The Get Right Band

Catch up with The Get Right Band's Jesse Gentry (bass) and listen to title track, "Who's In Charge?", off the band's upcoming album set to be released August 5th and catch them on tour now.

What brought you all together?

Jesse Gentry: At the current present time, I would say what brought us together is the city of Asheville but, originally, what brought us together was childhood friendship. We grew up together in Maryland and I played bass, he played guitar, and we had our first bands together, had a long history and then, you know, went our separate ways when we became adults. He had been living in Asheville for six or seven years and I'd been living down in the Caribbean and he basically coerced me to quit my job and move to Asheville because he had this awesome band and it was a great scene, so my girlfriend and I quit our jobs and moved to Asheville. That was a different band of course, but when that band broke up, Silas and I and the drummer from that band formed The Get Right Band and eventually picked up JC who had moved to Asheville for similar reasons. He had heard it was a great music scene and, thankfully, our drummer at the time, when he had left the band - on good terms - JC had pretty much just moved to town and he was incredible and once we started playing with him, we knew it was right. That's the whole story, I guess.

Where does your name, The Get Right Band, come from?

It's just, we like to get right and we like our audience members to get right. It's whatever you're feeling, whatever makes you feel good or makes your feel happy in this world. It's living a good life; for some people, getting right is going and getting high, for some people it's going to church, for some people it's going to a show and seeing a great band, and we just thought it was kind of cool and so we adopted it.

Which musicians have you been influenced by?

Well, we all love music and we're all about the same age - early 30s - so most of us had somewhat hippie parents from that era, so our collective parentry gave us a lot of the psychedelic world of the 60s - Pink Floyd, Beatles, Zeppelin, yadi yadi yada - and I know JC and I definitely got really into the jazz fusion and prog scenes, so that definitely plays a lot of influence into some of our current jams: actually we're getting a little heavier because of some of that influence. But, pretty good childhood influences growing up and then, as we became adults, we got a lot more into hip hop - Silas and I really, really love hip hop and listen to it a lot in the van. We just love everything. We like good music and we try to bring every influence to our shows and our songs, where it's appropriate.

What words would you use to describe your sound?

We call ourselves funk rock reggae, but I've been slowly adopting that we're a little bit of a jam band. People that know me know that I don't really like jam bands, but we jam so hard and a lot of times we play shows with other jam bands and we dig them and we're getting a little bit into that scene nowadays. We're a rock band and we incorporate a lot of funk and reggae and we definitely jam and improvise a lot, some shows more than others, but we like to dig in. We like to make all of our shows different and we find that getting into some deep jams in songs that we've never jammed in before or we do a different jam every time in the same song, we like that sound; keeps it interesting.

Do you have a favorite track to perform live?

I don't know.. We cover a Radiohead song, "Idioteque", and we do it a little reggae, like a dub reggae, and we do this dub breakdown in the end and it always gets so intense; Silas will bust out his delay pedal and his loop station and JC does all this crazy stuff and we've been really digging a lot on that. Another one I love to jam on is, "We Work All Day" that's from the last album and we get super funky on that one and from the current album, "Somebody Help Me", the one that's about to come out, has a great blues breakdown that's always super tasty.

What were your inspirations behind "Somebody Help Me"?

Silas wrote that tune and I think it's about overcoming and reaching out; getting help, getting support. I don't really know [laughs]. He writes it, I feel it, I get it right.

Could you tell us more about Who's In Charge??

Yeah, that's just super applicable to what's going on right now, it's just like, what's going on? Silas wrote that tune maybe a little more than a year ago and when he wrote it we really liked it and then, with everything that's been happening over the last year, it just resonated more and more as, if you can use music to help in any way for what's going on, we felt that this song and this message really, to our best abilities as songwriters, was what we needed to say and so we pretty much knew that it had to be the name of the album and the first track. That's the story with that and a lot of the tunes and the lyrics, like "Motivation", "Somebody Help Me", and all that stuff, there's a lot of continuity throughout the album, as far as the lyrical message and what's going on right now.

One of the things that made the album we just made, Who's In Charge?, so special was recording at Echo Mountain Studios with Julian Dreyer. That was huge and it's the premier studio in this whole region and we happen to live, I mean, I can walk to the studio from my house - it's about a fifteen minute walk. So, it felt really great to work at that studio, with Julian, who's worked with tons of artists and engineers and produced a lot of albums so we were just incredibly happy to be able to work at Echo Mountain with Julian Dreyer.

How would you sum up that album in one sentence?

It's just a culmination of everything we've been working towards and everything we've been trying to say as a band and we're really proud of it and we hope you love it.

What do you hope that listeners are able to take away from your music?

Just positivity and enjoyment and introspection and having fun. Having a good time and trying to be happy in this world.

The Get Right Band Tour Dates:

8/05/2016 - Asheville, NC -Isis Music Hall *Album Release Show
8/06/2016 - Roswell, GA - Roswell Riverside Sounds
8/10/2016 - Roanoke,VA - Martin’s Downtown
8/12/2016 - New Hope, PA - Triumph Brewing Company
8/13/2016 - Philadelphia, PA - The Grape Room
8/14/2016 - Harlem, NY - Shrine
8/15/2016 - New York, NY - The Manderley Bar
8/17/2016 - Boston, MA - Extended Play Sessions
9/01/2016 - Boone, NC - The Boone Saloon w/ Roots of a Rebellion
9/02/2016 - Stuart, VA - Front Porch Festival
9/09/2016 - Boone, NC - Musicfest at Blue Bear Mountain
9/15/2016 - Frederick, MD - Alive @ Five
9/17/2016 - Floyd, VA - Dogtown Roadhouse
9/29/2016 - Knoxville, TN - Preservation Pub
9/30/2016 - Nashville, TN - The End w/ Aquaducks
10/01/2016 - Chattanooga, TN - Clyde's on Main
10/7/2016 - Asheville, NC - RiverLink RiverMusic w/ Blitzen Trapper and The Broadcast

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Gonzalla

Catch up with Los Angeles-based indie pop singer-songwriter Gonzalla (Cody Randall) and listen to his latest single, "We Still Run".

What first got you interested in music?

Cody: I actually wanted to start playing violin. I think I was 8 or 9, but I went to a music shop in Orange Country and we went to play some violins, try it out, and I was, surprisingly enough, not good at all at it, but I saw some pretty cool guitars on the wall which caught my eye and that ended up being my first instrument. And, I learned piano from then and just kind of never stopped, really. Once I got good enough to create my own music, it just naturally happened, so I guess I've always kind of written music since the beginning, really.

Do you remember the first song you wrote that you were happy with?

When I was in England I had another band that I thought was quite good and it was very diverse, culturally: it was with a Swedish guy, an Aussie guy, and a Norwegian girl, as well. I think that was probably the first time that I started being really happy with the songwriting and then, I've moved back now for Gonzalla and that's kind of helped me and shaped my songwriting really. So, I think I've found quite a good place. But, I'm still trying to figure out how to be even more happy, I guess, with my songwriting; I still feel like there's another level of progress for me out there.

Which musicians have you been influenced by?

A lot of my friends really, just from writing with them. Like the Clean Cut Kid are quite a big one: Mike Halls is a good friend of mine, he's such an amazing guitarist and he's helped me so much with songwriting and music altogether and Evelyn Burke, her solo stuff - she's in Clean Cut Kid, she's married to Mike now - she's so talented. Them and Jack Garratt. For songwriting, it's quite classic kind of singer-songwriter stuff, like Jim Croce or John Denver or Bob Dylan and John Lennon and how they didn't always do the standard 'first verse, first chorus, bridge, chorus' structure and everything and the way they told stories in their lyric, which is quite an important thing for me, really, to always stay true to that. But, yeah, those kinds of bands. And, there's so many new musicians, like Japanese Houses is amazing and the new The 1975 album is blowing my mind currently.

How would you describe your own sound to someone who had never heard you before?

That's the toughest question to answer. For me, it's tough to describe, but I've been told that I sound a lot like Coldplay - which I don't necessarily agree with but people seem to lean towards that for some reason - and I don't know if it's the vocal, but it's a mix of them, Of Monsters And Men, and some upbeat band like Grouplove for some of the tracks, but then it gets a little bit more Bon Iver-ish/Ben Howard kind of playing. So, I guess it's like a boiling pot of those musicians, I would say. It's tough to pinpoint it.

What were your inspirations behind your single "We Still Run"?

That one was mainly a friend of mine who was just going through a very difficult time in their life and it was meant just to help them through that period. It didn't take very long to write, I think a few days, and I kind of wrote it as everything was happening, so it needed that time to come together but, yeah, it's mainly about - for the majority of my material - about personal things and things that happen to me or people close to me. I try to keep it quite honest 'cause I don't like to make up too much in the songs.

Are you working on an album or EP?

I've just recently thought of doing an EP for this project. I still have a few more single and remixes - I'm actually meant to put out a remix, possibly today, of "We Still Run" which my friend in Liverpool has done called Cobble, he's amazingly talented - but there's definitely plans for an EP, or possibly two EPs, in the future, but I still feel quite distant from an album yet. He's [Cobble] so talented, this guy; I didn't know he did remixes even. He just put something out recently and a friend sent it to me and I've known him for 4 or 5 years and he's been doing it this whole time but he never told me, so I'm excited for everyone to hear it finally.

Why choose the stage name Gonzalla?

Originally, I just didn't really like playing under my name. I didn't like the way it sounded, as well as it makes it a little bit difficult to work with other people in the sense that I can seamlessly, under Gonzalla, bring in other musicians - like I'm working with someone from OneRepublic and then some guys from Kitten, they're an LA group - but when it's Cody Randall, I feel like it's just not as seamless; it makes it a little bit blocky to go from bouncing from artist to artist and it's kind of difficult to have featured artists. Like, on "Heart", it's Nora Konstanse and that kind of works well with it being Gonzalla x Nora.

What do you hope your listeners will be able to take away from your music?

I hope they just understand what I'm saying in the music really, that's kind of my goal. Just to have them take anything away from it, hopefully help them through a difficult time, especially for "We Still Run". It helped my friend through the time so I'm hoping she's not the only one who can gain something from it.

Is there anything you want to add?

We're trying to do festivals next year and since now is the time to be applying for all of that sort of stuff, hopefully you guys will see us at SXSW and we'd love to come to New York to do some festivals as well, so I think that's going to be a big part of our project next year, as well.

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Katie Perkins

Catch up with country/pop singer-songwriter Katie Perkins and listen to lead single, "Take My Hand", off her forthcoming album.

What first got you interested in music and songwriting?

Katie Perkins: I started singing, basically, ever since I started talking. Music was always in me and I didn't grow up in a musical family - I didn't have any family members who played any instruments or sang - but music just, to me, always felt like a part of me that I felt I was missing, so it just became a huge passion. From a young age, I started performing out and I loved being able to touch other people with songs and get right to their emotions and help people heal basically because that's what music did for me. Music's kind of just always been a part of my life. I didn't get into songwriting until around the age of 16/17 and that's pretty much when I started learning how to play guitar and wanted to start sharing some of my own experiences.

Do you remember the first song you wrote?

I'm okay with my first song [laughs]. My first song was a mess [laughs]. I had just started learning how to play guitar and I kind of just wrote what was flowing out of me. I was in not such a good relationship at the time so it wasn't a happy song per se, but I was 18 and I was at Berklee College of Music and I wrote it in my dorm room and my chord changes and everything were just all over the place; so, I'm not particularly proud of the song, but I'm proud that I had that first step and first experience to continue writing 'cause I just kept growing from there.

Which musicians have you been influenced by?

When I was younger, it was definitely more like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey, I used to listen to pop a lot, and now that I've kind of switched gears over into country music because I love the storytelling, I'm a huge fan of Miranda Lambert - I love her - and I love Carrie Underwood.

Is there any track you're hooked on right now?

Right now, I have "Dirty Laundry" by Carrie Underwood on repeat, a lot [laughs]. I love that song.

What were your inspirations behind your single "Take My Hand"?

"Take My Hand" was actually written by a woman named Linda Pestana and she had asked me to sing the song and I had listened to it and I have been through quite a lot in my life for such a young age and it was kind of all about finding yourself and just believing in who you are and constantly remembering that so you don't get lost in the shuffle of life, because that can lead to a lot of negative thoughts, so then you really aren't confident in who you are, some people actually forget who they used to be. It was just kind of a remembrance to be yourself everyday and to stay true to that, and I feel like that's something that everyone can relate to - I know I did - and the song really touched me and so I was honored that I was able to release this as my single because I know it's going to be able to touch a lot of people and probably help a lot of people, as well. 

Is that single indicative of what we can expect to hear on the next album and could you tell us more about that album?

Well, a lot of inspiration is going to come from my personal life. There's been a lot of songs that I've wanted to release but I never felt like I had the right crew behind me to really give it as much credit as it deserves, but now I have a great team behind me and so I'm working on all the songs that are really close to my heart and really deal with a lot of personal issues that I went through. A lot of the songs that I have put out before have kind of been downer songs, I guess you could say - they're not very upbeat - but there's going to be a lot of happy songs on there now, too. It's just a great pop/country/rock vibe that these new songs are going to have and I'm just really excited for everybody to hear them.

Do you have a favorite track when you're out there performing live?

My favorite original song to perform is from my first album and it's called "We Can Make It" and, as far as covers go, when I'm out performing live, my favorite song to do right now is "Little Red Wagon" by Miranda Lambert.

What do you hope that your listeners will be able to take away from your music?

If there was one main thing I would want someone to take away from my music it would be that it helped them in some way. Music seemed to be what was always there for me, and no matter what mood I was in, or what I was dealing with in my life there was a song that could help me deal, or help me heal. I want my music to do for others what it has done for me.

Listen to "Take My Hand" now.

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Comrad

Catch up with folk singer-songwriter Comrad and listen to his latest single, "I Might Be Fine", off his debut EP, 10 Feet Away, to be released in August.

What first got you interested in music?

I remember learning to play guitar in high school. I think the first song I learned was "Free Falling" by Tom Petty and then maybe "Dust In the Wind" by Kansas. Then at some point I heard Joe Pass and Django Reinhardt and was obsessed with learning to play like them. I'll let you know when that happens. The first album I bought, Graceland, solidified things for me. No one writes better lyrics than Paul Simon, as far as I’m concerned. The line, “The poor boy changes clothes and puts on aftershave, To compensate for his ordinary shoes” blew my mind. That whole album is amazing.

Do you remember the first song you wrote?

I remember the lyrics really well. I was in the basement of my parents house with Pete Weiss and Mike Russell and we wrote a song about a couple that gets older and eventually she passes away and he shortly after because he couldn't live without her. I think the last line was something like, "he wanted things to be like when she was alive, so he went up to heaven to be by her side". For a couple fifteen year olds, it was a pretty solid song, I wish I could remember how to actually play it.

Which musicians would you say you've been influenced by?

The two I mentioned earlier. Lots of singer songwriters like Paul Simon, Ani Difranco. Jazz musicians like Bill Evans, Errol Garner, Thelonious Monk. Also, not for their music, although coincidentally they do both play music, Steve Martin and Woody Allen. I love their movies! The general feel they create and the dialogue is awesome.

What were your inspirations behind your single, "I Might Be Fine"?

I wanted this song to be a sarcastic inner monologue of a guy who's trying to convince himself he's totally fine on his own. He's trying to eat healthy by himself, shop for furniture by himself, and make love by himself. It's one of the first songs I wrote on ukulele. The reason I bought a ukulele is because of the scene in The Jerk where Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters sing a duet of "You Belong to Me".

Is that track indicative of what we can expect to hear on your upcoming EP and could you tell us more about 10 Feet Away?

I think it is a good representation of the EP. In the song, “My Date with Jesus”, I talk about loving someone more than being alone. I mean it as a negative, for sure. That song is probably my favorite lyrically because of the play between being religious and dating someone for the sake of not being lonely. In “Full of Texas”, that song is about being rejected for qualities completely out of your control. In “80 Proof Waltz” I’m looking for drinking partners to hang out with for the night. They all come at loneliness from a slightly different perspective.  Hopefully an interesting one.

How would you sum up that EP in one sentence?

Being lonely isn’t so bad if you’re working on it.

What do you hope your listeners are able to take away from your music?

In other songs on the EP like “80 proof waltz”, there are lyrics about falling in love with a toilet. In “Date with Jesus” there's a line about kneeling by the bed which has a couple meanings. Lots of other lyrics that stand out to me when I listen to these songs. I hope those lyrics come through to the people listening.

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