Gaslight Anthem are prepared for the tongue-lashings and tire-slashings their former tourmates Against Me! have endured. "People are gonna hate you no matter what you do," says Fallon. "Whether you're in a band or politics or anything successful, you just have to roll with it." And unlike bands who try to pass off their influences as their own innovation, TGA happily embrace the pioneers who paved their way. "I think the whole reason that we wear influences so heavily on our sleeves is to say, 'Hey, check it out,'" says Fallon. "We came from this stuff." -Brian Shultz YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: AGAINST ME! / BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN / SMALL BROWN BIKE |
