Seattle band, Gibraltar, is on tour in support of their debut EP, Storms. Gibraltar are a mix of former and current band members of Afghan Whigs, Visqueen, Exohxo and Spanish for 100. The debut EP, Storms, earned the band much praise with comparisons to Joy Division, Interpol, Savages, and an angry Built to Spill.
"Gibraltar's debut EP, Storms, falls on the spectrum of all sounds ever made, the fairly new Northwest band pitches a changeup, leaving me with more questions than answers." - Megan Seling // The Stranger
Motive are on the move for their first cross country tour! Motive are an indie, grunge, rock band from Brooklyn by the way of Seattle. These well-dressed fellas stopped by Cincinnati in January on their way to SXSW and are back for more of the Cincy love. If you missed them then, make sure to not make that mistake again. I grabbed at the chance to chat with the up and coming band prior to the MOTR show on Saturday.
As this is your first cross country tour, tell us a bit about life on the road…
Life on the road has been great to us. It can get exhausting, to be peppy on a morning news show after ten hours of driving and no sleep, but the worst things that have happened (exploding tires, surprise homelessness) have been better than the best thing that could happen while not on the road. It's a privilege to cope with disaster in the name of spreading our music.
Tell us about your writing process. Do you start with music or lyrics?
Usually a seed planted by one man will sprout and flourish under the nurturing caress of the other three. The seed man is usually Nick, who also does the lyrics. We give it some time and see if it's working, and if not, we try other directions. The key is to be impartial. But once it's working, it's easy to see. We smile at each other a lot.
Do you have certain themes or words that you craft your music around?
Peace and love. Tolerance. Being true to one another. Good times. Bad times. Life.
Who's your biggest musical influence?
There are elements of people and other bands we admire - Pixies' quiet/loud dynamic structure, Radiohead's eclectic parts. Late-fifties Lenny Bruce. George Saunders. Mister Rogers.
Any advice for an artist just starting out?
Work a lot. Too many musicians are weekend warriors - you know, practice halfheartedly on Saturday afternoons, despite knowing people who work eighteen hours a day in law school. It takes a lot of time to be worth anything, which is a good thing. And, if you ever feel creatively bankrupt, get up and move around, change your scenery. It will change the way you think. That's what's so great about touring - it refills your creative drive with each new city. Quote George Clooney - "Make no mistake. Moving is living."
Motive w/ Gibraltar
MOTR Pub
Saturday June 8th
10p
FREE
